Stories from Tuesday, February 16, 2010

CHAPEL HILL -- With his team down to Huntland with only seconds to play, Logan Pierce stepped up like a seasoned veteran with the basketball lives of his Community teammates on the line Saturday night in the first round of the District 9-A tournament...

CHAPEL HILL -- The manner in which it happened wasn't what they had in mind, but they'll take the end result any day of the week. Second-seeded Cascade trailed for the first 18 minutes of its first-round District 9-A tournament matchup with seventh-seeded Moore County but rebounded late to win 56-46 on Saturday night...

Start-and-stop snow showers Monday and Tuesday closed local schools, delayed Monday night basketball tournament games, and created the possibility of slippery streets in some parts of the county. Volunteer observers for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (cocorahs.org) reported total snowfall amounts ranging from half an inch to two inches, with the latter figure along the Bedford/Moore county line...

Dancing isn't just good for a marriage, as Cliff Gerrard and his wife of 15 years, Linda, will tell you. Dancing is good for your heart -- and that comes from Dr. Cliff Gerrard, the cardiologist. "It's a moderate type of exercise that stresses your heart and lungs -- in a good way," he said. "It's an aerobic type exercise, mild to moderate."...

Henderson, N.C.-based Variety Wholesalers Inc. confirmed last week that it plans to open a 40,000-square-foot Roses store at 612 Madison St., in the old Southern Family Markets location, in early summer of this year. The company had already begun advertising for a store manager using an online job listing site...

State Sen. Jim Tracy has announced that Mike McCrady, who managed Pat Marsh's successful campaign for the state house last year, will serve as the manager for Tracy's campaign for the Sixth District U.S. House seat. "Mike has a great strategic mind and is an expert on grassroots campaigning. He was my first choice for the job," said Tracy in a news release. "I saw first-hand, during the Pat Marsh victory, how Mike works and I knew I wanted him on our team."...

Jimmie Nunn Hayes, 76, of Boaz, Ala., mother of Dr. Drew Hayes of Shelbyville, died Sunday. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Boaz with Dr. Hayes and the Rev. Don Reece officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Zion Baptist Church cemetery, Aroney, Ala., with the Rev. Kevin Brooks leading.