Stories from Thursday, June 7, 2012

To the editor: Did you know that brutality and bullying are the same? It's usually people who feel small. They revert to tactless measures so they will look bigger in other people's eyes. Other people will then be afraid to speak out against them...

Senior Legion Post 23 had everything working for it against Mount Juliet in a doubleheader Wednesday night. Solid pitching from everyone who took the mound and effective bats at the plate earned Post 23 a pair of wins against visiting Mount Juliet...

Former Bedford County and Community graduate Shawn DiGianfelice has been named the new head softball coach at Shelbyville Central. DiGianfelice, a 1994 graduate of Community, received an associate degree from Motlow State Community College before graduating from Middle Tennessee State University...

A man who told police he was shot in the stomach with a BB handgun Tuesday isn't pressing charges against his assailants. Officers responding to a report of shots fired on Barksdale Lane found the victim, with two small wounds to his stomach and cuts on his head and face...

A federal judge has ordered the merger of the county's lawsuit against BellSouth with similar litigation filed in seven other Tennessee counties. In April, Bedford County's Emergency Communication District (ECD) filed a lawsuit against BellSouth (now known as AT&T), demanding the recovery of $76,000 in service charges...

NASHVILLE -- Mary Pitner of Shelbyville is among nine statewide finalists for the 2012-13 Tennessee Teacher of the Year Award. The finalists are elementary, middle and high school educators from each grand division of the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Education. Grand Division winners and the Teacher of the Year will be chosen from this group this fall...

The Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the denial of a post conviction petition from a man convicted in the 2004 murder of a Shelbyville man. Leslie Raydell Jones, who was convicted in 2006 of the Dec. 16, 2004, shooting death of 47-year-old Terry Lane "Pud" Alford, claims that he was given ineffective assistance of counsel...

Bedford County schools outlined a proposal to provide options for a school-based health care system to educators and community leaders this week. In July and December 2011 the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded a combined $109 million in competitive federal grants to school-based health centers (SBHCs) to 323 programs across the country...

In April, school board member Chad Graham criticized Bedford County's school system for a memorandum of understanding between the system and Primary Care and Hope Clinic, a Murfreesboro-based clinic affiliated with Middle Tennessee Medical Center. The clinic offered to bring an MTMC-owned mobile unit to Learning Way Elementary on kindergarten registration day to provide screenings and vaccinations for those who couldn't afford them...

Last Sunday's Times-Gazette included a story about hundreds of people taking part in an all-night fundraiser to fight cancer. More than $22,000 was raised, an amount much larger than more heavily populated Maury County, which held its event on the same night...

Logan's Mad Face

Jeffrey Thomas McGee, age 52, of Shelbyville, died Thursday, June 7, 2012, at Heritage Medical Center after an extended illness. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel with Hoyt Frasier officiating. Per his request, his remains were cremated. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m.