Stories from Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Second Annual Middle Tennessee Gospel Music Festival will be held March 8-9 at Calsonic Arena on the Celebration grounds. The event, featuring southern, bluegrass, contemporary and traditional gospel styles, is held during the second weekend of March each year...

Gas prices in Tennessee -- and across the nation -- have throttled up an average of 10 cents per gallon in the past month, AAA reports, and they will likely go much higher. "We have seen gas prices go up across the board nationally," said Jessica Brady, a spokeswoman for AAA, The Auto Club Group...

A circuit judge ruled Friday that "it is not appropriate" for a man suspected in the disappearance of his ex-wife to resume "any form" of visitation with his daughter. "I have concluded that the child's story is credible," Judge Lee Russell wrote Friday sfter reading depositions entered into evidence during a day-long hearing Thursday...

A local woman says she plans to open a food pantry and soup kitchen within weeks, but adds that donations would help the charity to start serving others. Memphis Rudder said the Second Chances Free Food Kitchen could open by the end of January. State officials have finished processing her paperwork as a tax-exempt charity...

The driver of a car which struck the back of a truck trailer on U.S. 231 North late Friday can count his blessings today. Barry Sullivan, 31, of Unionville was southbound when he ran off the right shoulder of the highway and hit a long flatbed trailer containing a concrete beam, accident investigator Lt. Trey Clanton of the Shelbyville Police Department said...

Shelbyville's youth will get the chance later this year to participate in a British soccer camp, after the city council signed off on an agreement Thursday evening. The agreement is with Challenger Sports Corporation, and the best part of the deal is there will be no cost to the city...

It was an all out struggle for points in the first half of Friday's District 9-A rivalry showdown between the Cascade Lady Champions (12-5, 7-1 9-A) and the Community Viqueens (9-7, 4-4 9-A). Despite those struggles, the Lady Champs were able to string together an impressive third quarter and pick up the 52-40 win over the Viqueens on Friday night to remain in control of the 9-A standings...

It's a safe assumption to make that records don't mean a whole lot in District 9-A. With so little separating each team in the district, every night is a full on scrap to the finish. Add in the fact you've got two rivals playing each other in an electric atmosphere, and the on-court product is likely to be one of the best games fans will see all year...

Chalk up another District 8-AAA home win for Shelbyville Central as the Eaglette pulled away in the final four minutes of the game in a 61-51 victory over Lawrence County on Friday night. After holding a slim 43-41 lead going into the fourth quarter the Eaglettes (9-9, 3-1 8-AAA) outscored their opponent 18-10 in the final period, holding the Lady Wildcats to only two baskets from the field...

"I'm this team's biggest fan. I love this team." Those were the words form first-year Shelbyville Central coach Stan Eggleston said after his Golden Eagles fell 62-58 in a hard-fought heartbreaker to visiting Lawrence County in a District 8-AAA match up on Friday night...

"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys" was a popular country song in the late 1970s. I'd like to hear a song titled something like, "Mammas Don't Let Your Kids Run Around Like Banshees in Public." Mammas and daddies, however, are doing just that -- they are letting their children run out of control...

My 13-year-old son received an iPod Touch for Christmas this year. I know my son. Probably as well as I've ever known anyone. And I knew, given time, he would lose his expensive gift. In an effort to soften the blow when the device did turn up missing, I had Zachary create a background screen with the words, "If you find this iPod, please email kevin@kevinslimp.com to let my dad know you have it."...

Boy Scout Troop 370 conducted an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Dec. 8. The first half of the program included a meal as well as rank and merit badge ceremonies. The meal was prepared by scouts. Assistant Scoutmaster and Eagle Scout Richard Smith gave a presentation entitled "Legend of Eagle Mountain." He inspired the scouts to welcome the challenges of scouting and strive to reach the goal of Eagle Scout...

While the Raus School has long been considered a historical building by many in Bedford County, the building that dates to the late 1880s is now officially historical. That's because the building, which was constructed in 1888, has been added to the National Register of Historical Places, according to an announcement by the Tennessee Historical Commission. Seven sites in the Volunteer State have been added to the registry...

In an age of online recipes and websites that give advice on cooking, there is still something to be said for printed recipe books. The company that owns Shelbyville's Carriage House Inn certainly believes so. Senior Solutions Management Group has created "The B-B-Q Doctor Cookbook," a hefty-size spiral bound tome full of a variety of recipes ranging from sausage croissants to easy apple stack cake. Residents, their families and employees of the company contributed the recipes...

Billy Hix, a local educator from Shelbyville who has had a passion for space and science his entire life, visited the Shelbyville Woman's Club Wednesday during the club's monthly meeting held at the Riverbend Country Club. The many women in attendance paid close attention as Hix presented his program called, "The science behind the star of Bethlehem."...

One of the prettiest sights on a dreary winter day is jars of bright red summer tomatoes on the pantry shelf. Taken at their prime and processed, these beauties are just waiting to brighten up a winter day with a hearty meal. My grandmother used to put up quarts and quarts of tomatoes from my grandfather's garden for the winter. When my mom and dad got married and moved away to California, my mother's first question to her mother was, "Where do I get tomatoes?"...

Have you ever heard of the son of Dodo? Probably not. Maybe you have heard of the dodo bird, the extinct, flightless bird from the island of Mauritius. He's long gone. Or you may have heard of the now retired Brazilian soccer player, Ricardo Lucas, who was nicknamed, Dodo...

Jake and Rachel Victory of Shelbyville announce the birth of a daughter, Lyla Ann Victory, born Nov. 30 in Murfreesboro. The baby girl weighed 7lbs 10oz and is the granddaughter of Steve and Lisa Victory, and Mike and Nita Carroll, all of Shelbyville. Great-grandparents are Ralph Pierce of Flat Creek, Ernest and Bobbie Victory of Murfreesboro, and Billie Carroll of Shelbyville...

"Making 2013 an especially happy New Year for 22 local families" was a commitment made by the Liberty Lions Club members as a way to best invest funds raised from the annual holiday food basket campaign when Liberty sponsored the Fall 2012 Poker Rally...