News - Friday, October 10, 2014

Attorney Jim Henderson says anyone who knows him would say he’s a sports fanatic. However, if his friends or family members are unconvincing, then the battle between green and orange in his office will leave no room for doubt: the man loves sports.

Few people would have anything good to say about the mortgage meltdown of the last decade. But Tina Christein, branch manager of Churchill Mortgage in Chattanooga, can see the silver lining on that once ominous cloud that hung over the industry.

To Christein, the meltdown led to the creation of a stronger, more ethical mortgage industry. And while she laments the crisis and the resulting fallout, she’s pleased with how the industry weathered the storm and emerged worthy of another chance.

Starting Monday, Oct. 13, Mayor Andy Berke’s office is partnering with local agencies and community members to register and survey Chattanooga’s homeless veterans. In an event called Registry Week, teams of volunteers will canvas city streets in the early morning hours of Oct. 13-15. Their mission is to produce an accurate by-name list of identified veterans who are experiencing homelessness. 

TNcourts.gov

Appellate Ct Opinions for 10.10.14

In Re CBL & Associates Properties, Inc., et al.

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Hamilton County

Case Number: E2013-02851-COA-R3-CV

Bea Lurie, president and CEO of Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, has been elected to the national board of Girls Inc. Lurie will serve as a regional professional representative.

Lurie joined Girls Inc. of Chattanooga in 2007 as president and CEO. Under her leadership, the organization boasts a 100 percent success rate of high school girls going on to higher education, increased the number of girls ages 6 to 8 served by more than 30 percent, diversified funding sources, and increased annual revenue by over $250,000.

The AEGIS Law Enforcement Foundation of Greater Chattanooga will host its 4th annual luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 21 from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Chattanoogan Hotel. The luncheon will feature keynote speaker Mike Mears, CIA leadership consultant and trainer for government and private sector organizations.

The Chattanooga Fire Department held its annual Fire Prevention Week ceremonies Monday at the Fire Training Center and at the Fireman’s Fountain next to the county courthouse.

Stan Russell president of the Hamilton Place Rotary Club announced that Captain Ashley May and Lieutenant Alex Cole were selected as this year’s Firefighters of the Year by the club. On Aug. 5, 2014, these firefighters and others responded to an early morning fire at a duplex at 2103 Daisy Street. With the entire front part of the duplex engulfed in flames, Captain May and Lt. Cole made their way inside to look for victims. At the rear of the B side of the duplex, they found a man lying on the floor. The two firefighters carried the victim out of the apartment, where he was treated on the scene and later at a hospital. The victim survived, thanks to the efforts of these two firefighters. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga, the Women’s Council of Realtors (WCR) elected officers for 2015 and raised funds for education through a basket auction.

Daniel Anderson, a Chattanooga police officer and Keller Williams Realtor, offered tips for Realtor safety, while WCR Super Sponsors Tennessee Housing Development Agency and Title Guaranty & Trust offered information about their services.

The topic of referral fees often comes up during a real estate transaction. Consumers should be aware there are laws regarding referral fees, specifically Tennessee Real Estate License Law and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). The following explanations are based on information provided by the Tennessee Association of Realtors and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Public Art Chattanooga (PAC) and the Community Association of Historic St. Elmo this week dedicated a new public sculpture created specifically for the St. Elmo neighborhood.

Selected by the community from a national juried art competition administered by PAC, the sculpture represents the history, diversity, and spirit of this historic part of Chattanooga. The sculpture is made of painted steel and consists of a 14 foot diameter circle.  On the periphery of the sculpture stand approximately 34 figures, each represents an important event or person in St. Elmo’s history, from Dragging Canoe, to the Civil War, to Chattem, to a homage to the neighborhood’s annual Corgi Parade.

As I walked out of “Gone Girl,” two questions formed in my mind, both consisting of one and the same word: “Why?”

I can’t tell you what was behind one of the whys because that would spoil the movie. Suffice to say I questioned the motivations of a major character. Oh, there’s an easy answer, but it doesn’t feel like the right answer.

Local photographer Dianne Blankenbaker was there as athletes competed in IRONMAN Chattanooga on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014.

For more photos, pick up a copy of the Hamilton County Herald. 

SunTrust Mortgage and Milligan Reynolds on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. will host its first Market & Mingle Chattanooga at the Homebuilders Association of Greater Chattanooga, located at 3221 Harrison Pike.

Market & Mingle is a networking event that will provide area Realtors with the opportunity to showcase a listing to other real estate agents, who might have a client who would be interested in the property.

In a 1912 poem, Ezra Pound wrote, “Winter is icumen in.” Pound’s “Ancient Music” parodies a 13th century Anglo-Saxon poem that begins “Sumer is icumen in” (sic). Hardly a novel idea: “Here comes winter.” Happens every year, no? We want to prepare.

If you work for a medium-to-large company, you may now be entering the “open enrollment” period — that time of year when you get to make changes to your employee benefits. Your benefit package can be a big piece of your overall financial picture, so you’ll want to make the right moves — especially in regard to your employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Rumor has it that legal training, and the actual practice of law, provides a foundation for many other endeavors. Lawyers run businesses, become politicians, or even run sports leagues or baseball teams. Consider former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, or Field Marshall Tony LaRussa. I’m not sure how well Tony’s skills as a legal advocate worked for him when it came to arguing his cases before the home plate umpire, but he probably knew that if he went too far, his contempt wasn’t going to get him thrown in jail, as might have happened if he kicked dirt on a Federal Judge.

I am embarrassed to say that, until last week, I wasn’t completely aware of the origin of the term “bucket list.” I understood the concept that comes along with it as a list of things you want to do before you die, but I never recognized that “bucket” came from the age-old analogy to one’s death. This admission highlights the fact that I have never seen the movie by the same title, and am sometimes not quite as aware of pop culture as I should be.

The Arkansas State Fair is here, and as usual, it brings the best of Arkansas right to our front door, including a commercial wine competition, livestock shows, petting zoos, a gator show (watch as the Swampmaster catches an 8 foot, 200 pound alligator with his bare hands!), a Gold Metal Flour cookie contest, a Fairy Queen Pageant, a Junior Fairy Queen Pageant, an Arkansas Farm Bureau rice cooking contest, a Petit Jean meats cooking contest, a military appreciation day, a pie competition, and a BBQ competition – to name just a few.

This was supposed to be another column about golf. I wish it was but a tragedy changed that. I’m not sure why it happened; certainly it never should have. Why couldn’t the predator have had the car wreck before rather than after; or a heart attack, or been kidnapped himself? That never happens though does it?

Beverly Carter, a Realtor with Crye-Leike in North Little Rock, Ark. disappeared on Sept. 25 after scheduling a property showing at 5:30 that evening.

After a massive three-day search the local authorities arrested a suspect and Carter’s body was found soon after that.

The other day, as I waited in line at a traffic light, I noticed the car in front of me and the two beside me all contained drivers working rapidly on smartphones.

It seemed the only drivers in that line of traffic not using smartphones were myself and another old driver who was too busy trying to spit into a Sundrop bottle.

I love fall with a passion! I love the crisp feel in the air, pumpkins and hay all around, the candy, the costumes, the laughter of children, Thanksgiving dinners, sweaters and the beautiful leaves. The best part of fall is the cozy feel outside, and I enjoy the inside of the home feeling cozy as well. Decorating your home for fall can be expensive if you go buy all new décor, but there are simple and inexpensive ways to add a touch of fall on the inside of the home.

October always brings the state fairs along with various other autumn carnivals and fests. Did you know the Ferris Wheel was invented by George W. Ferris for the 1893 World’s Fair, which was held in Chicago to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s landing in America? It’s a fact!

Fill in the blanks in the quote using the following words:

responsibility, choices, make, ultimately, expressed, best, makes, choices, we, expressed, words, philosophy

“One’s ______ is not ______ ______ in ______; it is ______ in the ______ one ______… and the ______  ______ ______ are ______ our ______.”

Blood Assurance Donor Appreciation Day

Friday, Oct. 10

Blood Assurance will host a donor appreciation day at its Erlanger and Downtown Chattanooga blood centers on Friday, Oct. 10. Special prizes, food, and recognition of top area donors will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at each location. The Erlanger blood center is located at 975 East Third Street, inside Erlanger Hospital, near elevator F. The Downtown Chattanooga blood center is located at 705 East Fourth Street, across from McKenzie Arena.

Saturday, October 10, 1914

The wedding of Miss Stella Shaw and H. Carl Waite was solemnized at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.A. Shaw. Dr. W.F. Powell, pastor of the First Baptist Church, officiated. After a reception, the young couple left for a wedding trip. On their return, they’ll reside in St. Elmo.

Saturday, October 10, 1964

Former Vice President Richard M. Nixon made the major address at Memorial Auditorium in a Republican rally. It was estimated a crowd of 6,000 persons attended. Representative Bill Brock introduced Mr. Nixon.

The schedule for the final wholesale appreciation tour, sponsored by the Wholesale Development Committee of the Greater Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, has been announced by John B. Crimmins, Jr., chairman of the appreciation tours. The chartered bus will leave Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. for LaFayette, Summerville, Rome, and Calhoun. The party will have lunch at the Holiday Inn in Rome.

As part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Courts Building is featuring “The Clothesline Project,” a moving exhibit designed as a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt with testimonies to the problem of domestic violence.