Stories from Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Rayburn Glenn Baker, 77, of Shelbyville died Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at his home. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Doak-Howell Funeral Home with Bill Doak officiating. Burial will follow at Crowell's Chapel Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday.

Runners and walkers can help critters while having a good time Saturday. The eighth annual Paws For A Cause 5K run and one-mile walk will be held Saturday, starting and ending at the Celebration Pavilion on Whitthorne Street across from Calsonic Arena. The event benefits Middle Tennessee Spay & Neuter Clinic and is the facility's largest fundraiser of the year...

Ci'nya Stovall and Evie Sanchez, along with others, have fun on the playground of East Side Elementary School as Bedford County enjoys spring-like weather. (T-G Photo by Jim Davis)

Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to authorize spending up to $30,000 on renovations to the current jail and passed a resolution pledging to move forward with construction of a new jail in the new fiscal year. Both moves are designed to forestall disaster in early July when Tennessee Corrections Institute's Board of Control meets to consider the county's most recent jail inspection...

Bell Buckle will host its 39th annual Daffodil Day March 19 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., sponsored by the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce and the Bell Buckle Tree Board. The town's association with daffodils began when Sawney Webb, founder of The Webb School, and his students planted daffodils a century ago on the roads leading in to Bell Buckle. ...

The large older home on Highway 130 East that burned late Monday night had been vandalized a short time earlier, the Bedford County Sheriff's Office said. Seven windows were broken from the inside out in several rooms and a glass tabletop and a television screen were broken in two rooms that had been padlocked, the BCSO was told Monday. Damage was estimated at $5,000, the report said...

Josue Rodriguez and Carlos Valenzuela, and others, form an assembly line as they move from one color to another and work on a painting during art class at Southside Elementary School. (T-G Photo by Jim Davis)

Beth Keele's Thomas Magnet School first graders donned silly socks for Read Across America Week.

Community High School's Smokestack Theatre Group will present Neil Simon's comedy classic, "The Odd Couple," on Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19, at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium. Admission is $5 at the door. The play, which has spawned two movies, three different television series, and an "all female" cast version, is considered one of the most popular comedies ever written. ...

Shelbyville FCE Club met March 1 at the home of Barbara Dawson, with seven members present. After a brunch, Bonnie Saunders called the meeting to order with the reading "Do More." Lucille Sorrels gave a devotion titled "Make Life Bearable." Whitney Danhof presented the program, titled "Cooking Light." She distributed handouts with several spring and summer recipes. She also presented a Total Wellness Lifestyle Challenge to each member for the months of March, April and May...

The Tennessee Valley Authority is seeking public comment as it reviews and updates the way it manages thousands of acres of land, including the land around Normandy Lake. Reservoir Land Management Plans for eight TVA reservoirs -- Chickamauga, Fort Loudoun, Great Falls, Kentucky, Nickajack, Normandy, Wheeler and Wilson -- will be updated through the development of an Environmental Impact Statement. ...

There's been a lot of buzz in Shelbyville since city council member Sam Meek seemingly out of the blue called for City Manager Jay Johnson's resignation at a recent study session. Lots of questions have floated throughout the streets and on social media about the foundation of Meek's demand -- he never gave a solid reason during the session -- causing a great deal of speculation about what, if anything, is going on inside City Hall...

To the editor: Jay Johnson has impressed me as knowledgeable and friendly while sharing information or sending me to the place I need to go to find the information I have requested. His experience in business development while in his previous position in Williamson County gives him a unique skill set compare to most city employees and especially city managers...

It's been a while since I've done a product review in this space, but I have one for you this week. As best I can remember, the LG Optimus Zone 3, from Verizon, is the first specifically pre-paid phone I've been sent to review. It's an inexpensive choice for someone testing the waters when it comes to pre-paid phones, or for someone looking for their first smartphone after years of using feature phones. ...

With an even tougher schedule this season, including games involving teams in one of the toughest Class A districts in the state, the Community Viqueens hoped to be battle-tested in preparation for a second straight state tournament appearance. The Viqueens made it through the battles and will be playing in Murfreesboro once again...

Gracie McCullough has allowed just one hit in each of her last two starts for Liberty as the Lady Patriots picked up their second-straight shutout win on Tuesday, defeating Westwood 8-0. A trio of Lady Patriots accounted for two hits in the victory, with Evie Winfrey, Sarah Margaret Housch and McCullough each belting out a pair of hits...

Harris Middle School's Golden Eaglettes rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning then held off a late rally by Franklin County North in the top of the fifth frame to claim a 6-5 victory over visiting Franklin County North in a Central Tennessee Conference matchup on Tuesday...

It wasn't a perfectly-played game, but the Cascade Lady Champions capitalized off a big third inning in a 13-3 win over visiting Fayetteville on Tuesday night. Makayla Jordan sparked the offense for the Lady Champs in the breakout inning, slamming a shot to center field, where an error allowed her to reach base...

WOODBURY -- Offense was a plenty in the second-straight game for the Community Middle Vikings on Tuesday night. The Vikings picked up a big road victory at Cannon County, earning a 16-5 road victory. CJ Rivera, Logan McCool and Adam Patterson each scored three runs in the rout and were led by Patterson's efforts at the plate...

FAYETTEVILLE -- Cascade Middle completed its sweep of Fayetteville City on Tuesday evening, defeating the Tiers 10-7 in Game 2 of the series. Matthew Pilkington got the win on the mound for Cascade, aided by the efforts of Keigan Walker and Hunter Palmer...