by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Cover, Shelbyville
Medina Stackpole fluffed her pillow, then jammed it between her aching back and the headboard. She patted the empty spot on the mattress and whispered, “We miss you, Rick.” The words of her eldest son, Ricky, echoed in her mind: “When I grow up, I’m going to serve my...
by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature, Shelbyville
“Cooking With a Veteran” began with hunger — an ache that Dave Rogers knew too well. Before he enlisted in the U.S. Army and for a short time after his honorable discharge, Rogers faced homelessness. This permanent mark, left by Rogers’ temporary situation, stirred...
by Amanda E. West | Jul 10, 2025 | Feature, Shelbyville
“Mrs. Heather, please don’t cry Because toys you didn’t have to buy Sometimes the shelves get kind of bare But because of love for Mandy and children, people did share Stuffed animals, blankets, cars, and Play-Doh With such good choices, children’s eyes will surely...
by Amanda E. West | Jun 12, 2025 | Feature, Shelbyville
THE SUN dips behind the Shelbyville Recreation Center, casting shadows across the baseball field, dotted with soccer players at H.V. Griffin Park. Marc Betzelberger leans forward, elbows on his knees, as his youngest son, Jonathan, kicks the ball with relentless...
by Amanda E. West | Jun 12, 2025 | Feature, Shelbyville
LYNDA JOHNSON settled into the wheelchair as the nurse swaddled 4-month-old Natasha before placing her in Lynda’s outstretched arms. Although Lynda and her husband, Alfred, already had four children, Natasha was the first — and last — they brought home from the...
