Stories from Sunday, February 20, 2011

We are going to take a look into a powerful little coupon, when used for the purpose it was created for, known as the "peelie." Most of you have probably seen the peelie at some time or another, even if you did not know its actual name or purpose. The peelie appears on a variety of products for a couple of different reasons. ...

Dr. Oz said that one thing he can't live without is steel cut oats. He has them every morning for breakfast. I had never heard of steel cut oats until I heard Dr. Oz talk about their virtues on his TV program. So I was curious. After all, it was some kind of oatmeal, and I do like oatmeal...

The call of the grill was too strong. Before I knew it, I was soaking hickory wood chips for a nice salmon filet -- with skin on -- I had just purchased. Salmon is a great fish for the grill, especially with the grill hood down to let the moist hickory smoke melt into the sweet salmon flesh. It's not smoked salmon, of course, but it is just as delicious...

I'm not sure what made me feel older this week -- the e-mail from a friend organizing our 30th high school reunion, listening to Sadie fuss about making valentines for her daughter's day care party and not fussing about making any myself because my kids are all too old, or the line-up at Bonnaroo...

"Farmers are just tough, gritty people," said Gay Ervin, local dairy farmer and program assistant for the University of Tennessee Extension Office. That grit is what saved the life of a Bedford County man severely burned in a farming accident last month. But Robert Pickle, 52, of the Pleasant Grove community remains in critical condition in Vanderbilt's Burn Unit, with third degree burns on his body from the waist down...

To the Editor: I attended last night's (Thursday, Feb.17) City Council meeting. After speaking and listening, I would like to suggest a plan I feel would work. Pass the monthly fee temporariy along with a tax hike. Once a budget is passed and tax money available, remove monthly fee. That way people could deduct taxes on income tax. If the spring/fall clean-up costs so much, do away with it...

The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting a driver's license checkpoint the week of Feb. 20 on State Route 64 in Bedford County. Recognizing the danger presented to the public by drivers who are under the influence and unqualified drivers, troopers will concentrate their efforts on vehicles being operated by drivers who violate the driver's license laws of Tennessee...

A new federal program is providing mortgage payment assistance to Bedford County's unemployed and underemployed. Bedford County residents have been identified as heavily impacted by the recession and can now apply for the highest level of benefit -- up to $20,000 to cover up to 18 months of mortgage expenses, through the U.S. Treasury's new Hardest Hit Fund Program...

An Antioch man who was sentenced to eight years in prison for striking a number of vehicles while drunk lost his appeal this week. Joseph Valentine Hill, 46, had been charged with DUI (second offense) and seven counts of aggravated assault stemming from an incident that occurred on April 7, 2009...

You don't necessarily have to have a horse to reap the benefits the animals shower upon many young folks they touch. The Wrangler Horse riding group is inviting anyone interested in horses to sign up for the upcoming show season. If you do have a horse, you must sign your horse up for Wrangler Horse group events by March 1. The next group meeting will be held at 6 p.m. March 7 at the Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center on Midland Road...

State Sen. Jim Tracy of Shelbyville, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, has said in a letter that he supports teachers but that teachers unions "are in the business of protecting membership and power, not serving the best interests of students or the teachers they represent."...

HUNTLAND -- The contest to decide third place in the District 9-A tournament resembled more of a formality than a consolation as top-seeded Forrest shot out of the gates, never trailed and defeated No. 2 seed Cascade 65-47. The eighth-ranked Rockets (24-6) hopped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to the long-range shooting of sophomore Mark Pope and never let up, quickly stretching their lead to 28-8 with 5:22 to go in the second quarter...

Similar in composition to an omelet, the frittata is elegant enough for a spot on the brunch menu yet simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner for the person on the go. "The frittata is like an open omelet," said Whitney Danhof, University of Tennessee Extension Agent...