Stories from Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Between same-sex marriage and the Confederate flag, it's been a terrible few weeks to be on Facebook. Facebook status updates, from either end of the political spectrum, have been more defensive, more offensive, more simplistic and more divisive than I've ever seen them. Users of Facebook have taken some incredibly complex issues and boiled them down into pithy, easily-shared, us-against-them claptrap that cheapens us as a nation and that makes it harder for us to find common ground...

The call of freedom was too strong to overcome for a man just sentenced to four years in jail Tuesday. Tristan David McMahon, 24, ran from Bedford County Courthouse after he was sentenced for drug-related charges and possession of a weapon, authorities say. He was last seen running, still handcuffed, from the east basement stairs about 10:30 a.m...

A Hispanic church has found a new, larger home. Beth Sar Shalom, which means House of the Prince of Peace, is now open in the former People's Church at 1890 Madison St., near Hillcrest Funeral Home. The Rev. David Carrera is the pastor and founder. The church is part of the Reformed Christian (or, Calvinist) denomination...

The city council is looking at undertaking a full and detailed review of Shelbyville's charter. During May's budget sessions, members briefly discussed taking a full review of the city's 1947 private act city charter, which was an update and review of a private act written in 1915...

Eating and winning: Everyone loves it! Kroger and the Times-Gazette are teaming up to satisfy both wants with the Big $1,000 Grocery Give-away. Ten winners will each claim a $100 Kroger gift card. The Sunday, July 26 edition of the Times-Gazette will include a special Big $1,000 Grocery Give-away section with the game 'logo' hidden in many advertisements...

The Bedford County Property Assessor's Office will be closed to the public from Monday through midday Friday of next week. Employees will be undergoing training for a newly-installed computer system, Property Assessor Ronda Clanton said. The office will re-open at 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 17...

Michael Glenn Austin, 61, of Lynchburg died Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at Harton Regional Medical Center in Tullahoma. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Lynchburg Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Smith's Chapel Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday.

A caller claiming a Shelbyville woman had won a new car tricked her into sending $599 to Jamaica. The woman sent the money via Western Union, police said Tuesday. He called again asking for "$800 to complete the paperwork." The woman was preparing to send the money at Kroger when a store employee told her the request was likely a scam. She was told by the employee not to send money...

A marijuana plant -- growing in a pot amidst flowers on the front porch of a home on U.S. 231 North near Deason -- caught the eye of a Bedford County deputy Monday night. Deputy Dillon Lipinski, who said he was attempting to serve an unrelated warrant, said he smelled marijuana as he was at the front door...

Bedford County resident Kelly Mooneyham will receive her Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management degree at WGU Tennessee's second commencement ceremony, scheduled for July 11 at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. This year's commencement arrives in conjunction with a few other milestones for the state-endorsed, nonprofit online university...

Locations of upcoming "roadside safety checkpoints" have been released by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. A driver's license checkpoint will be held during the week of Saturday, July 11 on State Highway 437 (the Shelbyville bypass) at the 1.8 mile marker...

Allstate agency owners and employees from across the country, including Shelbyville agency owner Amanda O'Neal, traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of an effort to educate lawmakers about issues affecting the insurance industry, consumers and small businesses. During the meetings, participants met with elected officials representing their local communities to highlight Allstate's public policy priorities...

The Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association today announced that Gary Buchanan of United Grocery Outlet has been named the 2015 Retailer of the Year. The association also announced that Scottie Mayfield of Mayfield Dairy Farms has been named the 2015 Supplier of the Year...

Chris Rodriguez, director of college counseling at The Webb School, has been selected as a faculty member for Dry Run, a Southern Association for College Admission Counseling annual workshop. The 32 faculty members for the program are drawn from throughout the Southeast and are selected through a competitive application process in the spring...

Harton Regional Medical Center has received the American College of Cardiology's NCDR ACTION Registry--GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2015. Harton Regional is one of only 91 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor. The award recognizes Harton Regional Medical Center's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that HRMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.. ...

Lynchburg Nursing Center, a skilled nursing and rehab facility, recently received the 2015 Bronze National Quality Award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. The award highlights facilities across the nation that have proven their intention to pursue a rigorous quality improvement system. ...