Stories from Sunday, June 20, 2010

I've been on this earth for 19 years and I can't imagine what my life would be like without my father, Bill Pietkiewicz. Over the years, I have realized how lucky I am to have him as my father. My dad has always been there for me, and for my family, no matter what. He is not one of those dads who merely says, "Hey, hope you had a good day," and then goes along his merry little way...

Happy Father's Day! I celebrate Father' Day with great glee and abandon because it means one thing and one thing only to me -- it's time to shut down the checkbook. Father's Day marks the end of a very expensive month for me, because I've got two sons and one husband with June birthdays...

Boys and girls. When one hears these words, he or she may not think about the struggles that many children are faced with daily, especially outside of school. However, the need in Bedford County for a safe environment for children and teens to go is more pressing than ever...

It was a busy night in Bell Buckle Friday -- but a festive one. While merchants and volunteers scrambled around downtown, preparing everything for the RC Cola and Moon Pie festival, the actors and staff of the Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, just up the road at Webb School, were preparing for opening night...

Kidnapping charges against a Shelbyville man in Cannon County have been dropped after the alleged victim recanted her story. But charges still remain in Bedford County, a Shelbyville detective said. Richard E. Cathey, 35, King Arthur Trailer Court, had been charged with aggravated kidnapping, but on Tuesday he had his first official court appearance in Woodbury...

Three women have asked that write-in votes for them be counted in county commission races in the Aug. 5 general election. Although Tennessee gives voters the opportunity to cast write-in votes, those votes are not counted unless the recipient asks ahead of time for them to be counted. The deadline for potential write-in candidates to fill out that form at the county election office was Wednesday...

To the Editor: The time has come for those of us that have worked so diligently on the U.S. Census 2010 to smile with joy, knowing the effort we put into making our community/county count complete for the next 10 years and to benefit our county with federal government funds...

A Tullahoma pilot escaped serious injury when his aircraft, described by authorities as a power glider, landed hard in a soybean field southeast of Shelbyville early Friday afternoon. Investigators identified the pilot as Jeffrey A. Long, 39, of St. Charles Place, Tullahoma,...

Thousands of people wandered the streets of Bell Buckle Saturday sporting neon yellow wristbands. each band indicating a donation to a family who suffered in the May flooding of Nashville. By the end of the day, thousands of dollars were collected by Bedford County deputies, who then turned it over to be counted and accounted for, then it was presented to the McClain family of Nashville...

High school basketball teams enter the final stretch of their summer schedules this week. The TSSAA allows 15 days for practice, 10 of which may involve competition. Numerous teams will come to Shelbyville the next few days to take full advantage of their remaining days of floor time at Team Camp No. 2...

An upcoming tight budget year and a state mandate may mean garbage fees for Shelbyville residents, the city council was told Thursday evening. While final budget numbers for the city have not been ironed out, city manager Michael Dill said the possibility of charging for trash pick-up is likely...