Stories from Saturday, December 5, 2020

This is a letter from Dawn Rhodes, Bedford County Cancer Society Manager. I’d like to provide you with a timely update. Throughout this year, especially in the pandemic, the American Cancer Society has had to make tough decisions in light of a lower than expected, and needed, fundraising year. ...

Christmas has gone to the cats and dogs. That is, there is a greater number of people including their companion animals into their seasonal gift buying. Staff at Middle Tennessee Spay and Neuter Clinic, 846 Union Street, note that their services make great Christmas gifts for pet owners. As well, monetary donations are greatly needed as the clinic, which offers reduced spay and neuter services to families in need...

A famous evangelist said this week that this season, more so probably than ever, we don’t just “need a “little Christmas,” but “a lot” this year. While our homes may not be as active this holiday, due to the ongoing pandemic, smaller groups/families can still enjoy a safe and joyous event...

We all know Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf,” but the man carries a well-stocked bag of regrets. He recently sat down with me to list some of the ways he wished his life had gone differently. “I don’t regret the Island of Misfit Toys real estate venture per se, but I sort of hate that we used an old atomic testing site. I’m cool with a water pistol shooting jelly – but not RADIOACTIVE jelly.”...

Two local events are sure to please Bedford County shoppers this holiday season. One is the annual Wine Walk, sponsored by public square merchants, and the other is a “Holiday Shop Local” contest, sponsored by Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, going on through Dec. 18, and set to reward one local shopper with a $200 cash prize. ...

Misty Ann Anderson and Rodney Dwight Guinn of Shelbyville were united in marriage during an afternoon ceremony on Nov. 28 at Mount Hermon Church of the Nazarene. The Rev. Charles Guinn, father of the groom, officiated the double-ring ceremony before a large number of guests...

Looking for a Christmas read/gift? Retired educator Sharon McDonald’s family memoir, “Precious Memories,” is also available through the publisher, The Jesse Stuart Foundation, at jsfbooks.com. McDonald was just informed her book is now on the foundation’s website and listed as a suggested Christmas gift. (Full story on the book was in the Saturday, Nov. 28, edition of the Times-Gazette.)

People have visited forests to select their Christmas trees for centuries. While tree sellers conveniently stationed in store parking lots and artificial trees displayed in various retailers have led fewer people to venture into the wilderness, the Christmas tree is still an important component of holiday celebrations...

A Christian gentleman recently wrote the following: “I’m a believer in simple and not complicated Christian music. I prefer music that focuses on the message rather than the instruments used.” He went on to say: “I am not a fan of drowning the voice in the noise of the instruments. I want the people to hear the message of the songs. Christian music for me is not about entertainment but spreading the gospel.”...

The Shelbyville Central High School Criminal Justice - III class recently completed cast lifting. These students learned how to correctly lift shoe imprints out of soil which could then be used as evidence within a criminal case. From left: Kaylee Ruth, Will Melson, Sophie Miller, Cole Banks, Alyssa Bowen, Angel Murillo, Vanesa Robles and Mary Chadwell.

Two people were arrested on drug-related charges during a traffic stop Wednesday on North Cannon Boulevard. Sandra Deonna Brannan, 48, of Christiana was charged with simple possession of a schedule II drug and paraphernalia after Shelbyville officer Dylan Bliss allegedly found a pipe with methamphetamine residue under her seat in their car. Brannan told Bliss she had a bag of methamphetamine in a sock...

With great sadness, Shelbyville Municipal Airport announced Wednesday that Santa’s plane has been grounded for the annual fly-in which was scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12. “We are saddened to say that due to the increase in COVID-19, and considering the large crowds that have attended in the past, the City of Shelbyville has canceled this year’s Santa Fly-In at Shelbyville Airport, said flight academy instructor Joe Roberts. ...

The Truckload Carriers Association has named William and Becky Gregory, from Shelbyville, as Highway Angels for rescuing and caring for a boy following a two-vehicle crash that killed his father. The Gregorys are owner-operators who drive team for Titan Transfer, Inc. Around 9 p.m. one evening, they were westbound on I-40 near Holbrook, Arizona, driving a load to California. William was behind the wheel and Becky was in the sleeper with their dog...

A Bedford County woman convicted of paying a friend of her daughter’s to kill her abusive husband has been denied a request for a new trial. A three-judge Tennessee Court of Appeals panel rejected Susan Jo Walls’ claim that attorney Christopher Westmoreland failed to adequately defend her case...

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to a still-high 712,000, the latest sign that the U.S. economy and job market remain under stress from the intensified viral outbreak. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department said that initial claims for jobless aid dropped from 787,000 the week before. ...

(This story was created and first published on Dec. 2 by the Center for Public Integrity a nonprofit investigative news organization based in Washington, D.C) The White House Coronavirus Task Force warned governors in private reports this week that “the COVID risk to all Americans is at a historic high” and said virus-mitigation efforts in many states are still not strong enough...

Many Tennessee counties experienced changes in their unemployment rates during October 2020, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Unemployment in 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties increased in October. Davidson and Sevier counties saw their rates decrease during the month...

On a map of Tennessee that tracks daily the county-by-county hot spots for the spread of COVID-19, Bedford County was in the top 10, Thursday, for the severity of the situation in the last 14 days based on the number of cases per 100,000 population and the average daily new case count...

Baby Eli Scott is on the nice list for his first year with Santa!