Stories from Sunday, January 10, 2010

Come January, everyone seems to want to eat healthier. The problem, however, is when cold weather comes our way our desire to shed the extra holiday pounds is often trumped by our stronger desire for comfort foods. I posted a quick blog last week to find out what folks crave this time of year, when temperatures fall below 20 degrees. ...

A Webb-Bell Buckle team that came into Saturday averaging 60 points per game was held in check by Webb-Knoxville in a 44-31 loss at the Barton Athletic Center. The Spartans held the Feet to their lowest point total of the season by being patient with their offense and holding for high-percentage shots...

Webb-Bell Buckle was held to just three first-half field goals and never recovered in a 68-30 East/Middle Region loss to sister school Webb-Knoxville at the Barton Athletic Center on Saturday. "It's just frustrating," Lady Feet coach Scott Dorsett said. "This is one of the kind of games that I told the girls that you just have to almost forget. I thought we had a good game plan."...

Given the past week's bitterly-cold temperatures, many Bedford County residents probably dread the arrival of their next utility bills. Bridget Green is not among them. "I'm actually excited to wait for that first bill," she said. It's not that she likes paying bills; it's that she's curious to see how much the solar panels atop her new home have reduced the bottom line...

A public hearing and final reading is scheduled to be held Thursday for an ordinance that would re-enact the creation of an I-3, or Industrial Zone, in Shelbyville -- a topic that has been at the center of a five-year lawsuit over a rock quarry. One of the items on the Shelbyville city council agenda this week is an ordinance that clarifies which type of facilities that will be permitted as special exceptions inside an I-3 district, which the city previously adopted by ordinance in 2004...

Kathy K. Prater has announced her candidacy for re-election as Bedford County Clerk in the May Democratic primary. The clerk's office is responsible for registering vehicles and distributing license tags, issuing marriage licenses, accepting passport and notary public applications and keeping minutes for Bedford County Board of Commissioners...

A vote on term limits for the city's power board will be among items on Shelbyville City Council's agenda Thursday. Councilman Al Stephenson requested that the topic be placed on the council's agenda during their study session this past Tuesday. He said that members should serve a couple of three-year terms and then sit out one term before applying to serve on the board again...

There's nothing like reader mail to keep a lifestyles editor in check every now and then. Nope, I'm not referring to my anonymous fan (or not) who likes to point out my errors -- yes, anonymously -- claiming I don't pay attention to my work. I am referring to a friend of mine who so graciously made gave me a new perspective on parenthood. ...

How can you tell you're the parent of a college student? After my all-too-brief visit with Scott over Christmas, I realized there are several different ways to tell. First, there's the name game. When I rattle off roll call because I can't remember which kid I really want, I used to start at the top and work my way down. "Hey, Scott Ben Buzz whichever one you are."...

When Lesley Ward began looking for a new career she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do, however, she was certain of one thing that had to be included in the job description. "I was looking for something with a purpose," Ward said. "I came in here and it was a comfortable environment. I learned a lot and wanted to help, and it feels good to be in a position to do that."...