Stories from Tuesday, March 10, 2015

A group of citizens is asking the Shelbyville city council not to rezone property near Madison Street for a planned grocery store. Last week, Shelbyville's planning commission recommended rezoning nine residential lots on Deery Street and Alton Avenue to commercial...

The Chamber is taking a more focused approach to economic development, its leader says. Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce will be implementing its new strategic economic development plan this year, CEO Allen Pitner said. Strategic planning has been his priority for the past year-plus, he said...

Bedford County Mayor Eugene Ray and Shelbyville veteran and Motlow student Antwain Dobbins are among the members of a search advisory committee for a new president of Motlow State Community College. The committee includes three members of Tennessee Board of Regents as well as representatives of Motlow students, faculty, staff and the community at large...

Wanted: Community service opportunities. High school seniors participating in the Tennessee Promise program need to complete eight hours of community service each semester they receive aid. One mentor, Barbara Pate, said she was excited for the students...

Larger electric bills are on the way to Duck River Electric Membership Corp. members for February use. Mother Nature is to blame, according to a DREMC news release. The "Frigid February of 2015" brought two ice storms and a heavy snowfall to DREMC's service territory. But the thermometer delivered extended low temperatures, too, making February colder than January and boosting demand for electricity to heat homes and buildings...

The Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Marshall, Bedford, and Moore Counties, William Barnes, urges producers who want to purchase coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to do so before the sales closing date of March 15, 2015...

A motorist stopped in a Madison Street parking lot to clean the snow from their windshield and rear window. (T-G Photo by Jim Davis)

Smoke coming from an air conditioning unit atop the Kangaroo store at South Cannon Boulevard and Lewis Avenue is investigated by Shelbyville firefighters shortly after noon Sunday. (T-G Photo by Derrick Hill)

An estimated 1,300 pounds of scrap aluminum vehicle parts and accessories stolen from a salvage yard on U.S. 41A North were sold to a Shelbyville scrap dealer Friday, according to a Bedford County Sheriff's Department report. The buyer notified the victim after discovering the aluminum -- valued at $1,040 -- was stolen and is holding it for investigators...

Bedford County detectives, Sheriff Austin Swing and Chief Deputy Jason Williams visited Tennessee Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Nashville Wednesday to review the homicide investigation of Lois Espy with TBI agents involved. TBI Director Mark Gwyn and Austin Swing addressed the attendees on the importance of working together, especially when dealing with cases such as Espy's. (Submitted photo)

HUNTLAND -- The Cascade Champions had the bats working and got a solid outing from starter Sam Gardner on Monday in a non-district clash at Huntland. Gardner pitched the Champions to a 7-3 victory, going four innings on the bump and striking out eight in the process...

Harris Middle School's Golden Eagles came up a little short in a 6-4 loss at Franklin County North in a Central Tennessee Conference baseball game on Monday. Nolan King, Rhett Birdsong, Cole Sims and Bo Williams collected hits for the Eagles. Dalton Puckett started on the mound and threw for the Eagles, aloowing four runs with Slayde Simmons in relief giving up the final 2 runs...

Harris Middle School's softball team fell 10-3 on the road at Franklin County North in a Central Tennessee Conference matchup on Monday afternoon. Sixth-grader Hannah Burks was in the circle for the Eaglettes and fanned three batters while allowing only one base on balls...