News - Friday, October 12, 2012

Attorney Brent Burks is one-half of the team known throughout Chattanooga as The Insiders. Together with James Kennamer, he’s carrying on the personal injury work John McMahan pioneered in the early ‘90s. But even as he represents clients who have suffered injuries and are seeking reparation, as his predecessor did, he’s creating his own legal legacy.

Miller & Martin has selected John Bode as chair of the firm’s labor and employment department. Jay Elliott III will assume the role of the department’s vice-chair.

Bode is entering his 28th year of practice devoted exclusively to the representation of prominent national, regional and Tennessee employers in all aspects of labor and employment law.

Saturday, October 13

Paul Bush Romero, author, Mexican big game hunter, underwater expert in Caribbean waters and prominent Mexico City businessman, was the principal speaker at the Tennessee Archaeological Society banquet in the Read House Saturday night. Mr. Romero is the guest of attorney Charles Coleman.

In 2002, over 300 bodies were discovered on the property of the Tri-State Crematory in the Appalachian foothills of northwest Georgia, thrusting an unassuming, tight-knit community into the international spotlight.

“Sahkanaga” (meaning “Great Blue Hills of God” in Cherokee, and pronounced “sock-uh-nogga”) imagines this event from the perspective of Paul, a teenager who stumbles upon the first body. Matters are further complicated by his father’s ownership of the local funeral home, and the arrival of Lyla, a beautiful stranger whose recently deceased grandfather is the first corpse Paul finds.

The people at Chattanooga Parks & Recreation recently learned what everyone else in the city already knew: We have great parks. During a recent visit to the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association’s annual conference, Chattanooga Parks & Recreation scored big, bringing home six out of the nine awards for which they were considered.

Pursuant to the provisions of Tenn. Code Ann. §17-2-116(a)(1), notice is hereby given that the Governor’s Office is accepting applications to appoint and commission a special judge for the General Sessions Court of Hamilton County, Division IV.

The Chattanooga Fire Department on Monday held its annual Fire Prevention Week ceremonies at the Fire Training Center and at Fountain Square next to the county courthouse. Fire Chief Randy Parker and Fire Marshal James Whitmire kicked off the event, which marks a series of public education events at area schools to teach children about fire safety.

Imagine standing on a mountain in Mexico, the early morning sun beaming down on its auburn peak. As you take in the dazzling beauty of nature, your eyes settle on a tree ablaze with one of the most dramatic colors of autumn – fiery orange.

Now picture the leaves exploding into the air and taking flight across the mountaintop. Suddenly, you remember it’s spring, not fall, and you’re not looking at leaves caught up in a gust of wind, but millions of Monarch butterflies beginning the final stretch of a remarkable journey.

When I first read James H. Boren’s 1972 classic, “When in Doubt, Mumble,” I thought it was the funniest thing I’d ever read. Forty years later, having read hundreds, maybe dozens, of books purporting to be (a) humorous and (b) about law, business, government, or politics, I still believe Boren’s work is the cream of the crop.

Cooler days are here, and with children back in school, flu season is just around the corner. So far, health experts say this year promises to be one of the worst ever. There are flu shots, vaccines, OTC medications and herbal and natural vitamins and concoctions that can maybe help you, but there is no 100 percent guarantee when so many bugs are floating around.

Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain

As I drove on I-24 between Nashville and Chattanooga, I saw the brown sign announcing what I was looking for.

It was out of the way, and while it was true that I still had hundreds of miles to go before I arrived home – many hundreds in fact – I felt compelled to take the extra time.

The other day, my daughter called around the time most mothers and wives are preparing the evening meal. I asked her what she was having and she said crab cakes, which was somewhat funny because I told her we were having salmon patties. Seems we were both on the same wavelength that day.

Realtor David Lemon likes a challenge, which makes real estate a good fit for him.

Think back to January of this year, and how quickly the time since then has passed. Lemon hadn’t even started the process of becoming a Realtor at that point. But since February, he’s taken the class, passed the test, found an office to call home, closed deals, and has more closings pending.

After reaching a two-year peak, pending home sales fell in August but are at elevated levels compared with a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, declined 2.6 percent to 99.2 in August from an upwardly revised 101.9 in July but is 10.7 percent above August 2011, when it was 89.6.

Saturday, October 12

The East Tennessee Medical Association met in Johnson City October 10-11. Dr. C.J. Broyles, president, of Johnson City, presided. The business session was followed by election of officers. D.H.P. Larimore of Chattanooga was elected secretary and treasurer; Drs. E. Dunbar Newell, James H. Atlee, J.B. Haskins and C.H. Wylie were the Chattanooga doctors appearing on the program.

A tiny new face has Tennessee Aquarium herpetologists smiling. This is the Aquarium’s first successful hatching of a keeled box turtle, a species the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources says in endangered.

Unlike other endangered turtles reared at the Aquarium this year, this recent addition was rather slow to venture into the world. “The spiny turtles just come right out,” said senior herpetologist Bill Hughes. “But this turtle seemed content to open one end of the egg and look out at the world from inside the shell. It stayed there for two days before emerging.”

Are you ready for some football?

College football has started, and it’s all about rivalries, and some even play for trophies. Do you know which schools play for which trophies?

1. Who plays for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy? Iowa/Minnesota; Penn State/Wisconsin; Michigan/Notre Dame; Illinois/Michigan State.

Where do I begin? Perhaps with the population of Istanbul.

According to Wikipedia, 13.5 million people live in Istanbul, the economic and cultural heart of Turkey. This makes the scene in “Taken 2” in which a young American woman runs through a residential district of the city lobbing grenades so her father can use the sound of the explosions to guide her to him unlikely. Where are the people who live there? Why are neither the father nor the daughter concerned about their welfare? And most curiously, why do the police never materialize?

Desire is the starting point of all achievement – not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” Napoleon Hill

Instead of working on their businesses, most owners are trapped working in their businesses, slaving away and grinding it out. Instead of working on tomorrow, they are preoccupied with working in today. They end up majoring in minor things. They worry about office supplies instead of office processes. They focus on accounting details instead of holding their employees accountable. They worry about the company’s vision plan instead of planning the company’s vision. They react with short-term, short-lived fixes instead of proactively creating long-term solutions. They fixate on their mail, email, or cell phone calls instead of communicating their expectations to their key managers or employees. They obsess with doing things right instead of doing the right things. They do the wrong type of work really well. They are chasing their tails!

The closing costs associated with selling a home can vary with each sale, so it’s important to understand the variables that may come into play.

The first thing to clarify is that the 3.8 percent tax that will apply to some real estate transactions that goes into effect Jan. 1 will not be an expense that is collected on the day of closing. This potential tax will be calculated as part of the person¹s annual Federal tax return. To receive a brochure explaining this tax, please email info@GCAR.net.