Stories from Sunday, August 7, 2016

Kristina Juk, director of the Shelbyville Duplicate Bridge Club, is pictured teaching a bridge lesson at the Senior Citizens Center in Shelbyville. Juk will continue lessons during the month of August on Mondays at 11 a.m. Club members play duplicate bridge each Monday at noon at the Center. Interested individuals may contact Donna Green at 931-684-5628. (Submitted photo)

Last month, my brother, Paul, sent me a copy of an Ancestry DNA report he had received about our family's heritage. The report said that my brother's DNA revealed that we were 61 percent Scandinavian, which we expected. The other 39 percent was French with a mixture of other European ancestry, including Irish...

"Shepherd, Potter, Spy and the Star Namer: Survival in Canaan" is a fascinating title for a fascinating book. The historical fiction novel is told from the point of view of a 12-year-old shepherd boy, Keshub, in the land of Canaan during the period where Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. Keshub is a Gibeonite, a people group who lived in the Promised Land before Israel claimed the territory that God had promised them...

During my third grade year, if anyone asked, I told them that my favorite author was Laura Lee Hope. I devoured every Bobbsey Twins book I could get my hands on. I was a faithful caretaker of the various editions from my mother's day that were available on the family bookcase, as well as the ones I could check out from school or buy at the F.W. ...

First off, if you have not read Derrick Hill's column, stop reading this. Read Derrick's first and then return to mine. Now, I'm going to respond with a little chapter of Sadie's View from the Hill. Derrick is very much correct with his notation that columnists rarely know exactly what they're going to write about until something suddenly hits them. ...

It is with a bittersweet heart that I sit down to write my last column for what is an indefinite amount of time. I'm having the same feelings I had when I watched the last episode of "Friends." I'm not exactly sure, but I believe I have been writing this column for around three years now. ...

Ociel and Jacqueline Anchondo of Shelbyville announce the birth of a son, Aaron Anchondo, on July 1 in Murfreesboro. The baby boy weighed 7 pounds, 13 oz. He is the grandson of Maria Rosa Tavarez and Amador and Robertina Anchondo...

Sweltering August is upon us. The weather this week alone is enough for all of us to sing the praises of Willis Carrier, creator of modern air conditioning! Nonetheless, most of us continue to crave one of the most glorious tastes of summer, barbeque...

Maggie Yates graduated from Community High School in 2015. Since that time she has began to further her education at Middle Tennessee State University where she is studying to become an elementary school teacher. As a student she also works with Bedford County SACP, where she is able to be a part of the lives of many area children. ...

MEMPHIS -- A week ago, Shelbyville was well-represented in the state junior team tennis competition, featuring the best junior teams throughout the state. Competing from Shelbyville, the 18-under ACE Whuppers placed seventh in the state. The team won its flight and after the Saturday morning matches, the wildcard came into play, keeping the team three games from advancing...

UNIONVILLE -- The Community Vikings participated in their second scrimmage of the football season as they hosted the Class 3A Cheatham County Cubs Friday night. The Vikings were able to move the ball against the Cubs, especially in the early stages of the scrimmage, but were only able to put the ball in the end zone once. Despite the lone score, Coach Chris Grooms was pleased with the performance of his team...

As preparation for the upcoming football season continues, Shelbyville Central's Golden Eagles traveled to Franklin for a scrimmage with Page High School on Friday evening. It was a successful outing as the Eagles scored six touchdowns while allowing Page only one...

Some go for $100 worth of groceries every year. Others try for the first time. The effort was worth it for the 10 winners of this year's Big $1,000 Grocery Give-Away, sponsored by Kroger and the Times-Gazette Competitors scoured the pages of a T-G special section looking for 16 contest logos. Winners were drawn from all correct entries...

A man falsely claiming to be an Internal Revenue Service agent convinced a Shelbyville resident to pay him in $3,200 worth of iTunes cards. The victim, who actually does owe $1,000 in back taxes, was called by a man falsely claiming to be "Allen Foster" and stating he owed $8,000, Selbyville police said...

The city of Shelbyville is updating its zoning maps and inviting public input. The maps have not been updated since 2008, said city planner Amanda Rhinehart. This is not comprehensive land use planning, just updating, she said. A special planning commission meeting will discuss the proposed changes at 6 p.m. Monday in the City Hall Annex...

A group of six Celebration Way Assisted Living residents and three staff earned their wings Thursday. They rode in several groups on an airplane operated by Shelbyville Flight Academy. They took flights of approximately 15 minutes in length around the immediate area despite light rain that fell around the Shelbyville Municipal Airport...

Several well-known names in Christian music have been announced as guests for Russ & Tori Taff's Bell Buckle Weekend, which will be held Oct. 8-9. Russ Taff, who was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in May, is a Grammy and Dove Award-winning vocalist who has achieved success in several different subgenres of Christian music, both as a solo artist and a member of The Imperials and the Gaither Vocal Band...