Stories from Sunday, February 12, 2017

When Gillian Leverette begins to sing in front of the stained glass windows in the west wall of the Flat Creek United Methodist Church her voice belies her youth. She's just 15 years old, but her voice projects effortlessly the wisdom of a much older soul...

-- I want to continue my series of columns on Lynn and my recent trip to Israel. I pray you will read and enjoy them. "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper. O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls and prosperity in your palaces." (Psalm 122:6-7)...

Tax season has rolled around again. This gets me thinking about money saving and ways to economize on both time and dollars! 1) WHAT DO I DO IF I CAN'T FINISH THE ITEM I CHECKED OUT IN TWO WEEKS? Most items can be renewed for up to three extra two-week renewals. The only items that cannot be renewed are materials that have been placed on hold by other patrons...

By the time you are reading this column, I could be in Paris, Miami, New York, or on my couch. Literally, the days leading up to my birthday have been as much of a nail biter as last week's Super Bowl. Funny tangent about the Super Bowl, this year I elected to have a party for two with my daughter to watch the commercials and actually try and enjoy the game. ...

Katie Ashley of Shelbyville and Joe Caldwell of Clermont, Florida announce their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of the Rev. Mark and Mary Jane Ashley of Shelbyville. She received a bachelor's degree in communications and advertising from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in May 2010 and a master's of education from Belmont University in December 2015. She works at First Community Mortgage in Murfreesboro...

Cauliflower is one of those under-utilized, under-appreciated, misunderstood vegetables. We serve it raw on a vegetable platter or boil it and serve with cheese sauce. But this cool-season cole crop has so much more potential! When I was growing up we almost never had cauliflower -- we had its cousin broccoli or asparagus or green beans. ...

Beta Nu Chapter meets The Beta Nu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma met Feb. 6 at Shelbyville Central High School for its February meeting. Kathy Reed presided. The Rev. Lanita Monroe, guest speaker, spoke on Community Hunger Outreach, giving information on the local soup kitchen, an initiative of the Ministerial Association...

Inez Lane was expecting to go home on Friday (before this section went to print). That may not seem a big deal, but when you’ve spent months in the hospital, nursing home and assisted living while battling for your health, it is huge. “You take things for granted,” she said...

NASHVILLE — During their first meeting this season, the CPA Lady Lions escaped Wartrace with a 47-41 win over Cascade. Hoping to foil the Lady Lions on their senior night Cascade faced CPA on the road in the regular season finale on Friday night, but just couldn’t get shots to fall in a 64-34 defeat...

NASHVILLE — For the better part of their run in Class 2A, the CPA Lions (20-4, 11-0) have had their way with Cascade. Though Cascade (20-6, 7-5) put forth perhaps the best opening half of basketball against the Lions in their four years of being district opponents, the Lions pulled away in the second half and preserved the 55-39 win in the regular season finale...

FAYETEVILLE — Shelbyville Central almost made the most of the final chance to pick up a regular season district win as the Golden Eagles fell 64-54 to Lincoln County on Friday night. The Eagles (0-22, 0-12) only trailed by one point going into the fourth quarter...

FAYETTEVILLE — It was a special evening in a number of ways for Shelbyville Central as the Eaglettes wrapped up a share of the District 8-AAA regular season title with a 66-46 win over Lincoln County. Shelbyville Central (16-6, 11-1) and Lawrence County each went through the district regular season with only one loss, each against one another. The next tiebreaker was a flip of a coin and the Eaglettes won that flip, claiming the top seed in the upcoming District 8-AAA Tournament...

To the Editor: Hello! My name is Angie O. I am a fifth grade student at Harlan Intermediate School in Harlan, Iowa. My class is studying the geography and history of the United States. I am excited to learn more about your state of Tennessee. ...

The Governor released more details on the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act this week. It's a good start since 34 percent of Tennessee's rural residents don't have access to broadband. I've tried to summarize a few of the high points:...

Shelbyville Police arrested two people after bank employees reported they allegedly had tried to cash a stolen check. Officer John Cooke reported he responded on Thursday morning to First Community Bank on Elm Street on a call of two people attempting to cash a stolen check. An employee said the subjects, a white female and a white male, were in the drive-through in a red Chevy pickup...

Samantha Brown and Ryan Zindars of Unionville announce their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of Kenny and Penny Brown of Unionville. She is the granddaughter of the late Bert and Peggy Manire of Shelbyville, and Eulene and the late Jim Brown of Shelbyville...

A new book provides a fascinating insight into the world of former President Obama's outreach to faith-based communities. Michael Wear is an evangelical Christian who served in Obama's Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the White House during the president's first term. Wear directed faith outreach during the 2012 re-election as well...

Neil Watson is the new principal of Harris Middle School. Before becoming an educator eight years ago, he worked in the business world. His wife, Tracy, is assistant principal at Thomas Magnet School. To nominate someone for Sunday Conversation, email Sadie Fowler at sfowler@t-g.com...

This past October, Tommy and Barbara Armstrong celebrated their 40th anniversary. Growing up they had attended school together, but the two never dated. On Christmas Day, 1974, however, a friend matched the two up -- and they haven't been apart since...

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life will hold its annual Celebrity Waiter Luncheon March 21 at First Baptist Church. Table sponsors are currently being sought. At the event, each sponsored table is attended by a waiter provided by the sponsor -- often a well-known local figure. The waiters, who are usually in costume, work their tables for tips in all sorts of creative ways, such as charging diners for silverware or the salt shaker...

3D printing may seem futuristic or something only seen on the sci-fi channel, however Daniel Shearon has it down to a science (no pun intended). This week he tells us about his modern, not futuristic, 3D printing hobby....

The city of Shelbyville is looking at updating its five-year capital improvements guide. The council may consider the new list at its March meeting. Council members have been studying the proposals for Fiscal Years 2018-2022, the fourth effort to outline a multi-year plan...