Stories from Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Rev. Peter Whalen of Episcopal Church of the Redeemer blesses a dog during a St. Francis of Assisi-inspired blessing of the animals held Saturday as part of the "Art in the Park" festival on the square.(T-G Photos by John I. Carney) Yvonne McChristian, holding pom-pom, leads a group line dance routine...

A child's act of gratitude won the heart of local police officers last week. James Jennings, the son of Matt and Andrea Jennings, wrote a letter to the Shelbyville Police Department: "Dear Shelbyville Police Officers, "I want to thank you for keeping our town safe...

Residential home sales volume is up and farms are doing good as well, a local real estate agent says. This was the first year since 2005 or 2006 that people in the horse industry were buying property in a significant amount, said Ben Craig of Craig & Wheeler Realty & Auction LLC...

Rescue workers cut the roof of an SUV to remove a seriously-injured victim Saturday afternoon on Highway 82 South south of Flat Creek early Saturday afternoon. At least two were hurt when the driver lost control on a curve near Ike Farrar Road and plunged off an embankment. More information was not available at press time; see t-g.com and Tuesday's Times-Gazette for later details. (T-G Photo by David Melson)

"Freedom Sings," "My Father's War," and "Science Rocks" are all part of The Webb School Follin Speaker Series for 2015-2016. The series is an endowed program at Webb. Kicking off the series on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 2:20 p.m. will be "Freedom Sings." Promotion for the show notes that it is "an entertaining, engaging and inspiring story of free speech in America told through rock, pop, hip-hop and country music. ...

UNIONVILLE -- Winning cures all. That phrase was never more evident Friday night as the Community Vikings broke a three-game losing streak in impressive style by celebrating homecoming with a 47-0 victory over the East Robertson Indians in a Region 4-AA contest...

GAINESBORO -- For the second straight week, the Champions were able to line up the same defensive personnel from the week before. The difference was evident on the field Friday night at Jackson County. Cascade limited the Blue Devils (2-5, 0-4 4-AA) to just 111 yards of offense and came up with eight sacks in the 14-6 Region 4-AA win...

It's one of those game Shelbyville Central fans can't forget soon enough. The Golden Eagles fell from the ranks of the undefeated with a 34-7 loss to visiting Lincoln County in a Region 5-5A matchup on Friday night. "We really struggled and we didn't execute very well. They (Lincoln County) had a lot to do with us struggling, but I'm very disappointed in our play, especially on offense," Central coach Jason Hardy said...

FRANKLIN -- It just wasn't a good night for the Webb School on Friday night at Franklin Christian Academy. FCA scored 27 points in the first half and coasted to a 42-7 win over the Feet. After being shutout through the first half, Webb finally got on the board in the third quarter when Wes Watson connected with Colin Paffrath on a 36-yard TD score...

Here's our look back at the past seven days in local news. Choose the best answer for each question. 1) A new ministry, introduced at a luncheon last month, will attempt to coordinate efforts by local churches and non-profits. What is its name? A. Helping Bedford...

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) has ranked Bedford County 67th out of 95 counties -- and well below any of its immediate neighbors -- in terms of 11 key indicators of the well-being of children. According to the figures used, Bedford County is 93rd in the state in terms of children with health insurance, 74th in the state in terms of avoiding teen pregnancy, 72nd in the state in high school graduation rate, and 70th in terms of avoiding violent deaths among teens ages 15 through 19.. ...

An aggravated assault charge was filed after two men argued over a woman Monday night, police said. Christopher Deon Batts, 38, of Ritchview Drive allegedly left the victim with a "busted" nose, large knots on his head, a possible broken eye socket, and bleeding heavily,...

Dear editor: Right now there is some nut-job planning the next mass shooting and massacre. He, or she, is thinking up ways to outdo the previous low-lifes that in the past decided "hey, it's a good day to act-a-fool and shoot up a school..." and increase the body count for even more media coverage. Here is my country boy retired military suggestions for a step in the right direction.....

Fresh from an all night road-trip to Philadelphia and a visit with Pope Francis, Katie Myers is bright eyed and positive as she shows off the school library at East Side Elementary. "Look over the state of the library right now," she says. "We're in the middle of book fair, and we just had our family fun night."...

Ashley Sand is well known for her work collecting cards and care packages for soldiers and veterans. She does it in memory of her late boyfriend, Pfc. Tommy Curd. What some may not realize is she has inspired a young relative to get involved. Sand's nephew, Joey Hobbs, 11, has joined the mission and is traveling to military bases to share his love with the troops...

Well-rounded Christian recording artist Andrew Peterson is releasing a new album in October that includes a family element: his 15-year-old son Asher on the drums. Peterson's album, "The Burning Edge of Dawn," features 10 songs that he wrote between February to May of this year with friend and producer Gabe Scott of the Crowder band...

The airports, that's what I remember most about every vacation I've been on. The coming and going. The most exciting aspect of any journey is the travel involved. At least, that's what I'm starting to believe. I remember bits and pieces of the actual trips themselves -- the hotels and the sightseeing -- but I vividly recall every airport and plane I've ever been in. This must mean that it was the best part of the trip, right?...

Several years ago I received a message on Facebook from a lady named Denise. She asked me if I was the "Doug Dezotell" that attended South Junior High School in Grand Forks, North Dakota. I replied to her message assuring her that I was that guy. Denise then sent me a message by email that I will never forget. I want to share that with you...

Last week was a busy one for me. I staffed booths at family nights at two of our local elementary schools and also got a tour of the Webb School Library. The surprising thing from all of these that warmed my heart was the children seemed to be having fun...