Stories from Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Apolnia Nicolos, Jazmyn Watson and Jordan Melanson shared a birthday on 11/12/13. They are students at Eakin Elementary School. (T-G Photo by Jim Davis)

It was a close matchup from start to finish but Shelbyville Central's Golden Eagles fell 63-58 to visiting Columbia in their District 8-AAA opener on Tuesday night. Costly turnovers and poor shot selection in the final minutes of the game proved costly for the Eagles...

For the past several years, the Moore County Raiderettes have had their way with the best 1A teams in the state. On Tuesday, the Community Viqueens signaled a changing of the guard with a 71-42 drubbing in the District 9-A opener. The Viqueens, while dominant across the board, were spurred on by sophomores Mercedes Huntley and Sarah Pierce, who combined for 53 points in the blowout...

I like to put in a mention this time each year of the NORAD Tracks Santa web site, noradsanta.org. Although most people think of going to this site on Christmas Eve, in order to track Santa's progress as he makes his deliveries, there are plenty of good reasons to visit throughout the month of December...

It wasn't the prettiest way to open district play, but a win is a win. The Community Vikings overcame a mid-game slump and pulled away with a 28-point fourth quarter to claim an 80-60 win over the Moore County Raiders on Tuesday night. The Vikings got off to a hot start by spreading the floor and finding points from Tanner Simmons, Tyler Broiles, Blake Fanning, and Luke Primm during the first several possessions...

If Shelbyville Central was looking for a signature win, it came early in the season, as the Eaglettes rolled to a 53-44 win over defending District 8-AAA champion Columbia on Tuesday night. The Eaglettes led the preseason district favorites by as much as 24 points in the third quarter before holding on down the stretch to secure the victory...

You may enter the building stressed, but once they get their hands on you, will leave Balance Massage Spa feeling revitalized. With their experienced licensed massage therapists (LMT) on staff, they can perform massages of the full body, do a chair massage or foot massage reflexology...

Westmoreland Law Firm in Shelbyville has announced the addition of attorney Brian Belden to its staff. Belden recently relocated to Bell Buckle, but he's no stranger to Middle Tennessee. He grew up in Columbia and completed his undergraduate degree at Middle Tennessee State University...

Local businesses have begun hosting holiday open houses. The Times-Gazette will publish this schedule each Wednesday. Here's what's happening this weekend. Friday, Dec. 6 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Refreshments and door prizes Locations: 635 N. Main St., Ste. E (Main Street Professional Complex)...

Wayne Dillingham of Shelbyville was guest speaker at the initiation ceremony for new members of MTSU's chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society on Nov. 19. Dillingham is the director of Middle Tennessee Education Center (MTEC) in Shelbyville. Dillingham is a life member of Phi Kappa Phi, which is MTSU's most prestigious honor society. Created in 1897, it is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines...

You've most likely heard the confusion surrounding the website for the Health Insurance Marketplace, the government's new platform for offering affordable health insurance. While the site may not be fully functional yet, Heritage Medical Center's application counselors can help make things more clear and assist with the sign-up process...

The South of Broadway Players will give free performances of "WSOB Presents: It's A Wonderful Life," an adaptation of the classic film as if it were an old-time radio show, at several different venues during the holiday season. No tickets will be required and there will be no admission charge, but donations will be accepted to purchase a wheelchair-lift van for Carol Jean, a Shelbyville police detective whose 20-year-old daughter Mandy has cerebral palsy...

Two auctioneers predict a massive gun sale later this week will draw visitors to Shelbyville from around the nation. The estate of William "Bill" Hornaday is auctioning more than 600 guns of all varieties on Friday and Saturday, said David Craig of Craig & Wheeler Realty & Auction. The guns are the personal collection of Hornaday, who died last spring...

A Marshall County man died at the scene in a two-vehicle collision on State Highway 64 west of Shelbyville early Tuesday morning. John T. Music, 21, of Cornersville is the 15th fatality in one of the deadliest years on Bedford County highways in decades, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol statistics....