Stories from Wednesday, March 28, 2018

To the Editor, My apologies to William Shakespeare for adapting his line, but political debates are in and of themselves debatable. According to various articles and studies on the subject, political debates have little to no impact on a voter’s decision for whom they would vote, but are attended and viewed by those who have already made up their minds, primarily to support their chosen candidate and for entertainment purposes. ...

McClain 'Mac' Rucker, 96, died Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Funeral services 12 noon Saturday, March 31 at Bird Street Church of Christ. Burial at Sims Cemetery. Public viewing 4-6 p.m. Friday, March 30 at Nelson & Sons Chapel, Murfreesboro. Family visitation begins 11 a.m. Saturday, March 31 at the church.

Mary Hensley Brown, 93, of Shelbyville died Tuesday, March 27, 2018. Funeral services 1 p.m. Saturday at Hillcrest Funeral Home, Rev. Paul Hensley officiating. Burial at Kimbro Cemetery. Visitation begins at 11 a.m.

UNIONVILLE — Two big innings and the long ball hurt the Community Vikings Tuesday as the Murfreesboro Central Magnet Tigers defeated the Vikings 7-1 in a District 12-AA baseball game. Community (4-5, 0-2) skirted danger in the opening inning as the Tigers loaded the bases but could not score. The game remained scoreless until the third inning when C.J. Campbell drilled a three-run opposite field home run over the right field fence to put Central Magnet up 3-0...

COLUMBIA — The Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes picked up their first District 8-AAA win of the season with a 4-3 victory over host Columbia Central on Tuesday evening. Freshman Hannah Burks claimed the win in the circle, fanning five batters with no walks over six innings of work...

On paper, it will cost the county $204,967 to operate the Bedford County Juvenile Detention Center this year. That's the difference between the facility's operating costs and the revenue it brings in by housing some out-of-county juveniles. But if the center were closed, and Bedford County were to take its own juveniles elsewhere, it would cost somewhere between $319,000 and $403,000, according to a report from County Finance Director Robert Daniel at Tuesday night's meeting of Bedford County Financial Management Committee.. ...

Bedford County litter crews pick up an average of 11,000 pounds of trash every month from county roads, including furniture, mattresses, tires and fencing material -- as well as loose garbage that hasn't been properly covered, according to solid waste coordinator Diane Forbes...

Tonya Davis has announced her candidacy for re-election as Bedford County Trustee in the Aug. 2 general election. She is running as an independent. Davis, a Bedford County native, has served in the position for the past eight years. She is a Certified Public Administrator through the University of Tennessee and has a certification in the Local Government Leadership Program. ...

Nevaeh and her younger sister Madeline enjoy an early visit with the Easter Bunny. (Photo by Gabby Richards)

Three guns were stolen from a home in the 2500 block of Midland Road during the day Monday, the Bedford County Sheriff's Office was told. The victim said all doors and windows were locked when he left at 6:45 a.m. He returned at 1:45 p.m. to discover a Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm with laser, Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 9mm and Rough Rider .22 caliber revolver were missing...

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) College System recently announced graduation and retention numbers for the 13 Tennessee community colleges that comprise the System. Motlow State Community College had the highest graduation rate of any community college over the past three years. The College also had the second-highest retention rate for freshmen who enrolled for the fall semester of 2016...

Shelbyville Garden Club met March 14 at River Bend Country Club. Libby Davidson presided, with 15 in attendance. Shirley McGee gave the devotion and Margaret Smith announced horticulture and best in design awards. Winners were: Pam Beasley, design Freda Head, horticulture...

A new agency director and clinical manager have been named by Suncrest Private Care, which provides patient care including, but not limited to, skilled nursing, disease education, wound care, medication management, infusions, home health aide and personal care and sitter services. They offer care in Bedford, Coffee, Grundy, Sequatchie, Marion, Franklin, Lincoln, Moore, Marshall, Rutherford, Van Buren, Warren, Cannon, Dekalb and White counties...

Colton Guess has been awarded a $4,000 Yates Companies Inc. Scholarship for the first two years of college. Guess was selected by a scholarship committee at The Yates Companies Inc. based on academics, extra-curricular activities and two short essays...

Helen Dennis, who was one of the winners of Shelter Insurance's Thankful For Our Communities Essay Contest in 2016, is hoping for a repeat -- which would mean a $5,000 boost to Bedford County Imagination Library. And you can help the cause, by voting for the essay online...

United Way of Bedford County held its second annual shrimp and crawfish boil March 16 at the Blue Ribbon Circle on the Celebration grounds. There was plenty of food, and the NCAA men's basketball tournament was played on TVs throughout the room...

The town of Chapel Hill will celebrate Duck River Day and the Downtown Main Street Festival this Saturday, along U.S. 31A throughout the town and at nearby Henry Horton State Park. A pancake breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church. A bake sale will be held and an Easter egg hunt begins at 10 am...

CommUNITY Pastors' Association will present a Good Friday service, "Seven Last Words," 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bright Temple COGIC, 516 Elm Street. Speakers will include Robin Kimbrough, Jimmy West, Glenn Forsee, Abe Zimmerman, Darryle Hood, Anthony Booker, Sandra Avent and Randy Williams...

Mary-Alice Shavers and Maddie Crosslin present Nicole Sharp and son James Sharp a check from Shining Stars to purchase hearing aids for James. “He has needed hearing aids for a long time. This will change his life!” (Submitted photo)

State Rep. Pat Marsh won $150 for Bedford Builds Habitat For Humanity during Tennessee Health Care Association’s annual Partnering For Charity event, Feb. 20 at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown in Nashville. Cheryl Pendergrass of Lynchburg Nursing Center presented Marsh with a replica check. The event is held each year during THCA’s legislative conference. In total, 50 legislators won a total of $8,450 in donations for charities in their communities. THCA is a not-for-profit association representing long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. For more information, go to http://thca.org. (Submitted photo)