Latest Crime Report just in

Yesterday's residential burglary of a Liberty Church Road home leads the newest crime report just released by Capt. Jeff Hughes of the Brentwood Police Department.
No suspects are identified in the theft of jewelry and cash from the home, whose front door was damaged to gain entry. (Learn more at http://tinyurl.com/BWburglary)

Two thefts from motor vehicles were reported:

• A GPS was taken from a car parked at Auto Advantage on Church Street between Monday and Tuesday.
• Jewelry was taken from an unlocked car parked on Shenandoah Drive in the Carondelet subdivision Saturday. A witness reports seeing two men going through vehicles.

In the vandalism report:

• The playground slide at Kenrose Elementary School was damaged and other equipment was "tagged" with markers. The date of the vandalism is unclear.
• An arrest was made in the vandalism of a Turtle Creek Drive front door in the Belle Rive subdivision on Tuesday.

In the general theft category:

• A wallet and its contents were taken from a purse while the victim was shopping at Fresh Market on July 2.
• Twenty minutes later, at the Brentwood Place Kroger, a wallet was reported taken from a purse that had been left in a restroom
• And just an hour after that, a purse and its contents were taken from a shopper at Costco on Seaboard Lane. No suspects are listed in any of these cases.
• Also, five juveniles have been identified and issued a criminal Trespass Warrant after cigar, tobacco, drink and gum were shoplifted from the Concord Market on Wilson Pike and Concord Road.

If you have information on any of these crimes, or are the victim of a crime, call the Brentwood Police Department at 371-0160. In the case of a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1.

Beautiful morning indeed and other random news

Our mayor, Betsy Crossley, posted this on Facebook about 7:30 a.m. today...:
"Can you ask for a more beautiful morning???? Ahhhhhhhhhhh.........."

Got to say I agree with her. The past week has been the best weather Brentwood's seen in July in forever. I even loved the rain over the weekend though it dampened some Fourth of July plans. The two inches of precipitation recorded in the Leathers' official rain gauge was most welcome.
Speaking of summer, what's your best and favorite way to pass it by in Brentwood? Send me your thoughts or comment here. We recently heard from Angie Miller about Wildwood Swim & Racquet Club. http://tinyurl.com/BWwildwood

Hard times, rich memories
Did you see Bonnie Burch's story on the Hardscuffle community in this morning's W-AM?
http://tinyurl.com/BJscuffle
Also this morning, reader David Sutton of Franklin commented on my June 23 Hardscuffle posting, http://tinyurl.com/BWscuffle
My family moved to Bwood in 68. I can remember coming to the end of Wilson Pike many times as we went to Huffs Grocery and having to avoid chickens from the homes there at the end of the street :) I remember asking my mom - "are they poor ?" because their house didn't look anything like our new home in Carondelet and her telling me yes, they were poor. I'm glad they are getting some historical references to being early settlers in Brentwood!
Me too, David.

Jesse makes Country Weekly
Jesse Lee, Brentwood's next big star, has made it onto the pages of Country Weekly. Her mom Pegi Levin writes that Jesse is on page 17 under the header Who's New?
And an update, Jesse's "It's a Girl Thing" beat out Sara Evans and others recently on episodes of CMT's Power Picks. Check out her video at www.myspace.com/jesselee.

Mortgage paid, time for redo
Goodness, did things get lively at Traffic Court recently or was there another commotion in the Municipal Center's board room kept quiet by local authorities? From the bright yellow crime tape decorating the room one has to wonder.
No worries, says City Manager Mike Walker. The seats are being refurbished and reupholstered. And anyone who's sat in on many meetings there knows that's not a squandering of public funds.
Mike told me at Monday's Planning Commission meeting the building's mortgage is paid off and now they are starting to refresh the place.
Might we hope fresh chairs will attract more citizens to attend public meetings? I know, wishful thinking ... again.

Coming in just a few: Latest Crime report, and hopefully update on yesterday's east Brentwood home burglary.

Ransacked home stuns Brentwood family

Dead bolts don't stop burglars from entering
On Tuesday shortly after noon, a Brentwood mom and her young son arrived at their home off of Liberty Church Road near Edmondson Elementary School. She soon discovered that drawers in the master bedroom had been torn apart and "lots of stuff" was on the floor. She went into the bathroom and closet and found more of the same.

"Once I realized it wasn't the cats making the huge mess, I hurried ... out the back door and up Liberty Church Road all while calling 911. Three police cars and two detectives came and searched the house. The front door was kicked in and two dead bolts were broken and the frame of the door was broken to pieces. They (or this person) tore apart the office which is my first room to the right when you enter. Nothing to take in there but they broke a lamp and took a huge picture down off the wall.

"Many of my drawers in my bedroom had been ransacked. Several valuable pieces of jewelry were taken, including my first engagement ring, diamond earrings, watches, (my husband's) entire valet, my big jewelry box, etc. ...

"There is a chance that they were still in the house when we arrived because the job didn't look complete and they left through the front door which is not normal...but we'll never know. What we do know is that GOD is good and (my son) and I are perfectly fine. ..."

She asked friends to forward her email to others in the community. "Lock up friends...but in this case that wouldn't have mattered. All I can say is be alert because this is an AWFUL feeling."

I can't even imagine. I have emailed Capt. Jeff Hughes at the Brentwood Police Department to get an update and will keep you informed. In the meantime, if you were in the area and remember seeing any unusual activity, please contact the Brentwood Police Department at 371-0160.

No big beefs with Town Center BBQ joint

Judge Bean's wins Planning Commission's approval ... along with a few paint suggestions

Brentwood Planning Commission meetings, much like City Commission ones, can be dry and dull. Unless, of course, you’re one of the parties involved in whatever agenda item is currently under discussion.
Several laugh-out-loud moments Monday night mostly courtesy of restaurateur Aubrey Bean made the other 60 minutes of humdrum-business-as-usual decision making much more palatable.
Anyone who frequented or is familiar with the old Church Street Pub or any of its successors over the past decade or so will probably affirm the following facts:
1. It’s not the most attractive building in Town Center
2. It’s not the easiest place to get in and out of, and
3. It’s one of those places a majority of Brentwoodians always secretly wanted to visit but never quite had the nerve.
Now Bean is bringing his popular Texas-style Judge Bean’s Bar-B-Que to town. And bless his heart he's trying to make the most of the framed building that sits adjacent to the busy but downtrodden Brentwood Court shopping center’s Church Street entrance.
Bean was seeking approval for non-conforming signs, new paint colors, an outdoor dining area, and permission to haul in his portable smoker every day. Dressed in khaki shorts, a Miller Lite-branded polo shirt and crocs, Bean made a statement before he even reached the podium, and it wasn’t a bad one. He looked like a barbecue man on a mission, which he is.
Bean's sign contractor, Jim Rowan of Sign Me Up!, described how they hoped to get permission to get rid of the tacky existing signage that while not conforming to current requirements could be grandfathered in. Instead of simply slapping on new plastic sheets with the restaurant's name, they want to design and install wooden signs that would be attached to the roof (a no-no for new construction under current C-4 Town Center guidelines) facing both the parking lot and Church Street.
Then came a discussion on paint colors. Sandi Wells switched hats from planning commissioner to designer to suggest to Bean he consider a color besides Navajo White for the building's aluminum shingles.

Bean seemed delighted with the help. He told her to pick a color and he’d use it.

“I don’t know much that can make this place look great,” he added, which lead to laughter all around.
Then the discussion turned to his smoker. “It’s so gorgeous,” Bean said, like a man smitten by his first love. He explained that he planned to cook the meats at his farm, and then pull the smoker to and from the restaurant each day.
Which brought up discussion about whether or not a permanent smoker wouldn’t be a better idea. And then there was the matter of the back concrete steps which don’t have a railing, the exposed dumpster, and, most importantly, how many parking spaces will be available. Parking is an issue not only by how many are required by zoning requirements but the state of the parking lot itself. Many of the spaces either are not marked, or are marked in the wrong directions.
“I wish I could change a lot of things,” Bean said about his new space, but later beamed with pride when he told the board they won’t believe the changes he's making when they visit.
“It’s fancy! We have three bathrooms!” he told them.
In the end, everything related to Judge Bean’s request was passed, unanimously.
“We look forward to having you,” said Commission Chair Randy Campbell.

New City Judge starts Tuesday, and more...

If I can get myself up and out of here Tuesday morning, I hope to be in the Municipal Building's board room, aka Traffic Court, in the morning. Nope, wasn't pulled over by one of our city's finest. Our new city judge will take her seat for the first time and I can't wait to see how she compares to our former one.

Last night's Planning Commission meeting was a doozie. Aubrey Bean -- aka Judge Bean's Bar-B-Q -- may be the best thing to ever happen to a city meeting. Check back later for a complete report.

Electronic Express is coming to Brentwood, in a big way. The locally owned electronics and appliance retailer will soon be taking over the space vacated by Comp USA. Gotta love those new sales tax revenues we'll be getting instead of Franklin. Hope to touch base with the company owner today. Stay tuned.

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign. Signs -- and the city's various sign ordinances -- had a big presence at Monday night's Planning Commission meeting. I'll keep my eye on that one and let you know what's up.

If you want to keep guns out of city parks, the deadline looms for city action. Email or call your commissioners today and let them know what you think. You can find all of their email addresses and phone numbers at http://www.brentwood-tn.org/.

In the meantime, if you have news to share, please email me at brentword@comcast.net. And check back later for expanded versions of all of the posts above.

Swimmers compete for championships; swim for Special Olympics

This morning I asked for good news, and here's some to share:

This in from Deb Phillips of Brentwood...
"The Williamson County swim league season is coming to a close with the finale being the County Championships at the Williamson County Indoor Sports Complex this Friday and Saturday. With over 900 kids ages 5 through 18 competing, it’s the place to be this weekend. You can go to the Excel website www.excelaquatics.org/age_group and learn all about it. ...
It is hosted by Excel Aquatics with the help of many parent volunteers from about 15 different teams to make sure the meet is run smoothly.
The kids have been getting up early this summer to get into top shape just for this event. (And yes, my own Sierra Phillips is swimming in the 11-12 age group for Brentwood Country Club. She is coached by Will Drumright, a BHS grad, who now manages the University of Alabama swim team!) Last year Will shaved his head in a Mohawk when his 7- and 8-year-old relay won their event!

And this came in recently from Angie Miller, about Wildwood Swim & Racquet Club:
"Wildwood Swim and Tennis Club is hands down one of the most fun places to spend the summer with your family. Tucked away in a corner of Brentwood bordered by the Little Harpeth River in the Wildwood subdivision sits a very friendly and activity filled family mecca.
Established in the late 1960s, Wildwood Swim and Tennis Club, one of the only swim and tennis clubs in Brentwood, set the standard for family friendly fun. Not only does Wildwood have 10 hard tennis courts (four of which are covered in the winter by a bubble), it also offers a beautiful pool with two diving boards, two kids slides and a baby pool all surrounded by the privacy of ancient shade trees.
Moms and Dads park themselves at the pool in the morning and pretty much spend the whole day chatting with fellow parents while kids rotate from courts to pool to grill to pool.
Recently Wildwood hosted a Swim-a-thon to raise money for the Special Olympics. Our championship swim team swam multiple laps for money and raised over $1,400 for the Special Olympics. ...
I personally have been a member for about eight years and have loved raising my kids at Wildwood. I can always count on simply "showing up" and finding a friend to talk with while sipping a tall lemonade and munching on a grilled cheese with fries. I love the staff and all the volunteers that continue to make it a wonderful place for me and my family!"
For more information on Wildwood, visit www.wildwoodswim-tennis.org/.

Congrats to Buntin, Dove; other recent links

Congratulations to Brentwood High's Amy Buntin and Brentwood Academy's Sam Dove for being named All-Williamson A.M. softball and baseball players of the year.
Buntin, the Lady Bruins' catcher, had 11 triples, 16 doubles and 59 RBI's according to Chip Cirillo's story, published Sunday. She's headed to the University of Notre Dame.
Shortstop Sam Dove helped lead BA to the team's second consecutive Division II-AA state title. The Georgia Tech signee had a .496 batting average, had 34 RBIs and four home runs, Cirillo reports.
Read more about Buntin, Dove and all the other members of the All-Williamson A.M. teams, including many others from Brentwood, at:
http://tinyurl.com/BWDove
http://tinyurl.com/BBteam

http://tinyurl.com/BWBuntin
http://tinyurl.com/SBteam

And in case you missed last Friday's BrentWord feature story on the city's newest firefighters, here's a link: http://tinyurl.com/BWnewfire. Two of the three's college degrees have more to do with film than fires, all have West Coast ties, and one worked side-by-side with local firefighters for years ... without ever fighting a blaze.