Stories from Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Jaley Cagle before speaking, as mistress of ceremonies, at steak and chicken dinner. Such a smart brave girl!

Walking out of the ballpark, my 3 year old says ' look yall our shadows are showin!' Had to take a pic!

Wendell "Buster" Brown, 88, of Shelbyville died Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at Heritage Medical Center. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Willow Mount Cemetery with the Rev. Brian Lindsey officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Hillcrest Funeral Home.

The story of an autistic Bedford County boy and the Jedi Master who saved his vacation has gone viral. On May 31, the Times-Gazette ran a front-page photo of Esther and Josiah Edwards, along with their father Brock, selling lemonade to help them feel like they'd contributed to a family trip to Disney World the following week...

Organizers have decided no boats of any kind will be allowed during this year's River Cleanup event, to be held this Saturday. The decision was based by the high levels of water flowing through the Duck right now, said Helen Garner, event coordinator...

Gilbert ONeal Johnson, 72, of Shelbyville died Monday, June 17, 2013 A Celebration of Life will be held from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at the family home. Per his request, he was cremated. His remains will be buried at Mt. Garner Cemetery in Decherd, Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

School system personnel changes were referenced in Tuesday's Bedford County School Board meeting. Superintendent Don Embry welcomed Karen Scoggins, former principal of Learning Way Elementary School, to her first meeting as assistant superintendent. Embry has filled all the vacant principal positions, and said he hopes to fill the remaining assistant principal jobs in the coming week...

A retirement ceremony honoring Chamber CEO Walt Wood was held Tuesday afternoon at the Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce. Wood has been CEO for 15 years. Several dignitaries spoke during the ceremony, and hundreds of community members stopped by to pay tribute to Wood and thank him for his service, which attracted and retained numerous local industries in the county...

Connie Davis sees herself as a winner. The attitude that has carried her throughout a 10-year battle with liver disease will continue to be her source of strength as she now seeks a liver transplant. "This is my motto: 'I am a winner. God is in control. ...

A man who fired his attorney right before his trial was to begin earlier this month was re-indicted by the county grand jury -- with new charges added. Bobby Daniel Pettie was indicted by direct presentment Monday on charges of initiating the manufacture of methamphetamine and promoting methamphetamine manufacture...

Row McLaughlin was released from the hospital Tuesday evening, according to Facebook postings. The 4-year-old received a kidney transplant last Wednesday from his mother, Jenny McLaughlin, at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. The family was not available for comment at press time...

Joy Caskey has been named principal at Learning Way Elementary School. Caskey is replacing Karen Scoggins, who was named assistant superintendent last week, according to an announcement from Superintendent Don Embry. She has served as assistant principal at Community Middle School for the past two years...

For nearly a year, Shelbyville dentist Dr. James Clark has tried to get Vanderbilt football coach James Franklin to visit and speak on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of Bedford County. On Tuesday night, Franklin delivered a keynote address to members attending the Steak and Chicken dinner fundraiser, benefiting the Bedford County chapter of the club...

They've only just begun the summer swim schedule, but the Shelbyville Sharks are chomping their way up the food chain. After being narrowly defeated by the CATS swim club last Thursday, the Sharks knocked off the Winchester Penguins 325-253 on Tuesday night...

MURFREESBORO -- Big G Express honored 12 professional drivers for one million miles of accident-free driving and one for two million miles of accident-free driving at an Elite Fleet Appreciation Banquet held at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro earlier this month...

Professional Roofing Contractors, a leading roofing contractor in Middle Tennessee, has announced that it will award a free roof replacement to a local homeowner who cannot afford to purchase one, based on personal financial circumstances. The company will accept photo entries on its Facebook page between until Aug. 5, 2013. Three finalists will be...

Nissan's largest supplier in the U.S., CalsonicKansei North America, Inc. announced recently the implementation of an employee health management program resulted in a 9.9% reduction from expected 2011-2012 healthcare spend, and a 17% decrease from Mercer projections...

Here are a couple of tech-related news items I ran across while looking for something else: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Verizon Wireless are teaming up to assist landowners with controlling the wild hog population. Wild hogs are a nuisance and cause environmental problems, say officials, but it's costly and time-consuming for wildlife officers to monitor manual traps...

Joyce Howard Wiser Jernigan, 74, of Wartrace died Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at Lynchburg Nursing Center. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Gowen-Smith Chapel with Phillip Lane officiating. Burial will follow at Head of Hurricane Cemetery in Lynchburg. Visitation will be held from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday.