Stories from Thursday, February 11, 2016

Mable Stinnett Spivey, 94, of Chapel Hill died Thursday, February 11, 2016 at her home. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at London Funeral Home in Lewisburg. Burial will follow at Lone Oak Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday morning.

Ray Short, 80, of Shelbyville died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 at Heritage Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Gowen-Smith Chapel with Johnny Hand officiating. Burial will follow at Willow Mount Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m.

A man found dead on a Midland Road farm Tuesday is thought to have died from exposure to snow and cold following a fall, investigators say. Robert Westbrook, 56, was found by a farm worker in front of a barn at 4:54 p.m., the Bedford County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators are uncertain how long he had been there...

Education officials across the state continue to deal with the failure of an online testing network that left every public school scrambling to do year-end assessments. The Tennessee Department of Education announced defeat Monday in the quest for statewide online testing, at least for this academic year...

Bedford County Board of Commissioners, meeting Tuesday night, approved a rezoning from A-1 (agriculture) to C-2 (commercial) of the old Repo Depot location at 1837 U.S. 41-A North. The site had been the long-time home of Repo Depot, an automobile auction business which predated county zoning and which was therefore allowed under a "grandfather clause" as a pre-existing use within its agricultural zone...

Artist Darlene Shadden and musician Eric Stephens will be featured at a Valentine's buffet meal Saturday night at Urban Plantation restaurant in Merchant's Walk on North Main Street. Shadden, a nationally-known portrait artist, will make sketches of those in attendance and will be available to discuss her artwork, while Stephens will entertain throughout the evening...

She will be remembered as one of the best soccer players to ever play at Shelbyville Central High School and the only player thus far to be named All-State. Senior Olivia Doak recently signed a letter of intent to continue her education, as well as her soccer career, at Lipscomb University in Nashville...

In the aftermath of Super Bowl 50, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has been met with nothing but criticism for his actions during the game and during a post-game press conference. While his actions and attitude have been met with harsh criticism, is the way he's acted any worse than anyone else?...

Lily, the dog, loves playing in the snow. (Submitted photo by Rachel Arnold)

A purse was shoplifted and recovered Tuesday from Shoe Show, North Main Street, but who took it is a big question mark. A caller to 911 reported the purse was taken by a man wearing a black toboggan and military-style jacket. ...

To the editor: Many residents of Bedford County do not realize that we are mandated by the State of Tennessee to build a new jail. We also need several new schools. Our elected officials are very careful with our money, but a new jail and schools are must haves...

Businesses on and around the Shelbyville square will host the fifth annual Date Night on the Square 4-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12. Each participating business will give away a door prize. There will also be a tour of three uptown lofts. The tour costs $10, and tickets will be available that night. Look for sidewalk signs directing participants to participating lofts...

While much of the Sphero SPRK app product description touts "upgrading your play," Raymond Pryor, director of technology at The Webb School resists calling Spheros "toys." Instead he sees the potential to incorporate their use in classrooms across the curriculum. He also knows the role that the device can have in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) classes, and how it naturally fits with the technology-based Maker Movement that emphasizes learning through doing...

An expansion of Jack Daniel Distillery will bring 30 new jobs to the area, officials announced Wednesday. A $140 million investment by Brown-Forman Corp. will be used to construct two new barrelhouses as well as modify and expand the existing bottling facility to provide additional bottling and shipping capacity to meet future demand...