BCP 9-4-24

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 2025 FIVE-YEAR AGENCY PLAN SHELBYVILLE HOUSING AUTHORITY Notice is hereby given to the residents of Shelbyville Housing Authority, the citizens of Shelbyville, and all persons interested, that the housing authority is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Section 511 of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 Final Rule to submit a Public Housing Agency Plan. The Five-Year Agency Plan provides details about the Housing Authority’s proposed development plans, administration and operational policy changes for 2025-2029. The Five-Year Capital Fund Action Plan lists the proposed capital improvement plans for 2025-2029. Prior to submission of the Five-Year Agency Plan to HUD, we are soliciting comments and suggestions. We will be conducting a Public Hearing on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. , at Shelbyville Housing Authority, 316 Templeton Street, Shelbyville, TN 37160, to discuss the proposed plans. All residents are invited to attend. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you may submit written comments regarding the Five-Year Agency Plan to Mr. Ronald Tillman, Executive Director, Shelbyville Housing Authority, 316 Templeton Street, Shelbyville, TN 37160. Written comments will be received through September 25, 2024. An Equal Opportunity and Fair Housing Employer Local Bedford County Post September 4, 2024 6A Ag Notes FARMERS MARKET I t’s still going on. There is still a good selection of vegetables. The volume is good. The baked goods are in good supply. The jams and jellies and canned goods are in good supply. There were eight vendors last week, with some coming back this week with new crops. The market is at the Farmers Market Pavilion next to the big blue water tower at the Celebration Grounds. The market is on Thursday afternoons at 2:30 pm, with no early sales. WOOLY APHIDS I got some calls about something that looks like a snow fl ake that was all over the trees, a truck, and the grass. One caller said this critter was kill- ing her trees. Actually, the white insect is a wooly aphid that does look like a snow fl ake. It can fl y and get on stu ff . It really like hackberry trees. It does not harm the trees, but it can make a huge mess of things. This aphid produced large amounts of honey- dew, and this sticky sub- stance can actually drip on tings below the tree. When I say sticky, it is a gooey mess! This honeydew will get on the tree trunk and limbs, and they turn black. This is not a dis- ease of the tree, but the growth of sooty mold on the honeydew. This stu ff will also be on the roads under the trees, and they can be slick in those ar- eas. I hate to say it, but there’s not much that can feasibly be done. It is di ffi cult at best to try to spray up into the trees. It might not be a good idea in some cases, but removal of host trees can reduce the incidence of these aphids. Personally, I’m going to have to take my old truck to the car wash and give it a good bath. DROUGHT DAMAGE Some other calls I have had concerns a con- dition in trees and shrubs referred to as dieback. I’m seeing more of this due the drought condi- tions of the last few years compounded by the ex- treme heat and what seems to be a constant breeze of hot, dry air. There are a lot of ma- ture trees and shrubs with some dead limbs in the top, and others are getting sparse in the foliage that these trees are budding out after a dry and hot year. This is a cumulative condition that seems to get worse as time goes on. In public areas with a lot of concrete and/or paving, this is showing up more so each year. The increasing amounts of hard surfaces will pre- vent rainfall from pen- etrating the landscape to e ff ectively water these large plants. And the heat that is re fl ecting up from these surfaces is helping to ‘cook’ the plants as well. How much water does a larger plant need? The equivalent of a one- inch rainfall in a 10 feet- by-10 feet square is 62.5 gallons. That is 12.5 fi ve- gallon buckets full. So, a trickle of 2-3 minutes from a garden hose is usually not su ffi cient. These conditions can call for plant removal, irrigation, selecting a more suitable planting, reducing compaction of surrounding areas, or a combination of part of all of the above. Amore moderate heat pattern and more rain would help, but there is no guarantee that these conditions will change. DROUGHT QUESTIONS I have also been asked by farmers about any USDA drought disaster assistance. To date there have been three coun- ties west of us that actu- ally were worse than we were in terms of drought conditions. I know that is hard to accept, since our corn and soybean crops are the worst in years, and our hay and pastures are literally damaged worse than the dry con- ditions from last year. As for Bedford Coun- ty, there has been no word, but the farmer committees that report to USDA and the Ten- nessee Department of Agriculture have been expressing concern. And folks, keep in mind these USDA personnel live in the area with us, so they are very aware of the conditions we have expe- rienced. For these federal programs to be available, there are certain criteria that have to be met, and they are gathering this data to submit to the de- partment. By John Teague UT/TSU Extension Celebration By Mark McGee MY TAKE T he Tennessee Walk- ing Horse National Celebration is the longest running sports event in the State of Tennessee. Some are wonder- ing about the prospects of whether or not the 87 th edition of the 11-day show will be held next year. Some events during this year’s show have some people wonder- ing about the future. The United States De- partment of Agriculture has issued new stan- dards which essentially eliminate padded shoes, chains and any other ac- tion devices from use in the show ring. The Tennessee Walk- ing Horse industry, act- ing on the advice of sev- eral experts, has decided court is the only way to fi ght the implementa- tion of these new pro- posed regulations. The outcome of those two lawsuits could determine whether or not there is a show season, much less a Celebration, in 2025. The USDA made its presence known in a big way at this year’s Cel- ebration. Some think it was in part in retaliation for the lawsuits. There were a number of tickets written up for violations during pre- class inspections. But the fi rst three ribbon winners in each class underwent post-class inspection and tickets were written on several of those horses. Two of the biggest shots across the bow oc- curred in the fi nal classes on Friday and Saturday night. In Friday night’s Four-Year-Old World Grand Championship Stake only one horse made it into the show- ring out of eight entries. R.M. Kellett and My Ad- diction went through the paces of the class along and won the world title for Mr. and Mrs. Howard Eastridge from Colum- bia, Kentucky. That situation was a warning for the pros- pects of the World Grand Championship class, the fi nale of the show. Ten horses were listed in the program. Three de- cided not to go through the inspection process. One trainer was double entered. Two, including Justi fi ed Honors and John Allan Callaway, three-time World Grand Champions in “the big stake”, were found in violation and prevented from showing. Four horses made it to “The Big Oval” with Cavender and Tim Smith riding under the spotlight for Robin and Bruce MacDonald from Shelbyville. Cavender and Knox Blackburn had been crowned Three- Year-Old World Grand Champion in 2022 and Four-Year-Old World Grand Champion in 2023. Much has been said about the resiliency of those on the walking horse industry. They have weathered many storms through the years and have rebounded. But even some of the staunchest supporters of the breed admit pri- vately there were mo- ments during this year’s show where they allowed themselves to wonder if this would be the last. Many of you reading this might be moved to say, “So what, I don’t own a horse”. But you do have children who participate on sports. You have chil- dren who play in the band. You are associated with a non-pro fi t that re- ceives a nice check from the Shelbyville Optimist Club each year from doughnut sales. You are merchant who makes extra sales during The Celebration. You own a food estab- lishment that bene fi ts from full tables. The eco- nomic ripple e ff ect is huge. We all better hope and pray there is a Cel- ebration next year and the year after that and so on. Whether you like it or not it bene fi ts this county in so many ways. Let them walk on! TRAINING SCHOOL HONORED On Thursday night before kickoff against Marshall County, Shelbyville Central recognized several members of the Bedford CountyTraining School.The training school played onThursday nights and posted a national 52-straight shutout wins, spanning from 1943-1950. –Post Photo by Chris Siers Toy drive a major success Shelbyville Police Department Detective Carol Jean and the department were overwhelmed at the response to the first ever Mandy Jean Memorial Toy Drive. All items donated will be presented to Junior’s House Child Advocacy Center which provides a place for victims of abuse. –Submitted Photo