Stories from Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Dorothea Lacoss, 74, of Shelbyville, died Wednesday, December 11, 2013. Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Smith officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Friday.

The Times-Gazette is gearing up for one of the biggest contests it offers each year, and this year the prize money has doubled. The annual "Big Event" returns after Christmas, and the winner will receive $500 in cash. Second is $300 and third is $250 cash...

Hollywood came to Bell Buckle on Saturday, with a red-carpet screening of the film "Final Recourse" held at Bell Buckle Banquet Hall. The movie, a thriller starring Teri Polo, Chazz Palminteri and Tia Carrere, was produced by Elaine Hastings Edell and Jeffrey S. ...

Merchants on the square are ready for this Friday's wine walk, which was rescheduled from its original date a week ago due to bad weather. The decision to postpone the third annual event was made early Friday morning, and merchants are glad they made that decision as the weather proved to be cold and rainy...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners' courthouse and county property committee continued its discussion of possible jail sites on Tuesday, eliminating two of the nine remaining sites from consideration. The committee held a special called meeting Tuesday night prior to the meeting of the full commission; the committee was only able to make its way through six of the nine short-list sites before it had to adjourn in time for the commission meeting...

Local businesses have begun hosting holiday open houses. The Times-Gazette will publish this schedule each Wednesday. Here's what's happening this weekend. Thursday, Dec. 12 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Location: 1608 North Main Street, Suite D Please RSVP by calling Charlie or Jennifer at 684-4972, or email jennifer.dougherty@edwardjones.com...

Harton Regional Medical Center announced today that Trevor Castaneda has been named as the new chief operating officer. Castaneda comes to Harton Regional from Williamson Memorial Hospital in Williamson, W. Va., where he served as interim chief executive officer...

If you happened to be driving along North Main Street last week and wondered why men with metal detectors were scouring the surface of the freshly cleared ground near the Waffle House, you're not alone. They were treasure hunters, so to speak, several of them looking for Civil War relics -- some for profit and some for the sheer pleasure of collecting...

Henry Horton State Park announces a 50-Day Challenge to the local community, encouraging individuals and families to walk 50 miles in 50 days, beginning Friday, Dec. 13, 2013, and going through Feb. 1, 2014. "Henry Horton State Park is a terrific place to walk, with a variety of hiking trails," said park manager Randy Whitworth...

With just a couple of weeks left in the shopping season, retail aisles, catalogs and cyberspace are stuffed with things to buy. But somehow, there often seems to be little of real substance to give. When you want your gift to be a true reflection of how much you care, it can be hard to find a stand-out present, one that really meets a need and will be appreciated all through the year...

The Sulphur Springs FCE Club met on Nov. 18. Tewaan Tucker reported and gave the devotion. Renee Kimbrell hosted. Business: Planned a Christmas party and discussed Lunch & Learn. Kimbrell discussed having a green Christmas. Tucker demonstrated some photographs from a trip to Maryland...

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture unveiled a new look and improved features for the popular Pick Tennessee Products consumer site this week. A simplified, phone friendly logo icon and increased Web capabilities are part of a push by the department to maximize its consumer and producer services, according to the department...

Rickey Cole Hall, 60, of Shelbyville died Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Friday at Berean Way Christian Fellowship Church with Ray Wiser officiating. Feldhaus Memorial Chapel is handling arrangements.

For a brief moment, a Shelbyville woman thought she was a big winner Monday. Now, in a sense, she is a winner -- she knew better than to fall for a scam attempt. The caller on her cell phone said she was a Publisher's Clearinghouse winner. "They called on my cell phone saying they had just pulled into Shelbyville and would be at my house in 30 minutes," the intended victim said...

A yell may have prevented yet another auto burglary attempt in northeast Shelbyville last Thursday, according to a police report released Tuesday. A porch light motion sensor detected an intruder outside an Idle Drive home at 6:15 p.m. A resident of the home saw a male in a blue hoodie and dark pants attempting to enter a vehicle...

Bedford County Imagination Library is growing. The organization's book invoice is growing as well and needs a boost, said member and past president Shelly Gray. The library is looking for 12 business partners in the community to commit to a gift of $1,300, the cost of one month's worth of books. Having one corporate sponsor per month would free up the non-profit organization's finances to expand, Gray said...

The cold snaps are finally here, and the state's fire marshall is reminding folks to be cautious in the use of alternate heat sources. Tennessee Fire Marshal and Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak says that the colder weather means many people will begin to heat their homes with fireplaces, woodstoves and space heaters...

The Electrons team in the First LEGO League took first place last weekend in the Project Research division of the East Tennessee State First LEGO Tournament, held at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville. "The team competed well in all areas but excelled in the level of research they put into their project," said Madeline Fontenot, one of the team's two coaches, along with Austin Voorhes...

Community Elementary School is putting its mark (of excellence) on the wall. The school has received a banner from the state proclaiming its status as a Progress School. Thomas Magnet School was designated a Performance School. The announcements were made in August by the Tennessee Department of Education...

John Willie Brown, Jr., 53, of Michigan, formerly of Shelbyville, died Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013 in Georgetown, Ky. Arrangements will be announced by Feldhaus Memorial Chapel.

One of the most awkward things about Facebook's user interface is the question of what to do when someone posts a vaguely-negative status update. Perhaps you don't have much to say in the way of a comment, but you want to acknowledge that you've read the update, and so you get ready, almost by force of habit, to click the "Like" button...

Atmos Energy is encouraging its customers to help neighbors in need by participating in the natural gas provider's Sharing The Warmth program. "It's as easy as rounding-up the pennies on your natural gas bill," said Dan Alderson, Atmos Energy director of energy assistance. "That excess change goes straight into our Sharing the Warmth program, which can then be distributed to low-income residents this winter."...

With just under 4:30 to play in the fourth quarter, the Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles held a seven-point lead over visiting Lawrence County and looked to have the game firmly in hand with solid defensive play and a dominating effort off the boards...

Jameka Braden gave the Eaglettes everything she had and then some in a career night, but in the end, couldn't help Shelbyville hold off a pesky Lawrence County team and fell, 65-59. "They shot it well. I just thought we gave a poor effort, defensively. We try to pride ourselves defensively. For us to give up 60 points to that team is just very disheartening," Eaglette coach Kevin Thomas said...

Antiques, Arts & Collectibles Mall is holding a holiday table decoration contest through Dec. 21, said owner Carol Price. Tables are decorated with Christmas and Thanksgiving themes by participating vendors. Customers may pick up a ballot at the front desk and vote for their favorites. Voters will be eligible to win prizes, Price said. (T-G File Photo by Jason Reynolds)

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Community Vikings made a valiant fourth quarter effort, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 17-point deficit as the Fayetteville Tigers defeated the Vikings 75-73 in District 9-A basketball action Tuesday night. It was a game pitting the height of Community (6-4, 2-1 9A) versus the guard play of Fayetteville...

FAYETTEVILLE -- It wasn't pretty, but the Community Viqueens remained unbeaten in District 9-A play with a 41-33 win over Fayetteville Tuesday night. The Viqueens (9-1, 3-0 9A) came out sluggish in the first two minutes, but caught fire with the help of eight points from Sarah Pierce, including a couple of three-pointers. Community led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter...

SEWANEE -- It's been a rebuilding year for the Webb Feet, but a better year so far. On Tuesday night, the Feet picked up a quality win over St. Andrews-Sewanee on the road, 45-42. "It was a good win it was on the road. We were playing without a senior who has started since he was a freshman," said Webb coach Jeff Mitchell...