News - Friday, October 9, 2020

Since the coronavirus pandemic first surfaced in Tennessee in March, monthly worker complaints to occupational safety and health regulators have more than doubled, with 1,000 complaints so far showing a possible connection to COVID-19.

Safety officials say they will look into the complaints, but Tennessee has no specific workplace safety standard that cover community-transmitted illnesses such as the common cold, influenza and, now, COVID-19.

It took two chancellors two minutes to agree to appoint Hamilton County Clerk & Master Robin Miller to a second term.

Chancellors Pamela Fleenor and Jeff Atherton met this summer to discuss Miller’s first six-year term, which began in July 2014, and decide whether or not to invite her to continue her work. They quickly and unanimously decided to offer her another term, to which Miller agreed.

Realtor Nathan Stoker knows what it’s like to achieve the American Dream of homeownership and then see it crushed like an aluminum can in a weightlifter’s fist.

The first home he and his wife purchased was not a luxury listing, but it had everything they wanted, including a garage, a spacious kitchen and a full basement – all for a cool $65,000.

In this low-inventory market, some homebuyers are making changes to their existing home instead of going through the competitive search for their next home. In addition to enjoying your current digs more, remodeling also brings the long-term benefit of increasing your home’s value.

The leaves are starting to change color, and summer’s heat wave is behind us – all signs that fall has finally arrived in the Chattanooga area.

With more time spent at home this year, taking on a few preventative home maintenance projects will not only keep your family living space comfortable, it will also help safeguard your home investment.

Centennial Heart at Parkridge now provides an implant designed to help prevent stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) who cannot tolerate long-term anticoagulant, or blood thinning, medication regimens.

During AFib, the heart beats irregularly, disrupting the flow of blood through the heart and increasing the likelihood of clot formation. Researchers believe as many as 90% of AFib-related strokes are caused by clots formed in the left atrial appendage, a small, pouch-like outcropping attached to the left atrium.

Nashville-based KraftCPAs has expanded its footprint to Chattanooga with the acquisition of Matheney Stees & Associates.

MSA has served the Chattanooga area for more than 20 years, particularly in the health care and construction industries. The firm has 17 full- and part-time employees.

Patrons of Chattanooga’s I Go Tokyo can now borrow Japanese language books to take home and read.

The collection boasts around 150 titles and contains a variety of novels and nonfiction. Some children’s books are available, with more being added as frequently as possible. Anime is not currently part of the collection.

The Chattanooga Police Department added 22 new officers to its ranks Oct. 1 with the graduation of the class of 2020.

The class of 2020 is the first CPD Academy class to graduate during a pandemic. The group began training at the Chattanooga Police and Fire Department Training Center March 13. Later that day, they learned the structure of their training would look very different as the City of Chattanooga announced its response to the global pandemic.

U.S. Attorney J. Douglas Overbey has earmarked a $2.2 million Department of Justice grant for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to reduce recidivism among adults and juvenile offenders after confinement.

Awarded by the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs, the grants are part of more than $92 million in funding to support reentry efforts throughout the U.S.

Megan Cover will join Girls Preparatory School as head of school July 1. Cover brings years of experience as both teacher and school leader to GPS.

During a 20-year tenure at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware, Cover served as a French and Spanish teacher and language department chair, created the lower school Spanish program, served as assistant head of upper school and dean of students, and coached field hockey and lacrosse.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga and the City of Chattanooga have partnered to provide two new Habitat homes. The homes will be located at 37th Street and Hughes Avenue in south Chattanooga.

The Chattanooga City Council voted to award $80,000 from HOME Investment Partnership Program funds to Habitat at their last meeting. The program provides formula grants to states and localities to fund building, buying and rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or homeownership.

The “Benadryl Challenge,” which started gaining traction in August, challenges TikTok users to ingest enough Benadryl, or diphenhydramine, to cause hallucinations.

“Because Benadryl is a drug commonly found in households across the country, this challenge is especially dangerous,” says Dr. Susan Raschal, owner and board-certified allergist at Covenant Allergy and Asthma Care. “The easy access, in addition to pressure from peers online, could be a potentially deadly combination.”

SkyWest Airlines is now offering nonstop United Express service to Houston and daily United flights to Chicago at the Chattanooga Airport.

“This is an encouraging step forward as the air travel industry gradually recovers,” says Terry Hart, president and CEO of the airport. “We deeply appreciate our airline partners for their roles in reviving consumer confidence and creating new travel opportunities for our passengers.”

Mad Priest Coffee Roasters just spent its savings to purchase a lot of the newly discovered Yemenia species of coffee.

The Qima Coffee Auction was held in partnership with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence and drew some of the biggest names in coffee to pay up to $140 per pound, says Mad Priest owner and roaster Michael Rice.

The Jewish Cultural Center will screen five Jewish-themed films virtually beginning Oct. 20.

Film festivals throughout the U.S., Europe and Israel have recognized each of the films, which were produced in the U.S., Norway, Israel, France and Great Britain.

When you retire, you’ve learned a lot about all sorts of things, helping you avoid some of the mistakes you made earlier in life. However, you may still be susceptible to financial missteps specifically related to your retirement years. How can you dodge these errors?

When house hunting, the price of homeowners insurance probably isn’t top of mind. But homes with hidden risks can make getting coverage difficult, expensive or both. Learning how to identify them could save you a bundle.

This could be a particularly important concern for first-time homebuyers and those moving from cities to suburban or rural areas who might not be aware of common hazards, says Jennifer Naughton, risk consulting officer for North America for the insurance company Chubb.

Chattanooga Design Studio is organizing a planning process to reimagine the future of the Westside District, an 80-year-old community that includes a mix of primarily subsidized housing with over 2,000 residents.

Dating back to 1940, College Hill Courts is Chattanooga’s oldest and largest public housing community. Through the years, Boynton Terrace Apartments, Gateway Towers and Dogwood Manor were built, doubling the number of public housing units in the Westside District.