Stories from Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Equipment belonging to the Bedford County Antique Tractor Association and one of its members was stolen and vandalized overnight Friday, Shelbyville police were told. The battery and radiator cap were stolen from a tractor and its muffler and dipstick removed and thrown into a field, and lights and a mirror were broken on a sled used in tractor pulls...

A man serving a 25-year sentence for a 2009 home invasion in which three children were held at gunpoint has lost his appeal. Jose Hermes Gomez had appealed the sentence, stating that Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler erred in ordering him to serve consecutive sentences...

Two Shelbyville police officers are asking that a federal suit against them be dismissed, pointing out that the matter that brought about the litigation has been sent back to a criminal appeals court. James Edward "Blue" Farrar Jr. filed a federal lawsuit in January against Mayor Wallace Cartwright, Police Chief Austin Swing, officers Tory Moore, Jose Garza and the Shelbyville Police Department, claiming his rights were violated when officers arrested him in April 2009 for public intoxication...

Tennessee Speaker of the House Beth Harwell delivered an upbeat message at Bedford County Republican Party's Reagan Day Dinner on Saturday, saying that Republicans should model themselves after Ronald Reagan, speaking not with anger or bitterness but with confidence...

HUNTLAND -- Community Middle got off on the right foot in the Mid-South Conference tournament Monday night, beating Cornersville Middle 9-4. "Spencer Smith made some key defensive plays and our pitchers threw very well," Community coach Robbie Davis said. "If we continue to play with this same effort, we'll have a chance to compete in this tournament."...

A pair of eighth grade arms matched each other pitch-for-pitch in a nailbiting Mid-South Conference tournament game between Liberty and Cascade Middle in Wartrace on Monday night. Patriot Jacob Davidson and Champion Thomas Lindeman kept the entire crowd on pins and needles with neither allowing a score through six innings...

Webb Middle coasted through the Central Tennessee Conference soccer tournament in dominant fashion, dispatching Riverside Christian Academy 9-0 in the final to earn the championship on Saturday. The Feet wound up with an overall record of 10-1, including an 8-0 mark versus CTC foes. They outscored opponents 69-9...

Jenny Hallums was nearly perfect from the pitcher's circle, twirling a no-hitter to help her Cookeville team defeat Cascade 5-0 at La Vergne High School during the Rutherford County Classic on Saturday. The right-hander struck out seven and did not issue a walk in five innings of work...

Shelbyville Central's boys tennis team ended its regular season victoriously by defeating St. Andrew's-Sewanee 6-1 on Monday at H.V. Griffin Park. The Eagles (7-4) swept in the five singles matches, including Zach Nichols winning 8-0. The Eaglettes (3-7-1) fell to SAS 6-1 with Christie Tran logging their lone win...

Webb took on its fourth Class AAA opponent this season and earned a 5-0 dominating win over Lincoln County at the pitch in Bell Buckle on Monday afternoon. The Feet (5-2-2) got on the board when Miles Davis scored off a Zach Wagner assist in the 10th minute. The lead stood at 1-0 at intermission...

With the regular season winding down, winning district games becomes extremely important. Shelbyville Central jumped out to an early lead on the way to a 6-4 victory over host Franklin County in a District 8-AAA softball matchup on Monday. Junior right-hander Alyssa Moore pitched a two-hitter while fanning four and walking three with one hit batter...

It had been 3,329 days since it last occurred. A losing streak that spanned back to March 14, 2002, and across four coaching changes finally came to a screeching halt on Monday afternoon as Community beat Cascade 6-3, taking the lead in the second inning and never trailing their rivals...

Loudon County Director of Schools Wayne Honeycutt, the first of four short list candidates for Bedford County school superintendent, told school board members and community leaders on Monday he is a hard worker who believes in the chain of command and who expects professional behavior and appearance from his staff...

George Harlan Woodard McDonald, 66, of Shelbyville, died Tuesday at Heritage Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel. Burial will follow at Shelton Cemetery in Beech Grove. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Thursday.