Stories from Friday, November 9, 2012

As the official sponsor of birthdays, the American Cancer Society has marked the 37th Great American Smokeout on Nov. 15 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. According to an American Cancer Society report, people who quit, at any age, live longer than people who continue to smoke...

Middle Tennessee State University will celebrate International Education Week Nov. 12-17 with a flurry of food, fairs and fun, all free and open to the public. The festivities will begin with a panel discussion about MTSU students' study-abroad trip to tsunami-devastated Fukushima, Japan, this past summer. Dr. Doug Heffington, director of global studies, will join the students for a review from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building...

A woman arrested Oct. 31 for allegedly causing a disturbance at a North Main Street store has told police a fuse was stolen from her car while she was taken to jail. The woman said she "likes to use her horn to alert other drivers and/or animals in the roadway" and discovered it wouldn't work Wednesday. She found an empty socket where the fuse had been, police were told...

A wild accident early this morning on Madison Street left a block-long trail of damage, three vehicles and two refrigerators totaled and major damage to two buildings. The unoccupied truck at top, parked at Blue's Auto Sales, was knocked an entire city block across King Avenue and through the side of Creative Touch Florist and Catering after being hit by a truck (above) driven by Sandra Tutt of Chapel Hill. At left, Blue Farrar inspects damage to the Farrar's Wrecker Service building. Tutt told police she lost control of her truck after another driver merged into her lane about 6:30 a.m., Sgt. James Wilkerson said.

It's a familiar tale, one popularized on stage and in film. The Smokestack Theatre Group of Community High School will present "A Christmas Carol" in two public showings, Nov. 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. at the school's theater. The student cast promises to bring Ebenezer Scrooge to life, along with Jacob Marley, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and those insightful "Ghosts of."...

Following a nearly two-hour attorney-client meeting, Shelbyville's city council took no action over an ongoing lawsuit concerning a rock quarry. Last week, the city lost a state appellate ruling in the matter dealing with the efforts of Wright Paving Co. Inc., and Custom Stone LLC to have a quarry placed on L. Fisher Road, which has been the topic of lawsuits since 2005...

A local Boy Scout leader and Liberty School teacher has been charged with inappropriately touching a teenage boy. Travis Scott Spivey, 43, of Dow Drive was charged Tuesday with sexual battery by an authority figure, Detective Sgt. Brian Crews of the Shelbyville Police Department said Thursday...

Forfeiting his teaching licence, the former band director of Community High School will serve nine months in jail after pleading guilty Thursday to soliciting one of his students. Stephen B. Givens, 34, of Smyrna pleaded guilty to one count of solicitation of a minor, agreeing to serve nine months of a 11-month, 29-day sentence. The crime is a class A misdemeanor...

Harris Middle School's Golden Eagles jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back in a 66-36 win at Franklin County South in a Central Tennessee Conference matchup on Thursday. The Eagles (1-0, 1-0) posted leads of 17-6 at the end of the first quarter, 38-16 at the intermission and 55-28 after three periods...

A balanced scoring attack led Harris Middle School to a 35-23 win over host Franklin County North in the Eaglettes opening game of the season on Thursday in a Central Tennessee Conference matchup. Emma Haynes led the way with seven points for the winners while Jenna Holt and Romny Felts each added six tallies apiece with Keely Smith contributing five...

SHELBYVILLE -- The Cascade Middle Lady Champions took an early lead against cross-county rival Liberty on Thursday night and never looked back in an impressive 49-23 win. The Lady Champs stormed out of the gates and put 14 on the board in the first quarter with Bailey Sudduth and Kristen Heath combining for 11 points...

The Cascade Middle duo of Hayden Edmondson and Seth Gardner was just too much for the Liberty Patriots to try and contain in a 71-43 loss on Thursday night. The two dominated the stats sheet, racking a combined 45 points against the Patriots. While the final score appeared a bit one-sided, the Patriots didn't back down one inch against their cross-county rivals...

Casey Tyler Quinn, 21, died Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012. A celebration of life service will be held at 6:30 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene with Bobby Scott officiating. The family will receive friends from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Michael Anthony Stewart, 59, of Pensacola, Fla., died Wednesday, Nov. 7. 2012. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Trahan Family Funeral Home in Pensacola. Burial will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Monday.

Barbara Louise Polly Turner, 72, of Shelbyville died Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, at Glen Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel with Mary Ann Pruitt officiating. Burial will follow at Willow Mount Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5-9 p.m. Sunday.

An armed robbery of a delivery driver late Wednesday night netted the robber a small amount of money, pizzas and a few packs of cheese, Shelbyville police said. The driver noticed a man wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head nearby as she arrived at a Jarrell Street home, officer Todd Sanders said...