News - Friday, January 17, 2014

Each year, the Tennessee Bar Foundation honors legal professionals who have distinguished themselves in the profession by electing them to become “Fellows” of the Bar. On Friday, Jan. 17, Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell and local attorneys Joe White, Cynthia Hall, and Rheubin Taylor will be inducted during a Fellows Dinner in Nashville.

The Chattanooga Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Second Life of Chattanooga and Richmont Graduate University on Friday, Jan. 10 presented the 3rd annual “Unite: Wear White” event. The event was held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo’s Imperial Ballroom. The keynote speaker was Ed Stanton, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee.

When I was in undergraduate school, I often had my clothes washed at a little place just off campus. They charged by the pound, and they hung your clothes on hangers. You could bring your own hangers if you wanted, or they would sell you hangers for five cents apiece. Five cents doesn’t sound like much these days, but for a poor college student who often deprived themselves of proper food in order to save money for quarter beer night, the nickels could add up fast.

Have you been to Shaykamaxum? Chances are, no matter how extensively you’ve traveled across the United States of America, you’ve never seen signs for Shaykamaxum. You’ve never encountered a Shaykamaxum police force, you’ve never seen border crossings identifying its boundaries, and you’ve never paid a tax to Shaykamaxum. This is because “Shaykamaxum” doesn’t exist, at least as an actual place.

Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga will perform its 2014 season opener, “The Color Purple,” Jan. 16 through 26. Showtimes are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Performances will take place in their theatre space at the Eastgate Town Center, located at 5600 Brainerd Road.

Ninety-two of Tennessee’s 95 counties have implemented Tennessee SAVIN (Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification). The remaining counties of Hancock, Hardin, and Van Buren are scheduled to be online in less than a year. “Protecting the citizens of Hamilton County was always one of our highest priorities,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Hammond.

The New Year’s resolution to be healthy often comes with the realization that we must change our lifestyle, for our own sake and for loved ones. Each year, millions of people make this resolution, but quickly revert to old habits as they struggle to balance responsibilities of everyday life. Without first receiving a diagnosis, not many comprehend the serious issues associated with a sedentary lifestyle, from depression to diabetes to cancer itself.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) this month launched the Yellow DOT Program, which is designed to assist first responders in identifying vital medical information for senior drivers. The program features yellow stickers placed in the bottom left side of the rear window of vehicles and yellow envelopes containing a photo, medical history, and prescription drug information for glove compartments.

I don’t usually read Parenting Magazine – for obvious reasons…my children are adults. I still parent, but not the basics.

I recently ran across a blog where a young mother had posted “25 Must-Know Manners for Raising Your Children,” an article she’d found in Parenting Magazine. She’d been a blogger for a while with very few followers; however, after posting these manners, her blog exploded.

When I purchased my iPhone 5, it came with an application called Siri, an intelligent personal assistant that lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, and more. Its pleasant female voice reminded me of my wife’s, as did its response to directions: it would often misinterpret what I said and do its own thing, or ignore me altogether. I was amazed at how lifelike the application was.

Harlem Globetrotters star Buckets Blakes brought the “ABCs of Bullying Prevention” program to Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts on Friday, Jan. 10. The program focuses on Action, Bravery, and Compassion. It was designed in coordination with the National Campaign to Stop Violence and covers three key ways kids can reduce bullying among their community. Buckets used the team’s signature ball handling skills and humor during a well-balanced program that informed and entertained. Over 400 kids attended. The Globetrotters were in town to bring their “2014 Fans Rule World Tour” to UTC McKenzie Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

I began going through some of mom’s old papers recently, a task I had shirked for some 20 months after her passing. With box of tissues near by I soon found myself feeling thankful for something she was known for, a character trait I use to criticize, and one, truth be told, I also inherited. Mom just didn’t like to throw anything away. 

Every year around Super Bowl time, I start searching the TV, Internet, cookbooks, newspapers – anything I can put my hands on to find new or interesting recipes for your upcoming Super Bowl Party.

There are so many recipes, it’s mind-boggling, so I tried to find some I know are tasty – tried and true winners that will also feed a crowd. That in itself was not a quick deal!

Broker Vicki Trapp fought back tears as her long-time friend and colleague, Elgin Smith, swore her in as the 2014 president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors (Association.) The tears won, but someone came to the rescue with a tissue. As Trapp wiped her eyes, Smith urged her to serve diligently in the year to come.

After brainstorming new ways to give back to the community in 2014, local general contractor Collier Construction has developed a service program called Collier Cares. Through this initiative, the company will dedicate a minimum of one day per month to volunteering in the Chattanooga area.

Futurist, communicator, and popular figure for science, Dr. Michio Kaku will visit Chattanooga State Community College on Thursday, Jan. 23 with a unique presentation titled, “The Future of the Mind and Beyond.” This event is free and open to the public. Captioning will be provided for guests with hearing loss.

Outdoor Chattanooga will add outdoor themed films and visual presentations to its annual Winter Workshop series, which will run for seven weeks beginning Friday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m., at their Coolidge Park facility. The series will begin with a showing of “Wild Bill’s Run,” a feature film that chronicles the real life adventure of a group of Minnesota men who attempted to snowmobile from Minnesota to Moscow in the 1970’s.

I think you always need to start a new year off by learning something new. Here is a trivia puzzle on words – words that are so seldom used, you’ll wonder who invented them and why. Have fun!

1. The practice of writing on one side of the paper is called: Adoxography; anopisthography; bombilate; prosopography.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” 

“Got it.”

So read an Aug. 13, 2013 email exchange between a couple of New Jersey pols. Why Fort Lee?

Earlier efforts to pluck Democratic endorsements in the Garden State for Gov. Chris Christie’s reelection campaign had failed as to Fort Lee’s mayor, Mark Sokolich. Moreover, the day before, the Democratic state senator who represents Fort Lee had effectively blocked Christie’s reappointment of a Republican state supreme court justice. On Aug. 12, Christie referred to Jersey’s Democratic state senators as “animals.”

Saturday, January 17

Number One, the W&A passenger train leaving Chattanooga early this evening, was stopped and passengers robbed of jewels and money by masked bandits at Vinings, Ga., 10 miles this side of Atlanta. They left the train after engaging in a pistol battle, leaving the passengers in a panic.

Saturday, January 18

The campaign for funds to construct the new Notre Dame High School has gone over the top with respect to its minimum goal of $900,000, the Rev. Francis P. Pack announced.

The law firm of Miller, Martin, Hitching, Tipton, and Lenihan has announced that Howard I. Levine has become associated with the firm. His father, Jacob L. Levine, has been a practicing attorney in Chattanooga for over 50 years.