Stories from Sunday, February 24, 2013

Taylor Paige Brown of Shelbyville and Nathaniel Howard Speegle of Shelbyville announce the birth of their son, Blaysin Layne Speegle. Blaysin was born Feb. 14 in Tullahoma and weighed 7 lbs., 14 oz. He is the grandson of Shirley and Howard Speegle and the great-grandson of Emmett Snell...

Eugene and Annie Cunningham of Shelbyville announce the engagement of their daughter Ora Florence Cunningham to John Richard Laizure, son of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Laizure Jr. The wedding will be on March 3 at Church of God of Prophecy in Shelbyville...

Tim and Peggy Stubblefield of Tullahoma announce the engagement of their daughter Megan Leigh Stubblefield of Tullahoma to Casey Lee Houck of Tullahoma, son of Terri and Ron Gray of Smyrna, Ga., and Lee Houck of Tullahoma. The future bride is the granddaughter of Scott and Betty Shapard of Shelbyville and Tildon and Lyda Stubblefield of Tullahoma. She graduated in May 2012 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, in dental hygiene...

One thing I've learned about my God over the years is that He is faithful. He has proven to me, time and time again, that I can count on Him to see me through whatever I may be facing. I have learned that in good times and in bad times, I can depend on God to be there for me...

A successful children's book illustrator with Bell Buckle ties recently gave of her time to read one of her books to students at Liberty School. Jean Cassels has illustrated more than 60 titles since 1970 and teaches composition at an arts academy. Her full-time residence is in New Orleans, but she frequently gets away to her second home in Bell Buckle. During one visit there in early February, Cassels went to Liberty and read "Two Bobbies," a children's book that she illustrated...

BELL BUCKLE -- Phillip James' recent junior performance project fulfilled an academic requirement that is at the heart of the public performance program at The Webb School. James' efforts also landed him a contract that could launch him as a 17-year-old entrepreneur...

If the world is indeed a stage, to paraphrase William Shakespeare's "As You Like It," then about 60 Bedford County students are being prepared for life. The 10th annual Smokestack Theatre Festival was held last week at Community High School, despite school being out of session for President's Day. ...

Vietnam Era Veterans will meet at 6:30 p.m. on March 7. The featured speaker is Jose Melecio. The meeting will be held at the Shelbyville American Legion Post No. 23, 721 Kingree Road, Shelbyville. For more information, please call Tom Taylor at 684-2557...

A van was stolen from a Charles Street home overnight Wednesday, police said. The owner said the van was taken between 10 p.m. Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday. Police were told the van was left unlocked, with the main key inside the home and a spare key hidden under "a lot of papers and other items" in the van...

Hillary Bevels, a fiddler, dancer and Motlow College graduate, is one of five musicians to be featured during an international concert at the college on Sunday. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Eoff Hall on Motlow's Moore County campus. It is free and open to the public...

Whitney Danhof, extension agent at the Bedford County-UT Extension Office, held a seasonal eating cooking demonstration on Feb. 20. The demonstration was on "Dinner from the Pantry." The recipes were Chicken Cakes with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Asparagus and Pea Casserole and Date Nut Tart...

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." -- John F. Kennedy This week, I would like to share with you some information about how things work in the Tennessee State Legislature. I am often asked to explain the process of "how a bill becomes a law."...

Environmental clean up is nearly complete following a spill into a creek of a "molasses-type material" at an industry in Shelbyville last week. A concerned citizen contacted the T-G Thursday about a spilled substance that ended up in Bomar Creek. According to city manager Jay Johnson, the small spill took place on Feb. 13 at "an industrial location," which has been identified as Gold River Feed on Eagle Boulevard...

The Oscars are tonight, and I'll almost certainly be watching, more for the fun and spectacle than because of any connection to the nominated films. I haven't seen a single one of the best picture nominees, although there are several on the list that I meant to or wanted to see. I just haven't been to the movies that much this year...

Air Force Airman Cleveland R. Green graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills...

Three recent appeal court cases resulted in the dropping of charges against one man, but other convictions and sentences made in Bedford County courts were upheld. Frank L. Glavin had appealed his conviction of evading arrest, and violating the noncriminal implied consent law, which means refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test. In a split decision, the criminal court of appeals in Nashville reversed the implied consent charge...

A regional leadership group passed through Bedford County on Friday, gaining an appreciation of local industry, culture and education through various tour stops. Gattis Leadership members began their short tour in Shelbyville on Thursday evening for dinner at The Fly Cultural and Arts Center, where they heard from legendary former Shelbyville Golden Eaglette/current Middle Tennessee women's basketball coach Rick Insell as well as county historian Helen Marsh and other local dignitaries...

A man suspected of robbing the Waffle House, North Main Street, early Friday also smashed windows at two Shelbyville convenience stores, police said. Two Waffle House employees said a man armed with a black handgun pointed it at one of the workers and ordered her to empty the cash register...

Ranger Tennessee Walker, a Tennessee walking horse which is part of a campaign teaching children to make right choices, makes a new friend at Safety Day on Saturday at Calsonic Arena. The annual event, in which emergency and public service agencies display their equipment and explain their services, was to be followed Saturday with a Christian rock concert sponsored by local emergency personnel. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney)...