Stories from Thursday, February 21, 2013

With the state supreme court refusing to hear Shelbyville's appeal surrounding a rock quarry, a new chapter has opened in the continuing legal dispute. All legal avenues in the state case have run out, meaning a $10 million federal lawsuit against the city will be able to proceed...

Ronald L. Stilwell, 78, of Shelbyville died Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Funeral Home with Keith Camp and Tom Clifford officiating. Burial, with military honors, will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Friday.

Olivia Bell Donegan,, 82, of Cleveland, Tenn., a longtime Shelbyville resident died Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. A memorial celebration will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22 at Valley View Baptist Church in Cleveland with the Rev. David Tuten officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. A second visitation will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at First Church of the Nazarene in Shelbyville. Companion Funeral & Cremation Service of Cleveland is in charge of arrangements.

Marian Lamb Parsons, 87, of Shelbyville died Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 after an extended illness. Graveside services will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens with Bill Doak officiating. Visitation will be held from noon-3 p.m. at Doak-Howell Funeral Home.

Members of Shelbyville's new downtown task force are off to a good start in setting their goals, narrowing them down for a vote. The group of square merchants and community leaders met Tuesday at the Chamber of Commerce for a second round of discussion on how to work together to bring more customers to the downtown area...

Effective March 1, Shelbyville Fire Department will take over the job of medical first response for emergencies within Shelbyville, a job previously done (and still done in the rural areas) by Bedford County Fire Department. First responders, as defined by Tennessee, are specially-trained personnel, sometimes volunteers, who provide first aid or prepare an emergency scene while waiting for trained medical personnel (such as paramedics, emergency medical technicians, doctors or nurses) to arrive. ...

Walking Horse Trainers Association has asked Bedford County to consider a contribution, like the one made by the city of Shelbyville, in support of the 45th annual National Walking Horse Trainers Show March 14-16. The full county commission, which must approve the expenditure, won't meet until March 12, just two days before the show, but its rules committee forwarded the request to the finance committee, which will meet next week...

The Middle Tennessee Cyber Summit will be held May 7 and 8 at the new Student Union Building on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. The title of this year's event is "Building Partnerships and Understanding the Threat." This event will address criminal, intelligence, disruptive, and information cyber threats and be of particular interest to governments, health care, education, transportation, financial institutions, utilities, business and industry...

AUBURN, N.Y. (AP) -- A major employer in a western New York city says it's closing its factory, a move that will eliminate about 350 jobs as another company in the region says it's also shuttering a plant. Daikin McQuay, a manufacturer of heating and cooling equipment, said Wednesday it will shut down its Auburn operation starting in April and concluding at the end of 2014...

The Walking Horse Trainers' Association (WHTA) voted unanimously Monday to support a single Horse Industry Organization (HIO). A general membership meeting was held at the WHTA's headquarters in Shelbyville, which included guests from the four predominant HIOs - Heart of America, Kentucky, PRIDE and SHOW, who inspect performance horses, as well as the Tennessee Walking Show Horse Organization (TWSHO)...

A phone caller claiming to be a representative of Publishers Clearing House attempted to scam money from a Wheel-area woman Wednesday morning. The victim, an older woman, told the T-G the caller said a Postal Service truck would arrive at her home to make a delivery at 1:25 p.m. and verfied her address...

The issue of whether local governments should post public notices on their own internet website is a question that was discussed more than once in the Senate State and Local Government Committee during the 107th General Assembly. The issue is sure to come up in the 108th. Local governments, looking for ways to reduce expenditures, are suggesting that they can save money by posting notices on their respective websites rather than posting the notice in the local newspaper...

There will be a barbecue dinner and auction for 4-year-old Row McLaughlin at 5 p.m. March 2 at Blue Ribbon Circle in Shelbyville. Row is the son of Jenny and Sam McLaughlin of Shelbyville. He was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in April 2012 and is in kidney failure. He needs a kidney transplant. Call Julie Lambert at 619-2520 or Susan Coleman at 580-2867 for more information...

Late last year, the Cascade Future Farmers of America Chapter went to the Argie Cooper Library to donate a book. The chapter has been participating in the Tennessee FFA P.L.O.W (passing literacy on ward) program for the past three years. They have won many awards at the state level for this program and this year at state convention they hope to receive the platinum award. This is the highest award for the program...

Dear editor: I am a resident of Tennessee and a very concerned grandmother of a 2-year-old little girl. My son is deceased, and I have been fighting for my rights as a grandparent here in the state of Tennessee. What concerns me most is the fact that for too many years the state and local government has always wanted to keep the child in the home of the parents. Department of Children's Services always says it's in the best interest of the child to remain with her parents...

Chaos was in full swing last week at the Capitol as the Senate of the 108th Assembly met the final bill submission deadline, closing the opportunity for further legislation to be introduced this year. Meeting in session three times last week, the Senate took advantage of many opportunities to approve and discuss bills...

State Sen. Jim Tracy's (R-Shelbyville) bill to curb abuse of purchases made through Electronic Benefit Transaction (EBT) cards used by recipients of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program passed the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday. Senate Bill 244 prohibits use of a welfare recipient's EBT card in liquor stores, adult cabarets and casinos or gambling facilities...

Eakin Elementary first and fifth graders participated in the 2013 National Garden Club, Inc. Poster Contest. The contest was sponsored by Volunteer Garden Club with help from Sanford Brands - a Newell Rubbermaid company and Keith and Suzy Johnson from Royal Ribbons...

Cascade Future Farmers of America Ceremonies team competed in the Middle Tennessee Regional Career Development Event contest Feb. 7 and placed second, earning the honor of advancing to the state competition. Members of this team won first place at the district and sectional level contest prior to progressing to regional contest...

The Agriculture Science students at Shelbyville Central High School, Career Technical Education Department, competed in various events around the state during the months of September through December. Several students won awards and will be attending the Agriculture State Convention in Gatlinburg, along with instructor, Tommy Green, in March...

After reading both the article about the law suit against the Sheriff, which apparently drew harsh statements and animosity toward Mr. Carney, and Mr. Carney's subsequent rebuttal, I couldn't help but think that there were still a few legal complexities that really should be explained so that those who have no legal experience or whom are still confused about the matter may better understand the circumstances from the perspective of someone who works in county government...