Stories from Sunday, August 5, 2018

As the pilot emerged from her 1967 Cessna 150 on the tarmac at Shelbyville Municipal Airport on Friday, she received an unusual welcome – a round of applause. The pilot, Sunflower Ross, had just completed her first solo flight. “I’m alive,” she said, “I didn’t die.”...

Bedford County Communications Center and Bedford County Emergency Management Agency now have a way to send an alert to every mobile phone in the county in the case of a natural disaster, hazardous materials spill or other civil emergency. On July 27, the county became one of 26 Tennessee municipalities with access to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). ...

Rainfall was a little below normal for July in Bedford County, mostly ranging from 3 and 1/2 to 5 and 1/2 inches. I expect we will see rainfall totals somewhat higher in August. We will see a daily chance of thunderstorms this week with the heaviest activity expected around Tuesday night and Wednesday. Afternoon high temperatures will be 85 to 90 degrees. Sunrise is 5:58 a.m. and sunset 7:47 p.m...

Community High School’s Smokestack Theatre Group will present “To Kill A Mockingbird” Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. This summer production includes both students and alumni, including some cast members returning from the school’s 2005 production of the play...

A woman who is making legitimate payments to the Internal Revenue Service told police she was tricked into sending money to a scammer Thursday. The victim received a fake call and letter Thursday from a man claiming to be “Rex” from the IRS. “Rex” had her legitimate information and demanded $350 in Google Play cards or she would be arrested, police said,...

The last time Jay Hall suited up in a Cascade uniform, he played a pivotal role in securing a win in the 2016 season finale at East Robertson. Hall managed just nine carries for 65 yards, but helped Cascade bleed the clock, allowing the Champions to take victory formation in the final seconds...

Eugene M. Bartlett, Sr. wrote one of my all-time favorite gospel songs back in 1939. It's a hymn that I always say I want sung at my funeral. That song is "Victory in Jesus." In three verses and a refrain Bartlett tells the gospel story of salvation found in Jesus, healing found in Jesus, and then he reminds us that Jesus is coming again and taking His followers to Heaven...

Seroberto Moreno, 20, of Culleoka, a student at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville, recently participated in the SkillsUSA Championships. This event, by invitation only, was for first place state medalists in 100 competition areas for career and technical students. It is the largest skill competition in the world...

The annual "Stuff the School Bus" drive was a great success this season as United Way of Bedford County teamed with Bedford County Board of Education to collect school supplies. Yellow boxes were furnished around town during the month of July. The official date for "Stuff the School Bus" was July 28 at the Walmart in Shelbyville...

Shelbyville resident Jim Probasco, under the pen name J.J. Probasco, has published a new novel, "What Happens On The Mountain." The thriller is the story of a family that moves to the mountains of New Mexico to escape the stresses of military life and memories of personal tragedies, but finds that escape just isn't that easy...

As you read this, I will be attending the second day of an all school reunion for Noxon High School in my beloved Montana. I can hardly wait. It is going to be such fun to see folks I have only visited with via Facebook for the first time in years -- many, many years...