Stories from Sunday, March 9, 2014

Someone once asked me what the most formative experience of my Christian life was, and I found that to be an easy question to answer. It had to have been the godly influence of a Christian mother. Alpha Margaret Tangen Dezotell Scott raised all of her 5 children in church and she set a godly example for us...

When this column runs we will be celebrating our little girl's one year birthday with our family and friends. While pondering everything I wanted to impart to Corley in this column, I kept thinking about a peculiar biblical passage. In the passage the disciples came to Jesus and asked who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven would be...

Chelsey Asherbranner and Justin Morse, both of Shelbyville, were united in marriage on the afternoon of Feb. 21 in Shelbyville. The bride is the daughter of John Asherbranner and Amy DeArmond, both of Shelbyville. The groom is the son of Tammy Blanchard of Texas and Gene Neeley of Lebanon...

Pebbles Smith and Patrick Scott, both of of Shelbyville, announce the birth of a son, Aaron Michael Patterson Scott, on Feb. 18 at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro. The baby boy weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces...

Dawn Holley is a previous Sunday Conversation subject, but she's involved in so many aspects of the community that it's appropriate to check in with her again. T-G contributor Micky Pietkiewicz asked the questions. Holley's day job is as executive director of United Way of Bedford County, but she's also active in other organizations and programs as a volunteer -- from Shelbyville Rotary Club to the annual Nashville Symphony concert in Shelbyville, for which she's a long-time chair of the local organizing committee. ...

On March 13, Tennessee Tech student Tyler Thurber will live out a musician's dream -- to play New York's Carnegie Hall. Thurber is part of the TTU Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble. Although most musicians only dream of playing the famed Carnegie Hall venue, one of Bedford County's own will soon be living out that dream...

The Lent and Easter period is often the busiest time of year for churches as congregations prepare to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Many churches celebrate Ash Wednesday -- this past Wednesday -- which marks the beginning of Lent. Some churches follow a liturgical year, or series of seasons in which their worship style changes; Lent and Easter are perhaps the most important time in the liturgical calendar. Easter is April 20...

Dear Editor: What are the most eye-catching objects in our Shelbyville neighborhoods? Why, our new neon-blue garbage cans, of course. Shelbyville, like many other communities, is providing special garbage cans to its residents, facilitating automated garbage collection. From a dollars and cents perspective, this makes sense...

We started out the week with a real mess on our hands. Ice and snow all over Nashville and a lot of unknowns. Government offices were closed, but they told us that we were still having Legislative Session and we hoped for a quorum. ...

The Unionville FCE Club met Feb. 18 at Unionville Fire Hall with Elizabeth Blackburn presiding as president. She opened with devotional entitled "What's a Grandmother," written by a third grader. Attending were seven members, with three absent. Nell Holden was the reporter...

A Stihl leaf blower left behind while City of Shelbyville workers edged sidewalks along Madison Street on Thursday was gone when they returned to pick it up after 2 p.m., police were told. The following were arrested since Thursday by the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, Shelbyville Police Department, Tennessee Highway Patrol or 17th Judicial District Drug Task Force. They are only charged; guilt or innocence will be determined by the courts...

Today, we begin a weekly look back at the past seven days in local news. Choose the best answer for each question. 1) Shelbyville may purchase the building in order to use it as a civic center and city meeting room: A. old K-Mart B. current library...

Members of the Shelbyville High School class of 1959 have fun and stay busy preparing to send out invitations to their uncoming reunion in May of the year. Members of the class pictured are Sue Cates, Janet Bates, Marie Parks, Ardis Caffey, Venita McGee, Wanda Grissom, Mary Margaret Leach and Gail Luna. (T-G Photo by Jim Davis)

All cancer survivors, along with a caregiver, are invited to attend the annual Bedford County Survivor and Caregiver Dinner held by the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. The event is free for survivors and caregivers as a way of recognizing their struggle. It will be held Thursday, April 10, at 6 p.m. at Fellowship For Christ Church, 142 Richdale Lane. It will be an evening of food and fellowship with brief remarks from a survivor, a caregiver and a representative of Relay For Life...

David Womack from Shelbyville was recently recognized by the American Soybean Association (ASA) with its Lifetime Achievement Award -- Association Focus at its annual awards banquet at the 2014 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, TX. The award honors individuals who have provided outstanding leadership and dedication to ASA and helped further the interests of soybean farmers...

Lady Champion pitcher Bailey Sudduth was dealing in Cascade's 2014 home opener. The eighth-grader spun a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits in Cascade's 7-0 win on Friday night. Although Lady Rocket Lexi Medley hammered out a triple in the top of the first inning, Sudduth closed down the threat with three strikeouts, including the final two of the inning...

In the 2014 home opener, the Community Middle Vikings withstood a late-game scare by the Huntland Hornets and drove in eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to claim the 10-run mercy rule win, 13-3. Viking starter Jared Maupin gave Community a big leg up from the mound, retiring the first three batters faced...

Students across Tennessee had to make-up the ACT test last week because of the weather. The test's original date was Tuesday. Since many school systems were closed due to the weather, the Tennessee Department of Education rescheduled the test to Thursday. Education officials reported to media outlets that they were notified of the change late Monday afternoon...

Maleah Qualls Claxton has announced her candidacy for a 5th District seat on Bedford County Board of Commissioners in the May 6 Republican primary. Claxton is the owner/agent of Shelter Insurance on North Main Street. She has been in Shelbyville as an agent since January 2006, and was previously an agent/assistant in the Shelter Insurance Lawrenceburg office from October 2002 until moving here in 2006. ...

The group looking into a new industrial park for Shelbyville and Bedford County has asked the city council to finance half of the proposed $1.5 million project. The proposed 86.5 acre location is north of Frank Martin Road near Airport Business Park, and could be split into five industrial sites...

A consulting company has proposed to help the Bedford County school system save millions of dollars in energy costs -- and to use some of those savings as its fee. Cenergistic made a sales pitch Wednesday to the board of education's energy management committee. ...

(Editor's note: The following piece reflects a recent Q & A interview with Celebration CEO Mike Inman and the Times-Gazette, and also includes comments from U.S. Rep. Pat Marsh, who is also a Celebration board member. The purpose of this article is to inform readers about a recent bill introduced to Congress regarding the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.)...

He may not be the famous painter Rembrandt, but Shelbyville firefighter Josh Carlock is getting the job done painting the top of the flagpole at the fire hall on Lane Parkway Friday aftermoon. Carlock was taking advantage of temperatures reaching near 60 degrees. (T-G Photo by Jim Davis)