Stories from Sunday, July 23, 2017

While the state marks a record-low unemployment rate, thousands of people continue to search for jobs or are unable to work, including Janina Allen of Bedford County, a former administrative worker who is now trying to keep her home. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development on Thursday announced an all-time low unemployment rate of 3.6 percent. That is the 19th lowest rate in the nation...

Mary Entsminger cannot read well because of a learning disability. Her computer skills are slim. Her self-esteem was yet more non-existent — until she found a job that welcomed her and nurtured her need to be a productive member of society. Before she moved to Tennessee, she envied a relative who was working at a department store that transitioned into a Goodwill thrift store...

Tennessee Valley Authority is in the process of finalizing new land management plans for Normandy and seven other TVA reservoirs, and the final plans will be considered next month by the TVA board. This plan replaces a land use forecast drafted in 2011 as part of a natural resource plan...

Deputies say they were forced to use a chemical agent and taser on a Bedford County Jail inmate due to “aggressive moves” late Thursday night, Charles Lentz had been beating on a cell window, leaving cracks, and spitting at and throwing feces at jail personnel, a Bedford County Sheriff’s Office report filed by deputy Chris Morton said...

The Cascade Champions finished up last season a way that not many teams get to—with a win. Though it was at the end of a 4-6 season, coach Jake Tyre says his team meshed at the end of the 2016 campaign and showed signs of improvement—all things pointing towards a better outlook in 2017...

I think some of my Facebook friends get sick of my old movie recommendations. Whenever a great old movie is about to come on Turner Classic Movies, I post about it. I don’t know that anyone actually takes any of my recommendations, but it doesn’t stop me from making them. I love sharing things like that, or trying to. When I was in college, I was campus film chairman, and nothing pleased me any more than introducing my classmates to a really good movie they might not have seen before...

Ashleigh Robertson and Israel Doak, both of Shelbyville, have announced their engagement. The bride-elect is the daughter of Don and Elizabeth Taylor. She is the granddaughter of Joyce Masingille, Sandra Perry, and Jimmy and Janice Taylor. She graduated from Shelbyville Central High School and Motlow State Community College. She works for A&E Ambulance Service in Decherd...

A creature of habit, I tend to create music playlists on my iPhone and keep the same playlist for two or three years at a time, before a particular song strikes me and I feel compelled to dig for my list of passwords and recover my code for iTunes, download the song on my mind and usually think of a few others to purchase at the same time...

Keith Wortham grew up around Southern Gospel music, and had listened to and known members of the quartet The Kellys since he was 5 years old. A decade later, The Kellys came to Shelbyville for a performance, and 15-year-old Wortham also sang during the same service. He sounded different than the last time they'd heard him...

Michaela Elizabeth Peyton of Chapel Hill and Christian Cain Barrett of Shelbyville were united in marriage on the evening of June 3 at Grace Valley Farm in Shelbyville. The bride is the daughter of Shane and Julie Peyton of Chapel Hill. She is the granddaughter of William and Connie Alloway of College Grove, Wanda White of Brentwood, and B.F and Tammy Peyton of Murfreesboro...

Brianna Essence Stoker and Corey Garrard, both of Shelbyville, announce the birth of a daughter, Madisyn Grace Garrard, on April 21 in Tullahoma. The baby girl weighed 10 pounds, 2 oz. She is the granddaughter of Robert and Kimberly Chavous of Portsmouth, Rhode Island...

You are never too old to head into "the wild blue yonder." That is the belief of both Linda and Joe Roberts, owners and operators of the Shelbyville Flight Academy, LLC, at the Shelbyville Municipal Airport. They believe people who have delayed their dream of earning a pilot's license should be encouraged to do so despite their age...

We are getting so many new library card holders registered this time of year that I like to remind everyone of some of the basic services that we offer that will make your library user experience more comfortable and economical. Your first library card is free and the card that you used at the old library at 110 Main St. before we moved is still good at the new library. If you have lost or misplaced your card, you can get a replacement card for just $2...

My family and I just returned from a short vacation to the beach in Southern Alabama. We stayed in a condo right on the beach, and we all enjoyed a few days of rest and relaxation. Not really! When you are taking care of three rambunctious little girls, there is not a whole lot of rest...