News - Friday, October 3, 2014

Vanessa Buckner will never forget Sept. 22, 2012 – the day her son, Quincy Bell, was shot and killed. Those responsible for pursuing justice on behalf of Bell have not forgotten him, either. Under a new initiative spearheaded by Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston, his murder might yet be resolved.

Realtor Randy Durham, leader of The Randy Durham Team of Keller Williams Realty in Chattanooga, was elected 2015 President-Elect for the Tennessee Association of Realtors (TAR) at the statewide association’s annual fall convention in Chattanooga. 

BancorpSouth Bank, a subsidiary of BancorpSouth Inc., has opened a loan production office in Chattanooga, Tenn., expanding the bank’s presence into Southeast Tennessee. 

BancorpSouth’s loan production office is located in downtown Chattanooga at 631 Broad Street, and features a team of local lending and support professionals.

As an investor, you may find that the elements of your portfolio that seem to draw most of your attention are stocks and bonds. After all, these investment vehicles, and others derived from them, provide you with potential growth and income opportunities — which is why you invest in the first place. Yet, you also may find significant value in a more humble financial asset: cash. In fact, you might be surprised at the various ways in which the cash, and cash equivalents, in your portfolio can help you complete your financial picture. 

Before an enthusiastic crowd, Matt Hanson and Angela Naeth took home the title at the inaugural Little Debbie IRONMAN Chattanooga to Benefit Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America triathlon. Hanson and Naeth both earned their first career IRONMAN victories with times of 8:12:32 and 8:54:55, respectively. 

I can barely remember the first day I opened my law practice. I remember the early days of practicing law like last night’s dream. It’s a little unclear, but it leaves me with a warm feeling. What I do remember is the fear I felt every day sitting there waiting for the phone to ring. While I was terrified that the phone would not ring, I was even more afraid it would ring and someone would ask me a question. The world was a lot bigger back then, and the opportunities were endless. There was so much to choose from, yet I had no idea what I’d end up doing with my law license. The only thing I did know was that, for the time being, I’d do whatever anyone would pay me to do so I could pay the bills. 

The Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) this week issued a public safety announcement to runners after responding to an assault call Monday on Mississippi Avenue. The victim was assaulted while running early morning.

The CPD suggests the following safety precautions for running early in the morning and late at night: run with a partner or a dog in well-lit areas; avoid unpopulated areas; trust your intuition about a person or an area; alter or vary your running route pattern; if you use headphones, run with the volume low and just one earbud in; and have a cellular phone with you at all times.

Automotive parts manufacturer Plastic Omnium broke ground last week on its new facility in Chattanooga. The facility, housed at Enterprise South Industrial Park, will produce automobile exterior components such as bumpers and fenders. 

I received my Google Glass this week. This thing is a pair of glasses you wear to use your smart phone without pulling it out of your pocket. Some of us twitch if our cell phone is untouched for too long.  

Stuart Thomas didn’t know what a Google Glass is, and asked if I used it to look up the contents of my beverages. It doesn’t keep hot things hot or cold things cold– that’s a thermos. 

The girl at Cracker Barrel uses phrases I don’t understand. Like when I asked, “How are the biscuits and gravy?” And she said, “Oh, they’ll make you wanna slap your momma.” Then I guess I don’t want the biscuits and gravy, seeing my mom’s here and all. 

This past week, the ladies in my neighborhood had a luncheon social, and seeing that it was the first day of fall, we figured what could be better to hail in the season but soup, so that was the theme of our gathering. 

There were many wonderful soups, along with breads, cheeses, and (of course) desserts. It was a great turnout, and we had a wonderful time visiting and catching-up with each other. 

Well, the insanity continues.

On Tuesday, I got a call from KM’s big brother Bob, a.k.a. “Mother’s Favorite.”If you read last week’s column, you might remember that Bob had his first ever hole-in-one on Sept. 17, which was only five days after younger brother Bill, a.k.a. Sleepy Squirrel, had his first ever hole in one at his course down in Dallas.

Several members of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors were honored at last month’s Tennessee Association of Realtors (TAR) convention, held at the Chattanooga Marriott Downtown. Randy Durham was installed as the 2015 TAR president-elect (see story on page 1), Jennifer Grayson was acknowledged as 2014 chairman of the TAR convention committee, Joyce Smith was awarded 2014 Member of the Year of the state chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors (pictured at the convention with former TAR president Fontaine Taylor), and local association President Vicki Trapp accepted recognition on behalf of the entire organization for  exceeding the 2014 RPAC goal by 165 percent. “We could not have done it without our 2014 RPAC contributors,” Trapp said. “Thank you for investing in the Realtor Party.” (Photo By David Laprad)

As September’s Realtor Safety Awareness month came to a close, we learned that Beverly Carter, a Realtor in Little Rock, Ark., was found dead. Beverly was doing what all Realtors do – showing property and helping consumers achieve the American dream of home ownership. And she was kidnapped and murdered.

Martin Klingbeil, professor of Biblical Studies and Archaeology at Southern Adventist University and co-director of The Fourth Expedition to Lachish, will present a lecture titled “Excavating War and Destruction in Ancient Judah” on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. in Lynn Wood Hall Chapel on Southern’s campus. 

The Chattanooga CCIM Chapter Board of Directors on Sept. 29 submitted the following statement highlighting the concerns of its members regarding the proposed changes to the Stormwater Management Ordinance of The Chattanooga City Code: 

The City of Chattanooga has launched its CHA175 website, providing information about the upcoming CHA175 celebration. CHA175 is a week-long celebration of the 175th anniversary of Chattanooga as a city.

“I’m excited to celebrate 175 years of Chattanooga,” said Mayor Andy Berke. “Featuring diverse events throughout the week, our goal is to engage all Chattanoogans around the City’s distinct past as well as the bright future we have ahead of us.”

My response to a movie is usually cut and dry: either I like it or I don’t. But I could use a coin to help out with “The Equalizer,” a new film based on the ‘80s TV series of the same name. For good reasons, I could go either way. 

I love this time of the year. September is slipping over the horizon and the month of October is the same as here. October has always been special for me because it was the month of my birth. Birthdays are pretty big events in our family, and coming from a dairy family, we “milk” them for everything they’re worth. The opposite of birth is death, which also has somewhat of a celebration, but at least during the birth celebration, the person being celebrated gets to enjoy the food. And I guess it is the food that I do really enjoy. 

Are you ready for some football?

College football has started! 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.

Last November I renovated my stepmother’s bathroom. I felt privileged for her to ask me to complete this task, and was excited to get started. We were working with a very large bathroom with many different angles, and someone wallpapered straight onto the drywall about two decades ago. This was not something I thought about when I agreed to redo the space. After spending hours researching the Internet and trying multiple home remedies, I went and bought a scorer. I knew there was no other way of getting this wallpaper off.  

Regarding the recent Faulkner column, Tracy writes that she got “a solid feel for the place and the time of year. Thank you for not honoring your subject by writing paragraph-long sentences with intricate layers of subordination.” 

Hamilton Place this week kicked off “Malls & Retailers Unite Against Bullying” in association with National Bullying Prevention Month and sponsored by Captain McFinn and Friends. Tuesday’s event, hosted by WRCB anchor David Carroll, aims to open up dialogue on how individuals can take an active stand against bullying behavior. 

WSMC Classical 90.5, Southern Adventist University’s radio station, recently held the Play It Forward used instrument drive for inner-city schools; more than 135 pieces were donated and a grant from the McKenzie Foundation covered repair costs. On Oct. 1, WSMC hosted two events at which they officially turned these instruments over to local music educators.

The University of Tennessee’s College of Medicine at Erlanger received a donation of high-tech medical equipment worth $17,100 last week that will be of great benefit to local emergency responders. At the Firehouse Subs restaurant on Gunbarrel Road, Dr. James Creel, chief medical officer at Erlanger Health System, thanked the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation for the donation of equipment, which includes two laryngoscopes, two automated external defibrillators (AEDs), two tactical response bags and a portable, hand-held ultrasound device. Dr. Creel said the equipment will be stored on a new emergency response vehicle operated out of the University of Tennessee’s College of Medicine at Erlanger. In the photo: With Dr. Creel and Firehouse Subs employees looking on, Dr. Reuhland, emergency medical resident at Erlanger, demonstrates the new hand-held ultrasound device, which can be used to facilitate a quick diagnosis in the field at car wrecks and other medical emergencies. (Photo provided)

When the waters of the Amazon River recede during the dry season each year, the South American Lungfish deals with drought in an unusual way – by digging in. “It sounds weird, but Lungfish are obligate air-breathers,” says Elaine Robinson, one of the Tennessee Aquarium’s fish experts. “They can actually drown if denied access to the surface. So when their water source dries up, they burrow into the mud secreting a special mucous that keeps their skin from drying out.” Since they normally breathe air, these “fish out of water” can spend months underground until the next rainy season replenishes their river system. 

Hockey fans may already be aware that giant Saber-toothed Cats once roamed Tennessee. In May of 1971, workers unearthed a prehistoric cave system in downtown Nashville that contained the fossilized remains of Smilodon Fatalis, an extinct species in the tiger family that contained huge fangs. Radiocarbon dating techniques indicated that this specimen was alive around 9,500 years ago at the very end of the last ice age. Today, the Nashville Predators feature the toothy prehistoric cat as the iconic symbol of the team each time they take to the ice.