Stories from Friday, December 29, 2017

For many families, the tradition of making a gingerbread house is a favorite pastime during the holiday season. While decorating and deciding what type of candy and what color icing to outline the roof of the gingerbread house, families share ideas and make memories that last a lifetime, as well as work together as a team...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Diane Black announced Wednesday that she is stepping down as House Budget Committee chairwoman, but will remain in Congress as she runs for governor of Tennessee. The Republican’s decision follows passage of a wide-spanning tax reform law that she and her committee helped usher through the legislative process. She said she plans to leave the budget leadership post once a successor is chosen in the new year so she can focus more on the campaign...

New Years Day generally means a day on the couch watching hours of college football. Jan. 1 also marks the day that several laws passed during the last session of the Tennessee General Assembly go into effect. Sixteen new laws, or changes to existing statutes, take effect at the start of the year, ranging from tweaks to laws with limited impact to others with wider general impact...

Make a New Year’s resolution to hike at a Tennessee State Park on Jan. 1. Fifty-five state parks will offer a free, guided hike as part of the annual nationwide ‘First Day Hikes’ event. “From midnight hikes to historical tours to kayak paddles, Tennessee State Parks offer a unique activity for every outdoor enthusiast,” said Brock Hill, deputy commissioner of parks and conservation at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is considering reducing the number of trustees at the University of Tennessee. The Nashville Ledger reports Lt. Gov. Randy McNally says Haslam’s proposals include reducing the size of the university’s board and reducing the number of finalists presented for top leadership positions...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Officials say Tennesseans that participated in a national prescription drug disposal initiative turned in a record number of unwanted or expired medications. The Drug Enforcement Administration said in a November news release that Tennesseans turned in more than 68,000 pounds (30,845 kilograms) of unwanted or expired medications during the DEA’s 14th National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Initiative on Oct. ...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — The company in a deadly November 2016 school bus crash in Tennessee has settled a lawsuit for $323,000 on behalf of a 9-year-old boy injured in the wreck. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Durham School Services will pay $250,000, plus $73,000 in medical expenses, to the boy who suffered a concussion, a broken arm, cuts to his liver and permanent scarring on his arms...

Olivia Hampton vs. Steven Delorn Hampton Courtney Shea Roberson vs. Larry Michael Roberson Dorothy Fay Hobby vs. Phillip Wade Hobby Rosanna Ruth Ohlsson-Salmon vs. Theodore Alan Salmon Matthew Denton Roach vs. Janice May Roach Michael D. Giles Sr & Caryl A. ...

Community Notices are published at no cost. There is no guarantee of publication. • City Administration Offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 29 and Monday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s. • The office of Town Hall in Cornersville will be closed on Monday, Jan. 1st in observance of New Year’s. The office will re-open on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018, at the regular hour of 7:30 a.m...

Briefs are published here at no cost on a space available basis. There is no guarantee of publication. You may e-mail briefs and community notices to be published to: briefs.notices@marshalltribune.com • At the Marshall County Memorial Library: Dec. 29 - Family Story Time in Chapel Hill at 10 a.m.; Dec. 30 - Crochet Club at 10 a.m.; closed Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day...

NASHVILLE– The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) is proposing new rules and requirements for use of herbicides containing dicamba in the commercial production of cotton and soybeans. TDA is seeking approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a Special Local Needs [24(c)] label to further restrict use of new formulation products in Tennessee including BASF’s Engenia, Monsanto’s XtendiMax and Dupont’s FeXapan...

The Twelve Annual Middle Tennessee Grain Conference is set for Tuesday, January 30th at the Coffee County Fairgrounds in Manchester. The conference will offer farmers insights to a number of emerging corn, soybean, and wheat production concerns. According to the 2017 conference evaluation survey, 146 farmers from twenty-five Middle and East Tennessee counties and two adjoining states cited the Middle Tennessee Grain Conference as an excellent source of information addressing pertinent crop production topics.. ...

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released a report detailing the nature and volume of reported firearms-related crime across the state over a four-year period. The report, “Firearm Violence in Tennessee: 2013-2016,” utilizes data submitted by the state’s law enforcement agencies through the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System (TIBRS). Among the report’s findings:...

My wife called me at work not long after President Trump signed the Republican tax bill into law. She asked me if we would be getting a tax cut or a tax hike. It was an interesting question, and one for which I did not have an answer. There are myriad tax calculators that have popped up since the tax bill debate began. I hadn’t used any of them...

Journalists love yearend recaps, but summarizing the odyssey that was 2017 might better be left to late-night comedians. So herewith a Precap of news certain to occur in 2018: Jan. 1 - President Trump tweets: “Let’s resolve to move forward in the New Year and make the right decisions for our wonderful nation and its beautiful people by finally bringing Crooked Hillary to justice!”...

Will 2018 will be the year when I finally stomp out my footwear malfunctions? Perhaps I can even inspire others. A quick Google search reveals a distressing number of people are vexed and perplexed by shoelaces that suddenly, repeatedly unravel at inopportune times...

“Thou crowned the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness.” Psalms 65:11 In this verse David expresses great praise to God for His unceasing goodness to Israel for both physical and spiritual blessing, which extended throughout the year. David was aware that even though they struggled with sin God forgave them and He continued to answer their prayers because He delighted to showcase His grace and goodness. ...

NASHVILLE --- The application period for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency 2017 Spring Turkey Quota Hunts is underway through Jan. 17, 2018. Applications are available and will be accepted at any TWRA license agent, TWRA regional office, or online at the TWRA website. Applications can be accepted until 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Jan. 17. Mailed applications will not be accepted...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has announced it’s planning a distillery, tasting room and music venue for the historic Tennessee Walking Horse farm and event center, Sand Creek, in Shelbyville, Tenn. “We look forward to continuing to work with our Tennessee distillery partners to create and bottle our award-winning premium whiskey; but as the brand continues to grow and excitement around Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey increases, we need to be prepared to keep up with the demand,” said Sherrie Moore, a 31-year veteran in the Tennessee whiskey industry and director of whiskey operations for Uncle Nearest.. ...

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is now accepting entries for its 2018-19 photo contest for publication in Tennessee Wildlife’s annual calendar issue. All interested photographers are invited to submit up to 10 of their best photos on fishing, hunting, boating, and wildlife species native to Tennessee...

Dear Savvy Senior, What’s the best way to distribute my personal possessions to my kids after I’m gone without causing hard feelings or conflict? I have a lot of jewelry, art, family heirlooms and antique furniture, and three grown kids that don’t always see eye-to-eye on things. Planning Ahead...

Dear Heloise: My husband used to work for a company that dealt with credit card loss or theft. From the calls he received over the years, he has this suggestion: On a trip, always take THREE DIFFERENT METHODS of payment, such as two credit cards and a checkbook, a debit card, etc. Also, don’t store them all in the same place, such as the same purse. This will avoid desperate phone calls home for cash. -- Janice P., Omaha, Neb...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — “Nashville” survived one previous cancellation, but the final curtain call is coming for the TV melodrama about the trials and tribulations of country music stars. Lionsgate announced in November that after 120 episodes, the time had come for the series to end. The sixth and final season premieres Jan. 4 on CMT. It will air in two parts, with the finale coming this summer...

The month of November brought two Lunch and Learns to MCHS. First, we hosted a Fine Arts Lunch and Learn with two amazing speakers, Andy Primus and Fain Spray. Andy is a live sound engineer for the singer, John Prine, and Fain is an MCHS alumnus who teaches voice at Lipscomb University and sings with the Nashville Opera. ...

Every year in November, Americans all across the nation come together in solemn remembrance of those brave military veterans who have fought for our country in conflicts far and wide. In gatherings big and small, ceremonies are held in honor of our veterans. One such ceremony was held at Veteran’s Park in Chapel Hill on Saturday, November 11, 2017, and the local Scouting groups were honored to attend...

The Marshall County Tigers played Thursday night’s game at the Franklin Road Academy (FRA) Christmas Tournament versus the host Panthers without senior point guard Caleb Fields, who left the team for undisclosed reasons. It didn’t matter as the rest of the squad stepped up in a huge 74-71 win that went down to the last possession. “That was a big win, it really was,” MCHS coach Lavon King said. “I came over here and watched them a couple of times at home and this is a tough environment to play in, so that was big.”

Dorothy A. Robinson, 86, passed away on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, at NHC-Oakwood Hall, Lewisburg, TN. She was born in Saginaw, MI on Jan. 23, 1931, to the late Delbert and Edna Newkirk Brown. She was a retired bookkeeper with Lambert Lumber Company and spent eleven years volunteering with the Marshall Medical Center and nine years volunteering with the Pregnancy Resource Center...

Thomas Allen “Tommy” George, 37, of Lewisburg passed away Dec. 15, 2017, in a Nashville Hospital. He was formerly of the Rose Hill Community, a graduate of Richland High School, and was a nurse at Popular Estates in Columbia for years before going to NHC Oakwood in Lewisburg...

Billy Lee Cozart, 67, of Lewisburg, died Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017, in the VA Medical Center in Nashville. Mr. Cozart was a native of Marshall County, born on Jan. 13, 1950, son of Leroy and Louise Shannon Cozart. He served his country in the U.S. Army and attended Church Street Church of Christ. He was employed as the custodian at Westhills Elementary School...

It was another great year for sports in Marshall County with the Cornersville Bulldogs coming in as the top story of the year when the Frog Bottom gridiron boys turned in the best season in school history, posting a 13-2 record and a first-ever TSSAA BlueCross Bowl appearance. After starting the season at 1-1, Cornersville ran off 12 consecutive wins to claim its first-ever region title with an unbeaten record in league play.