Stories from Sunday, January 1, 2012

When she saw her brother recently he was smiling broadly, says Kristy Smelcer. He sat next to her and put his hand on her leg and said, "Why are you all so sad?"...

Gavin Upchurch Ready for the New Year.

Riley Meeks (11 months) enjoys her First New Years.

Two stories that touched the hearts of local readers top this year's list of the top 10 local stories as determined by a poll of the Times-Gazette staff. The top story of the year was the plight of the three people collectively known as The Shelbyville Missing: Shelley Mook, Bobby Smelcer and Antonio Taylor. That story was followed by the story of a young sixth grader whose illness brought the community together and whose death broke its heart...

"It seems all I have is bad luck," Patricia Crowson said as Shelbyville firefighters doused what was left of her Tate Avenue home Thursday night. The inside of the residence was gutted when a fire broke out about 10 p.m. in a bedroom. "I was cooking a casserole and I heard something pop -- it did it three or four times," Crowson said. "He (her son Shane Rhodes, who had just returned from a wrestling match) thought it sounded electrical...

Sadie Fowler of Normandy has been named editor of the Times-Gazette. Fowler began serving in an expanded role at the newspaper in July, which led to the role of interim editor. "From meeting folks in the community to great writing, Sadie has demonstrated the essence of a great community newspaper," said Hugh Jones, Times-Gazette publisher. "Plus her leadership in the newsroom is outstanding. I'm excited with Sadie in this role and so will Times-Gazette readers."...

Shelbyville Central's Golden Eaglettes blew a pair of fourth quarter leads in their final two games of the Hickman County Above the Rim Christmas Invitational on Thursday and Friday. The Eaglettes (7-9) play at Smyrna on Tuesday. Hickman Co. 48, Shelbyville 46 (OT) - The game was knotted at 39 at the end of regulation. ...

It was a tale of two Haleys--or Haylees--that powered the Lady Champs to a 45-38 comeback win over Dekalb County to capture third place in the Watertown Christmas Tournament on Thurday night. "We started off a little sluggish playing like we did last night. ...

Shelbyville Central had a little sweet revenge in a 42-27 win over Oakland in the Father Ryan Christmas Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Eagles lost a 42-40 decision to the Patriots earlier in the season. Shelbyville (4-10) had struggled scoring points in the third quarter in the first two games of the tournament but that wasn't the case in this game as the Eagles outscored their opponent 20-3 in the third stanza...

WATERTOWN -- The Cascade Champions hit another snag in what's been a successful few weeks on the hardwood. The Champs were toppled by Cheatham County to earn third place in the Watertown Christmas Tournament on Thursday night. "Turnovers again killed us. We didn't do a good job with our offense. Defensively, we didn't play that badly at half court. But we had 19 turnovers at halftime. And that was just too many chances for them," said Cascade coach Ralph Edwards...

Around the holidays, most people spend time with their family and loved ones. No matter what your family is like, it is impossible to leave a family gathering without a good story, especially in the South. Julia Sugarbaker described the South's outlook on crazy family members perfectly in Designing Woman...

I was reminiscing and came across something that I wanted to share with you again. I hope you don't mind. For many people around the world the beginning of a new year becomes a time for grand celebrations, watching the old year fade away as the new is ushered in...

If you've read my columns before, you know that I love to eat. One of the most exciting things about coming home is knowing that not only will I get home-cooked meals, but also, I will get to take a break from the Wendy's dollar menu for a few weeks...

How would you like to visit London, Paris, Alicante, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, and Rome all in the span of one month? Many college students are able to travel the world and get college credit for it. Kelly Pietkiewicz, a senior at the University of Memphis, had the experience of a lifetime this summer traveling through Europe...