Stories from Friday, May 23, 2014

Liberty School students celebrate the end of the school year -- and two-plus months of summer fun ahead -- as the final full class day of the year concludes Thursday. Today's abbreviated day was the last until August. (Photo by Angelica Wortham)

Budget discussions will kick off next week for Shelbyville's city council, and there will be questions about the numbers. The 115-page document was passed on first reading Tuesday, with council members Jamie Williams and Sam Meek saying they will speak on concerns during two workshops next week...

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration's 44th annual Spring Fun Show began Thursday night and continues tonight and Saturday night at Calsonic Arena. Classes begin at 6 each evening. It's a chance to get an early look at some of the horses that are expected to contend in the Celebration when it arrives in August. The final class Saturday night will be the stallions over 15.2 class, corresponding with the Celebration division from which World Grand Champions traditionally are found...

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is celebrating the return of the National Futurity show to Shelbyville. The Celebration has announced that the Futurity -- which showcases younger animals in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry -- will be held at Calsonic Arena on Wednesday, Aug. 20. That will be the night before the start of The Celebration...

The state has reported another substantial drop in Bedford County's unemployment rate -- falling to 5.6 percent. According to preliminary figures released from the department of labor and workforce development, the rate fell nearly a full percentage point in April from the revised March figures of 6.5 percent...

Every third Thursday of the month, Shelbyville Church of God of Prophecy opens its doors for its Angel Wings program. On that day, the small church on West Lane Street distributes clothes and food for those in need. In May, the congregation added a free medical screening to Angel Wings...

Cocaine in a vehicle led to the arrest of a Shelbyville man during a traffic stop Wednesday night. Sgt. Charles Merlo of the Shelbyville Police Department noticed Robert Joseph Wydock, 32, of Murfreesboro appeared to be nervous and asked officer Jody Shelton for backup...

Memorial Day Weekend means backyard barbecues and spending time with family and friends at the pool, beach or on a boat. Drowning and near-drowning incidents often occur during long holiday weekends. In 2013, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt saw three deaths related to drowning and 18 near-drowning incidents...

MURFREESBORO -- Shelbyville Central was well represented in the TSSAA Spring Fling State Track Meet by a pair of sisters on Thursday at Middle Tennessee State University. Freshman Kethlin Campbell competed in the Class 3A long jump in the morning while junior Clorissa Campbell ran in the 800-meter race approximately 10 hours later...