Stories from Sunday, July 20, 2014

When I tell friends I work at the Argie Cooper Library, they ask me, "Who's Argie Cooper?" When I type the word, "Argie", the spell checker on my computer questions my choice and suggests the words, "argue" or "agree" instead. But I persist and "argue" until I force it to "agree" to let me use the word, "Argie."...

I never really cared about politics until the world mattered. The greater majority of my life I have simply ignored the realm of politics altogether. I would occasionally join in on bashing parties or presidents based on whatever was popular within the spheres I existed...

My wife and I seldom get a "date night." Sunday through Wednesday nights we are busy taking care of our granddaughters, and Thursday through Saturday nights Lynn is working on the OB wing of Harton Hospital. But, Lynn and I try to attend the Bedford County Laity Club meeting on the second Sunday night of the month together...

A record number of young people from electric cooperative service areas in 43 states -- including more than 150 students representing Tennessee co-ops -- visited Washington, D.C., in June for the 2014 Washington Youth Tour, spending time with elected officials and taking in the historic, interesting sites of our nation's capital...

Daniel and Danielle Weber of Rockvale, formerly of Shelbyville, announce the birth of a son, Nolan Frank Weber on May 28 in Murfreesboro. The baby boy weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 20.5 inches. He is the grandson of Mike and Tammy Bell and Gene and Tonya Weber, all of Shelbyville...

Jennifer Reed and Ross Beavers of Shelbyville announce their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of Billy and Karen Reed of Shelbyville. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Reed of Shelbyville and the late Roy Reed, and Cleonne Friedman of Shelbyville and the late Donald Friedman. She is the step-granddaughter of Evelyn Friedman of Shelbyville...

Bedford County native Allison Clark is the subject for this week's Sunday Conversation. If you would like to nominate someone, please contact Sadie Fowler at sfowler@t-g.com. T-G: Tell us a little about yourself and your family. CLARK: My dad, Jimmy Clark and stepmother, Brenda live in Shelbyville. My dad has been a dentist in Shelbyville for over 30 years...

4-H's fabled clover is turning over a new leaf as it works to attract a new generation of children. The Bedford County 4-H program wants to entice children to join, said extension agent Jeffrey Hester. So, the program is adding such new activities as science experiments and cardio workshops while keeping its existing fare of sewing and agriculture projects...

The best part of cooking -- right up there with actually eating -- is the creative process. There's really nothing more satisfying than actually making a meal. Recipes are great to a certain extent, but making adjustments and tweaks to customize a meal for your taste is so much fun. Sometimes the tweaks work, sometimes they don't -- but confidently playing in the kitchen is always a fun way to improve your cooking skills...

During the week of June 23-27, 14 members of Cascade FFA attended the Tennessee FFA Leadership Camp at Camp Clements in Doyle. While at camp the members attended an officer class, special interest class, local program success class and competed in numerous sporting events and competitions...

Competing bills in Congress would either save or destroy the walking horse breed, depending on who does the talking. One of those bills, H.R. 1518, or the PAST Act, had 304 cosponsors in the 435-member House as of Wednesday. The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Kentucky, has not been scheduled for a vote despite the large number of cosponsors...

Even as lawmakers in Congress grapple over competing bills to regulate walking horses, industry backers are preparing for the 76th annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Virginia Stewart is urging Bedford County residents and businesses to deck the community in blue, red and yellow tri-color ribbons to welcome Celebration visitors. Each color represents a prize in the show: blue for first, red for second and yellow for third...

Jimmy Woodson has announced his candidacy for re-election to a 4th District seat on Bedford County Board of Commissioners in the Aug. 7 general election. Woodson currently serves on the commission's rules and legislative committee and on Bedford County Planning Commission. ...

It always amazes me when I search the Internet and see how much money professional athletes make. As we all know, professional sports is a big business -- but it's still amazing what top athletes earn playing a game they first loved as a child. When I cover the young athletes in our community of all ages, I often step back and wonder if any of then will one day make it to the professional level like Rex Brothers, now a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies...

A large part of the Cascade Champion offense over the past few years has been efficiently moving the ball on the ground and controlling the line of scrimmage. While the running backs and skill players often get the praise, none of it would be possible without the guys up front...

A steady stream of visitors lined up early Friday morning at the Bedford County Election Commission's office as the first day of early voting kicked off. Balloting opened at 7 a.m. and by 9, the number of citizens exercising their rights reached 75 voters...

The co-owner of a popular Shelbyville restaurant was seriously wounded while being robbed of Thursday night's cash deposit, and his attacker has admitted to the crime, Shelbyville police said. Alfredo Delgadillo was found at Rafael's, Madison Street, by his wife early Friday, Det. Sgt. Brian Crews said. The deposit was missing...