News - Friday, January 29, 2016

Scott McNabb, vice president of sales for Oracle, wants Realtors to perceive a frightening reality: the buyer is in control. Even more alarming, not engaging the buyer on his or her terms can result in what McNabb calls “brand Armageddon.”

Spicer Rudstrom attorney Robert J. Uhorchuk has joined the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLMA). The CLMA is a nonpartisan alliance comprised of thousands of insurance companies, corporations, corporate counsel, risk managers, claims professionals, and attorneys.

Hamilton County Chancellor Pam Fleenor swears in long-time Chattanooga attorney Flossie Weill as interim judge of Lookout Mountain Municipal Court.

Weill will serve the rest of the current term, which ends in August. She steps in for the late John M. Higgason, who died Jan 21, 2016 after a 35-year-struggle with kidney disease. 

Attorney Nicole Osborne has joined the law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. Osborne, an attorney and government affairs professional, will assist clients with government relations and public policy matters.

Osborne brings nearly ten years of experience to the firm, and will assist Chambliss clients with various strategic governmental, economic, and public policy matters, including legislative counsel, risk management, economic development incentives, PAC formation, coalition building, state and local representation, and relationship development. She has served numerous industries, including manufacturing, energy, environmental, municipal and government, and nonprofit.

Attorney Mary C. DeCamp is now a Member (or Partner) of Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan.

DeCamp focuses primarily on civil litigation in employment law, education law (including special education), construction law, and general insurance defense. DeCamp has represented school districts, school boards, governmental entities, corporations, small businesses, and individuals in a variety of litigated matters. Some of these include matters arising out of allegations of employment discrimination, general negligence, breach of contract, premises liability, intentional torts, employer liability, violations of the ADA, Section 504, and the IDEA, among others.

Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston has seated an external citizen committee to oversee inventory and review of recently discovered unprocessed evidence that has been stored in the Medical Examiner’s Office for up to

“Be prepared” is the Scout motto, and it’s also pretty good advice for anyone seeking to guard against various disasters – including financial ones.

Here are some events that can have serious financial consequences, along with suggestions on preparing yourself:

Nine or ten years ago, in a court I know well, something along the following lines was said between a judge and a somewhat aggrieved defendant in traffic court:

Defendant: Judge, the police in this city have harassed me and my family for three years. They stop us three-four times a month, just to check our driver’s licenses. They know about the suspensions from Florida and Georgia. And that this state’s bureaucrats will not issue a license to us.

Churchill Mortgage started the New Year by adding licensed loan partner Austin Heithcock to its Chattanooga branch.

The lender provides conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA residential mortgages across 34 states.

Heithcock grew up Franklin, Tenn., earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance at Middle Tennessee State University, and then worked as the director of operations at Chattanooga-based Bellhops for two years before joining Churchill to take advantage of the growth in the local real estate market. “Homes are increasing in value and more and more people are moving to the underdeveloped areas of the city,” he says. “I’ll be learning more every day and helping people any way I can.”

Realtor Magazine recently included a special supplement that outlined reasons obtaining a loan might be easier in 2016 compared to recent years. This news is welcomed by buyers who are anxious to enter the market but uneasy about navigating the lending waters.

The mortgage interest deduction, which is sometimes called the MID, has been a cornerstone of American housing policy since the inception of the tax code more than 100 years ago.

It supports the aspirations of families at all income levels to become home owners, and Americans overwhelmingly oppose any action by Congress to tamper with the deduction.

Jack has a problem: He can’t die. As hard as other people try to put him six feet under, no method of murder is effective. Being shot point blank in the head, a shotgun blast to the gut, and being tossed into a river to drown all fail. No one attempts to chop him up with an ax, but knowing what I do about Jack after watching “He Never Died,” I don’t think he’d let anyone try –  as much as he’d love to breathe his last.

Atlanta-based property owner and management group The Simpson Organization has purchased historic Warehouse Row, a revitalized mixed-use property in downtown Chattanooga.

The Simpson Organization entered the Chattanooga market in 2007 with the purchase of the SunTrust Building at 736 Market St. just months after Atlanta-based real estate investment and management company Jamestown began a $20 million transformation of the century old Warehouse Row buildings at 1110 Market St.

The United States Bicycle Route System plans to build over 50,000 miles of bicycle routes across all 50 states in an effort to connect America and create new opportunities for cross-country travel, regional bicycle touring, and commuting by bicycle.

The restaurant FIVE has presented the Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults with a $1,000 check after a month-long campaign to support the local nonprofit.

During the month of December, FIVE and the Partnership teamed up to raise money for Chattanooga residents in need of a variety of social service programs.

The Lookout Wild Film Festival (LWFF) will debut over 60 outdoor adventure films Friday, Jan. 29 through Sunday, Jan. 31 at the Memorial Auditorium Community Theater.

An opening night party at The Camp House will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. The LWFF will offer free yoga sessions plus meditation films on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of HullaBOWLoo, Chattanooga Area Food Bank (CAFB)’s primary fundraising event, the CAFB event planning committee will host Charit-a-BOWL, an open gallery exhibition of handcrafted artwork on Friday, Feb. 5 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga WorkSpace Gallery, located at 302 W. 6th St.

Construction crews and technicians are edging closer to wrapping up the $1.2 million upgrades to the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater. Testing on the new IMAX with Laser projection system and state-of-the-art audio array began shortly after the new six-story screen was raised last Friday.

Saturday, Jan. 29

Frank Baisden, widely-known artist, former resident, and one of the founders of the Chattanooga Art Association, has agreed to come here for two months to assist in mounting the April and May exhibits at Hunter Art Gallery. Russell Thornton, gallery director for 13 years, has submitted his resignation effective Feb. 1, at which time the gallery will be closed for renovation and redecoration. Baisden was head of the art department at the University of Chattanooga for 16 years.

Saturday, Jan. 29, 1916

Miss Dorothy Hill of Hillsdale, Ga., is the guest of Mr. and Mrs. J.S. McLearen, and was the honoree of a dance given by her hosts.

Famous Sewanee athlete “Chigger” Brown has been secured by Prof. Baylor and Alex Guerry for Baylor School. He will handle all teams and gymnasium work. Brown was a member of the championship team of 1909 with Aubrey Lanier, Sike Williams, and Ed Finlay.

February is a month of fun! Other than being the “sweetest” month of the year, Super Bowl month, and sporting the famed groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, February holds many other surprises.

Pennsylvania’s official celebration of Groundhog Day began on Feb. 2, 1886 with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper’s editor, Clymer Freas: “Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press, the beast has not seen its shadow.” The groundhog was given the name “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary’’ and his hometown thus called the “Weather Capital of the World.’’ His debut performance: no shadow – early spring.

This is part one of a story about my high school, Catholic High, as my friend Jack Wingfield (a fictitious name for a real person) told it to me. Other names have been changed as well.

OK, if you must hear it again. It began on a Thursday, at least for most of us anyway. That was the day when Father Tribou came on the intercom during, what was for me, Latin II with Father Galvin; we were going over verbs. 

Seems as if everyone I know or that I follow on blogs right now wants a farmhouse style table. They are great because they can easily be adapted into any décor. You do not necessarily have to have a farmhouse scheme to be able to incorporate this style of table into your décor.