Stories from Thursday, March 27, 2014

Paul Bright 'Tommy' Bates Sr., 80, of Flat Creek died Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at Glen Oaks Rehab Center. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Doak-Howell Funeral Home with Carl Roberts officiating. Burial will follow at Mount Herman Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Friday.

Bucker Curtis got his first turkey last weekend in Flat Creek. He is pictured with his hunting buddy Tripp Kingree. Thanks to his Aunt Karen Smith, he has been enjoying some Turkey Jerky!

One widow has been using her insight into loss to help others deal with their grief. She calls her book, "Why God Why? What to Do When Life Doesn't Make Sense," a "handbook for getting through the pain." Karen Jensen's book from Charisma House uses her experience from her husband Brent's death. His passing away at age 37 left her alone with two boys. The book, released last July, is about hope and reclaiming your life...

Amanda Thompson's seventh grade reading class at Cascade Middle School recently learned about the appropriate format for work-related texts in real world situations. Students took their new knowledge of different types of work related text and created a test for other students. After creating the test, students "scrambled" the tests by playing "snowball." Pictured are Jamison Plemons (throwing), Sulema Sosa Cruz and Nelson Holliman. (Submitted photo)

Bedford County has responded to a lawsuit against it over the zoning of Grady Cunningham's property on U.S. 231 North, saying county commissioners acted properly in denying a rezoning request. Cunningham, denied a rezoning for his property at 2506 U.S. 231 North, filed a lawsuit in January in Bedford County Chancery Court against the county, the county commission, and 17 of the 18 individual commissioners, alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act and other procedural violations...

A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit against county officials who were accused of searching the home of a drug suspect without a warrant and assaulting him. According to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Winchester, "all matters have been compromised and settled in this case" involving Troy James Neal...

On Sunday, the Times-Gazette published a story about Colon Cancer Awareness Month, quoting Dr. Navid Monajjem about the importance of getting a colonoscopy. That story rang true to Thomas Lynch, 62, who has Stage IV colorectal and liver cancer, and his wife Anita, who contacted the T-G to put a more personal spin on the story...

"LEAVE HIM UP!!!" Those cries came from students at Liberty School Wednesday, after a trivia competition left their principal and assistant principal firmly taped to the wall of the gym. Fourth grade teacher Jennifer Grey said they've been holding pep rallies to motivate the students for upcoming TCAP tests in April...

Work on Elm Street is getting underway, which will take place to the intersection to Delray Street ­-- about a 300-foot section ­-- including resurfacing, restriping, curbs, gutters and new sidewalks on one side. Eastbound (inbound) traffic on Elm to North Main and Madison will be kept open until the paving and milling work is ready to be done, according to the city. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

The new library still has room for those stacks of books that I and some of you have always loved, but it also has a large area to address the computer needs for this community -- and believe me those needs are HUGE. ...

Dear editor, When political ideology conflicts with Christian values which should prevail? The words in "red" in the New Testament are clearly embedded in my memory from Sunday school and Vacation Bible School classes I attended as a youth. These words of Jesus are the prism through which I make political and personal life decisions...

If the Shelbyville tennis teams weren't making some noise amongst the state's top competition, they sure are now. On Wednesday afternoon, the Eagles continued their dominating run through the 2014 season and defeated the Oakland Patriots, 5-2. After a rough start to the season, the Eaglettes have turned the corner and have begun to gel as a team. They also won a closely contested match against the Lady Patriots, 4-3...

The lunch crowd at Huddle House had a number of things on their minds on a cold, snowy Tuesday. Johnny Legate Jr. and Sr. were thinking about the economy. The elder Legate said the economy is "terrible. I don't know what's going to happen unless we get some factories."...

Bedford County Historical Society heard a program about the national anthem, and surprised one of its long-time members, during its meeting March 17 at First United Methodist Church. Steve Smartt and Robert Early played "The Star-Spangled Banner" in tandem on their trumpets. ...