Stories from Saturday, April 11, 2020

The recent death of actor James Drury (star of the 1962-1971 TV Western “The Virginian”) adds insult to injury when one considers what will occur next month. When the networks announce the shows they’re canceling and launching, yet again there will be no true Westerns in contention for a coveted spot on the fall schedules...

Another week of isolation and a closed library. This is not the spring that any of us envisioned. I hope that you all are doing well and staying safe. We miss our patrons and wanted you all to know that your library has received a professional cleaning and that all carpets in the building have been cleaned, too. We are prepared to offer you the cleanest environment possible when we are open again...

Tomorrow is the day that Christians around the world celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Tomorrow is what is called by many Easter Sunday. But Resurrection Sunday 2020 will be unlike any other that the worldwide Church has ever celebrated...

Himesville Church of the Nazarene on Highway 82 South is making an Easter statement to passers-by that just because the building is closed, due to COVID-19, God is still alive.

Tatum Mitchell recently expressed her creativity as part of the Shelbyville Rainbow Hunt, which has been a very popular Facebook group during the coronavirus pandemic. Her mom says she loves rainbows.

Before a limited guest company on the evening of March 21, Jessica Marie Ensey of Unionville and Michael Avery Leverette of Shelbyvillle exchanged wedding vows at The Blue Barn Venue in Columbia. Officiating the ceremony were Danny Freeman and Phillip Perryman of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill...

Pews will be empty at most local churches Easter Sunday. While they’ve always faced a full congregation from the pulpit on Resurrection Sunday, some local pastors are leaning on the internet to get God’s Good News delivered to their congregations. Most Bedford County churches will be holding Easter Sunday services online - the first for many. ...

Taylor Paige Brown and Nathaniel Howard Speegle of Shelbyville announce the birth of a daughter, Westlyn Kayte Speegle, on March 21 in Murfreesboro. Grandparents are Shirley Speegle and Howard Speegle of Shelbyville and a great-grandparent is Emmett Snell of Shelbyville...

Braylin Smith, 4, happily shared his rainbow with his small town this week. His exact words were: “Maybe I can make someone smile with my cool rainbow! Because rainbows are in the sky with God.”

While the Easter Bunny may have some social distancing issues this weekend, “Bubba” the rainbow horse, owned by Mindy Pruitt and family, is keeping everyone at their Shelbyville home and on social media in the Easter parade spirit. Pruitt’s horse riding group “Riding With Mindy” joined the Shelbyville Rainbow Hunt Facebook group recently. ...

​Many of us are now at home due to business shutdowns, kids out of schools, cancelled meetings, etc. in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. That means having to feed a family three meals a day at home for many days. The good news is that often there are items in your pantry or freezer that can be pulled together to create meals to feed families when we can’t get to the grocery store every day...

Large amounts of construction equipment, including saws and a drill, and tile, boxes of flooring, and bags of concrete and mortar mix were stolen Wednesday from a barn in the 2500 block of Midland Road, a Bedford County Sheriff’s Office report said...

Over the years, residents have tied ribbons of various colors on trees throughout the city-those generally signifying various causes. This month, red ribbons have been tied in observance of those affected by the COVID-19 virus. With Sunday being observed as Easter, many churches will not be able to convene in groups, but many pastors say they're still praying this will be an even more special Easter celebration.

Expect frost in many parts of the county Saturday morning followed by a pretty good afternoon with partly sunny skies and temperatures around 67 degrees for the high. Unfortunately, I bring you a bad forecast for Easter Sunday. Rain will begin Saturday night and continue through Sunday night. The cool weather will stick around most of next week with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s and several nights in the 30s. A freeze in April is normal and we usually get frost into early or mid May...

To the editor, There is only one person who has worked in the Trump administration with whom I have ever agreed and that is former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.  When Tillerson called Trump a moron he hit the nail on the head. We can fully see that Trump's handling of the response to the coronavirus pandemic is terrible.  He knew about problems with the virus in late December, 2019.  He didn't get serious about it until late March, 2020.  The gap between those dates allowed the virus to spread rampantly and he did nothing to get medical supplies to the states.  He claims he stopped people from coming from China, yet we know over 400,000 came in after he closed the country  to those from China.. ...

This dallying llama is a guardian of the goats on Frank Martin Road.

A turkey trots alone snagging bugs in a fresh spring meadow.

The new coronavirus’s ability to wreak havoc in the lungs is raising a lot of concerns and questions from my asthma patients. They already know how it feels to have trouble breathing. Now, they are wondering what risks they face amid this new pandemic...

Fast Pace Health is now offering telehealth services focused on treating new and existing patients in Tennessee, Kentucky, Lousiana, and Mississippi for many common ailments including cold and flu-like symptoms, seasonal allergies, stomach viruses, rashes/skin conditions, pinkeye, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, fever blisters, minor boils, abscesses, and cellulitis (bacterial skin infection). Telehealth providers may also prescribe and/or refill many common medications. ...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Every day, grocery workers are restocking toilet paper, eggs, produce and canned goods as fast as the items fly off the shelves. They disinfect keypads, freezer handles and checkout counters as hundreds of people weave around them, sometimes standing too close for comfort amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some work for hours behind clear plastic barriers installed at checkout counters, bulwarks against sudden sneezes or coughs that can propel germs...

The message on this sign on North Main Street changes regularly. Its Good Friday message was unequivocal.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Unemployed Tennesseans waiting to receive an additional $600 per week in unemployment benefits  from the federal government’s massive coronavirus relief package will need to wait a bit longer. The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is currently reprogramming its computer system to accommodate changes from the federal relief package, spokesman Chris Cannon said in an email Wednesday...

Continuing on a step-by-step rise, Bedford County added two more people to the list of confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday afternoon. Of the 209 tests conducted so far in Bedford County, 14 (6.3 percent) have tested positive for coronavirus. Statewide by Thursday, 59,849 people had been tested and 4,634 of those tested were positive. Ninety-four Tennesseans have died from coronavirus...

As the closing hymn was being sung last Easter at First Baptist Church on Depot Street, little did Penny Bowen know that the woman standing several pews behind her would wind up potentially saving her life on Nov. 5. As well, little did Amy Gieske of Shelbyville know that she would be sharing during Easter dinner 2020 her experience of donating her left kidney to once stranger, now best friend, Penny Bowen...

It seems there's not much good news on the sports front these days. The COVID-19 pandemic essentially has changed life for anyone with any interest in any sport. Professional leagues have been halted, tournaments canceled, and even the 2020 Olympic Games have been delayed a year...

Mason Wright killed these two turkeys on April 4 and 6 in the Flat Creek area.

The year was 2014 and the Cascade Lady Champions were in their second season of being a Class AA school—the smallest in the state. When the reclassification of districts came about, Cascade was placed into District 12-AA, featuring Spring Hill, Marshall County, Giles County, Page and CPA...

Bedford County’s government, out of concern for public safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is currently making monthly business sessions available through special media conferencing sources. The county commission will hold its regular monthly meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday in what officials call a hybrid in-person electronic format...