Stories from Sunday, January 17, 2010

Nate Strasser didn't waste any time after graduating from college. The talented musician is aiming for a career in Music City but, until then, a Shelbyville church is reaping all the benefits of this West Virginia native who now calls Shelbyville home...

It's the time of year for us in the newsroom to prepare for the upcoming press awards. This means, for me, part of the next couple weeks will be reserved for sifting through old papers and deciding if and what feature stories I've written may be worthy of contest submission...

To the Editor: I read in the Times-Gazette a few days ago about a worker at a local grocery store finding a wallet and getting it back to the owner. I, too, had this happen to me on Christmas Eve. Rushing around and trying to get back home for Christmas Eve, I hurriedly pushed my buggy into the cart area and left my billfold laying in the seat of the cart. ...

I think the creators of the comic strip "Zits" hides in my closet and takes notes. Not only are the teenage son's actions dead ringers for my kids', he even has the same vintage VW microbus in his driveway. At least he got his running. Seriously -- anyone out there interested in a 1973 VW Microbus with a new clutch and clutch cable, no keys and not running -- I'm selling. No upholstery on the front seats, but it does have the original hippie curtains and Sierra Club sticker...

With new recipes landing in my hands on a daily basis, I often forget about the classics -- and my favorites. When I learned that January is National Oatmeal Month, I knew exactly what I'd be making. Oatmeal Scotchies are certainly nothing new or fancy, but they are one of my favorite cookies of all time. And they remind me of home, and of my mom. It was always such a treat when she'd make these, and they never seemed to last more than five minutes in our house...

Friday night would have made Roger Brothers beam as the gymnasium named in his honor was decorated and filled with adoring mothers, proud dads and glowing grandparents armed with cameras and camcorders out in force to preserve the memories of well-groomed teenagers decked out in a full array of the latest styles to celebrate the time-honored tradition of homecoming...

Kyle Dyer scored a season-high 17 points and freshman Logan Pierce netted 11 to pace the Community Vikings to a 66-55 home win over a scrappy Boyd Christian Bronco team in District 9-A action Friday night. "I was pretty disappointed with our defense tonight," Community coach Jace Bryant said. "It seemed like that every time we would make a good play on offense I would look up and (Boyd) would be shooting a layup to cancel it out...

HUNTLAND -- Cascade's girls took a step toward turning the corner as a young team Friday night by not playing their best but still managing a District 9-A road win. Huntland overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to scrap to within four points, but its rally wouldn't be enough as the Lady Champions took this one 48-43...

Turnovers and poor free throw shooting proved to be costly for host Shelbyville Central in a 61-56 loss to District 8-AAA leading Columbia on Friday night. The Golden Eagles (7-8, 1-2 8-AAA) led as much as seven points in the first half but failed to take care of the basketball and missed critical free throws down the stretch...

Three guilty pleas were heard in Bedford County Circuit Court on Friday that involved gunfire, forgery and exploitation of a minor. Michael Adam Kelley, 27, of Chapel Hill, pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon -- a class E felony...

A man who testified against his ex-wife earlier in the week about theft charges pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on Friday. Troy Neal pleaded guilty to two counts of theft of property between $500 and $1,000, and theft under $500, and was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell to serve 162 days in jail before he is eligible for parole...

Last week's earthquake in Haiti, which killed as many as 45,000 to 50,000 according to Red Cross estimates, has touched communities around the world, and Bedford County is no exception. Chesley Enloe of Shelbyville has been to Haiti three times, both on business and for mission work. He first went in 1980 with concrete contractor Reggie Smith to build an orphanage on Haiti's central plateau...

HUNTLAND -- Cascade and Huntland engaged in an epic double-overtime battle between two long-time rivals that fit the very description of what an exciting Class A game should be. Without a player on the floor taller than 6-foot-2 in an ancient gym, the scene was only enhanced by the 40 minutes of action...

In one of their best outings of the season, Shelbyville Central claimed a 65-50 win over visiting Columbia in a District 8-AAA matchup Friday night. The Eaglettes shot 58.5 percent from the field, outrebounded the Lady Lions 41-20 and matched those efforts with a steady plan on the defensive end of the court to claim the double-digit victory...