Stories from Friday, May 15, 2009

Gov. Phil Bredesen has signed a bill into law that will ban reading or sending cellular phone text messages while driving. The measure sponsored by Republicans Rep. Jon Lundberg of Bristol and Sen. Jim Tracy of Shelbyville imposes a $50 fine for reading or writing text messages while driving...

If you hear thunder rumbling through the streets of Bell Buckle this week -- that's all it is. Just thunder. The annual Motorcycle Day, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed until June 13. "We went from a zero percent chance of rain to a 70 percent chance," said Jenny Hunt, with the Chamber of Commerce. "Bikers like to plan things in advance and even if it doesn't rain, they probably wouldn't show up."...

The second annual Moose Lodge Barbecue Cook-off will be held Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. Judging will start at noon, and plates will be sold for $5 after judging. The public is invited to attend and eat. "The women of the Moose bring in side dishes to go along with the barbecue," said Michelle Lamb, publicity chairman for the Moose Lodge...

Shelbyville's city council gave its OK to the city's new expanded Urban Growth Boundary during its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday. The new boundary is part of the comprehensive study and plan developed by Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon (BWSC), which was recommended to the council by the city's planning commission and calls for the city's UGB to be expanded northward...

Investigators with the Bedford County Sheriff's Department shut down another alleged methamphetamine lab on Monday -- this time in the small town of Wartrace. Both suspects are also facing child endangerment charges for allegedly cooking the drug while a juvenile lived there...

A group of World War II veterans who recently participated in a bus tour of Washington, D.C. that included the World War II Memorial, spoke Thursday to the Shelbyville Rotary Club, a primary sponsor of the trip, to talk about what it means to them and to receive the thanks of grateful Rotarians for their service...

Here's the update you've all been waiting for! I was not successful at quitting smoking. In the two weeks following my announcement of my intention to quit, I was able to patch together an eight-day smoke-free run, but I caved in under some stress in my personal life and picked up the cancer sticks again...

Funeral services for Herbert E. "Zeke" Jones, 86, of Shelbyville, who died this morning at Alive Hospice at St. Thomas in Nashville, will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Hillcrest Funeral Home. The Rev. Arnold King will officiate and burial will follow in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation with the family will be 4-8 p.m. Saturday...

DETROIT -- A day after Chrysler LLC told a quarter of its dealers that it won't renew their contracts, owners of General Motors Corp. dealerships are awaiting word on whether they will be next. GM said it will notify 1,100 U.S. dealers today that their franchise agreements will not be renewed. Dealers expect to hear either by telephone or FedEx letters that will begin arriving this morning...

Dreams will be realized or dashed. All across Tennessee, high school baseball, softball and soccer teams will compete in sectionals to decide who moves onto the TSSAA BlueCross Spring Fling and who goes home. A pair of sectionals take place here in Bedford County as Cascade baseball and Webb soccer lay it on the line...

Webb's Lady Feet defeated host Harding Academy 4-3 in the Division II Class A girls team tennis tournament quarterfinals. The third-seeded Lady Feet of the East/Middle Region took down the No. 2 seed from the West Region thanks to singles victories from Hannah Waggoner, Bailey Haile and Katie Simpson to go with a doubles win out of Haile/Alex Caldwell...