This year alone, Amy Martin has presented 50 Quilts of Valor to local service veterans, and most of those presentations were pictured in the Times-Gazette. Martin vows the "notion" for each quilt's design results from time spent between friends with patriotic hearts...

Since I sell gaited trail horses, I'm always looking for prospects. In July 2017, while scanning Craigslist for potential trail horses, an ad in Murfreesboro caught my eye. After talking with the owner, Amber Parkhurst, I purchased Romeo sight unseen from one picture....

Birdie Ruth Moore of Haley is celebrating her 99th birthday.

On Sept. 5, the Bedford County FFA Chapter of Shelbyville Central High School competed in the 6th Annual Bedford County Land Judging Invitational Contest held in Shelbyville. The team placed first out of the nine teams competing. By winning the event, the team also won the District X championship for the Middle Tennessee FFA Region. Team member Allison McCarty was the 1st high scoring individual and Khloe Davis was the 2nd high scoring individual. Bedford County Soil Conservation District sponsored the meal for the event; Sam Davis provided the property for the event, and Bedford County FFA Alumni sponsored plaques. From left are Cali Mason, Khloe Davis, Dorothy Brandon and Allison McCarty.

The youth and young adult years often represent the prime of life--a time filled with fun and new experiences. But they can also be marked by challenges or stress in school, with friends and at home. Tragically, many young people are taking drastic action in response to what are likely short-term struggles. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among ages 15 to 24...

"I wanna be Bobby's girl. I wanna be Bobby's girl. That's the most important thing to me." --as sung by Marcie Blane in 1962. I didn't have a real date until I was 20. My wife wasn't impressed by any of the boys who pursued her in high school. Our son, the junior, has so far abstained from joining the school "tonsil hockey" team...

When I hear about bees possibly going extinct, my first thought is about how much I would miss honey in all its flavors and tasty forms and in all of the wonderful recipes that require it. But bee extinction is a lot more serious than missing out on satisfying my sweet tooth. ...

Cliff and Allison Smith of Shelbyville announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Keely Smith, to Isaac Marion McGee of Shelbyville. The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Billy Richardson of Shelbyville and the late Bobbie Richardson, and Shirley Smith of Shelbyville. She is a graduate of Shelbyville Central High School and a May 2019 graduate of Motlow State Community College, where she had a soccer scholarship. She's employed by Middle Tennessee Pharmacy Services in Shelbyville...

Friends and Family FCE met Aug. 13 with six members present. President Bonnie Hill opened the meeting by reading the monthly cleaning task to clean out drawers and closets and donate any usable items to charity. The call to order, "Primary Answers," was read by Devetta Totty. ...

The Fairview FCE Club met Aug. 21 at the UT/TSU Extension Office in Shelbyville. President Pat Hastings opened the meeting and asked Ann Canady to read the call to order. The devotion was given by Mary Frances Gordon. Club Leader Marilyn Lewis presented an educational lesson on home maintenance. She provided a checklist of maintenance items to be inspected in all areas of the home and property, as well as the frequency of the evaluations...

Jenny Troupe announces the birth of a son, Billy Ryan Troupe, on Aug. 2. He is the grandson of Gary Sr. and Sue Troupe, Russell and Janet Bradford, and the great-grandson of Richard and Freda Oliver.

Kollyn Nicholas Evans and Victoria Evans of Shelbyville announce the birth of a daughter, Kaleigha Elizabeth-Ann Evans, July 21 in Tullahoma. She weighed 5 pounds, 10.2 ounces. Grandparents are Kimberly Evans, Kerry Evans, Amy Bradley and David Jackson. Surviving great-grandparents are Louise and Lanny Bradley of Shelbyville...

Sulphur Springs FCE Club met Aug. 20 at the home of Betty Davis. Guests were Debby Bynum of Shelbyville and Alicia Pugh of Toney, Alabama. Mary Ann Davis called the regular meeting to order. Betty Davis gave the Treasurer's Report. Sabrenia Heard gave the devotion and the sunshine report. Cecelia Dougan gave the leader presentation, "Going From Bad to Worse: Home Maintenance." Business was discussed, including membership dues and upcoming events...

Walmart Distribution Center donated $1,000 to Bedford County Emergency Management Agency in support of K9 officer Duke. Duke is a German Shepherd that was previously donated to EMA and is in ongoing training as a human scent tracking dog. The money donated by Walmart DC will be used to fund food, training, and medicines for Duke. Duke is seen here with his EMA handler Josh Taylor and Tom Allard of Walmart DC.

David Adcock and Adcock Seal Coating, Pressure Washing and Snow Services donated his time over the summer to repaint the lines of the Southside Elementary School parking lot, and several students are seen here showing off the new markings. The school also reports that Traders Bank funded this year’s Salamander Stroll.

Marshall county native John Moses was re-elected to a three-year term on the Duck River Electric Membership Corp. Board of Directors for Zone 5 (Marshall and Giles counties). Moses defeated challenger R.L. Williams by a margin of 128-49 in the election held Aug. 12-16 at the co-op's Lewisburg and Chapel Hill offices...

Middle Tennessee Association of Realtors past president Tad Craig, right, presents a campaign check to 62nd District State Rep. Pat Marsh, a Republican from Shelbyville. The Realtors say Marsh has been instrumental in introducing legislation on private property protections with zoning changes, water pollution concerns, and increasing certifications for electrical contractors for public safety. “The Realtors greatly appreciate the work Pat is doing on behalf of our industry and representing the needs of our area,” said Craig. “He’s always there to take a phone call and listen to issues that impact our business. He’s a great businessman himself, so he understands how important the real estate business is to a local economy and we thank him for his hard work.” Realtors stressed the importance of individual property rights.

SunCrest Home Health, 306 Bethany Lane, held a Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting on Wednesday to celebrate the relocation of its Shelbyville branch. Amy Jones And Norma Templeton held the ceremonial scissors; Chamber CEO Allen Pitner presented the first dollar of clear profit plaque.

Jacinta Gross, fourth from left, was named Employee of the Year by the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. Gross is a charge nurse on the third floor, working with bone marrow patients. She graduated with honors from Shelbyville Central High School in 2009 and with honors from Middle Tennessee State University in 2014. She is the daughter of Tracey Harris Nichols of Christiana and the granddaughter of Mattie Harris of Shelbyville. Second from left is TriStar Centennial president and CEO Scott Clark.

Daniel Tillman, a Shelbyville native working as an account executive for FedEx in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. area, has been awarded the Presidents Club Honors for 2019. This award recognizes performance and results and is given to only an elite few in the FedEx sales team. Tillman was also named “Rookie Of The Year.” He grew his territory by $1.4 million and had one of his region’s largest one rate close at 650 packages per day. His estimated attainment for the year was 155 percent of primary revenue attainment, and exceeded 150 percent in every quarter. He knocked on doors and worked with his district sales manager to grow his territory. Tillman is the son of Lin and Ronette Tillman.

On Sept. 5, the Bedford County FFA Chapter of Shelbyville Central High School competed in the 6th Annual Bedford County Land Judging Invitational Contest held in Shelbyville. The team placed first out of the nine teams competing. By winning the event, the team also won the District X championship for the Middle Tennessee FFA Region. Team member Allison McCarty was the 1st high scoring individual and Khloe Davis was the 2nd high scoring individual. Bedford County Soil Conservation District sponsored the meal for the event; Sam Davis provided the property for the event, and Bedford County FFA Alumni sponsored plaques. From left are Cali Mason, Khloe Davis, Dorothy Brandon and Allison McCarty.

Four Community High School students face marijuana charges after THC was found in vape pens Wednesday, according to a Bedford County Sheriff’s Office report. The vape pens were being sold for $40 by two of the students, School Resource Officer Tracey Harvey’s report said...

What are you concerned about within your county? I hope at least in some part it's local schools. Everyone's a stakeholder in the education process. I suggest reading "Budget 101-A Citizen's Guide to the Budget." As boring as that might seem, it's a free document from Bedford County Board of Education featuring a wealth of school data...

In celebration of homecoming, Cascade High School students and teachers dressed up Wednesday as “Rednecks” for a day. While the attire is not their usual choice of school clothing, the main point of this event was to garner school spirit. These guys received an “A” for their effort and for being such good sports. From left, Alex Allison, Brandon Overby, Elijah Smith, Jayden Burns, Michael Gentry and Cole Smith.

Kristopher Grant Frazier of Shelbyville was named to The University of Alabama President's List for summer 2019. A total of 477 students enrolled during the 2019 summer term at UA were named to the Dean's List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President's List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A's)...

NOTE: This is the second installment of three articles about Bedford County Board of Education's 2019-2024 Strategic Plan for Tennessee Department of Education. For 14 years, Glenn Forsee sat on the right side of the Bedford County Board of Education. Recently, fellow board members elected him to come front and center as chair -- a position he says he accepts with great enthusiasm...

Bedford County Retired Teachers met Wednesday at Urban Plantation for a luncheon meeting. Connie Gatlin of Cleveland, Tennessee, was the speaker. Gatlin is a retired drama teacher in Bradley County, a past education director of the Museum at 5ive Points and the current owner and director of the Cleveland City Ballet dance studio...