Stories from Sunday, August 16, 2015

From time to time, we get e-mails -- sometimes anonymous, sometimes not -- about the horse industry, criticizing the industry, the community and sometimes us here at the newspaper for supposedly turning a blind eye to cruelty. I've never been a horse owner, and I've only been on a horse once or twice in my life. So I'm certainly not connected to the competitive side of the sport. But I do enjoy the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and attend the event each year...

State and local officials represent us -- not themselves -- and we have the right to see most public records when we want. No charges. No limits. Remember that as you think about the possibility you may be charged for looking at inspecting public records...

Sometimes, you just have to wonder whose side our government is on. One story that caught my attention this week deals with a legal case brought by the victims of Palestinian terrorists. Apparently, the Obama administration is getting involved, urging the court to limit restitution for the victims due to a fear that a large payout could collapse the Palestinian government...

Fans pack Eagle Stadium on Friday night during the second annual Pencil City Jamboree. Fans got a chance to see one final tune up for Cascade, Community, Page, Cannon County, Creek Wood and Wilson Central. Shelbyville will kick off the 2015 season next Friday at Lawrence County, while Cascade hosts Moore County and Community hosts Cannon County. All games begin at 7 p.m. (T-G Photo by Chris Siers)

One church is inviting everyone to gather together over lunch and pray for the community. Calvary Baptist Church is hosting the Bedford County Prayer Luncheon on Tuesday from noon-1 p.m. at the church. The church is inviting the public, including business and government leaders to gather and pray for the community, the state and the nation, pastor Tom Henry said. There is no charge for the box lunch...

Executives of Duck River Electric Membership Corp. said during the cooperative's annual meeting that electric utilities face rising power costs related to the conversion away from coal and towards other forms of energy. "One thing is certain: the cost of wholesale power is going to go up," said DREMC board chair Brent Willis. He said renewable energy sources are being brought online but aren't yet as cost-effective as the fossil fuels they're replacing...

Vavial Jamison chooses one of many chairs at a "yard sale" Friday and Saturday as First United Methodist Church disposed of surplus items, most of them from an upstairs storage room. The merchandise ranged from place settings and silverware to pews and choir robes, and included a working 1940 refrigerator. The sale was open to church members on Friday and the general public on Saturday. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney)

It was a great night to cap off the preseason as Shelbyville Central hosted the second annual Pencil City Jamboree on Friday night. Teams from Cascade, Unionville, Page, Cannon County, Creek Wood and Wilson Central joined the Eagles in the event. The first week of regular season starts on Friday...

Cascade coach Jake Tyre had plenty to be happy about with his team's showing in Friday night's Pencil City Jamboree. In the team's first quarter against Class 4A Creek Wood, the Champions' up-tempo offense quickly put the Red Hawks on their heels. Senior quarterback Austin Hass marched the Champs deep into the Red Hawk red zone, but saw the drive stall out near the 15 yard-line...

Though the Community Vikings were on the short end of a 24-7 score to the Page Patriots in the Pencil City Jamboree Friday night, Coach Chris Grooms had an opportunity for everyone to get several reps in preparation for their season opener. "When you've got three scrimmages, you come out and go hard the first two," Grooms said. "The last one you try to get everybody in and get a feel of the game."...

Here's our look back at the past seven days in local news. This week, you should choose the two correct answers for each question. 1) Which two Bedford County schools have been honored by the state as "Performance Schools," part of a recognition program called "Reward Schools"?...

When Mary Know Williams sent in a video audition to American Idol, she wasn't expecting to receive a call just a week later asking her to come to a private audition. "I was absolutely ecstatic," said Williams of the phone call. "I was not expecting it."...

Sondra Hampton is a familiar face to many in Bedford County. A graduate of Community High School, she has been active in the community her entire life. Hampton has recently been seen acting in comedic skits in the annual Hee Haw and Howdy production for Relay for Life, a cause dear to Hampton's heart...

Rob Colasso approaches the waiting area with a broad smile. "Hey there! How are you this morning?" he asks the patient. He listens actively as they describe the knee pain they've been having and immediately begins describing different therapies to help rehabilitate and ease the pain -- a therapy he believes in and loves...

The Times-Gazette's Marsha Addessi tried her hand at a new challenge in the kitchen this week, baking the delicious Mediterranean sweet treat, much to the appreciation of her biggest fans at the newspaper. Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, and is also found in Central and Southwest Asia...

Mitchell Rutledge, a convicted murderer who was once described as not worth killing, has been serving as an inspiration to people in prison and on the outside for more than three decades. "To most people the life of a foolish punk like Rutledge does not count for much," a reporter for Time magazine wrote in an article on Jan. ...

Sometimes I think people need to come with warning labels. There are those people who should have a label telling you "approach at your own risk." Others warning, "Dangerous! Highly Explosive!" Then there are those who should have a label reading "Whining at high decibels may harm your hearing."...

Sitting next to me is my "Number 1" Fender Stratocaster Guitar. Technically it's my "Number 2." The first was a red '80s Stratocaster. I only played it a few times before it was stolen from my cousin's car while we were at a restaurant. I'll never forget the waves of pure despair that begin to fluctuate inside me as we were walking to the car and I noticed the passenger door slightly cracked with the seatbelt hanging out...

It has often been said that laughter is the best medicine. I don't know it's true, but I do know that laughter almost always makes the day seem a bit brighter. A 1979 book that the library still owns called "Anatomy of an illness as perceived by the patient," by Norman Cousins, chronicled his use of huge doses of vitamin C and laughter from watching Marx Brothers films supplemented with faith, hope and love to fight illness...

Ashley Areada Payne and Matthew Loyd Carter of Tullahoma were united in marriage on the evening of July 11 at Herd Farms in Belvidere. The bride is the daughter of Jim and Reada Payne of Tullahoma. She is the granddaughter of the late J.D. McCormick and the late Billie McCormick, and Willard and Emogene Payne...

Allyson Lynn Voynik and Matthew Aaron Barnard announce their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of Alan R. Voynik of Las Vegas and Patricia I. Voynik of Shelbyville. She is the granddaughter of George and Olga Voynik of Baden, Pennsylvania, and Allan and Barbara Arms of Lapeer, Michigan...