Stories from Friday, April 11, 2014

Mary Virginia Dunnavant, 65, of Shelbyville died Friday, April 11, 2014. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Feldhaus Memorial Chapel with Ben Martin officiating. Burial will follow at Willow Mount Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Saturday.

If you like getting out on the Duck in the early part of summer, and want a clean river, this is the event for you. The annual Duck River Clean-Up is scheduled for Saturday, June 28 at the greenway behind Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System...

Three men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the alleged theft of a four-wheeler from a Midland Road home early Monday. Duane Anthony Hoffman, 36, and Timothy Allen Stanley, 27, both of a U.S. 41A North address, and Thomas Wayne Owens, 35, of Deery Street are each charged with theft of property over $500, said Chief Deputy David Williams Jr. of the Bedford County Sheriff's Department...

A multiple habitual motor vehicle offender has lost an appeal which claimed he was given an excessive sentence. Last March, Kevin Lee Johnson was given an effective prison term of nine years, six months on charges of being a habitual motor vehicle offender, driving under the influence, and failure to appear after entering an open plea of guilty...

Flat Creek FCE Club met on March 10 at the Extension Office. Marilyn Kaye Hunkins was hostess and reporter. Secretary Annette Carlos recorded the roll call response, "What is your favorite kind of fish to eat?" President Cecelia Dougan welcomed Lisa Boyle and Debbie Ottinger. Dougan gave a reading from the FCE book titled "Spring."...

Southside Elementary School held a candy bar sale to help raise money for the school. The students reached their goal of $10,000 and sold over 300 boxes. Students who sold four boxes went to a movie after school one day. Those who sold three boxes got to participate in a money scramble. Students who were top sellers won cash prizes or gift cards...

Republican candidates for the U.S. Congress were among the speakers at Thursday night's Bedford County Republican Party Reagan Day Dinner. Rather than invite a keynote speaker for the banquet, the party held a candidate forum for state and local GOP candidates...

Harris Middle School's Golden Eagle soccer team cruised to a 4-1 victory over Tullahoma on the road in a Central Tennessee Conference on Thursday afternoon. Johnny Garcia, Josue Lozano, Mohamed None and Hamilton Parsons each scored for the Eagles. Harris' home game with Siegel scheduled for this afternoon will be played on Monday at 5:30...

FAYETTEVILLE -- Two big innings proved to be enough for the Community Middle Viqueens at Fayetteville on Thursday evening. A five-run third inning and a six-run fourth inning helped the Viqueens blow open the game and cruise to a 12-4 win over Fayetteville...

When it comes to the subject of sexual assault, "we tend to look the other way," according to Melissa (last name withheld), a local advocate for victims of physical and sexual abuse. As residents of Tennessee, the state ranked No. 1 in violent crime in 2012 by the FBI, she fears that Bedford Countians are becoming part of a "rape culture."...

SPRING HILL -- Just a night removed from a tough 11-0 loss to the Spring Hill Lady Raiders, the Cascade Lady Champions got some payback and snapped a District 12-AA skid with a 6-3 win over Spring Hill. While the Cascade offense was limited to just three hits on Wednesday night, the Lady Champions were seeing the ball a little better on Thursday--about five times as well...

A night after a close defeat to the Tullahoma Lady Wildcats, the Shelbyville Central Eaglette tennis team rebounded with a 5-2 win over visiting St. Andrews-Sewanee. The Eagles also kept their perfect season intact, defeating SAS 7-0. The Eaglettes got a big leg up from Keely Smith's efforts on Thursday...

Construction will begin on the long awaited widening of North Main Street within the next two to three weeks, it was announced Thursday. "As we enter this two-year period, there's going to be a lot of disruption and inconvenience," city manager Jay Johnson said, asking the public, property owners and businesses to "give us patience and give us time."...

The Forrest Lady Rockets broke open a close game with an 11-run fifth inning in defeating the Community Viqueens 15-1 in a District 9-A softball contest Thursday night. Four different Lady Rockets hit home runs as 14 of the 15 Forrest runs came via the long ball...

Shelbyville's city council voted Thursday to have a survey done of an alley that's at the center of a three-year-old lawsuit. In September 2010, William P. Cooper, James H.S. Cooper and John N.P. Cooper filed suit in Bedford County Chancery Court against the city and property owners Harry Woosley III, Elizabeth Rodgers and Edward Woosley, doing business as DHC Properties LP, R&B Rental, and Ronald R. and Donald R. Stacey...

After picking up the ever-elusive first district win on Tuesday afternoon, the Cascade Champions kept the momentum rolling into the MTCS tournament on Thursday afternoon and added a 10-0 win over Gordonsville and a 2-1 rallying win over Lancaster Christian...

Danny 'Sue' Sanders, 59, of Wartrace died Friday, April 11, 2014 after a short illness. A Celebration of Life visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Monday at Doak-Howell Funeral Home. Per his request, his remains will be cremated.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill --- Session is nearing a close for the year and we have suspended a lot of our rules to allow legislation to move more freely and quickly through committees and to the floor for a vote. We should be through for this session either this week or next week at the latest before Good Friday (April 18th)...

(Editor's Note: The following response was submitted to the Times-Gazette by Jim Cortner, Performance Show Horse Association chair, regarding legislation related to the Tennessee Walking Horse industry). On behalf of the Performance Show Horse Association and the 20,000 men and women who make up the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, I want say how extremely disappointed we were with the Senate Commerce Committee's passage of S. 1406 -- the Ayotte -- Humane Society Anti-Walking Horse legislation...