Stories from Sunday, March 27, 2011

The catastrophic images coming from Japan after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that followed have stunned the world. Entire towns have literally been wiped off the map, and the country's infrastructure has been crippled, leaving the survivors with little shelter, food or water...

Remember the Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared?" That's what families are encouraged to do in case a major disaster strikes their area, whether it's a earthquake, hurricane or other catastrophic event. Tennessee has its share of natural disasters, such as the tornado that struck in Franklin County several weeks ago...

A proposal to rezone land on State Route 64 (Wartrace Pike) near the new bypass has drawn "tremendous" neighborhood opposition, according to Bedford County Director of Planning and Zoning Chris White. The rezoning will be on the agenda for the April 5 meeting of Bedford County Planning Commission. The ultimate decision on whether to rezone property rests with Bedford County Board of Commissioners...

A trial date has been set for next summer in a federal suit against the county and its trustee. June 5, 2012, is the day that Cynthia L. Ray will have her case heard in federal court in Winchester. Ray, who worked in the trustee's office for 24 years, filed a suit against Bedford County and trustee Tonya Davis at the end of 2010, claiming she had been fired for openly supporting Davis' opponent during last year's election...

The Cascade Lady Champions finally showed some of that "killer instinct" that coach Ralph Edwards has sought since the season began as they put seven runs on the board over their final two at-bats to run rule visiting Grundy County 11-1 on Friday. "I thought we hit and fielded the ball well today," Cascade coach Ralph Edwards said. "It was nice to get back on the winning track after the loss to Chapel Hill."...

Shelbyville Central claimed a 3-2 road win over previously undefeated Giles County on Friday night. Senior Skyler Hornaday found the back of the net first for the Eagles (2-2) three minutes into the game followed by a goal off the foot of Johnny Carrera...

Webb was on the bad end of a two-goal deficit on a pair of occasions but still battled back to earn a 3-3 tie against Coffee County in Manchester on Thursday. Trailing 2-0, Josh Ferrell kicked in the first goal for the Feet (1-0-2) in the 25th minute. After the Red Raiders scored again in the 41st minute to up their lead to 3-1, Zach Wagner scored an answer for Webb in the 46th minute. The game-tying score came from eighth grader InSub Chung on an assist by Wagner...

Even a lengthy rain delay didn't slow down the Cascade Middle bats as the Champions swung their way through the rain and mud to take down Community Middle 16-7 in Unionville on Friday. The Vikings took an early 2-0 advantage before the visitors answered with a run in the top of the second, two in the third and three more in the fourth to go up 6-2...

Community Middle's softball squad rallied from behind with six late runs to defeat host Cascade Middle 9-6 late Friday afternoon. The Lady Champions took control early with four first-inning runs before the visitors responded with a three-run third...

The cold air and rainfall didn't slow down a pair of middle school soccer teams from taking to the pitch in Wartrace on Friday afternoon, nor did it slow down the Westwood Rockets as they defeated Cascade 5-2. Eighth grader Trent Madgett opened the scoring for the Champions with a goal in the 24th minute. Their lone second-half score came off a boot from seventh grader Elias Gaspar in the 35th minute. Both goals were unassisted...

The Liberty Patriots ran into a red-hot Forrest team on Friday afternoon in a 9-2 loss despite admirable mound performances by a pair of sixth graders. The Rockets exploded for seven runs in the third inning against Patriot starter Jacob Davidson before Jay Wilkerson and Will Warner combined to hold them to just one run in the final four frames...

We have all heard of extreme couponers, you might even be on the verge of becoming one yourself. What is an extreme couponer exactly, you might be wondering? The dictionary describes "extreme" as drastic or far beyond the norm. Let's look at some warning signs and see if you have the symptoms of this condition:...

The city's garbage crisis appears to have passed, for now, but while it was making news, several commenters at the Times-Gazette web site expressed the opinion that metropolitan city-county government would be a good answer to the city's financial woes...

I'm a big believer in "carpe diem" -- "Seize the day!" Of course, I'm also a big believer in exercise, transcendental meditation, and quitting smoking. Just because I believe in it doesn't mean I do it. I think it's because I am also, unfortunately, a big believer in instant gratification. If I can't see a year's worth of diet results in a day, forget it...

All you fiddlers, pickers, strummers, pluckers and dancers out there need to start practicing, because early June will be your time to shine. The Wartrace Musicfest will take place June 3-4 and there are a lot of changes in store -- including competitions for all you fiddlers, pickers, strummers, pluckers and dancers...

I began my tenure with the Times-Gazette four years ago, and it has been nothing short of enjoyable. I have grown, learned, laughed and gotten to know the community I now call home. It has been a remarkable four years for me, with life's ups and downs weaving their way in and out my life, and my column...