Stories from Sunday, June 12, 2011

Two sets of identical twins, a shipwreck, feuding cities, music and ... puppets? Once again, actor/director Lane Davies brings a unique perspective of Shakespeare to Bell Buckle for this year's Tennessee Shakespeare Festival. It opens June 24 and runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until July 10...

"Don't Worry, Be Happy!" Bobby McFerrin released that song in the fall of 1988 and it went on to win several top Grammy Awards in 1989. If you were around in the late '80s and early '90s, you'll remember, "Don't Worry, Be Happy!" It was an acappella song that had a catchy tune and people walked around singing it to themselves throughout the day...

What ho, varlet! Man, I love this time of year. When else do I get to use words like "varlet?" Or hang out with Lane Davies and Jerry Winsett. Or spend waaay too much time in Bell Buckle ... Strike that last one. Saying you spend too much time in Bell Buckle is a lot like saying you eat too much chocolate. Bwahahahahaha!...

This week we are going to go one step farther to kicking off your savings in an amazing way. One comment I hear over and over at my workshops is "I just don't know where to begin". It is usually not that people don't see the benefits of couponing, but rather they don't know how to kick those benefits into a reality in their own lives...

I like to share some "feel-good" sports stories in this column from time to time and came across another one earlier this week. It's been a pretty exciting week locally with former Shelbyville Central and Community baseball standout Rex Brothers getting promoted to the major leagues with the Colorado Rockies along with former Golden Eagle and Kentucky right-hander Jordan Cooper being drafted for the second time in three years by the Pittsburgh Pirates...

See our photo gallery.

Shelbyville's city council approved the purchase of six new police cars Thursday, replacing vehicles that had been in the fleet for well over a decade. Police Chief Austin Swing explained to the council that the six cars had been listed in the current fiscal year 2011 replacement fund and had been approved by the council last year when they signed off on that budget...

More security is needed in Shelbyville's parks, the city council was told Tuesday, with parents reporting that a gang of teens had taken over a children's play area. During the city's council budget meeting Tuesday night, parks and recreation director Sylvia Pinson told them that budget cuts over the past year have resulted in a drastic reduction of park security...

It was a Monday morning, and Antonio Taylor, 21, had a job interview just after lunchtime. He ironed his shirt and laid his clothes on the bed. His mother, Rochelle Adams, was going to pick him up later and take him to the appointment. He had big plans, and today was the first step in making it all happen. He was going to get his GED, go back to school and train to be a professional barber...

Where can you get handmade sausages and hotdogs, try three different types of Kolache and have a lunch of the best sauerkraut and cabbage rolls you've ever eaten? If you're thinking Eastern Europe, think a little closer -- Texas actually! Gay Ervin and I just returned from the International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference in Austin, Texas. ...