Stories from Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Celestine Mary Childs, 55, of Shelbyville died Monday, June 25, 2012, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The family will receive visitors from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel. Per her request, her remains were cremated.

Bedford County sent another 19 dogs aboard the Rescue Waggin' vehicle earlier this week. This month begins the fifth year for animals from Bedford County to be part of PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin' program -- a national transport that transfers adoptable dogs and puppies from animal shelters in communities with severe pet overpopulation problems to animal shelters in other communities where adoptable dogs and puppies are more in demand...

Ed Bearss, historian emeritus for the National Park Service and one of the interview subjects for Ken Burns' acclaimed documentary "The Civil War," will be the guest speaker at the July meeting of the Middle Tennessee Civil War Round Table. He will discuss aspects of the Civil War in Murfreesboro...

It's been a long time since Post 23 has taken two games from Columbia. With a 6-1 triumph on Tuesday night, Shelbyville can chalk up a season sweep from Post 19. Shelbyville got the bats working early on against Post 19 on Tuesday night. Trent Layman set up the scoring opportunity for Post 23 when he led off the inning with a single to right-center...

Kasondra Johnson makes a diving save in the corner during her singles match against Joe Grogan on Tuesday night. The two meet as part of the weekly Shelbyville Tennis Association's matches. (T-G Photo by Chris Siers)

Early voting will start July 13 for the Aug. 2 primary and general elections, the first elections since new districts and voting precincts have taken effect. Legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years as a result of the U.S. Census, so that each district -- city council, county commission, state legislature or U.S. Congress -- in a particular legislative body has roughly equal population. Otherwise, some voters would have more say in the legislative process than others...

Last year, when the City of Shelbyville cancelled its annual Independence Day fireworks display for budget reasons, a fireworks event in Bell Buckle provided an alternative. The town had been holding its own Fourth of July festivities for years, but last year found itself the only game in town...

The tour of the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg used to often include questions from the crowd about whether or not they could sample the product, followed by folksy assurances by the tour guide that Moore County was dry, and so, no, they couldn't...

Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. But teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime. That's the philosophy Warren Patterson uses when approaching fly fishing. Using this philosophy, Patterson jumps at the opportunity to teach newcomers the ins and outs of fly fishing...

You don't have to trek it to the shore anymore for a fresh catch. Kroger has recently added a fresh seafood section to their meat department, and they've got quite the variety.

The Baja 500 is considered to be one of the toughest ATV races on the planet and in order to finish, let alone win, a rider's machine has to be as tough and rugged as the conditions that are encountered. For the 2012 Tecate SCORE Baja 500, UXC Racing's Michael Swift of Shelbyville not only built a machine that could finish, but he also built a machine that allowed the team of Mike Penland and Carl Vella to win the Utility ATV class 26 aboard the 2012 Can-Am Outlander...

Don't take chance encounters for granted. Brent and Brenda Hitt of Normandy certainly didn't the day they met Rod and Gaby Coulter.

There's a certain generation of young men in Bedford County who know a well-kept angler's secret. Back when young men spent their summer days outside, returning home only when the streetlights came on, they waded the low parts of the Duck River, and the unending bits of Flat Creek which wend their way through local neighborhoods...

It's once again the time of year where kids and adults alike look to the skies for those colorful explosions. While fireworks can be a lot of fun for Independence Day celebrations, if not used properly, they can cause serious burns and eye injuries...

Everyone looks forward to a Fourth of July cookout with family and friends, but the chef should also know the "drills of the grill" to make sure no one develops any tummy trouble. Food borne illness can ruin a holiday get-together, and with this being the time of year when grilling and cooking outdoors is at its peak, safe food handling practices is a must...

For those Shelbyville residents who run some of the big fireworks tents you see all over town and the county, it has been a real blast. It also means someone has to stay on site 24 hours a day to keep watch over the explosive merchandise. But for the families, it's all like a fun summer camp out...

Take a look at Cookie and she actually appears to be smiling. She's got a lot to smile about. Young Cookie, a 1 1/2 year-old part Australian shepherd/part German shepherd, was found with an arrow through her back near Shelbyville, quite a few miles from her Moore County home...

More than $2,000 worth of firearms were stolen from a South Cannon Boulevard residence during the day Saturday or Sunday, Shelbyville police were told Monday. The guns were taken from a cabinet, police said. The owner said a door which had been locked, but not deadlocked, was forced...

It's going to be a scorcher for the rest of the week, and with no rain in the forecast, things are drying up quickly. Due to the dry weather, Murfreesboro and Smyrna officials have banned open burning, and it's a topic that's under discussion here in Shelbyville...

Bill Sloan has announced his candidacy for the second district seat on Bedford County Board of Commissioners in the Aug. 2 general election. Sloan has lived in Bedford County for more than 8 years. Prior to that, he lived in Rutherford County for more than 30 years and was active in youth programs for more than 12 years...

Bedford County students will pay an additional 25 cents for lunch this year, according to Janet Clarkson, supervisor of child nutrition. Clarkson presented the measure to the Bedford County Board of Education, which approved the increase at its regular monthly meeting last week...

Last Friday the Times-Gazette posted a poll, asking readers if they believe local government officials deliberate public business behind closed doors in violation of the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, also called the "Sunshine Law." With 285 votes cast by Tuesday evening, locals overwhelmingly believe this to be the case, with 92.3 percent of voters (263 votes) responding "yes" and 7.7 percent (or 22 votes) saying "no."...

After a couple of team losses, the Shelbyville Sharks bounced back with a huge win over Athens, Ala. on Tuesday evening. Shelbyville outscored Athens 392-210 and saw several strong performances from several members of the team. The win puts Shelbyville back in the winners column and improves the Sharks' record to 2-2 on the season...

The Bedford County finance committee meeting -- which included a review of monthly financial statements, an analysis of property tax collections, county-wide travel expenses and a $61,000 bad debt write off by Bedford County Emergency Medical Services -- lasted a total of 26 minutes Tuesday night.

Charlie Frizzell, 78, of Shelbyville died Wednesday morning, June 27, 2012 at Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma after an extended illness. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Doak-Howell Funeral Home with Mark Pierce officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Friday.

Evan says he just mowed the other day. Whew.