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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Columns
Put back-handed compliments in back seat
One day I told my mother-in-law that her daughter sure was pretty (my wife of course), and she said, "Well, you're handsome in your own way, too." Handsome in my own way? Handsome in my own way? I had to laugh. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. Maybe it was almost a compliment. But barely...
Aereo could change TV forever
A TV service called Aereo is offered in New York City and Boston and will soon be offered in Atlanta. It doesn't sound like it's of any local interest -- but in fact, Aereo could have a big impact on the future of television, especially for any of you who watch over-the-air TV using an antenna...
Ladies' lunches
My Mom and I often go out for lunch on Saturdays or during the holidays when I'm at home. We love to check out the little ladies' luncheon places and tearooms. It seems like they come and go with the wind and when one closes another opens. We enjoy checking out the menus and décor and just spending the afternoon together...
Mom's prayers led home, and to Christ
It was the spring of 1972 when a friend and I saw the movie, "The Last Picture Show," at the Empire Theater in downtown Grand Forks, N.D. This film was a coming of age story about several high school students in a small town on the plains of Texas....
Good deed is icing on the cake
What would you do if you found a wallet full of money? One 12-year-old student didn't hesitate to turn the money over to his bus driver. Seth Owens, a seventh-grader at Harris Middle School, sat down on the bus one afternoon recently for the ride home, and found a brown lady's purse, which had no ID....
Banding together to grow (05/19/13)
Teamwork is an important part of any learning experience. It's when great ideas and hard work come together that something extraordinary happens--at least, it's the case for students and educators at Liberty School. In January, art teacher Helen Johnson proposed an idea for a stepping-stone garden to be designed by eighth-graders. According to Johnson, the garden idea quickly evolved into much more...
Google makes artist's day (05/19/13)
A Shelbyville Central High School sophomore who loves drawing and fishing has caught the big one -- a Google art award, not a fish. Cesar Velazquez was the top high school entrant from Tennessee in the Doodle 4 Google contest. The competition invites K-12 students in the United States to redesign Google's homepage logo, or doodle. Entries are broken into several categories by grade level...
Long drives aren't hard work (05/19/13)
Nearly a quarter of Americans commute to work outside the county they live in, the Census shows. A total of 23.7 percent of workers cross a county line to go to work, according to the 2011 American Community Survey, which the U.S. Census Bureau released this spring. Just over 76 percent of commuters drove alone in their vehicles...
A Bedford County poet in the Big Apple (05/17/13)
Given some talent and skill, a bit of confidence, the difference between struggle and success at authorship is in learning the business side, and how to promote your work...
Gun instructor preaches protection (05/15/13)
Donna Magee sums up her reason for taking a gun class in one word: protection. "The society we live in today, if you don't have protection, you had better live near someone who does," said Magee. Magee, of Murfreesboro, was one of 11 women who took an advanced pistol class Saturday at the Wartrace Regulators range in Normandy. ...
Edward Jones breaks into Fortune 500 (05/15/13)
Financial services firm Edward Jones has been added to the FORTUNE 500, as published by FORTUNE magazine, according to Charlie Williams and Mike Cavender, the firm's financial advisors in Shelbyville. FORTUNE magazine's annual listing ranks the largest U.S. companies by revenue. Edward Jones debuts on this year's list at No. 491, with more than $5 billion in revenue for 2012...
Atmos gives to Relay For Life (05/15/13)
Atmos Energy contributed $500 to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life in Bedford County. Mai George, left, and Kelli Burton of Atomos present the check to Rodney Simmons, chair of the Relay For Life organizing committee. The Relay For Life will be held from 6 p.m. May 31 through noon June 1 at Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center on Midland Road. The public is invited to attend the event, which will include entertainment, concessions, games and activities, including the moving luminaria ceremony. For more information, go to relayforlife.org/bedfordtn. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney)
It's all on the wall: MTSU, Community students paint murals (05/12/13)
Collaboration can be a beautiful thing. At one elementary school, it turned out to be a work of art. Students and teachers from all three Community schools recently collaborated with Middle Tennessee State University art education students on a project that not only gave students experience but helped to brighten the gymnasium of Community Elementary...
Moms dealing with illness just want to be home (05/12/13)
Mother's Day is a significant holiday to honor mothers in families experiencing the best of times. But for families battling a life-threatening illness, the holiday may take a back seat to other concerns. Rosie Olson, the mother of four children, said she simply hopes to be at home on Mother's Day. That's because the alternative would be to spend yet more time at the hospital with her son, Mark Kelly, who is battling cancer...
Victim of drunk driving accident organizes benefit (05/12/13)
A Shelbyville woman who is a paraplegic is working to scrape together enough money to buy a van and make it handicap-accessible. Laurie Swing has been in a wheelchair since she was 13 months old. A drunk driver placed her there in 1965. Her mother, Betty Lamb, was driving one evening along Old Murfreesboro Highway from Bell Buckle to Shelbyville to pick up Laurie's father. ...
Mom has been our inspiration (05/12/13)
Editor's Note: The following article was submitted by Tabitha Smith. Our mom, Daphne Smith, has been such an inspiration to most. As everyone knows my dad got real sick last year and my mother has never left his side. She has done everything for him and supported him while being strong for us...
Parsons receives first Cooper Steel scholarship (05/09/13)
"Man of Steel" may be the name of the new Superman movie due next month, but that's also the name of the first-ever scholarship for one local firm. Cooper, founder of the company in 1960, said the scholarship will go to a student entering the engineering field...
Big G Express honored with service award (05/08/13)
Big G Express, Inc was awarded Service Star Award by Continental Mills in recognition of its excellent customer service, on-time deliveries and communication. Big G has been a truckload carrier for Continental Mills since 2008 and has since been recognized for several awards including "Carrier of the Quarter" in 2008, "Service Star Award" in 2010 and "Carrier of the Year" in 2011. ...
May Flower event planned for square (05/08/13)
On Saturday, May 11, merchants on the square will sponsor a May Flower event (April showers bring May flowers). This event is to promote gardens, home decor, fashions, and more, and encourage shopping in on an around the square. The merchants are joining The Uptown Association (working toward a Main Street designation), which will sponsor plant sales...
Smith named state's trucker of the year (05/08/13)
Danny Smith of Big G Express was named TTA Driver of the Year, the highest honor given to a professional driver by the Tennessee Trucking Association. Danny will represent Tennessee and compete for the American Trucking Association Driver of the Year award which is presented in August at the National Truck Driving Championship being held in Salt Lake City, Utah...
Viam expansion will create 75 jobs (05/08/13)
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty along with VIAM Manufacturing officials announced last week an expansion of the company's facility on Park Tower Drive in Manchester, creating 75 new jobs. The expansion represents a $9 million investment and will bring VIAM's operating space to 507,000 square-feet at its Coffee County facility...
Farm is a perfect fit: Fitness programs bring out the best in women (05/05/13)
Jennifer Jarrell had a vision. For quite some time, she has had a passion for helping women accomplish their potential, physically, mentally and emotionally. She did this through personal training and life coaching. But her vision was to do more. Recently her vision has come to fruition by way of the Way Fit Farm, a 234 acre farm nestled in the rolling countryside of Bedford County that has been transformed into a retreat facility for anyone wishing to rejuvenate themselves...
Tools to live by: Couple helps build lives (05/05/13)
Obeying God's will is not always an easy task, but it seems one local couple would have it no other way. Robert and Jennifer Drawdy of Shelbyville have tried to listen to each calling that God has put on their lives, and are making the difference in others' lives as a result...
Growing familly entertains seniors (05/05/13)
For about eight years, one family as dedicated their time and musical talents to a local rehabilitation center, socializing, visiting and playing music for the elders who live there. "The Collard family is very special to Glen Oaks," said administrator Daniel Richmond. ...
Customer appreciation (05/03/13)
Bullet Towing & Auto Repair will hold a customer appreciation event Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The business is at 801 E. Lane St., off Madison Street. Come enjoy coffee, doughnuts, hotdogs, chips and beverages. There is a giveaway. Call 607-1906 for more information...
Christian Care Center earns gold seal from Joint Commission (05/02/13)
Christian Care Center of Bedford County has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety in long term care. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 10,600 hospitals and more than 6,600 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services.. ...
FCB to host financial fitness class (05/01/13)
If you're looking for the key to success in business ownership, look no further than First Community Bank. First Community Bank will host a financial fitness class, called "Success in Business," May 9, 2013 from 5 to 7 p.m. at its main branch, located at 207 Elm St. in Shelbyville...
Bank celebrates 25 years of service (05/01/13)
First Community Bank celebrated its 25th birthday Thursday by hosting a cookout for hundreds of customers at the main branch on Elm Street. More than 600 burgers were served.
Next Step ladies give back this Mother's Day (04/28/13)
Does your mother want a Mother's Day gift that requires no dusting or watering? A charity has the perfect suggestion. Next Step Home is offering a Mother's Day-theme acknowledgement card to anyone making a minimum suggested donation of $20. If you donate to support the charity, the card will be mailed to the person of your choice as an "in honor of" or "in memory of" acknowledgement of your donation. The cards were designed by Jenna Henderson...
Coffee Break gets a faith lift (04/28/13)
So, two pastors walk into a coffee shop... This may sound like the beginning to a joke, but if you're Bryan Nerren, pastor of Shelbyville's International House of Prayer or Edwin Fannin, pastor of Fayetteville's The Refuge Church, this is no quirky anecdote--it's the start of a business. The two pastors have recently taken a leap-of-faith and purchased The Coffee Break located on the square...
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