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News - Friday, January 21, 2011

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Heavy winter weather shuts down courts, law offices
Law offices and the courts were among the many operations that shut down when Old Man Winter dumped several inches of snow on Chattanooga on January 10. Although the snow days forced many lawyers to juggle appointments and deadlines, many were able to work from home.

County Clerk Bill Knowles reflects on 36 years of service
Hamilton County Court Clerk Bill Knowles has a lot of stories to tell from his 36 years of service, and his old-fashioned charm makes it easy to forget everything else and get wrapped up in the tales, especially the humorous ones.
“Sometimes, we need a person to verify the VIN of their vehicle, so we’ll ask for a pencil tracing of the number. I was told of a case in which we asked a gentleman to provide a pencil tracing of his car’s VIN, and he came back with a sketch of the vehicle,” Knowles says, a huge grin crossing his face.

50 years ago...
What was happening in Chattanooga in 1960
Sunday, January 22
John H. Reddy took the oath of office Saturday afternoon as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee and immediately assumed the duties of the office. Judge Darr administered the oath. Reddy fills the vacancy caused by the resignation of John C. Crawford.

Sticking to a New Year’s resolution: Part two
No one begins a journey expecting to stop and turn around before reaching their destination, and no one makes a New Year’s resolution hoping to fail.
But the kind of obstacles people who want to quit smoking, save money, or make better use of their time face can be daunting and require more willpower than a person might have.

Under Analysis
SPITting for the New Year
Uneaten boxes of cookies and candies litter the Levison Towers tiny break room. Seems too many of the denizens here have taken a resolution to diet. Come February 6 or so, expect to see attorneys and staff milling through on late night binges, eating anything in sight. Stale cookies and candy will look like manna from heaven at that point.

Read all about it...
It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it
During the last snow adventure, I spent my time in the city of Atlanta, Ga., where snow or ice removal is not even considered a part of an item on their metro budget. The only thing they seek to put more salt on is their specialty dishes at some very good eating places, but putting salt on their city streets is an art form not yet developed in that part of the South.

Southern Style
Where do we go from here?
I remember it as if it was yesterday. The doctor had told my Mom that she might have breast cancer. I wasn’t much more than eight years old and hardly understood what it meant.
All I know is that it worried her and she was extremely sad. I was sitting on the bed next to her. She had been crying and I went in trying to console her and make her?smile. I do remember that she did stop long enough to smile at me and tell me that she loved me.

Case Digests: Tennesse Court of Appeals Syllabus
Teresa J. Allen v. Randy C. Allen
Henry County – In this divorce case, Plaintiff and her counsel failed to appear in court on the scheduled date of trial. The trial court held the hearing ex parte in their absence. Plaintiff hired new counsel and filed a “Motion to Set Aside Judgment,” which we discern to be a motion pursuant to Tenn. R. Civ. P. 59. The trial court held a hearing on the motion; however, Plaintiff failed to offer any evidence explaining her failure to appear on the scheduled trial date. The trial court denied Plaintiff’s motion. After reviewing the record, we affirm.

Are we there yet?
Tee times
I was sitting in the golf cart on a mild winter day observing my son Matt as he tried to hit the ball onto a green some 170 yards away. For someone frustrated by the game as infrequently as Matt is, he really has a smooth swing. When I told him so he laughed and said a lot of people tell him that. “You just never got the bug did you?” I asked him, already knowing the answer. “Nope,” he said. “Well, you should probably be thankful for that,” I suggested.

Use puns, name change, win books
Words are the toys of a civilized world. Playing with them often results in good will and better friendships.
Consider, for instance, the pun, a tool no lawyer, or other problem-solver, should ever be without.
Negative reputation to the contrary notwithstanding, the use of puns is considered clever.

River City Roundabout
We have a dream
Within the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, there is a museum that few people know about, but everyone should visit. It contains a large chunk of Chattanooga’s history that books can’t fully impress and of times when individuals went to amazing lengths to achieve their goals.

The Bookworm
“Surviving the Coming Tax Disaster”
There are, as they say, two things you can’t escape: death and taxes.
You try to avoid both as much as possible. The former is so distressing, so intimidating. It’s the ‘Great Unknown,’ a hidden surprise that could be painfully unpleasant, and that’s just frightening.

Southeast chapter of Tennessee Paralegal Association gears up for new year
The Tennessee Paralegal Association began with four Chattanooga paralegals who wanted to promote their profession, share information and advice through networking, encourage greater utilization of paralegals and to increase public awareness of the profession. Today, the Southeast Chapter of the TPA is the largest chapter in the state, and it uses monthly lunch meetings at the United Way to bring networking opportunities, CLE credit and information about the profession to paralegals and interested citizens alike.

Boyingtons’ Thinking Media extends its reach even farther with ACT
Hiring a new employee always seems to be a bit of a gamble. Will they fit in? Do they have the skills the company needs? Will they even enjoy the work the company does?
Taking away a little bit of this uncertainty is KeyTrain, a nationally used product developed by Chattanooga’s own Thinking Media, founded by Sheila and Dane Boyington.

Buyers, sellers find more when they work with Moore
“Get Moore When You Move!” is Linda Moore’s slogan, but it really is just the tip of the iceberg in explaining what an amazing ally you get when you choose to buy or sell with this local Realtor.
Moore is quick to volunteer where you may have heard her name before, and proudly identifies herself as the wife of Wes Moore, the women’s basketball coach at UTC. She and her husband have been Chattanooga residents since 1998, which is a compliment for Chattanooga since this is the longest they have lived anywhere, she says. Even with the tempting job offers Wes has had, both of the Moores’ hearts are firmly planted in Chattanooga, and they love living here, she says.

Attorney urges considering estate planning issues in advance
Attorney Norman Sabin says Realtors have two good reasons to get in touch with an estate planning attorney. One is related to their service to their clients; the other has to do with the legacy they want to leave behind for their family.
“Realtors should be aware of certain things related to property transfers. The more information and assistance they can provide their client, the more satisfied their client will be,” Sabin says.

Real Estate Facts
Don’t give it away
While indicators show that housing is making a comeback, the glut of negative reporting is still making people skittish about buying a home. This has created a hot rental market, with few places available to lease and rising rent rates. Consider some reasons why it’s always better to own than to rent.

Kay's Cooking Corner
Award winning Super Bowl chili
I just received an email – and this is one that some of you are just gonna love! It says, “Corn Dog lovers across the country rejoice! MorningStar Farms Veggie Corn Dogs and Mini Veggie Corn Dogs are back and available in supermarkets nationwide beginning this month.” Okay, I was just kidding.

The Critic's Corner
“Season of the Witch”
Ah, January. The annual dumping ground for awful movies. Many of the releases that hit theaters during the month have been delayed for years as the studios responsible for their creation tried to figure out what to do with a product so bad, it would be an embarrassment to any person or company associated with it. Such was the case with the leader in this year’s procession of putridity, “Season of the Witch,” a movie so goofy and amateurish, all I could do was marvel at how it could have ever been made.

Coach's Corner
Controlling your income
Being able to control the income is really where agents get into trouble. Too many agents’ pay comes irregularly. A Champion Agent’s income comes consistently. It enables them to control it better, save more, and invest more to create wealth. It is not what you make, it’s what you keep. I have met too many agents who make $300,000, $500,000, even a million dollars a year and are broke.

Handy at Home
Thermostat issues among common energy-wasters
Q: We received our heating bill (gas) today in the amount of $266.74. We keep our thermostat set on 70 degrees during the winter and turn it down to 60 degrees at night. When we leave for any period of time during the day, my husband turns it down to 60 degrees.