News - Friday, October 17, 2014

A portrait of U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier was unveiled Oct. 10 during a ceremony at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.

The ceremony preceded Judge Collier’s transition to senior status Nov. 1 after 19 years as a U.S. district judge.

Few people would surrender a family member to a kill shelter, but such places are filled with dogs abandoned by their owners.

Judy Butterfield rescues these at-risk animals and finds them a home. Butterfield manages A Paw and a Prayer Rescue, a volunteer-run pet adoption agency based in Chattanooga.

State Senator Mike Bell (R-Riceville) Monday said he is working on a legislative contingency plan for how appellate judges should be elected in the event voters reject Amendment Two to the State Constitution in the upcoming general election. Amendment Two proposes to constitutionalize the current retention vote system for choosing the state’s appellate judges with some modifications that mirror the federal judicial selection method. Early voting on the proposed change to the Constitution began Wednesday.

Rock City’s Enchanted MAiZE is now open at Blowing Springs Farm every Thursday through Sunday through Nov. 2. Back for its 13th season, this fall’s new maze design is a crop circle that holds a hidden code visitors can break by going to Rock City’s social media pages for clues. 

Founded in 1955, AFLAC is a Fortune 500 company and a leader in voluntary insurance policies that pay cash benefits directly to policyholders. Insuring more than 50 million people worldwide, AFLAC is the principal subsidiary of AFLAC Inc., an international holding company based in Columbus, Ga.

Anyone not living in a cave for the last several years has heard about REDBULL, the ubiquitous energy drink which came out of nowhere to dominate grocery store shelves and Vodka drinks in bars across the nation. Athletes have been known to down a can in their search for quick energy, and it has become the mainstay of college student all-night studying marathons.

Recently, I’ve found myself talking a lot about “moral victories” – victories that are found in the remnants of a loss that are highlighted in order to make the person, team, or organization feel better about the fact that they lost. For instance, “victory” can sometimes be found in the mere fact that a team did better than expected or simply were not embarrassed. The one thing about moral victories that I can’t get over is the requirement that you must lose in order to have one. At least that’s true when you’re talking about sports and such.

You won’t see it on the calendar, and it doesn’t inspire any greeting cards, but National Save for Retirement Week is here again. The goal of this week is self-explanatory, but what does it mean to you? Are you vulnerable to the possibility of reaching retirement without sufficient financial resources? If so, how can you ease this risk?

It’s October once again, and once again, I despise Asian lady beetles. For those of you who aren’t plagued by these impostures of cute little Lady Bugs, consider yourself a very blessed group of individuals.

During this time of the year, whenever we have a cold snap, and then rain along with a warm spell, millions of these creatures converge on my house and take up housekeeping like an unwanted relative. They stink, they fly on you, and they can even bite you. They try to look like the cute little lady bug that shows up in your child’s Little Golden Book, but after a closer look, you can tell they’re anything but cute. Reports say they can live up to three years, but not if they show up in my house. Beware bugs: You’ve met the Walker Texas Ranger of Dust Buster Enforcement.

On Thursday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m., Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) will host the 2014 Pro Bono Attorneys Hall of Fame Reception.

Justice Holly Kirby will make her first trip to Chattanooga as a Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court to speak. Justice Kirby and local leaders of the bench and bar will join LAET as it inducts Virginia C. Love and Judge Jeff Hollingsworth into the Pro Bono Attorneys Hall of Fame.

On Oct. 2, the Public Education Foundation (PEF)’s Christa Payne rappelled 20 stories down the SunTrust Bank Building at 728 Market Street under the watchful care of Over the Edge Chattanooga.

Payne did the stunt in honor of PEF’s 25th anniversary. She was wearing a PEF cape that signified that educators and supporters are “superheroes for students.”

Roads all across Chattanooga are being widened, lengthened, and connected to other thoroughfares. It’s called progress, and it’s in full swing in the Scenic City. Even Memory Lane has more than doubled in size.

I’m referring, of course, to MoonPie General Store, a head-spinning repository of memorabilia, knickknacks, and marshmallowy goodness. No matter when you grew up, its shelves of classic candy, Star Wars lunchboxes, and toys of yesteryear will bring out the child in you.

Stop and think about October for a few moments – and close your eyes while doing so. (Well, maybe not, because then you couldn’t read my story!)

Beautiful yellow, red, orange and gold trees; fall squashes, pumpkins, and other fruits and vegetables; cooler and windier days; the smell of smoke from farmers burning their fields; leaves covering the ground and crunching beneath your feet; ghosts, goblins and trick-or-treating ... There’s a lot to think about in one little month, and plenty to enjoy in 31 short days!

We arrived in Florida on a recent Saturday after spending the night in Hattiesburg. I had planned to drive all the way through, but KM said she had hit the wall, and I acted disappointed but really wasn’t. The next morning we left by nine, refreshed and ready for a week at the beach.

In a previous President’s Column, we shared basic information about the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). To follow up, we provide answers to the following frequently asked questions, as compiled by the Tennessee Association of REALTORS and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

International adoptions in the U.S. are down 69 percent over the last ten years. That, coupled with the fact that teenage birth rates are declining – down 38.4 percent from 2007 to 2013 – is pushing couples who are looking to grow their families through adoption to explore other options. As National Adoption Month gets underway, Chattanooga-based Bethany Christian Services, a child welfare agency, wants to help the more than 100,000 eligible children in foster care become adopted by permanent families.

On Oct. 4, the City of East Ridge and East Ridge Parks and Recreation hosted a dedication and ribbon cutting of the two canoe launches funded by the Lyndhurst Foundation at Camp Jordan.

Bruz Clark of the Lyndhurst Foundation was joined by East Ridge City officials and those who worked to complete the Creek and Cherokee launches, named after the Indian tribes that once inhabited the park. 

There’s a moment in “The Maze Runner” that sealed my admiration for the film. It comes as a group of teenage boys are staring into the mouth of a massive maze. Its concrete walls tower over them, and the silence of its passages both draws them in and warns them away. Suddenly, a mechanical groan emanates from deep within the labyrinth, and a strong wind comes rushing toward the young men, as if the maze is exhaling. Moments later, its massive doors have ground shut, leaving the boys staring at an impenetrable barrier.

Members of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Monday approved the application submitted by Pat Neuhoff of Neuhoff Taylor Architects on behalf of Bassam Issa of the ANT Group. The project is called “The Enclave at East Hamilton.” it will be located at the corner of East Brainerd and Ooltewah-Ringgold Roads.

Planspresented by Vision Hospitality Group for a high-end independent boutique hotel in Chattanooga were approved Monday by members of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission.

In his presentation to the Commission, Vision Hospitality Group’s President and CEO Mitch Patel noted his company’s desire to provide a “... unique and authentic” experience to guests staying at the hotel. Patel and his team met with various neighborhood groups, community associations, property owners, business owners, representatives of The Hunter Museum of American Art, and The Bluffview Art District to share their plans and garner input. The company also hired Gettys Group, a hospitality design firm to assist with their efforts.

Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations (Volkswagen Chattanooga) last week held an establishment ceremony the Volkswagen Beschaffungsakademie (purchasing academy), a training program that will ensure that each employee in the purchasing department has the skills and experience needed to address the challenge of sourcing the parts for both the current model Passat and the new midsize SUV coming in 2016.

What do a dead horse and a hasty retreat have in common? Same thing that around the bush has in common with a path to your door. They all become in-the-language phrases when the word beat is place in front of them.

Beat’s a great word.

The Chattanooga Fire Department’s haz-mat team was dispatched Oct. 10 to an incident involving suspicious looking letters.

Employees at the B-Well Chiropractic business at 7804 E. Brainerd Road told firefighters and Chattanooga police that when they opened two letters, a powdery substance fell out that reportedly burned their fingers and hands. With assistance from the police department, Battalion Chief Jeff Eldridge ordered the business evacuated and isolated.

While spending Oct. 8 in Chattanooga, former UT Football Coach Phillip Fulmer stopped by Chattanooga Fire Station 10 on Wisdom Street with his grandson Noah.

The firefighters recognized him immediately and gave both guests the grand tour. Pictured: Captain Ashley May gives Noah a fire helmet and one of the department’s challenge coins. 

Realtor Jan Thompson does the Fox Trot with dance mentor and partner Antonio McMath during the Dare to Dance competition Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. 

Dare to Dance is an annual fundraising event of the Kidney Foundation of the Greater Chattanooga Area. Thompson placed second in her fundraising efforts over ten contestants. Thompson played in honor of her friend and fellow Realtor Paula Palmer, who underwent kidney replacement surgery in 2012. She donated the money she raised to the Kidney Foundation’s emergency housing fund.

Saturday, October 17, 1914

Morrow Chamberlain, secretary and treasurer of the Roane Iron Co., was elected president of the Chattanooga Manufacturers Association. he will succeed Morris Temple. The executive board is composed of Fred Arn, first vice president; Willard Warner, second vice president; W.E. Brock, treasurer; and Oscar L. Bunn, secretary.

Saturday, October 17, 1964

The 15th annual session of the Hamilton County Baptist Association, in a meeting at South Seminole Baptist Church Friday representing 121 churches with a combined membership of 49,000, unanimously opposed any effort to legalize the sale of whiskey by the drink in Hamilton County.

CCS to honor military at football game

Friday, Oct. 17

Chattanooga Christian School (CCS) tonight will team up with the Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation to honor this nation’s military men and women at CCS’s final home football game of the season. CCS and Honoring the Sacrifice invite the Chattanooga community to attend CCS Military Appreciation Night and show gratitude to the men and women who have served this country. CCS will also welcome all military and their families. Active and retired military who are present will be honored during a halftime celebration with patriotic music performed by the CCS band. All military with ID will be admitted free of charge to the football game against Signal Mountain High School, which begins at 7 p.m.

This one is going to take a little thinking on your part … both mathematically and historically. Give your school days a refresher. See how many you can answer correctly.

1. What does 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 equal?

2. What is the most popular name requested for a boat? Retired; Love Boat; Obsession; wife’s name.

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

vision, uncertain, trumpet, you, blow,

leadership, have, essence, very, you

“The ______  ______ of ______ is that ______ have to ______  ______. ______ can’t ______ an _______ ______.”