Penalties Sports Bar & Grill, 1731 North Main, serves up a variety of menu items from Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders to Deep Fried Oreos. A big focus each December at Penalties is making sure children have toys for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... more

As the cold front moved into our area Wednesday night we had wind gusting to 40 miles per hour along with the rain and then the Arctic air came pouring in for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We get a warming trend for the weekend with temperatures climbing into the mid-40s Saturday afternoon and near 50 on Sunday and I expect off and on sunshine for your weekend. ... more

JULIA CLAIBORNE JOHNSON more

Three Bedford County students achieved the dean's list at Belmont University in Nashville for the fall 2020 semester. They are: India Bailey, Nina Cobb and Sydnee Edwards, all of Shelbyville. Chance Swanson of Rockvale was also included. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours and a GPA of 3.5, with no grade below a ‘C.’ Approximately 55 percent of Belmont's students this semester qualified... more

(Editor’s note: Although this legislation stands precariously in the shadow of a threatened presidential veto we think it is still relevant as many of the provisions may stay the same if it is rewritten.) Congressional leaders have hashed out a massive, year-end catchall bill that combines $900 billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill and reams of other unfinished legislation on taxes, energy, education and health care. ... more

In this year of COVID, outdoor scenes around Bedford County offer a promise. The sunrise on Dec. 19 and a sunset behind a statue in the Bell Buckle cemetery seem to offer hope for better days to come in 2021. more

The explosion in downtown Nashville early today made an impact on Bedford County's emergency communications systems. Bedford County's 9-1-1 number is unavailable until further notice because of damage to AT&T's facilities. Call 931-735-6918 for any emergency in Bedford County. That alternate number will reach the county's 9-1-1 communications center,... more

A Shelbyville man allegedly fought police officers who were watching his movement around a Madison Street car wash around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Jason Graham Barber, 30, of Hawkins Drive ran away as officers attempted to search him, Officer Darrian Lanier’s report said. At one point Lanier, Barber and Sgt. Tory Moore were on the ground. Barber was slightly injured, police said, and was treated at Tennova Healthcare-Shelbyville... more

Shelbyville-Bedford County Public Library will be returning to curbside-only services through mid-January due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Bedford County and in light of Gov. Bill Lee’s recent address. Computer use will be available by appointment only with a 1-hour time limit per day and a limit of 4 patrons in the computer lab at a time. ... more

Each year during the holiday season, a donor, who does not choose to be publicly identified, gives cash donations to a number of Shelbyville and Bedford County emergency services and animal-related not-for-profits. Accepting some of this year’s checks are, from left, Chief Mark Thomas of Bedford County Fire Department; Administration Chief Terry Vinson of Shelbyville Fire Department; Shelbyville Police Chief Jan Phillips; Maria Hughes of Bedford County Animal Control; Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing; and Kimberly Warren of Middle Tennessee Spay & Neuter Clinic. more

The number of new cases of COVID-19 reported in Bedford County in the seven days from Dec. 16 through Dec. 22 fell by 109 from the previous week but what may seem at first to be a sign of improvement is quashed because the number of tests conducted was down by 319. The positivity rate (the percentage of tests that came back positive) was nearly the same: 30.3 percent for Dec. 9 through Dec. 15, and 29.5 percent for Dec. 16 through Dec. 22... more

EMS Director Ted Cox was the first person in Bedford County to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Monday. Administering the shot was Bedford County Health Department nurse Mary Prince. Front line workers, including EMS, police and firefighters, are first in line for the 200 doses the county has received. Before giving the vaccine, Prince asked Cox four questions. “Have you ever had a severe reaction to any injectable medication or vaccine? Are you sick today? Have you had antibody therapy for COVID-19 in the past three months?” And, with a laugh she asked, “Your are not pregnant, right.” Cox will have to return around Jan. 28 for the second shot. For more information on the state’s vaccine program go the the health department’s online Vaccine Dashboard at www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov/covid-19-vaccine-information.html more

In the days leading up to Christmas, the number of active cases of COVID-19 in Bedford County is rising quickly. From Dec. 13 through Dec. 23, the daily average number of cases was 578. In the previous 11 days (Dec. 2 through Dec. 12) the daily average number of cases was 355. The percentage increase, from the period Dec. 2 through Dec. 12 to Dec. 13 through Dec. 23 was 62.8 percent... more

State Rep. Pat Marsh (R-Shelbyville) has been elected by his peers to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore for the 112th Tennessee General Assembly. As Speaker Pro Tempore, Marsh will conduct all duties and responsibilities in the absence of Tennessee Speaker of the House, Cameron Sexton. This includes presiding over the legislative chamber during session... more

At their final meeting last week, the officials who supervised Bedford County’s transition into a new justice complex said it is hard to imagine how the county would have made it through the COVID-19 pandemic at the overcrowded old jail and courthouse... more

We’ve been around over a hundred years, but there are a lot of folks who do not know what and who Extension is. Let us introduce, or reintroduce, ourselves. We have our beginning back in 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln and the Congress saw the value in establishing a system referred to as the land-grant colleges. ... more

A suspect listed as William Joseph White in the Bedford County Jail intake and later identified as Josh White was arrested after allegedly trying to elude Shelbyville police early Saturday. White, 39, of Pittsfield, New Hampshire, showed up on the front porch of an Earnhart Street home shortly after 4 a.m. ... more

Santa and his helpers visited Bell Buckle Saturday, offering kids of all ages a sleigh ride around town. more

A man accused of approaching a Shelbyville police officer with a drawn knife was charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer Sunday. Zackary James Schultze, 19, of Industrial Parkway allegedly threatened two other people at the residence before holding the knife within 5 to 6 feet of Officer Michael Taylor. Schultze was convinced to drop the knife by Taylor... more

During Tennessee Agricultural Literacy Week, the Cascade FFA Chapter participated with the help of the Shelbyville Farm Bureau. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation “This outreach is more important than ever because the average American is now at least three generations removed from the farm. In fact, farm and ranch families make up less than 2 percent of the U.S. population.”... more