Stories from Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Area high school students planning to take the ACT can prepare for the test by enrolling in an ACT preparation class at one of three Motlow College sites. The class will be offered on the Moore County campus and at the Fayetteville and McMinnville centers...

Local students at two colleges have been named to the dean's list. Joshua Denny and Neil Whitehead, both of Tullahoma, have been named to the dean's list at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. Students earning a grade point average of 3.5 or higher while taking 12 or more credit hours are awarded the distinction of dean's list honors and feted at a reception sponsored by the Academic Affairs Office and Alpha Chi Honor Society...

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently announced an increase in influenza, with no sign in a peak to the flu season. In the most recent CDC report, flu was widespread in 48 states, and more than 5,000 people had symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization...

Middle Tennessee Business Network meets Thursday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce. MTBN is a referral and networking organization designed to help local entrepreneurs grow their business. It is open to anyone who is in business or wanting to start a business. Members do not need to be self-employed...

The couple who stole items from Walmart during two visits Saturday struck again early Tuesday, police said. The couple, along with an infant, were in the store shortly after 5 a.m., Detective Sam Jacobs of the Shelbyville Police Department said. They were accused of taking approximately $2,000 worth of computer software in the Saturday visits, then going to other departments, hiding the items in their clothing and leaving. The list of items taken Monday was not immediately available...

Local attorneys have until Valentine's Day to apply for a judge's seat that will become vacant later this year. The state's judicial nominating commission has announced they are accepting applications for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 17th Judicial District which will be created by the retirement of Judge Robert Crigler on May 31...

The state's district attorneys are planning an aggressive agenda for Tennessee's legislature during the upcoming year, pushing for changes in the law. The proposed changes would help the prosecution of serial child sexual abusers, toughen sentences for aggravated child neglect and the most serious attempted first-degree murder cases...

Shelbyville's police department took possession of four new Dodge Chargers that were purchased recently at a cost of $98,812. Deputy Chief Mike Rogers said two will be unmarked administrative vehicles, while the other pair will be for patrol duties. Rogers also said that the Chargers will also sport a new graphic design, similar to the look of Tullahoma's patrol cars, which will be spread to the entire police fleet over time. The department also received a new Chevrolet Impala at a cost of around $16,000 to replace a patrol car that was totalled last month. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

With 6:22 left to play in Tuesday's District 9-A contest between the Cascade Lady Champions and the MTCS Lady Cougars, Lady Champion senior Elora Skuce etched her name into school history by scoring her 1,000th career point in a 49-44 win. Skuce's prowess and infamy as a deadly 3-point shooter is now known wide and far, but when she first suited up for Cascade, she was relatively unknown as a freshman, an advantage which Lady Champion coach Chad Spencer said helped fuel the young Skuce to becoming one of the best shooters in Middle Tennessee.. ...

Bedford County home sales in 2012 were at their highest levels in three years, Realtors report, although prices have slid. "Foreclosures are going through the pipeline; that's what's impacting the average sales price," said Harold Segroves of Coldwell Banker Segroves-Neese Real Estate...

Eula Smith, 98, of Shelbyville died Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 at the Carriage House Inn. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Lawrence Funeral Home in Chapel Gill with Rob McKamey and Kevin Lane, Mrs. Smith's great-grandson, officiating. Burial will follow at Pressgrove Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-9 p.m. Thursday.

BELL BUCKLE -- It was senior night in Bell Buckle on Tuesday night and the Webb Feet and their two seniors, Zack Ring and Ethan Arnold, didn't disappoint as the Feet came out on top 49-39 against the Zion Christian Academy Eagles. The two Feet seniors got off to a hot start against the opposing Eagles on Tuesday. Both defenses played tough during the first minute of the game, but it was the Feet that struck first with a layup from Branson Popp...

BELL BUCKLE -- The Webb Lady Feet capitalized on strong play on Tuesday night to cruise to a 53-35 victory against the Zion Christian Academy Eaglettes. The Lady Feet trampled the Eaglettes in the first quarter thanks to some powerful play in the paint by Josie Reyes. Reyes single-handedly outscored the Eaglettes 10-5 on the way to a 15-5 Webb lead at the end of the first...

Take away Derrick Spears and it wouldn't even have been close. Unfortunately for the Cascade Champions, they threw everything they had and then some at the MTCS standout, but in the end couldn't slow down the juggernaut in a 54-50 OT loss on Tuesday night...

It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but a win is a win at this point in the season. The Cascade Lady Champions (17-6, 12-1 9-A) dispatched the MTCS Lady Cougars (14-10, 7-6 9-A) on Tuesday night, 49-44, to inch one step closer to winning the regular season district championship...

HUNTLAND -- Tanner Simmons continues to emerge as a force to be reckoned with offensively as he ran up 22 points to lead the Community Vikings to a 82-74 district win over Huntland on Tuesday night. The lanky junior scored over, around and through the Huntland defense but he got plenty of support with 10 Vikings scoring in the game...

HUNTLAND -- It was just more Hannah Busbee and Katie Leverette than the Lady Hornets could handle. The two seniors combined for 35 points, scoring in a garden variety of ways, to lead the Community Viqueens to their eighth district win on Tuesday night when they downed the Huntland Lady Hornets 58-47...

Many young people -- and some older ones, too -- are choosing to forgo traditional landline telephone service, using their mobile phone as their only phone. For families, though, there's certainly something to be said for a home phone -- a phone number tied to a place rather than a person, a central contact point for whichever combination of family members happens to be home at the time...