Stories from Saturday, June 27, 2020

Our weather in Bedford County is looking good for the most part through Saturday with typical summertime conditions. Partly sunny each day with a 30% chance of an afternoon thundershower, high temperatures in the upper 80s. Rain is likely Sunday through Tuesday as plenty of moisture will be coming up from the Gulf. Our latest data indicates rain increasing again from July 4-7. I will update you next week on the Independence Day forecast but let’s hope the rain doesn’t mess it up...

Ronda Clanton of Shelbyville has announced her candidacy for re-election as property assessor in the Thursday, Aug. 6, county general election. Unopposed, her name will appear on the ballot an independent candidate. “I will continue to operate the Assessor’s office with professionalism,” Clanton said Tuesday. ...

Bedford County native Mark Clanton announced his candidacy for the position of Bedford County road superintendent for the Aug. 6 election. A lifelong resident of Bedford County and a graduate of Shelbyville Central High School, Clanton said recently, “I remain invested in our community and my commitment to local government public service. In 2018, I obtained certification by the state highway officials board for the position of Bedford County road superintendent.”...

Nashville orthopedic trauma surgeon, Dr. Manny Sethi, has recently been face-to-face with COVID-19 at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. While he isn’t about to hang up his white coat, Sethi is dividing his time this month on the campaign trail, where he’s seeking support from Tennesseans to fill an open seat in the U.S. Senate...

ACT scores mean a lot these days for graduating seniors; they can gain nice scholarship packages as a result. The ACT scores also help Bedford County School System meet its expected state standards. Local high school seniors of 2020 can receive a lot of credit for helping scores rise. Cascade, Community and Shelbyville Central High seniors ended their high school years with some pretty exciting scores...

I wanted to let you all know that this will be my last article as library director of the Shelbyville-Bedford County Public Library. On June 9, 2020, it will have been 50 years since I started working in public libraries. I had never even been inside one until I got the job. I was a bookmobile kid from the get go...

Community High School graduate Noah Charles “TJ” Bowling leaves for basic training at Fort Benning, GA with the U.S. Army, infantry division, July 6. “I've wanted to join the Army since I was a little boy, like my uncle Luke," he said. TJ's step-grandfather was in the military (JP Yates), his uncle ( Luke Bowling), great grandfather (George Charles), cousin (Paul Compton) and great-uncle (David Compton). An Eagle Scout with Troop 223, he hopes to obtain a degree in criminal justice; his long-term goal is to work for the ATF or FBI. When asked by his recruiter as to why he wanted to enlist, his answer was as follows: “ I want to serve my country and protect my loved ones and everyone’s freedom that my family has fought to protect before me.”

The smiles are still there within the classes of 2020 in Bedford County, despite their last high school year abruptly ending. From left, Mason Landers, Madison Madden, Gracie McCullough and Alex Mitchell.

The personal finance website WalletHub recently released its ranking of the “patriotism” of all 50 states. In an era of toppled statues, kneeling athletes, microaggressions, border wall controversies and globalist agendas, trying to define and quantify patriotism resembles voluntarily crisscrossing a minefield...

W hen my family and I first moved to Middle Tennessee, we rented a 25 acre farm just outside of Deason. I had started a Christian residential discipleship ministry in Murfreesboro helping men overcome their addictions, so it was an easy drive from our home in Deason to the ministry center in Murfreesboro...

Professional photographer Annie Leibovitz once said, “The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.” Since the age of 15, Chloe Thomas has shared many such an experience, many times, behind the camera lens...

The first duty of incoming president Ivan Jones was to recently swear in his fellow Rotary officers for 2020-21. From left, Darin Hasty (president-nominee), Angela Huffman (treasurer) and Dawn Hobbs (president-elect) and Jones.

A newborn takes cover under a tree.

To the editor, I see the newspaper has printed an opinion from Charles Reed and William Davis that the communist Democrats do not exist, even though I provided research to prove my point. Google Democrats connected to the US Communist party. You will be surprised at how many communists we have in the Democrat party...

The Shelby Chapter DAR met Wednesday, June 24 at River Bend Country Club for its last meeting of the DAR Year. Teresa Gill, Program Chairman for June, introduced the speaker, International House of Prayer pastor and missionary Bryan Nerren of Shelbyville. ...

The Arrowhead Boys Ranch will be celebrating Independence Day on Saturday, July 4th with fireworks, hot dogs and lots of fun—and all proceeds support the boys ranch. This fundraising event is only $10 per adult and free for children under 10 years old. Fireworks start at 9pm at 239 Cortner Mill Road in Normandy. ...

A charge of evading arrest was filed against a driver allegedly clocked at 55 mph in a 30 mph zone Thursday night on West Lane Street Scott Elliot Colburn, 28, of West Lane Street accelerated, then turned into the driveway of his home after Sgt. Trey Green of the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop...

F.Z. King Jr. of Unionville was recently awarded a Quilt of Valor for his service in the U.S. Army from 1966-68.

During a recent family gathering in Rover at the home of Jim and Judy Sorrells, Quilts of Valor were presented to, from left, Robert B. Adgent, who grew up in Rover, served in the U.S. Navy from 1957-1983 and was captain of a Naval ship and James (Jim) H. Sorrells, who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968, is a life-time resident of Rover and current UMC pastor at Flat Creek and Pleasant Grove.

The MyRide Bedford program had just started up, so to speak, when COVID-19 closed Shelbyville-Bedford County Senior Citizens Center in mid March. With full confidence in this new state-affiliated program, organizers said Tuesday that coordinators want senior citizens to know that MyRide volunteers will pick up and deliver prepaid groceries and or prepaid prescriptions to member riders within a 3-day notice...

Normandy town officials are continuing with their efforts to get a few property owners to clean up their yards and they’re adopting a new strategy to combat what they say are outlandish, false allegations posted on social media by one town resident...

Bedford County Board of Education recently asked parents to fill out a survey to get their input on opening schools Aug. 3. There were mixed reviews on that survey, which has not yet been made public, according to schools superintendent Don Embry. Embry said over 3,000 parents and or guardians took time to fill out the survey. There are currently over 8,000 students enrolled at 14 school sites in Bedford County...

While he’s still unsure as to the best course of action for reopening Bedford County Schools during this pandemic, superintendent Don Embry told board of education members on Thursday, “No matter what we do, it’s not going to be right.” The noon special called meeting, which was accessible online, was scheduled for the board to approve some final 2019-2020 budget amendments. ...

Pole replacement at the intersection of Union Street and Lane Parkway creates a traffic rodeo Wednesday.