News - Friday, October 9, 2015

No attorney wants to operate in survival mode. But some lawyers feel like they are losing the day-to-day battle against mounting competition, client loyalty, and fundamental changes in the marketplace. An upcoming Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) seminar titled “Proactive Practice Boot Camp” was designed to help lawyers develop strategies, operational plans, and techniques for success.

Property inspector Melanie Moore is pleased with her new superpower. Like Superman, she’s now able to fly above the rooftops of the homes and commercial properties she examines, allowing her to scrutinize otherwise inaccessible areas for problems.

Fireside at Greenway Farm

Outdoor Chattanooga is hosting a free, family friendly music series known as Fireside at Greenway Farm Thursdays in October from 7-9 p.m. Take your blankets, camp chairs, marshmallow roasting sticks, and a picnic supper, and then sit back and enjoy an autumn evening with live music from local artists in a rustic setting behind the gardens at the Sniteman Log Cabin. Greenway Farm is located in Hixson, Tenn.

Cathy Dorvil, Megan Hallar, and Jannine Rowell have joined the law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.

Dorvil has joined the firm’s health care and litigation practice groups after spending the last six years at the national firm of Hogan Lovells US in Miami. She will provide advice and counsel to clients in the areas of health care, complex commercial and business disputes, and insurance. Dorvil has experience assisting clients with Medicaid and Medicare enrollment and payment issues, fraud and abuse prevention, regulatory compliance, and provider disputes.

After an extensive nationwide search, the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga (HBAGC) welcomed their new executive officer, Terry Greene, to the team. Greene is responsible for leading the HBAGC, which has over 400 members and is the professional voice of the home building industry in the Chattanooga area.

Gary Ainscough has joined Weichert, Realtors - Yerbey Realty as a sales agent. Ainscough is working with property buyers and sellers in the Chattanooga area.

Born, raised and still a resident of Chattanooga, Ainscough is a member of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors, the Tennessee Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.

The Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute (CWLI) will welcome Mika Brzezinski as keynote speaker for the 11th annual IMPACT Leadership Dinner. The event will take place Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016  at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

Brzezinski began her journalism career in 1991 as a general assignment reporter in Hartford, Conn. She joined CBS News in 1997 as the anchor of “Up to the Minute,” but took a short hiatus in 2000 to co-host MSNBC’s weekday afternoon program “HomePage.” In September 2001, she returned to CBS to become their principal ground zero reporter on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

TAMPA, FLA. – ”Inspiring architecture complements the warm palette and modern touches of the new Le Meridien Tampa.” Thus begins an online promo for the building I am sitting in – a century-old federal court building that’s been transformed into an unusual boutique hotel.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke on Monday joined a group of Chattanooga firefighters at the Fireman’s Fountain to kick off Fire Prevention Week.

Fire Marshall Beau Matlock said the theme for this year is “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep!” Chief Matlock said that when a fire breaks out in a home, every second counts. “Roughly half of home fire deaths result from fires between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep,” said Matlock. “Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.”

What’s the biggest obstacle to your ability to invest successfully? Is it the ups and downs of the financial markets? Political events? The fact that you weren’t born rich? Actually, the chief hurdle you face is something over which you have control: your own emotions.

The First Tennessee Bank building is under contract to be sold for a mixed-use commercial and residential space in Downtown Chattanooga. Currently owned by its namesake, the 16-story building, located at 701 Market St., will be sold to Memphis-based development group Heritage Land and Development.

^“The Walk” will likely go down as one of my most memorable movie-going experiences. I’ve sat in countless theaters, and watched untold movies, but when I tell my grandchildren what going to the movies used to be like, I’m going to describe the two hours I spent in a theater watching “The Walk.”

A recent spate of thefts at new construction sites has local home builders asking what they can do to protect their assets. A detective with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says GPS asset trackers, which could enable law enforcement to learn the source of the thefts, is one way. A community relations coordinator with the Sheriff’s Office says relying on neighbors and local law enforcement to help keep an eye on vacant properties is another.

Last week, we shared five suggestions from the National Association of Realtors for tackling fall maintenance. Here are five more suggestions to complete your Fall maintenance checklist and to prevent a future costly home repair.

Eyeball your roof: If you have a steep roof or a multistory house, stay safe and use binoculars to inspect your roof from the ground. Look for warning signs: Shingles that are buckled, cracked, or missing; and rust spots on flashing. Any loose, damaged, or missing shingles should be replaced immediately.

In an effort to teach kids to be kind to one another, and to reject bullying behavior, Hamilton Place kicked off “Malls & Retailers Unite Against Bullying” last week in association with National Bullying Prevention Month. The event aimed to encourage discussion on how individuals can take an active stand against bullying behavior.

Even as the housing market continues its slow and steady recovery, many potential buyers find that qualifying for a mortgage and saving for a downpayment remain high hurdles to homeownership. The good news is that while lenders are looking more closely at borrowers today than in recent years, there are options for purchasing your home without a 20 percent down payment.

Autumn: oranges, golds, burgundy reds, rich browns, and bright yellows – that is what comes to my mind when I think of fall.

Pumpkins, apples, squashes, turkeys, persimmons, cranberries, and pecans – all of these wonderful fall foods come to my mind also. In fact, my little pea brain gets so busy I can barely slow it down.

^“Let’s be careful out there.” – Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, “Hill Street Blues”

I’m heading to the beach soon and was relieved to read I’m more likely to die from taking a selfie than I am from being eaten by a shark. So far in 2015, there have been 12 people, worldwide, that perished while snapping themselves, versus only eight who lost a shark battle.

Saturday, Oct. 9, 1965

Forty-two junior high school and high school marching bands (4,000 youthful musicians) converged on Chattanooga for the 11th annual Chattanooga Tri-State Band Festival at Chamberlain Field. The Band Festival is sponsored by the University of Chattanooga. Brainerd High and Chattanooga High were two of the marching bands awarded Class A superior ratings.

I do not drink coffee; I am just going to get that out of the way. I am one of few individuals, that I know, who seems to dislike the everyday cup of Joe.

The Navy referred to coffee as a cup of Joe originally when President Woodrow Wilson appointed Josephus Daniels Secretary of the U.S. Navy. Among his numerous reforms in the Navy was the abolition of the officer’s wine. From that point on the strongest drink aboard Navy ships was coffee, and over the years a cup of coffee took on the name, “cup of Joe.”

Saturday, Oct. 9, 1915

Miss Agatha Mitchell of Jackson, Miss., is the guest of Miss Elizabeth Lodor.

The University of Chattanooga football team will play its first hard game today at Chamberlain Field. University of Georgia will be the opposing team. UC Coach Johnny Spiegal is confident his team is well-trained and capable of winning.