Stories from Sunday, December 7, 2014

Ralph and Sharon Edwards would like to announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Elizabeth, to Stephen Clifford, son of Tom and Brenda Clifford, and grandson of the late Arther and Madge Clifford and the late Harry and Bobbie Gibson. Sara Elizabeth is the granddaughter of Don and Billie Jean Edwards and Linda and the late Bobby Vannatta. She is employed by Reeves-Sain in Murfreesboro...

Steven and Cathy Foster of Shelbyville announce the engagement of their daughter Nicole Foster to Hal Elliott Scarborough of Winterville, Ga., son of Ricky and Marie Scarborough. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Frances and the late Carl Foster of Shelbyville, Mattie Ray and the late Bobby Wiser of Shelbyville, and the late Paul Riddle of Shelbyville...

They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. Maybe this is why I would pull a Jack Nicholson and wear really dark shades all day long if it were socially acceptable. Just the other day I was having a conversation with someone and I couldn't even focus on what was being said because I couldn't quit thinking about the amount of eye contact, or lack thereof, we were making. There was a whole other conversation going on inside my head the entire time they spoke...

My father was a "rock-hound." He had hunted for rocks and stones and collected them for most of his life. Our backyard was decorated with the bigger rocks that he found, and he had boxes of stones of all shapes and sizes. Any time the family would go on a trip of any kind, Dad seemed to work in a visit to a rock-shop on the way...

Some of you have already heard this story and you have my apologies for repeating it yet again. As I've mentioned I worked for many years for the Flathead County Library System in Northwestern Montana. The main branch in Kalispell, the county seat, occupies a former federal building/post office converted in the 1960s to be a library...

Today's title is one of the most compelling books I've read since I started my review column nearly a year ago. "The Unbreakable Boy: A Father's Fear, A Son's Courage, and A Story of Unconditional Love" will strike a chord with nearly anyone who reads it. The primary author is Scott LeRette, on whose family the memoir is based, and award-winning co-author Susy Flory, writer of the New York Times bestseller "Thunder Dog." Nelson Books is the publisher...

Wayne Tillett, the subject of this week's Sunday Conversation, is a multi-talented artist and creator. He has authored and designed several comic strips and is a professional caricaturist. If you have a person whom you would like to nominate for the weekly Sunday Conversation feature email Sadie Fowler at sfowler@t-g.com...

It can be difficult to choose a career, even risky. There are paths that lead to fulfillment and there are paths that pay the bills. Sometimes it can be hard to strike a balance between the two. This is a risk that two Bell Buckle residents are willing to take....

Here's our look back at the past seven days in local news. Choose the best answer for each question. 1) During a ceremony, Central High School students displayed some of the nearly 16,000 they had collected A. Pairs of shoes B. Christmas cards C. Canned goods and paper products...

helbyville officials are looking at details that could go into an interlocal agreement dealing with an industrial park on Frank Martin Road. Last week, city manager Jay Johnson and city mayor Wallace Cartwright met with county mayor Eugene Ray and county attorney John T. Bobo to discuss the proposed agreement...

You can buy a delicious glazed ham for the holidays and help a good cause. The Center for Family Development is selling hams in a fundraising drive called "Holiday Hams for Hope." The center will receive 350 hams on Monday afternoon, said director for development Benita Caldwell...

COLUMBIA -- In a closely-contested battle through the first three quarters, the Webb School Feet (3-3, 1-0) were able to string together a solid fourth-quarter effort and pick up its first league victory, 65-51, over Zion Christian on Friday night. For most of the game, the two teams traded body blows, with Webb's Robert Windham delivering a 29-point effort in the victory...

HUNTLAND -- A combined seven points in the second and fourth quarters proved costly to the Community Vikings in a 44-34 loss to the Huntland Hornets in a District 9-A contest Friday night. Despite their low output in the two quarters, the Vikings (1-9, 0-2 9A) stayed within striking distance of pulling out the road win...

HUNTLAND -- It wasn't pretty, but the Community Viqueens staved off a serious challenge from the Huntland Lady Hornets in a 58-52 District 9-A win Friday night. The Viqueens (6-4, 2-0 9A) won their second straight game on the road to start the district season, but could never put the game comfortably out of reach...

It just wasn't a good night for the Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglettes. The Tullahoma Lady Wildcats disrupted the Eaglettes on the offensive end of the floor, forced turnovers, and created mismatches in the paint all night long as Tullahoma was able to claim a 61-39 district win over their arch-rivals...

Shelbyville Central High School students turned out Friday to show their love for a classmate who has been battling cancer. Jackson Smith, a junior, has been taking treatments for Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma since the summer. The Future Farmers of America and HOSA students helped the American Red Cross hold the blood drive...

Following a tightly-contested first half, Shelbyville Central senior Devonta Leslie broke the game open following a made basket on an intentional foul with 5:44 left in the third quarter. The five-point swing was good enough to allow Shelbyville to coast to the 69-51 win over Tullahoma...

In September, the Shaw family from near Bell Buckle -- Haven, Mandy, and their sons Walt, Boone and Will -- enjoyed a beach vacation. Four-year-old Will, who'd been born with heart problems, seemed to be out of the woods. Will was scheduled for a catheterization procedure the next month, but was well enough to travel. The family had been making its way through the extensive medical bills, but had put aside enough for the trip. It was a great time for everyone...

Proposed changes to Shelbyville's beer ordinance include a reduction of the distance requirement from churches and schools. Over the past several months, the city's beer board has talked informally about the need to update the ordinance. Most provisions date from 1979, while amendments were made in 1993, 2002 and 2003, but no amendments have been made in the past 10 years...

A mother and son who told police they were "homeless and trying to get out of the cold" were arrested late Tuesday in an unoccupied home on West End Circle. Police doubt the story, noting they and their clothing appeared clean, and suspect they were breaking into the home...

Bedford County Historical Society held its winter meeting Dec. 1 in the Fellowship Hall of First United Methodist Church. FUMC Choir Director John Brock and three members of the church choir, Lori Schuler, Sylvia Pinson and Monty Thomas, presented a musical program featuring songs and carols of the Christmas holiday season. Brock led the attendees in group singing of several carols. Pinson led a sing-along with all attendees joining in singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas."...