Stories from Sunday, December 4, 2011

Christmas is only a few weeks away and most of us are now in full swing of Christmas shopping. With all the excitement of shopping and holiday baking we can get so busy we often forget about the basic staples for everyday life. Many times this is when our stockpile can suffer. The cushion we have acquired can quickly diminish as we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season...

There is a story told of a time when St. Francis of Assisi was traveling across the country and he saw a leper standing by the side of the road. The man's face and body were covered with open sores. St. Francis was so moved with the man's pitiful condition that he jumped from his horse, ran to the man, and hugged him close to himself. St. Francis began to weep and pray for the leper. When he looked into the man's face, St. Francis was suddenly looking into the face of Jesus...

This Christmas, I'm not going anywhere. In fact, a big red bow wrapped around my couch would be the best present ever. Then again, we are just off the heels of Thanksgiving and, better yet, Black Friday. I've had my fill for at least 360 days of meeting family members' latest new boyfriends, small talk, driving, rushing and even mashed potatoes...

Recently, Webb has run into a bit of a dry spell with spreading out the scoring. That streak continued on Friday night at St. George. "We played harder, but St. George ran into a hot shooting streak. They shot 12-16 from the three point line," said Webb coach Jeff Mitchell...

Brian Hurst, manager of the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Safety Office, points out to State Rep. Pat Marsh, lef and Shelbyville Assistant Police Chief Mike Rogers where safety-related improvements could be made to the intersection of Fairfield Pike and the new Bypass (State Route 437). Possible solutions include rumble strips, signs on the bypass warning of upcoming intersections, flashing warning signs and other methods, with bid to be let by spring. Eight crashes have occurred at Fairfield Pike and Railroad Avenue, with one fatality and four with incapacitating injuries, TDOT said. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely)

For the first few weeks of the season, the Cascade Lady Champs' schedule has consisted of playing bigger and stronger teams from higher classifications in an effort to prepare for the tough district schedule. It appears that work is beginning to pay off...

Rivalry games in every sport are special. Cascade and Community basketball is no exception. For nearly the entire first quarter in Friday night's county clash, Cascade and Community battled for control of the scoreboard. Down the stretch, the Community Vikings hit enough clutch shots to hold off the Cascade Champions for the 59-47 win...

MANCHESTER -- Disappointing and embarrassing. That's how Shelbyville Central coach Allison Clark described the Eaglettes' 49-33 loss to Coffee County in a non-district matchup on Friday night. It was the second game this week between the teams as Shelbyville claimed a 57-48 victory on Tuesday night...

The city council will be voting on bids next week for two new garbage trucks, but will not be going to an automated "one-arm" system to collect trash anytime soon. Shelbyville's bid committee received seven submissions from three vendors for the rear loading refuse body and chassis, with the committee recommending the bid from Municipal Equipment, Inc. of Knoxville for two 2010 International 7400 models with a 20 cubic yard capacity at a cost of $140,975 each, for a total of $281,950...

The Eagles (2-2) defeated the Red Raiders 42-29 on Tuesday. "This was a nice win on the road," Central coach Kevin Thomas said. "We played pretty well but we've still got a long way to go when it comes to running our offense. We've got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball and we've got to shoot the ball at the free throw line better. I think we're playing pretty good on defense."...

There are some topics that people take very personally, as my cousin Ted Maclin has discovered. "We say in the book that there are four things that you don't want to bring up in conversation unless you want to get into an argument: religion, politics, college football and barbecue, not necessarily in that order."...

Accompanied by a warm smile and tears of joy, the relief on her face was one that only a worried caregiver could wear after hearing some very good news from her husband's doctor. It could not have come soon enough. An early Christmas present? "Yes," said Terri Adams, quietly. "Yes it is."...

Anyone looking to get into the Christmas spirit had plenty of activities to choose from Saturday morning. From breakfasts with Santa to bazaars and Christmas parades, locals jingled across the county all day long. Look for more coverage of the Christmas parade in Tuesday and Wednesday's Times-Gazette...

Environmental studies have already begun for two surface transportation projects inside Shelbyville. City manager Jay Johnson briefed the council on the progress of the endeavors, which will involve a traffic signal at the intersection of Learning Way and Tremont Drive, as well as paving on Blue Ribbon Parkway from Evans Street to Horse Mountain Road, East Lane Street from Madison Street to Eaton Drive and Stanley Boulevard from Madison Street to Railroad Avenue...

Tis the season to be happy.

Even the most sophisticated act silly during the holidays.

Home Halloween carving this past Halloween.

This photo was taken while we were crossing a bridge near Estill Springs Tennessee.

This is a photo of Lula Bell's puppies. If they take after their mother they'll be chasing rabbits in no time.