News - Friday, October 31, 2014

The members of the Chattanooga Bar Association were afforded a pleasant afternoon during the Bar’s annual golf tournament Friday, Oct. 24 at Brown Acres.

Placing first with a score of 57 was the team of (L-R) Mike St. Charles, Hal North, Jeff Granillo and Bart Quinn.

Signature Brokers held its grand opening Thursday, Oct. 23 at its Ooltewah location.

Friends, family members, and clients joined owner Gina Sakich (second from the right) and many of the company’s agents as they enjoyed food, drink, and live music.

It is axiomatic that great lawyers are sometimes called upon to advocate the less popular cause and to fight the unwinnable war.

Often, these lawyers are nobly, but simply, advancing the interests of their single client as our ethical canons require. Sometimes, though, a larger interest is at stake, and while the client’s individual interests must always remain paramount, the resolution of the underlying issue has causes or repercussions far beyond the simple matter at hand, and those causes or repercussions resonate, for whatever reason, deeply in the soul of the advocate.

For the past 25 years, Public Education Foundation (PEF) has worked collaboratively with the Hamilton County Department of Education and other partners to provide training, research, and resources to teachers, principals, and schools.

On Wednesday, Oct. 22 at a luncheon hosted at the Chattanoogan, over 400 educators and community members gathered to honor the PEF board leadership and listen to national education expert Professor Joe Martin.

The Hamilton Place Rotary Club honored Chattanooga’s Firefighters of the Year last week at a luncheon held at the Embassy Suites on Shallowford Road.

Captain Ashley May and Lt. Alex Cole were chosen for the honor following their successful rescue of a 66-year-old man from a duplex fire on Daisy Street on Aug. 5.

The Company Lab (CO.LAB) is seeking applications for its fifth annual Will This Float? competition, which showcases up-and-coming startup ideas in the Chattanooga area. Prospective participants must submit their business concepts by Nov. 9 to enter into consideration.

The City of Chattanooga last week held a call-in as part of the Violence Reduction Initiative. Dozens of law enforcement officials, community members, social service providers, and clergy gathered to deliver a message to over 20 members of violent groups in Chattanooga. Family members of the probationers watched the call-in from another building. Although the call-in was scheduled weeks in advance, it occurred after a week of violence throughout the community.

Markets across the nation seem to be back on the recovery track after a brief pause. One of the more encouraging aspects of this renewed recovery is that new construction of single-family homes reached six-year highs in August, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Consumers are also finding more listings in their search results than they have in years. Inventory is rising in many neighborhoods as higher prices have motivated more sellers to list.

Band Slam 2014, Keller Williams Greater Downtown Chattanooga Realty’s annual charity event to benefit Chambliss Center for Children, will rock Stratton Hall Saturday, Nov. 15 from 7 to 11 p.m.

Bands this year include Soul Survivors, Davey Smith and The Pearl Snap Preachers, and The Communicators.

Highliner Edward Yates last weekend used a nylon webbing system to cross the glass peaks above Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium. “There has never been an urban highline event like this before,” said Yates. “I’ve always loved the Tennessee Aquarium, and this has been a dream of mine.”

November is Long-Term Care Awareness Month – a month dedicated to educating the public about the need to prepare for the potentially devastating costs of long-term care. And the more you know about these expenses, the better prepared you will be to deal with them. 

^“John Wick” is the not so heart-warming story of a man and his dog.

The beagle arrives via delivery service one evening and darts out of his pet carrier, all ears, paws, and puppy dog eyes. Wick, who lives alone, reads a card that came with the dog and cries. He and the beagle bond over the next few days.

Eight Hamilton County public school students who were selected as 2014 PEF Passport Scholars shared their summer learning experiences at the Passport Scholars Celebration Thursday, October 23 at PEF.

Each spring, the Public Education Foundation works with Hamilton County public schools to have sophomore girls apply to be PEF Passport Scholars. The selected girls each receive a scholarship to attend an enriching summer program at colleges around the country. They also receive professional college and career advising. Over the last 12 years, 95 percent of the girls selected as PEF Passport Scholars have gone on to college.

The cooler days and nights we have been experiencing have me craving big, hearty pots of soups and stews accompanied by piping hot slices of fresh-from-the-oven cornbread or cornbread sticks. Stews are so simple to prepare in the crock-pot; all of the ingredients can be assembled the night before, and with about 15 minutes of time the next morning, you’ll have a hot, delicious dinner waiting when you walk in from work. Mix up some cornbread, and you’ll have a hearty meal in no time!

There was a show on TCM last week about scary movies hosted by Stephen King. He confirmed what I wrote in my last column about “The Changeling,” saying it scared the heck out of him. I Googled a list of King’s top ten favorite horror movies (in alphabetical order):

^“Unfortunately, the quip in this puzzle didn’t tickle [the editor] quite enough to say yes. Partially, this may have been because he didn’t think that building a puzzle around trigger warning was something solvers would love.” Thus read a note from the crossword puzzle guru’s intern a few months ago.

It is jacket and sweater over short sleeves time of year here in the Levison Towers. We get dressed in the morning as though we have no idea what season it is. In our defense, it’s dark when we get up.

I don’t blame Skip, the building super, for my clothing issues. When the temperature jumps from 47 to 75 degrees and back again in a 24 hour period, it’s impossible to flip from furnace to air conditioner correctly. Unless you’re a fortune teller.

It’s been over 30 years since I voted for the first time. I still remember the excitement I felt going into the booth for the first time. I’d be lying if I said it was more exciting than getting my driver’s license, but I’d say it was a close second. Voting is something I’ve tried to do whenever given the chance. I’ve always figured that, if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain. Since I like to complain, I like to vote.

My grandchildren sure are lucky, and the reason is because their granddaddy is just about as big of a kid as they are when this time of the year comes around.

I love how the trees across Tennessee allow their leaves to turn an array of colors, causing an artist’s paint palette to seem dull in contrast to what we see on our hillsides.

One of my main passions is redoing furniture. I really enjoy painting second-hand pieces and bringing new life to them; on the other hand, some pieces are too incredible to be painted.

I have a solid wood parquet table in my garage that I was able to buy for $25. Although currently, it’s simply sitting there, untouched, being stared at due to a knee surgery I have recently undergone. Nevertheless, I slowly pulled a couple layers of the nasty paint it was covered in. Finding a solid wood parquet table underneath was an overload of joy for me. When I purchased the table I had no idea what was underneath the chalkboard paint, I just knew it was a good sized solid wood table, which I could easily redo and turn around for a great profit. Once I peeled back the first pieces of paint and realized what was there I was ecstatic. 

Glowing jack-o-lanterns, festive decorations, spooky costumes – Halloween offers tons of festive fun, but it does come with hidden fire dangers. Fortunately, by following some simple safety precautions from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), you can ensure a day of safe fun for your family and trick-or-treaters.

Trick or Treat at local malls

Friday, Oct. 31

Stores at Northgate and Hamilton Place Malls will be offering trick or treat tonight beginning at 6 p.m.

Frightening A** Film Festival

Friday, Oct. 31

Mise En Scenesters have announced the line-up for its fourth annual Frightening A** Film Festival, scheduled to take place Friday, Oct. 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Films will include: local shorts; “The Demon’s Rook”; “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary,” with a pre-film intro by “Leatherface” director Jeff Burr; and “The Babadook.” Live music by White Reaper and Soocro, stand-up comedy by Evatt & Bloom, and a costume contest will round out the festivities. To purchase tickets, email info@mesfilmclub.com.

I’ve just returned from a business trip in New Orleans, La. I’ve been there on only one other occasion, which also was a business trip. However, since I was there with some of my family, I did more sight-seeing and picture-taking. These two things allowed me to learn and see much more of New Orleans – other than Café Du Monde and their beignets!

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

people, knowing, ingredient, get, success, 

formula important, along, most

“The ______ _____ single _____ in the ______ of _____ is _____ how to _____ _____ with _____.”

Sunday, November 1, 1914

Members of the Market Street River Bridge Commission have signed a contract with Vang Construction Co. of Cumberland, Md., for the construction of the new bridge. The consulting engineer, B.H. Davis, will give the order, and work will begin this week.

Saturday, October 31, 1964

Millis F. Mulkey, Sr., business and civic leader, and chairman of the board and founder of M&J Supermarkets, has joined the sales organization of Paul W. Shepherd Realty Co., announced Paul W. Shepherd, Jr.