Downtown flume collapse rated top story

Workers who had removed the damaged areas of Shelbyville's underground flume inspected the site prior to installing the replacement sections. (T-G File Photo by Brian Mosely) [Order this photo]

A flume collapse which inconvenienced drivers for weeks was the top local story of 2009, according to a panel of Times-Gazette staff members. Placing a close second was a mortgage fraud scheme that caused local residents to lose their homes.

A list of 28 suggested stories was voted on by 10 T-G staffers, each of whom ranked his or her top 10 choices. The results were tallied to form an overall list. It was a busy news year, and 23 of the 28 suggestions got at least one ranking from someone on the panel.

2) Mortgage fraud case

Four arrests were made May 19 in a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme involving hundreds of homes in Shelbyville. The arrests were the result of a 16-month joint investigation by the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.

William T. McMahan, who was called the ringleader of the scheme, was sentenced in November to six and a half years in prison and was ordered to pay over $2.4 million in restitution. The money will be going toward 15 mortgage companies that were directly defrauded, and those families in Bedford County who were taken advantage of will have to file their own civil suit or a class action lawsuit before being able to recover damages.

McMahan, along with Roger Ritch, Carrie Snow and Jonathan Henderson, was charged in May with bank fraud and money laundering in a scheme involving hundreds of homes in Shelbyville. Bradley Aydelott was indicted on the same charges in July.

Local developer Roger Dwight Ritch and three others were taken into custody in May, accused of running a massive mortgage fraud scheme in Bedford County. Pictured to the right of Ritch are Detective Sgt. Brian Farris, Sheriff Randall Boyce and FBI Special Agent Richard Poff. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

All have pleaded guilty to counts one and four of the federal indictment, stating that they obtained financing under false pretenses and falsely represented the employment status and income of borrowers.

Ritch is to be sentenced on Monday at 1 p.m. EST in federal court in Chattanooga.

Ritch's attorney has filed 105 letters from his supporters asking for leniency in the case, prompting prosecutors to ask for input from those who were victims of the fraud scheme. According to federal documents, a total of 61 people in Shelbyville who bought homes lost them through foreclosure as a result of the scheme.

(73 points, five first-place votes)

1) Flooding causes flume collapse

Flooding in early May caused the collapse of a flume under North Main Street, closing a heavily-traveled segment of the street for weeks while repairs were made. The street did not re-open until July, and discussion continued over what had caused the collapse and who would pay for the repair work, which cost more than $440,000. Responsibility for paying for the project is still being debated.

Shelbyville Public Works Director Mark Clanton received the prestigious Charles Walter Nichols Award from the Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association at the chapter's annual conference in October. The award was given for Clanton's work during the flume collapse. (78 points, one first-place vote)

Although only one of our 10 panelists voted the flume collapse the top story of the year, it ranked second or third on eight other ballots and fourth on another, giving it an overall advantage in the number of points. By comparison, half of the panel picked the mortgage fraud story as number one, but two participants didn't rank it at all and another one ranked it fifth.

The flume collapse and Craig's departure were the only stories to be ranked by all 10 participants.

The top local news stories of 2009

1) Flooding causes flume collapse (78 points, one first-place vote)

2) Mortgage fraud case (73 points, five first-place votes)

3) Craig gone as city manager (69 points, two first-place votes)

4) Marsh elected state representative (54 points)

5) Continued unemployment (39 points, one first-place vote)

6) Bypass work begins (33 points)

7) Horse industry regulatory issues (30 points)

8) Elementary school realignment (25 points)

9) Guard unit activated (20 points)

10) Tracy, Evans seek House seat (19 points)