Stories from Saturday, December 19, 2020

Coping with the loss of a loved one can be challenging in the best of times, but many people have had to confront such challenges at a time that is unlike any other in modern history. Now, it’s Christmas and we’re still being warned to social distance, which can be distressing, especially for those needing tender love and care during their time of grief...

The Shelbyville Group of Embroiders Guild of America keeps busy during the Christmas season. We just learned that when they’re not making those beautiful ornaments for Christmas trees, members are also quite the cookie-bakers. We suggest putting out a plate of Barbara Morgan’s “Molasses Crinkles” or Louise Armstrong’s “Christmas Toffee” or “Town House Cookies.” Recipes are below...

Christmas morning is an exciting and joyous time, when Children anxiously rush to the tree to see what Santa delivered. Having a fast and easy-to-manage breakfast allows families to jump right into the festivities rather than spending most of the morning in the kitchen...

Dear Santa, How are you doing this Christmas? I have been good in my personal opinion, but sometimes I have been mean to my sister at the house. I promise to do better next year! I would like a papasan chair, an American Girl doll, a baby carrier, and a Nintendo Switch. I will leave you some milk and cookies, and some macaroni and cheese on Christmas Eve. I love you, Santa, and Mrs. Claus and the reindeer...

The Shops at Main and McGrew recently collected this abundance of canned food and monetary donations from customers and friends during the shop local Saturday event. The items were distributed at Shelbyville Community Soup Kitchen, which distributes meals from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays at the old Save-A-Lot building on South Cannon Boulevard. Christmas boxes for those in need will be distributed by SCSK volunteers next Tuesday.

FCM Cares, First Community Mortgage’s nonprofit, has awarded the annual J.C. Gordon Scholarship to five Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) students at a scholarship ceremony recently held on the TCAT-Shelbyville campus. The awarded funds will be used in part to purchase tools for each student recipient. ...

“Hello. I’m Grandpa.” For Christmas 50 years ago, my parents splurged and bought me a compact reel-to-reel tape recorder. My father had whetted my appetite with remarks that one could build a primitive voice recorder along the lines of Thomas Edison’s prototype, but this was the real store-bought deal...

Shelbyville Group of Embroiderers’ Guild of America recently decorated a First Community Bank Christmas tree with all handmade ornaments. Decorating the tree within this year’s theme, “Beaded Balls and Beaded Snowflakes, left to right, were Barbara Troxler, Louise Armstrong, Catherine Talley, and Connie Smith. Anyone interested in joining the Shelbyville Embroiderers’ Guild should email louisearmstrong@bellsouth.net. 

One of my favorite pictures of my father, Fred Dezotell, was a black and white photo of him standing on a tall ladder decorating a 20 foot tall Christmas tree. My dad would put up a huge tree every year in the grand ballroom of the Student Union at The University of North Dakota...

A suspect who has been told previously not to return to the Shelbyville Walmart allegedly tried to put items in her clothing and leave without paying Thursday, police said. Patsy Sue Cook, 67, of Haskins Chapel Road was charged with shoplifting, criminal trespassing, failure to appear and probation revocation. She was held on $5,000 bond...

Shelbyville Central High School art teacher Angie Jackson’s Christmas ornament design is among the 95 featured at the governor’s mansion by First Lady Maria Lee. Lee partnered with the Tennessee Arts Commission to select an artist from each Tennessee county to design an ornament that represented that county. Jackson’s ornament was fashioned with purple, blue, green, yellow and orange and features the county name and a Tennessee Walking Horse...

This is Christmas letter number 50. My Grand Finale! I started writing this in 1970, when we had recently moved from Atlanta to Nashville. Much has changed. The cost of gasoline was 36 cents which today would be $2.45. A Ford or a Chevy was $3,542...

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Department of Health COVID-19 testing sites will begin offering self-testing kits to adults beginning December 21. Those coming for self tests will remain in their vehicles while completing paperwork and collecting their samples. Health departments will submit the samples for testing and results will be available online only via email...

As the week of Christmas draws nigh, Bedford County stands in 55th place on a list of the 90 counties in the nation with the highest number of recent cases of COVID-19 per resident. Tennessee stood at the top of the heap of the states Thursday for its number of cases per resident with 128.3 cases per 100,000 population. The next five states down the list are Rhode Island with 108.5 per 100,000 population, California with 97.6, Arizona 95.1, Indiana 89.8 and Delaware 84.1...

With COVID-19 having placed Bedford County at the top of the nation’s sick list, Shelbyville Community Soup Kitchen volunteers are preparing for a fast and furious Christmas food box drive from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the South Cannon Boulevard site. Anyone with a giving heart, say organizers, are urged to please keep the soup kitchen on their Christmas gift list...

A monster first quarter was more than enough to land the Liberty Patriots a win over visiting Moore County on Thursday night. The Patriots piled up 25 points in the first frame and coasted to a 43-12 win over the Raiders. Shots were falling for the Patriots early on, with Mason Shavers tacking on six in the quarter...

Offense was a total struggle for the Liberty Lady Patriots on Thursday night. Moore County scored early and often in a 46-7 blowout victory over the Lady Patriots. Liberty's Taylor Wessner recorded all seven of Liberty's points, while Moore County placed 12 players in the scoring column...

UNIONVILLE — After a couple of lopsided losses on the road, the Community Viqueens found the friendly confines of the Roger K. Brothers Gymnasium to their liking as the Viqueens used a strong offensive effort to defeat the Eagleville Lady Eagles 65-62 in a basketball matchup Thursday night...

UNIONVILLE —The Community Vikings trailed briefly in the third quarter before using an 8-0 run and a strong fourth quarter to pull away as the Vikings defeated the Eagleville Eagles 70-60 in a basketball contest Thursday night. Jackson Bailey scored eight points while Will Reed added six as the Vikings went on a 6-0 run to take a 15-7 first quarter lead...

Even with the offense coming up short, the Cascade Champions fought Tullahoma to the bitter end in a non-district meeting on Thursday night. With neither team showcasing an effective offensive attack, Cascade cut a double-digit Wildcat lead to one possession with less than a minute to go...

LYNCHBURG – The Community Vikings pulled away with a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter and used a strong defensive performance to defeat the Moore County Raiders 49-35 in a basketball contest Tuesday night. Community (6-3) used five points each from Stratton Lovvorn and Will Reed to offset three Raider treys in the opening quarter...

WESTMORELAND – The Community Viqueens could not recover from a scoring draught in the second and third quarters as the Westmoreland Lady Eagles defeated the Viqueens 51-20 in a basketball contest Tuesday night. A Zoey Dixon trey was the highlight as Community (2-5) scored eight points in the opening quarter, but the Lady Eagles were hot and took a 20-8 lead...

UNIONVILLE – The fans in attendance at Friday night's intra-county basketball game between the Shelbyville Central Golden Eagles and Community Vikings were treated to a battle that took four extra minutes to decide. When it was all said and done, Damon Heath connected on a three-pointer with 16 seconds left in overtime to give Shelbyville the lead and spoiled a fourth quarter Community comeback as the Eagles edged the Vikings 75-73...