Stories from Sunday, June 29, 2014

Cleanup crews were out bright and early Saturday, spread along different points of Duck River to haul away trash. Wearing bright yellow shirts saying "Don't Muck the Duck," volunteers gathered at Riverbotton Park for the annual Duck River Cleanup. Signup started at 7 a.m. followed by a breakfast, while a variety of boats took to the water to patrol the shores for garbage...

Maj. Jan Phillips is being named acting Shelbyville police chief so the chief and assistant chief can take time off to campaign for office. Chief Austin Swing and assistant chief Mike Rogers will be taking vacation time from June 30 to Aug. 7, according to a memo from city manager Jay Johnson...

Bell Buckle's Independence Day celebration will include two bands, a hamburger and hot dog cookout, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and -- of course -- fireworks. The event will run from 5-9:30 p.m. on Friday at Bell Buckle's town park and amphitheater. The rain date is July 5. There's no admission charge; spectators can bring their own chairs, but chairs will also be available for rental on-site...

What used to be known as the Uptown City Fair is now the "First Square Fair," according to Calvin Cannon, one of the organizers. The new name is a reference to Shelbyville's status as the prime example of its particular courthouse square design. Civic planners actually refer to it as the "Shelbyville plan," and other communities copied it from Shelbyville throughout the 1800s...

Jo Ann Fann and bank co-workers who attended the Remembrance and Dedication Ceremony for Marine Pfc. Daniel McClenney on Tuesday were inspired to start a campaign for an annual tribute to McClenney and all who have served in the military. They want businesses to display a purple ribbon with a silver star attached -- symbolizing military gallantry -- from Memorial Day through Independence Day. Fann, center, watches with Daniel's father Randy McClenney as editor Sadie Fowler attaches a purple ribbon and American flag to the Times-Gazette's front door. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney)

Activity will be heating up soon at the Celebration grounds. The Celebration's 23rd annual Great Celebration Mule & Donkey Show will be July 10-12. And the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' & Exhibitors' Association (TWHBEA) National Futurity returns Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Calsonic Arena. In recent years the futurity was held in Murfreesboro...

Here's our weekly look back at the past seven days in local news. Choose the best answer for each question. 1) To increase awareness of, and raise funds to fight, diabetes, Paige Shelton plans to bicycle the length of . A. The Natchez Trace B. U.S. 64 east to west across Tennessee...

When some high school athletes are invited to walk on a college team the expectations are not as high as if they had been recruited. Jessica York, a 2013 graduate of The Webb School who walked on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cross country team, had other ideas...

I recently came across a story that spoke volumes to me, and I wanted to share it with you today. It was recounted by David Wiggs in his message "Who Needs a Welcome?" The author said, "I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid-70's, with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit...

The word makes us sit up and take notice. Power-sought after the world over. Power to control, power to achieve, power to rule the masses, power to survive, to thrive, to succeed. Everything created needs power. The watch, intricately designed, by man, relies on power from the battery. Battery runs down, watch stops. Computers, running most aspects of business, and even our social world need power...

The county's jobless rate rose to 6.2 percent in May, according to preliminary figures released from the state's department of labor and workforce development. The unemployment rate went up 0.6 percent from April's revised figure of 5.6 percent, with Bedford County having an estimated labor force of 22,260 -- 20,890 working and 1,370 without a job...

An undetermined number of mattresses were stolen Thursday from a trailer at Corsicana Bedding, Amos Smith Road, Shelbyville police said. A witness told police three men were passing the mattresses from the Corsicana property through a tree line to a Ford F150 pickup parked near the nearby city burn pit...

For many, summer has officially arrived when blueberries can be picked. There's nothing that I enjoy more than getting up really early and taking a drive out to the country to collect my fair share of these delicious little gems. My mind also starts to think about all the goods I can create with my fresh blueberries. ...

What once was old and falling apart is new again as a local handyman has totally renovated the old New Town grocery store and turned it into a private museum. Kenneth Smith spent the last three years renovating the dilapidated store after he moved it next to his home on Kingdom Road in northern Bedford County. ...

Caleb Krieg is a recent graduate of Shelbyville Central High School. He was the salutatorian of his class and will be attending The University of Rochester in New York this fall. Caleb enjoyed being involved with several student organizations at SCHS and works at the Capri Theater in Shelbyville...

Pizza is one of my all-time favorite indulgences. In fact, I've always said if I were on my death bed and could choose one final meal, a cheesy, greasy New York style pizza is what I'd order without hesitation. Heck, I'd even settle for Domino's...

There are few treats more special, and more a part of the summer experience, than homemade ice cream. There's something gratifying about making it and eating it. You now have more options than ever before for making your own ice cream -- from traditional to high-tech, from inexpensive to indulgent. Here's a rundown:...

Did you catch that beautiful picture on the front page of the Times-Gazette on Tuesday? It was of the Duck River dam in downtown Shelbyville taken from a small DJI helicopter used in aerial filming. Most of us have heard of unmanned remote-control "drones" used by the military, but it seems like this past week I have been surrounded by mentions of drones. I wouldn't even be surprised if I turned to look out my window and saw one looking back at me...

Alie and Andy Adcock of Shelbyville announce the birth of a daughter, Maezy Rain Adcock, on May 8 in Murfreesboro. The baby girl weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces. She is the granddaughter of Mildred and Dudley Floyd and Sheree and Ken Hamilton. She is the granddaughter of Ann Stone of Shelbyville...

Dustin and Kasey Evans of Shelbyville announce the birth of a son, Cooper Blake Evans, on June 3 in Murfreesboro. The baby boy weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces. He is the grandson of Chris and Sherry Cooper and Dewayne and Suzy Carlton, all of Shelbyville, and Robin and Kimberly Gomez of Melbourne, Florida. ...

Nathan and Heather Brandon of Shelbyville announce the birth of a son, Camden Ray Brandon, on June 24 in Winchester. The baby boy weighed 8 pounds, 11.2 ounces, and was 20 inches long. He is the grandson of Jennifer Cooper, Jessie and Dorothy Aguirre, and Angela and the late Rex Haynes of Shelbyville. ...

Jennifer Nicole Gashaw and William Douglas Clark of Shelbyville are engaged. The bride-elect is the daughter of Kelvin and Debbie Gashaw of Shelbyville. She is the granddaughter of the late G.B. and Fern Odom and Marlin and Janette Gashaw of Davenport, Florida...

If you have ever held a retail job in which you had to deal with another human being then you have probably had your patience tested. If you have ever been a consumer and had to rely on other people to fulfill a service for you, then you have probably had your patience tested...