Feature Stories

An exhibit this month at The Fly Arts Center tells the story of how local resident Rafaela Belecki-Weyenberg spent several years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, helping to battle HIV/AIDS. The exhibit includes photos as well as souvenirs of Bielecki-Weyenberg's stay in the Congo...

The holidays bring many parties and events and entertaining with friends and family. It is nice to have a good arsenal of appetizers to use throughout the season. My brother's family always has a finger food dinner while they decorate their tree. Growing up, we always had finger foods for Christmas Eve before opening the presents...

For the 33rd straight year, the Shelbyville Satellite Group of Nashville’s Cheekwood Chapter, Embroiderers’ Guild of America, has created hand-stitched ornaments to decorate a Christmas tree at a local bank. This year, Peoples Bank on North Main Street is hosting the display...

Mary Elkins is praying her way through her first holiday season without her husband of 52-years, Bobby, who passed away on Sept. 1. She's staying busy coordinating Angel Wings Ministry, which is a part of The Shelbyville Church, where she is a member. Even as busy as she is, Elkins admits the last couple of months have been emotionally painful...

Local florist Leanne Moore served up what she called an "hors d'oeuvre of Christmas" during a recent holiday program for Shelbyville Woman's Club. Don't know where to start decorating for Christmas? Moore suggested when decorating for a holiday party, start with a basic miniature Boxwood, which can be accented with bows or fruit...

Joe Leonard “Doc” Irwin of Shelbyville, a World War II veteran, was the recipient of a Quilt of Valor Tuesday from Amy Martin. She is working her way down a long list of names of deserving veterans for this local commendation for bravery. While wrapped in American colors, the 93-year-old veteran recalled how he and other servicemen spent holidays overseas. (Submitted photo)

As part of an educational outreach effort during International Bat Week held Oct. 24-31, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Arnold Air Force Base biologists held presentations at the Hands-On Science Center in Tullahoma and on Arnold Air Force Base to provide information on bats and how they play a vital role in the environment...

If you’re in a hurry to provide a meal Thanksgiving weekend, we’ve got you covered, as in dish, that is. Enjoy these tried and true recipes. Replenish those platters of leftover condiments, pickles and cheeses. Layer and mix your leftover cake slices (red velvet, yellow and chocolate) to make a pretty platter presentation. Add teas and juices, if relishes are running low. Add celery stalks to tomato juice as an appetizer...

Olivia Doak has accomplished more in one season than most athletes will do in their careers. Let's check the list: Player of the Year in her conference. Team leader in virtually every category. Team captain. Playing in her program's first ever women's soccer NCAA Tournament game and winning in the first round...

Wayne and Louise Jones have a collection of recipes in their home -- some his, some hers. Still, nothing compares to the one recipe they've mastered for 62 1/2 years: the one for a happy married life. "We take one day at a time," she notes. "It takes both of us to do things. He cooks some. I cook some."...

At one time or another in our lives, we've all had experiences with codes. It may have been one we got off the back of a cereal box as a child, or a diagnostic code from a Check Engine light in our vehicle. While some of these codes are easily broken, there was one spoken code in history so impossible to crack that it's been credited with helping the U.S. ...

The pop culture stereotype of high school involves various cliques -- athletes, top students, the "cool kids" and various scattered outsiders. But a new program at Shelbyville Central High School aims to change the school's culture with a message of unity and inclusiveness, one which participants hope will lead to greater success for each individual student...

There were no cell phones or radios in buses 37 years ago when Freda Alford began driving special needs children to school. The pay was low. Winter mornings were vicious...

Cub Scout Pack 476 held a coat drive to benefit Clothe Our Kids of Bedford County, which provides clothing for children in distress or state custody. Standing, from left: Ritchie Morris, Atlee Hancock, Zach Farrar, Leroy Addison, Charles Borgstrom, Matthew Plunkett, Eric Faulkner, Matthew Boyce. Middlerow: Trystain Cadenhead, Joseph Brannon, Cory Cunningham, Johnathan Taylor, Jesse Sweeney, Robert Petty. Sitting: Phoenix Balys, Dakota Perkins, Joshua Taylor, Grady Dodd, Mason Short, Bentley Short, Oliver Cawthon, Wyatt Helms and Brayden Cadenhead. (Submitted photo)

The only thing that's worse than being sick with a bug, is being sick with a bug with a child on your hands. Actually, there is something worse than that -- which is if the kid happens to be a toddler or infant and you have no one to watch them. I rarely get sick but all I could think about during my sleeping hours between Sunday night and Monday morning was how was I going to get Dani ready in the morning. ...

Rodney Rogers has joined Calvary Baptist Church on Lane Parkway as lead pastor. The church has Sunday morning worship at 10 a.m., Sunday evening worship at 6 p.m. and Wednesday night prayer service at 6:30 p.m.

There is a painted mural with handprints outside Community Elementary School Principal Whitney Yoes' office. She says it keeps her grounded. If that's not enough, there's the following quote behind her desk: "The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways."...

Principal's List: A Honor Roll Fifth Grade, Ella R. Allen, Laura J. Bennett, Carlie Jo L. Comstock, Caroline L. Cook, Robert A. Cook, Allison G. Farris, Trenton A. Giel, Daniela L. Jara, Tanner W. Johnson, Adelyn E. Jones, Wyatt J. Petelle, Chere' N. Potts, Caleb M. Smith, Henry G. Stone, Tristan L. Whitley, Kaegan L. Young...

The Webb School recently announced its A and B honor rolls for the first quarter of the 2018-2019 school year. An independent college preparatory day/boarding school for grades 6-12, The Webb School is the oldest continuously operating school of its kind in the South. The school has a dual emphasis on academic excellence and character development...

Recently, the Bedford County Archives was awarded a state grant from the Tennessee State Library and Archives on behalf of the Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, to assist in the preservation of the county's permanent records. A record that has permanent value is defined by the Tennessee Archives Management Advisory as "a record...of such enduring usefulness that it justifies the public cost to preserve it in an archival medium such as paper or microfilm, and administer its use for the indefinite future, measured in centuries rather than decades, for the purpose of public inspection.". ...

Hot sauce is big business -- not only for major brands like Tabasco, Huy Fong and Frank's Red Hot, but for a variety of specialty brands available in gift shops and online. Heat levels and flavors range from wild to mild. But have you ever tried to make your own hot sauce?...

Beta Iota Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha held its 40th annual fashion show and dinner last week at First United Methodist Church. Over 200 tickets were sold and there was a packed house. Proceeds will be used for scholarships for local students and to contribute to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis...

Bailey Dunn, 11, a student at Southside Elementary, submitted our “spooky drawing” winner, one of several evil clowns among the entries.

"Sources say that the train was derailed after a survivor described zombie like creatures, led by a werewolf, smashed into the side of the train by running down the hill. No contact has been made with the town in which the train departed. The government is saying that the video was fake, a Halloween prank, in which many have questioned."...

As I walked home from my friend Ellie's house, on this horribly, freezing cold, October evening, the frosty air was biting my nose with the intensity of a dog bite. It was three days before Halloween, and I was hoping the weather would warm up before then. Even though I was wearing a hoodie, my ears were chilled to the point of aching. I longed for the hand-warmer pouches my grandmother had offered me before I left home, only two hours earlier...

Once upon a time there was a boy named Jason. He was always bullied at school, at home, anywhere he went. One day after school, the bullies chased him to the Duck River and pushed him in. Little did they know that he could not swim. He yelled and cried, "Help! I can't swim!"...

Nog knew that he deserved to die. He had, after all, committed all of the heinous crimes of which he had been accused, and in the England of the Twelfth Century, all of those offenses were punishable by death. Since he was an earl, he would be spared a commoner's death at the end of a rope. He was destined to meet his fate at the hand of his particular hamlet's royal executioner, Will Cleave...

Michael sat on a stone bench nestled under a large willow tree. The sun was beginning to set, but Michael was determined to finish his book and find out what happened to the boy in the green jacket. There were only three pages left. Michael glanced at the quickly darkening sky and anxiously continued reading. ...

I never thought much of him, mousey computer enthusiast that he was. We went to high school together where my crowd was relatively popular, or at least normal, and his was that of "never gets noticed." We crossed paths, but never enough for me to even know his last name with certainty. ...

I sat watching through the window of my mom's car. Kaydyn and Karla were talking loudly but I was lost in deep thought. We were going to the carnival at the zoo; we had been waiting for a while. Finally we arrived at the zoo. I glanced at Karla and she had wide eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked her...

One night Carter and his friend Gilbert were walking around the neighborhood. It was a rainy night. They thought they were being followed, so when they turned around they saw that it was a two-headed clown. They ran back to the house and the clown followed them home. They thought they made it home safe but the TV wasn't working right. What it showed was Carter's greatest nightmare, a dream of the two-headed clown catching them...

6:30 a.m. Ugh, time to get up. Wait! OMG, it's Halloween! Hi, I'm Kylie Falls. It's 6:32, and time for me to get ready for school. I honestly forgot it was Halloween, but today I'm going to be dressed up as The Nun ... scary, right? Phone buzzes...

I turn the TV down, I'm tired of hearing it. "The Countdown," it's been going on for days now. Nineteen days, to be exact; nineteen days for 19 bodies. Nineteen children gone, vanished, disappeared, no trace of the killer, no evidence, no anything. Not even a body...

"Been there, done that, and got the T-shirt!" I am sure everyone has heard this phrase before, maybe even said it a time or two. Some people may say it because they have already done something and don't want to have to do it again. I say this phrase in 4-H because I literally have gotten the T-shirt! My T-shirts are piling up and I am loving every minute of it...

During the winter of 1963-1964, there was tremendous snowfall in Unionville. The snow was so heavy that its weight on the little barn-like gymnasium at Community School was permanently damaged. The County Court, as the county commission was called then, and County Judge Mac Farrar issued a $100,000 capital bond to begin construction on a new gym at Community. It was going to take the efforts of the community to build a new structure that would provide greater opportunities for its students...

"Nature-inspired colors," "beautiful details" and "elegant comfort" were descriptive words used by local clothier Jennifer Jordan Thompson, emcee for Shelbyville Woman's Club's recent fashion show at Riverbend Country Club. Owner of J Jordan Boutique, Thompson previewed lots of rich sweater colors, pairing each with the newest cropped pant. She announced sweater offerings now come in "one size fits all."...

For the past 50 years -- including 46 in Shelbyville -- Bible & Literature Missionary Foundation has been printing Bibles, Bible excerpts and tracts for disribution around the world. The ministry will celebrate its golden anniversary this week at its scripture conference, which runs Monday through Thursday. ...

When I think of fall (and I think we're finally starting to get some fall weather here), it conjures up foods that are hearty and roasted until browned on the outside with warm flavors like cinnamon or maple. For me that means butternut squash and root vegetables like beets...

Members of the community gathered Sept. 29 at the VFW Post hall in Shelbyville for the POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony was conducted by Rolling Thunder Tennessee One, and paid tribute to the 3,344 World War I, 78,287 World War II, 67,734 Korean War, 1,617 Vietnam War and 120 Cold War Veterans and civilians who remain missing in action or prisoners of war. ...

The Bedford County Family and Community Education Clubs held their Taste and Tell Luncheon honoring the Club Presidents and County Council Officers for the year. As in the past, they've been kind enough to share their recipes with us. Helen Williams, Shelbyville FCE...

Individuals living with dementia often experience changes in behavior that can be confusing to friends and family. For caregivers and professionals, learning to decode messages through attitude, tone of voice, facial expressions and body language can help both parties to connect and communicate in meaningful ways...

Jimmy Snow, son of legendary country entertainer Hank Snow as well as a pastor and entrepreneur, will be at Victory Celebration Revival Church, 1000 Colloredo Blvd., next Sunday, Oct. 14, both in the regular 10:30 a.m. worship services and at 6 p.m...

Here is a rundown of some of the agencies that provide support for cancer patients (or, in one case, mammograms for those concerned by might have breast cancer). Bedford Cancer Foundation is a local not-for-profit which assists qualified cancer patients who are residents of Bedford County. Assistance is usually a monetary gift to help with day to day expenses...

There are a number of ways doctors can test for breast abnormalities, including simple physical exams and family history assessments to X-rays and other radiation screenings to find a tumor, pinpoint a problem area or determine how far cancer has spread...

In 1966, Bob Dylan, who had scandalized his fans the previous year by "going electric," traveled to Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry, to record one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Shelbyville native Daryl Sanders, who has spent decades in Nashville writing about the music business, got to know many of the legendary studio musicians who played on the album, and has written magazine and newspaper stories about it. ...

Jayden Jackson had a pretty good summer. She was named Young Miss Bedford County Fairest of the Fair, her third straight year to win her age division in the pageant. And then, she won not one but two world championship titles at this year's Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. ...

The Xi Alpha Zeta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi met at the home of Joan Gray for its annual Taste and Tell dinner meeting in September. Members brought a dish and a recipe to share at the meeting. Elaine Reed was co-hostess for the event. Here are the recipes:...

Whitney Danhof conducts a Tai Chi class at the Senior Citizens Center on Friday mornings. The program, sponsored by the University of Tennessee/Tennessee State University Extension, is based on "Tai Chi for Arthritis" by Dr. Paul Lam, an Australian physician. Anyone can join the class on Friday mornings at the Senior Citizens Center from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m...

Two residents of Carriage House Assisted Living on Colloredo Boulevard were the recipients, earlier this month, of Quilts of Valor. The Quilts of Valor program provides hand-made quilts to provide comfort to active service members and to veterans who have been touched by war. ...