OPINION: Graduation ceremony a time for joy, respect (04/23/08)
This column is to clarify statements made by me at the recent Bedford County Board of Education meeting. The Shelbyville Times-Gazette reported that I said air horns (plural) blared at last year's graduation ceremony. There was one air horn but I have heard a (one) air horn also at Community High Schools graduation a year or two ago...

Melodies at the horse arena (04/23/08)
Well, it's that time of year again -- time for me to remind you about "Symphony at the Celebration," the Nashville Symphony's annual concert in Shelbyville, which will take place Tuesday at Calsonic Arena. Last year's concert featured the Community High School band, and was a great success. This year's concert will feature the band from my alma mater, Cascade High School, and will therefore be even better. (I could be biased, however.)...

Sorry, no poetry for Mom here (04/19/08)
I had run to the grocery store in the middle of the day and on my way out, a woman who knows me stopped her car in the parking lot, rolled down her window, and pleaded. "Can't you please put the poem about my mother in the newspaper?" she asked. No. No, we can't...

T-G staffer leaves for Korea trip (04/16/08)
I would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye ... for now. I will be leaving Monday for a month-long trip to South Korea as part of a group study exchange GSE team. Sponsored by the Rotary Foundation, this trip is geared toward Rotary's mission to spread peace, understanding and awareness among different cultures in countries throughout the world...

Legislators need to pass child protection bills (04/12/08)
When it comes to passing laws concerning child abuse, our state legislature needs to quit fooling around and take care of business. While covering a speech this week by Bedford County Sheriff Captain Becky Hord, who investigates the abuse and sexual abuse of children, this writer was stunned to learn that there are over 30 pieces of legislation before the General Assembly dealing with the topic...

Cable competition may be a good thing (04/09/08)
Well, it now looks as if AT&T will be able to offer its "U-verse" cable television service in Tennessee after all. It's probably much too soon to tell when, or even if, the service will be offered in Bedford County. In case you haven't been following the issue, here's the situation. ...

Fool you three times, shame on me (04/02/08)
It was two years ago that we first started doing an "April Fool" story for the T-G. In 2006, I wrote a story about a Tennessee Walking Gerbil show, and then last year I wrote about celebrities protesting to change the name of Wartrace to "Peacetrace."...

VP could be the key (03/29/08)
Here's a bit of rambling to wrangle your reading. Remember the line about the vice presidency not being worth a bucket of warm spit? It's from John Nance Garner, who was FDR's vice president -- twice. Garner's observation comes to mind as the GOP has a presumptive nominee for president and the Dems are still slugging it out...

Wear a sweater on March 20 (03/12/08)
I got three different books from family members for Christmas -- all of them about real people, all of them highly recommended, but about as different as three books can be. I'll tell you about all three, but the third one is the one I really want to share today...

Sickness provides a break, and perspective (02/27/08)
Last Wednesday, I'd been suffering through what I thought was just a stubborn cold. It had lasted almost two weeks, and I finally gave up and went to the doctor. The doctor said I had bronchitis; he wrote me prescriptions for an antibiotic and some weapons-grade cough syrup and sent me home from work for the rest of the week...

OPINION: School board member defends dress code vote (02/27/08)
Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, had been set as our D-Day, the day of decision. Months of planning had led up to the day. Countless hours of discussion had occupied the lives of many people. Financial costs had been weighed. Consultation with others who had already made the decision was processed. More than one sleepless night had followed the days of debate. The final decision would have major implications for thousands, for years to come. A lot of people give advice; a few make decisions...

Of Valentines and puppies (02/20/08)
It was business as usual Thursday morning as I woke up, crawled out of bed and made my way to the kitchen to flip the coffee switch to on, being careful with each step I took not to step on my dog, Lizzie, and the burly gang of six (her puppies). I proceeded to get ready for work, thinking about what I wanted to wear that day, what I was going to eat for breakfast, what assignments I had scheduled for the day, etc. It was just another day...

OPINION: Notes from the school attire conundrum (02/16/08)
Because I've been the primary reporter covering the debate over standardized school attire (SSA) over the past year or so, I've tried not to make any bold pronouncements one way or the other in this opinion forum. But, as we approach the school board's final decision on the matter, I have a few thoughts to offer...

OPINION: New dress code still a bad idea (02/13/08)
Our county is on the verge of making a decision as to what your children can wear to school. This decision lied in the hands of nine school board members: Dixie Parker, Ron Adcock, Amy Martin, Diane Neeley, Barry Cooper, Mary Jo Johnson, Jerry Naron, Leonard Singleton and Glen Forsee...

Tupper Saussy rides again (02/13/08)
With income tax day just two months away, and a story in our recent editions about a local merchant getting nabbed by the IRS, perhaps now is a good time to retell an old story to reemphasize the cautionary tale told by the news and comment from our readers on the Internet...

Dining choices in Shelbyville (02/13/08)
Last week, I wrote a blog entry on the Times-Gazette web site about the recent closing of Shelbyville's short-lived Chick-Fil-A restaurant on Main Street, which followed the closing of Lucille's Chicken & Waffles a couple months prior. A tough location, a somewhat odd concept -- chicken and waffles, together -- and other factors had the odds working against Lucille's from day one, but I was very surprised to see Chick-Fil-A close...

OPINION: Where do we go from here? (02/02/08)
This is the text of the speech staff writer Brian Mosely gave during an appearance Thursday at Shelbyville Rotary Club. Thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you today. This is truly an honor. About six months ago, I was approached by a local official with a proposal to write a series of stories about the population of Somalis that have been moving to Shelbyville over the past few years...

End of the newspaper war (02/02/08)
It was 60 years ago Saturday that what I'll call "the great Shelbyville newspaper war" ended. Look at our masthead (actually at the bottom, not head, of page 4; it's a traditional newspaper term) and you'll see the phrase "The Bedford County Times and Shelbyville Gazette, consolidated Feb. 1, 1948."...

My primary complaint (01/30/08)
Early voting ends tomorrow, and the party primary will take place Tuesday. So you have at least two more chances (maybe three, depending on what time you're reading this on Wednesday) to cast your vote. You may or may not have a favorite candidate. You may be excited, or you may have to cast your vote while holding your nose. But it's important to participate, regardless...