News - Friday, January 22, 2016

Nearly 50 first responders took advantage of Saturday’s Wills for Heroes program, which provided free wills and other estate planning documents to emergency personnel employed within Hamilton County.

The annual event was held at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, and was sponsored by the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (TBA-YLD) and the national Wills for Heroes Foundation. Roughly 30 attorneys from Chambliss and other local firms volunteered to provide estate planning services to local heroes.

“How many of you think real estate has changed in the last year?” Susan Barnette, president of the Women’s Council of Realtors (WCR), asked Wednesday, Jan. 6 during the WCR’s first luncheon meeting of 2016, held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel.

One year ago, Prudential RealtyCenter.com began operating as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Center.

To mark the first anniversary of the partnership, the company’s Hixson office held a celebratory party for agents and their families.

You invest so that you can achieve a variety of goals, such as a secure retirement. It’s inevitable, though, that you will incur some costs when investing, ranging from payments to a financial professional to costs of educational materials. So it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with these expenses.

The Chattanooga Hamilton Place Rotary Club has a program that places new books into four local elementary schools.

Members of the club donate money for the books, and the club then purchases the books, which the speakers of the weekly meetings sign. The books are then taken to the schools and added to their libraries.

If you’ve been wavering about whether or not to purchase a home of your own, 2016 might be the year to take the plunge. If your New Year’s resolution is to become a homeowner, this is a great year to buy. With home inventories increasing and a good job market and financial conditions, 2016 is shaping up to be an excellent year to get into your dream home.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga (HBAGC) installed its 2016 leadership during a lunch meeting Tuesday, Jan 12. Home Builders Aåçssociation State of Tennessee President Jeff Burkhart, owner of Jeff Burkhart Construction in Clarksville, Tenn., did the honors.

Builders and remodelers should expect a rise in demand for home health technology as more and more baby boomers retire.  

According to AARP, the majority of adult children (88 percent) and older adults (75 percent) spend time thinking about aging, and what that may mean for the family. However, 75 percent of adult children and 69 percent of aging parents are specifically concerned about their ability to live independently as they get older.  

A slice of the world’s “most wired city” has come to Chattanooga thanks to Creative Discovery Museum’s temporary exhibit, “Heart and Seoul: Growing Up in Korea.” Open through Sunday, May 15, the exhibit explores the heart and soul of Korean culture.

Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and the mayors of the Hamilton County Small Cities Coalition are going to work together to increase the amount of sales tax the State of Tennessee returns to cities and counties.

“I have initiated conversations on the state shared sales tax issue,” said Coppinger. “Hamilton County is better served when we all work together. These mayors represent cities of Hamilton County, and their constituents are my constituents.”

Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Mueller finished his initial visit to the United States in his new role by touring the company’s Chattanooga factory and addressing the employees.

Mueller discussed a variety of topics – from the challenge the company faces with the diesel issue, to the successful launch of the updated Chattanooga-built Passat.

If there’s a film that is the antithesis of a tearjerker, it is “The Revenant,” a semi-biographical Western set in 1823 Montana and South Dakota. Directed by Alejandro Iñárritu (“Birdman”), the movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as fur trapper Hugh Glass.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is holding another contest to see who can come up with the best safety message for the dynamic message signs on the interstates.

The contest gives Tennessee motorists an opportunity to be a part of TDOT’s mission to save lives. Last year’s winning entry was, “Texting and driving / Oh cell no!” Other popular messages included, “Eyes on the road and head out of your apps” and “Buckle up y’all. It’s the law.”

Long term exposure to radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. In observance of National Radon Action Month, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department is offering free home test kits to area residents and reaching out to let people know what they can do to reduce their exposure.

This column should be running in late January. Ten years ago, Susan and I flew out to Park City, Utah, for our first (and probably only) Sundance Film Festival. Where “Wordplay,” the award-winning documentary about the crossword puzzle industry, had its world premiere on Jan. 21, 2006. 

The Chattanooga Marathon Planning Committee (CMPC) last week announced two community partnerships for the inaugural 2016 Chattanooga Marathon – Erlanger Health System has signed on as the title sponsor and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee as the presenting sponsor. The official name of the event is now the Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

Choral Arts of Chattanooga will host an evening of fun, food, and music beginning at 7 p.m. tonight at Bessie Smith Hall.

In addition to a performance by Choral Arts, the Dave Walters jazz quartet will perform live.

Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts (CCA) will hold its Seventh Annual Dinner and the Arts Gala on Thursday, Jan. 28.

The event will feature a dinner show, silent and live auctions, and a gourmet meal by Southern Star Restaurant.

Chattanooga Presents will host its annual Royal Valentine Dance at the Granfalloon event venue Friday, Feb. 12 from 6-9 p.m.

Virginia’s Gourmet By Design will cater the event for daughters ages 3-17 and their fathers (or father figures). The menu will include beef or vegetarian lasagna, bread, salad, and chocolate crepe. Drinks will include hot tea, iced tea, coffee, water, and Sprite.

The Association for Visual Arts (AVA) in Chattanooga is currently hosting an exhibition celebrating the photographic medium.

The group show consisting of four artists from the Southeast includes a variety of styles, subject matter, and methods.

My weight loss attempts, no matter how many pounds, have not been very successful so far, or ever. Oh – I guess I can say I’ve done all right if my goal was two pounds; however, I did have a bit more in mind.

It seems that every time I attempt to exercise and watch my carb and fat intake, my mornings fill up with appointments, and all my friends and family have birthdays. I end up skipping the gym in the morning and eating cake for dinner. If that sounds familiar, I can’t offer you any advice on how to change it, but I can tell you – you are not alone. As if that is any consolation.

Clark Griswold: Hey, hey, easy kids. Everybody in the car. Boat leaves in two minutes ... or perhaps you don’t want to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away?

Saturday, Jan. 22, 1966

The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, Inc., established by civic leaders here in December 1963 to channel charitable gifts to the betterment of the community in perpetuity, now has assets totaling $400,000, DeSales Harrison, president, reported at the annual meeting Thursday. A report in February last year showed the amount at $335,000.

Saturday, Jan. 22, 1916

Mrs. Alvin Cole of Port Huron, Mich., is the guest of her daughter, Mrs. Thomas Trimby on Missionary Ridge.

Kosmos entertained with a brilliant musicale in the Ballroom of Hotel Patten. Mrs. Albert Hastings, well-known violinist, was soloist. Miss O’Neal, pianist, and Paul Nixon, cellist, assisted. A reception followed. Mrs. M.N. Whitaker, president, headed the reception line.

As the main chef for a family of five, trying to figure out dinner can sometimes be the hardest accomplishment of my day. Not only can it be hard to think about what to cook, but not having a plan when going to the grocery store every week can also prove to be a costly mistake.