Stories from Thursday, June 26, 2014

James F. Ragsdale, 79, of Shelbyville died Wednesday, June 25, 2014 in Nashville. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lawrence Funeral Home in Chapel Hill with the Rev. Larry Chatman officiating. Burial will follow at Swanson Cemetery in Chapel Hill. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Friday.

With one swing of the bat, Vanderbilt now has a national championship in a men's sport. John Norwood blasted a high and tight 97mph fastball ball over the left field fence to give the Commodores a 3-2 lead over Virginia. The only other national championship that Vanderbilt has won over the years is a women's bowling national title...

Big G Express, Inc. of Shelbyville has announced the acquisition of Riverside Carriers of Jeffersonville, Ind. This acquisition will allow Big G to expand their footprint in the Louisville, Kentucky and Midwest markets, the company says. Big G Express is adding 23 drivers, two office employees and two maintenance employees...

The 52nd annual Lynchburg Frontier Days Rodeo and Carnival will take place today through Sunday in Lynchburg. The carnival midway starts the fun rolling with armband night tonight at 5 p.m. The action-packed PCA eight-event rodeo kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday night. Before the rodeo starts each night there will be a "Kids' Gold Rush" for ages 9 and under at 7 p.m. in the rodeo arena...

The June meeting of the Town and Country Garden Club was held recently at River Bend Country Club with Mary Pickhardt and Jan Schloesser serving as hostesses. The program was titled, "Master Gardening with Beth," and was presented by Beth Jacobs of Mary's Greenhouse in McMinnville...

Last summer, a week or two before the Tennessee State Chili Cookoff was held in Shelbyville, I needed a poll for the Times-Gazette website. (It's harder than you think to come up with poll questions.) I decided to do something to promote the chili cookoff, and came up with a question about whether chili was a cold-weather-only food or whether it could be eaten all year round. It was meant as a fun question, something to get people talking about the event...

Thirteen was an unlucky number for a man allegedly in possession of marijuana Tuesday. The 1.71 grams of marijuana was found in the clothing of Tommy Lance Bailey, 40, of Sims Road following a foot pursuit off Madison Street near Barksdale Lane, police said...

Tents are popping up all over Shelbyville, and that means fireworks will soon be popping as well. Shelbyville residents should be aware that city ordinances limit the days and hours for fireworks use. According to the city code, permissible hours are July 1-4 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., except on July 3, when the time is extended to 11:30 p.m....

In 2011, Bedford County commissioners considered closing the county's juvenile detention center, due to its high operating costs. But, after pleas from local juvenile court officials, they relented. After all, if the center were closed, the county would have to pay to house its own juveniles in some other city's or county's detention facility, along with the manpower and vehicle costs associated with taking the juveniles back and forth...

Walter Freeman had seen a lot of the country, on back roads, state highways and interstate routes over the last 50 years -- with no rest stops in his immediate future. The 69-year-old Wheel resident is an independent trucker -- putting 6 million miles on the road, wearing out a lot of tires, burning more than his share of diesel fuel...

Four generations enjoy a wonderful Father's Day in Flat Creek. From left are grandson Craig, Hal Ball, daughter Jeanne and great-grandaughter Kristen. (Submitted photo)

Elizabeth E. Young, 59 of Bell Buckle, died Thursday, June 26, 2014 at her home. She wished to be cremated. No services will be held. Doak-Howell Funeral Home handled arrangements.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., a moderate Republican known as the politician who inquired what President Richard Nixon knew during the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings, has died. He was 88. Baker, who served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2001 until early 2005, died Thursday at his home, according to an email distributed at the law firm where Baker was senior counsel. He died as a result of complications from a stroke suffered Saturday, the email said...