Stories from Thursday, May 19, 2016

This photo was taken outside of Whitehorse, Yukon. She had two babies. The babies were just 4 days old.

The male returns from a fishing trip to the Yukon River outside of Whitehorse, Yukon.

This photo was taken in Whitehorse, Yukon when the babies were 4-5 days old.

Organizers of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life announced at 11:30 today that this year's event will be held inside the exhibit hall on the Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center grounds due to the threat of rain on Friday. Sharon Wachala, who co-chairs the local event leadership team with Jennifer Smith, announced the decision in an e-mail to committee members and team captains...

Harlan Kenneth Kelly, 68, of Shelbyville died Wednesday, May 18, 2016. A celebration of life gathering and service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with Bishop Gary Ostrander officiating. Burial, with military honors, will follow at a later date at Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery. Doak-Howell Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Bedford County Imagination Library met the fund-raising challenge issued to it by an unpublicized donor, and has received a matching contribution. Imagination Library, the local affiliate of the worldwide program founded by entertainer Dolly Parton, sends children a free book each month from birth to age five, a total of 60 books. ...

Bedford County Zoning Director Chris White told Bedford County Board of Commissioners' courthouse and county property committee on Tuesday that getting a building permit is "a 30-minute process" if the proper staff members are in the office. Commissioner Chuck Heflin raised the issue, saying a constituent of his said it was harder to get a building permit in Bedford County than in Franklin, something White disputed...

The Tennessee Department of Education has brought in industry titan Pearson to score the troubled TNReady year-end tests in an $18.5 million emergency contract. "This will include scoring high school End of Course exams, Part I grade 3--8 tests, and any completed Part II grade 3--8 exams," according to a department press release. "High school score reports, as well as grade 3--8 raw data, will be shared in fall 2016 as we have previously communicated."...

Peter Roldan of Shelbyville is among 11 Middle Tennessee State University students who received the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship this year. Gilman scholarships are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Applicants must be federal Pell Grant recipients in order to apply. Students chosen as Gilman scholars can receive up to $5,000 toward study-abroad or internship expenses...

A retirement ceremony for Senior Master Sgt. Oscar A. Cannon Jr, was held May 13 at Whiteman Air Force Base. Cannon, a 26-year veteran, is the son of Oscar and Jacklyn Cannon of Unionville and grandson of Ann Howard of Shelbyville. Attending the ceremony in addition to his parents were his nephew O.J. Newsome and uncles Ray Ransom, Larry Robertson and Robert Robertson of Unionville...

WAVERLY -- Wednesday night's Region 6-AA championship showcased two of the premier teams in the state, featuring a pitchers duel that saw a combined five hits between Cascade and Waverly. While Cascade (26-7) saw another stellar outing from freshman Brooke Sudduth, Waverly kept the Cascade bats silenced and claimed the 2-0 win to pick up the Region 6-AA title...

COLUMBIA -- On Tuesday afternoon, the remaining Shelbyville Central tennis players saw their seasons come to a close in the individual region tournament, held in Columbia. Senior Eddie Green advanced through the semifinals, defeating Siegel's Ryan Jacobs 7-5, 6-2, before falling to Hussain Al-Zubaidi, 6-0, 6-1, in the region championship singles match...

Feel like a hearty pancake breakfast Saturday morning? You have at least two choices: Pleasant Grove United Methodist Biscuit Club and Methodist Women will host a pancake breakfast and bake sale on Saturday at the church from 7-10 a.m. Breakfast is $6...

Several pieces of sports apparel were taken from Hibbett Sports, North Main Street, Tuesday by at least one of a group of three women accompanied by six "disruptive," unsupervised children who were pulling items from shelves onto the floor. Empty hangers were noted in the area where the woman had been after they left, police were told. No arrests have been made...

No matter what the final decision is about a new jail and justice center for Bedford County, security should remain atop the list. Over the past few weeks I've heard judges and law enforcement personnel explain concerns about safety around the courthouse and a need for a jail/justice center built with today's security in mind. That security would be hard to obtain by retrofitting the 1935-vintage courthouse, rebuilt similar to the 1870s building that was burned by a mob in 1934...