Stories from Sunday, April 14, 2013

The earth is springing back to life and the warmer weather is bringing the start of a bountiful harvest. I love the spring produce and all of the fresh new flavors after a winter of preserved foods and root vegetables. The strawberries, asparagus, leaf lettuces, escarole, spinach, spring onions, radishes, baby beets, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, broccoli rabe, collards and kale all turn into beautiful, flavorful dishes for a new season...

Angie, a friend going back to my undergraduate days, raised a great point a week ago on a Facebook post. Angie's youngest daughter has autism. Her advice was to think before assuming the worst about the parent of a screaming child you encounter in public...

I have stood by the side of many graves in the last several years. Most pastors do at one time or another. We help families and loved ones say their goodbyes. But then sometimes we are part of the families that are saying farewell. Two and a half years ago, I stood at my mother's graveside in North Dakota as she was laid to rest...

Ora Florence Cunningham of Shelbyville and John Richard Laizure of Shelbyville were united in marriage on March 3 at Church of God of Prophecy. The bride is the daughter of Eugene and Annie Cunningham of Shelbyville and the granddaughter of the late Frank and Lorene Scales of Halls Mill, and the late Leonard and Ora Cunningham of Shelbyville...

Richelle Cowan of Wartrace, daughter of Richard Cowan of Wartrace and Renee Young of Estill Springs, is engaged to Adam McKamey of Wartrace, son of Connie Hampton and Glen McKamey of Shelbyville. The bride-elect graduated from Cascade High School in 2007 and from Middle Tennessee State University in 2011 with a bachelor's in accounting. She works at MTSU...

Mike and Karen Bogle of Flat Creek recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with their family at a restaurant hosted by their daughter and son, Ashley Bussell and husband Chris Bussell, and Brian Bogle. The couple were married on April 1, 1988...

Terri Lynn Brittain of Murfreesboro and William Keith Darnell of Shelbyville were united in marriage on the afternoon of March 30 at Eastview Baptist Church in Shelbyville. The bride is the daughter of Naomi V. Sorrells and the late Thomas O. Sorrells and the granddaughter of the late Grace and Marvin Barksdale and the late Irene and Steve Mezaros...

Fitness expert Mark Macdonald brought his message about "eating in threes" to control blood sugar, as well as staying in shape with regular exercise and activity, to various Middle Tennessee schools and fitness clubs last week...

Olivia Schramm Hutchison, 92, of Brentwood died Saturday, April 6, 2013. A private funeral service will be held at a later date.

Robert Lee Forbus, 80, of Bell Buckle died Friday, April 12, 2013. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 16th, at Hillcrest Funeral Home with the Rev. Jimmy Gray officiating. Burial, with military rites, will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. Monday.

The Community Vikings picked up a hard-fought 2-0 win over Zion Christian on Friday evening. The Vikings, after battling to a scoreless stalemate in the first half, broke through in the early minutes of the second half. Jesus Abarca broke the tie with Jose Ornelas adding an insurance goal a few minutes later...

It was another mixed bag of results for Shelbyville tennis on Friday afternoon. The Eagles continued to blaze through the 2013 campaign with another 7-0 sweep over the Blackman Blaze, while the Eaglettes faced a tough, 7-0 defeat. Eagles For the Eagles, it was cruise control in singles action...

MURFREESBORO -- The Community Viqueens went from polar extreme in game one of a doubleheader at Central Magnet to the other in game two. The Viqueens fell in game one, 2-1, but unleashed the offense in game two and picked up the 11-2 win. Game 1 In game one, neither Community nor CMS were able to get needed hits to push across key runs...

In a first-round showdown between the Cascade Lady Champions and Liberty Lady Patriots, it was the Lady Champs who had just a little more in the tank and were able to knock off the cross-county rivals 8-5 to advance within the conference tournament over the weekend...

Shelbyville Central belted out 14 hits and drove in eight runs against the visiting Coffee County Raiders in an 8-6 victory Friday night. It was a slow start for the Eagles, though. Coffee County seemingly held all the momentum after jumping out to a 4-0 lead after 2 ½ innings...

I try each week to give the readers of my article a close look at what goes on here at the General Assembly. It is truly an interesting place to be especially now since we are in the final days of this Session and things are moving fast and huge important legislation is being hotly debated. This week I wanted to let you all know what is happening through the eyes of the folks I work with each day...

There's nothing like the thrill of being on stage when a play is going well. Of course, when bad things happen, that joy turns into a peculiar kind of terror. I enjoy community theater, although it's been more than a year since I've been on stage. I'll get back eventually; it just has to be something I want to do at a time of year when I have time to do it...

The 50th National ATEA Conference was held in Chattanooga in March. During the Tennessee Technology Center's Award Ceremony, the CIT program at TTC Shelbyville was recognized as a "Shining Star." Steve Mallard, IT manager and lead instructor; and Dawn Babian, network administrator, were recognized during this event...

Got a lot of junk laying around? It's time to haul it to the street. Shelbyville's public works department will be conducting their spring clean up starting on Monday, April 15, and they will be picking up just about anything you leave for them on your regular garbage day, with a few exceptions...

Shelbyville's city council made many decisions quickly in a busy meeting Thursday night. An amendment made to the city's new building permit fee schedule was approved, which will cut the fee by half for a residential remodeling, and no fee if the remodeling is due to fire...

A gift card obtained by deceit became costly for a Shelbyville woman after her arrest Thursday. Melanie Wren Carter, 49, of Belmont Avenue is being held on $100,000 bond on a charge of theft of property, according to Bedford County Jail records. Carter allegedly entered Hibbett Sports, North Main Street, on April 5 and grabbed several items. ...

Monday is the last day to register for the fourth annual Bedford County CASA Works Luncheon. The free luncheon on April 22 is a way to celebrate a year of accomplishments and provide a look forward to next year, as well as raising awareness and inspiring people to donate or volunteer, said Mindon Whalen, Americorps VISTA development coordinator for CASA. April also is Child Abuse Prevention Month...

The county's solid waste authority got good news with their quarterly recycling figures. The contract the authority made in February with PSC Metals for recycling scrap metal is paying off in a big way. Highway superintendant Stanley Smotherman reported that received $7,694.47 for the first three months of the year for scrap metal...

Guys, you lose. It was ladies' choice in the Times-Gazette's Bracket Bucks contest as women finished in first and second place. Rhonda Sears talled 1,499 of a possible 2,000 points, placing third nationally in the contest which appeared in dozens of newspapers across the United States. Sears will take home a 42-inch flat panel Panasonic TV from Kincaid Service Co. for her efforts...

Every year Hee Haw & Howdy cast members work hard to ensure a memorable performance for all who attend -- this year being no exception. What is different this time around is the loss of former cast member and contributor, Mary Jo Reynolds. To honor Reynolds' dedication to Hee Haw and her fight against cancer, this year's cast chose to honor her legacy through their performances...