Stories from Sunday, July 12, 2009

Five years ago, Jack and I flew to Las Vegas and got married. At the time, it just seemed like the easiest way to do it, considering our families live far from us -- and in opposite directions. Now, looking back, getting married in Sin City couldn't have been more fitting for Jack and me. We really are not your average couple...

Andy Raby, 27, of Shelbyville, suffered a lifetime of struggles related to his obesity before he decided to do something about it. Diets and exercise did not work for Raby, an employee of Bedford County Sheriff's Department. About a year ago, he was approved for gastric bypass surgery, a weight-loss surgery in which the stomach is made smaller and part of the small intestine is bypassed, reducing the amount of food a person can eat as well as the amount of calories that can be absorbed...

A couple of years ago, I was assigned to take a photo for a local business' donation to the Habitat for Humanity Ball. Angelica Wortham, whom I'd never met until then, represented Habitat in the photo. Angelica was so friendly and I remember once we got talking that day we had quite a bit in common. Neither of us were from here. We had both moved here from out of state during the same month of the same year. And we had both met southern men, with strong ties to this area, and gotten married...

I'm finally able to grow something besides dust bunnies under the bed and mold on old cheese, forgotten at the back of the refrigerator. I have a green thumb. Corn, wheat, rice and sunflowers are popping up all over my fields, and friends have sent me farm animals to raise...

The greatest joy in a parent's life is when her child finally learns to do something important -- walk, tie his shoes, put the toilet seat down -- that kind of thing. But those milestones bring their regrets, too. (Except the toilet seat one.) When he starts walking, you no longer have the excuse to carry the cuddly bundle everywhere. When he learns how to tie his shoes, you no longer have an excuse to play "chase the bunny" with the shoelaces and listen to your child's wild giggles...

To the editor: My sincere thanks to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, John Philleo, Mary Reeves and Sadie Fowler for the great coverage of the 12th Annual Duck River Clean-up on June 27, 2009. The informative article and daily reminders and the editorial prior to the clean-up were invaluable in helping publicize this important environmental project. We also are very appreciative of your excellent coverage of the actual event...

A .22-caliber Smith and Wesson pistol was stolen from a closet at a Crest Drive residence, Shelbyville police were told Thursday. The owner said the gun had last been seen about a week earlier. No signs of forced entry were found, but neighbors told police they were watching the home after a previous attempt was made to pry a door. A blue truck with a female driver and male passenger was seen at the home during the time of the earlier attempt, the neighbors said...

The Bell Buckle Planning Commission will be looking at any and all possibilities when it comes to re-sizing the town's urban growth boundary. At the Tuesday night meeting, the commission agreed to come up with three different proposals to present to the board of mayor and aldermen at a later date...

According to figures released by Bedford County Register of Deeds Johnny Reed, an offer being received by Bedford County property owners offering to sell them a certified copy of their deed for $49.50 is a bad deal. Reed said anyone can get such a deed directly from his office for $1 per page, and most deeds are three pages or shorter. Reed also implied that the need for a certified copy is overstated by the solicitation letter...

A scrap metal recycler has until July 15 to pay the Solid Waste Authority about $10,000 he owes or the agency has threatened to take legal action and look for another firm with which to do business. Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman, who manages waste disposal for the authority, told the board that South East Recovery Group was still some $10,000 behind in payments for scrap metal recycling...

A Unionville woman who is wanted in California is facing several charges of forgery after she allegedly used a box of checks taken from a mailbox. Letta Marie Thomas, of Evergreen Lane, is charged with four counts of forgery and two counts of criminal impersonation. She is being held under $20,000 bond and will appear in Bedford County General Sessions Court on July 29...

Citing her husband's health, Barbara Blanton has announced that she will not seek the 62nd District State House of Representatives seat in the upcoming special election. Blanton, who made a strong but unsuccessful challenge to Democratic incumbent Curt Cobb as the Republican nominee for the seat in 2008, made the announcement on Saturday...

While the economy still appears to be struggling along, both Shelbyville and Bedford County are beginning to see the start of some commercial growth. The city's planning and codes director, Kip Green, said that recent planning commission meetings have been limited to rezoning requests and other similar items, but very few new site plans...

Cathy Miller didn't think things could get any worse for Good Samaritan than last year, but the dwindling economy has left more families than ever seeking help from the agency -- and Miller is concerned they're going to run out of food. "We are feeding about 930 people a month," said Miller, director of the local Good Samaritan. "We are lower (in food) now than we were last year at this time."...

The ball just wouldn't bounce the right way for Shelbyville American Legion Post 23 as they lost 3-0 to Franklin County in the American Legion High School State Tournament at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin on Friday night. Despite hitting the ball hard throughout, Post 23 managed but one base hit, which came from Jonathan Pearson...

Great opportunities don't come around very often, and it's good to take advantage of them when they do. That's what recent Shelbyville Central graduate and former Golden Eagle catcher Connor Tracy plans after signing a letter of intent to play baseball at Middle Tennessee State University...

People from all across the country came to Shelbyville for the Historic Uptown City Fair Saturday. The Tennessee State Chili Cook-Off Championship brought couples from Mississippi and California to Shelbyville to sweat it out for the state chili cook-off title...

We get so much junk e-mails these days that often times, if the e-mail is not from someone I know, someone local, or about a topic relevant to my duties at the paper, I delete it. If I didn't, I would spend half the day reading e-mails, which are mostly mass e-mails from company PR departments trying to sell the next best thing or what have you...