Stories from Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Dog Days are here -- and it isn't even summer yet. Bell Buckle is hosting its first-ever Mutts in May celebration, a day-long event that will provide fun for families as well as their furry friends. "We thought it would be something different," said Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce president Joe Sheetz, who gave credit for the idea to Maggi Vaughn and Annie Rooney. ...

Cuts in funding are causing financial woes for some local non-profit organizations, Shelbyville City Council was told. The council heard requests for funding from both community organizations and charitable agencies, although 10 of the 23 groups listed did not send a representative to appear before the council Tuesday night...

Ch-ch-ch-changes... Ch-ili, ch-icken and ch-ocolate changes, that is. That's what you can look forward to at this year's Tennessee State Championship Chili Cookoff on the square in Shelbyville July 23. It's the fourth year the city has hosted the event -- which provides Tennessee's only entrants into the International Chili Society cookoff held in October...

A county committee has recommended keeping the Juvenile Detention Center open for six more months, to see if revenues can be increased. The center was first opened in 2001, and proponents envisioned it as a money-maker for the county, eliminating the cost of sending local juveniles elsewhere while bringing in money from surrounding counties for housing their juveniles...

The case of a Normandy man charged with first degree murder for the death of his infant son last fall has been continued until next month. Andrew Keith Johnston, 18, will make his next appearance before Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler on June 20...

EAGLEVILLE -- Region 5-A tournament finalists Cascade and Eagleville locked up for the fifth time this season and treated fans to eight innings of exciting baseball Wednesday afternoon. The familiar foes that were at or near the top of the District 9-A standings throughout the season had to scratch and claw for every slight edge as neither team ever led by more than a single run...