by Amanda E. West | Nov 12, 2026 | Shelbyville, Stories
Iron skillets were greased, mules were shod, and fiddles were tuned for the sixth annual American Mule & Bluegrass Festival, which kicked off Thursday, Sept. 24. Fourth graders explored pioneer skills such as blacksmithing, cast-iron cooking, beekeeping, animal...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 8, 2026 | Feature, Shelbyville
Shirley Capley gripped the bassinet and examined the tiny infant. Her entire body could fit in the palm of Capley’s hand. At only 1.5 pounds, this was the smallest baby she had helped Dr. Birch deliver. Capley’s stomach twisted in knots. Though the sickly-sweet smell...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 8, 2026 | Shelbyville, Stories
“You’ve been bad again,” his uncle said. Then he wadded up a few T-shirts and a pair of blue jeans and threw them into a black trash bag. His uncle slammed the door and locked the deadbolt. The boy gripped the icy cold doorknob with both hands, but no...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 8, 2026 | Shelbyville, Stories
Jimmy Simmons has spent nearly half a century helping Bedford County families achieve the American dream. Long before the growth, the subdivisions, and the new businesses, Simmons was selling the land on which they would one day be built. As a realtor, broker,...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 8, 2026 | Cover, Shelbyville
The raging fire popped and hissed as it devoured the first floor. Flames licked the windows along the second story. One by one, the windows shattered, sending shards of glass onto the rose bushes below. Neighbors stared in disbelief. The owners wept, swiping...
