News - Friday, November 10, 2017

Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy says he’ll never forget his craziest moment during his 23 years with the department.

He’d responded to the scene of a rape and was consoling the victim when the suspect returned. A foot chase ensued, during which the man led Roddy through a nearby house – much to the surprise of the people who lived there.

When legislative leaders started to allow guns in the Legislative Plaza nearly two years ago, the Sierra Club’s Scott Banbury had his daughter take pictures of him wearing his holstered Ruger and lobbyist ID card to put on lawmakers’ desks with the question: “Is this what you want?”

Miller & Martin has appointed new leadership at the firm.

Jim Haley has been re-elected as chairman. Mike Marshall from the Atlanta office and Zac Greene from the Chattanooga office have been elected to serve on the firm’s Policy Committee with Haley, Hugh Sharber, Chris Parker and Scott Parrish.

Attorney Bill Ramsey and legal tech entrepreneur Phil Hampton are coming to Chattanooga to provide their annual review of current tech trends that will impact the way attorneys work, travel, communicate, relax and interact with clients and colleagues.

Dr. Donna Van Natten, president at CEO of Chattanooga-based Accountability Measures, will host a seminar titled “Who’s in Charge of Your Brain?” on Tuesday, Dec. 5 from 1:30-4:45 p.m. on the 17th floor of Liberty Tower (611 Chestnut St.). Registration will begin at 1 p.m. The cost will be $125 for CBA members, $145 for nonmembers and $50 for support staff. Attendees will earn 3.0 dual CLE credit hours.

The Hon. Pamela Fleenor and the Hon. Jeffrey Atherton will present two Chancery Court-themed seminars on Wednesday, Nov. 29 in Hamilton County Chancery Court (625 Georgia Ave.).

Fleenor will lead the morning session: “A Cornucopia of Issues Arising from Chancery Court Practice.” Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. The seminar will take place from 9-11:30 a.m. The cost will be $55 for CBA members and $75 for nonmembers. Attendees will earn 2.5 hours of CLE credit.

U.S. News and Best Lawyers have joined together to rank more than 13,000 law firms across the U.S. Eighteen Chattanooga firms are among the top local practices.

The “2018 Best Law Firms” report includes rankings in 74 national practice areas and 122 Metropolitan-based practice areas.

Michael’s Homes is the big winner in the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga’s 2017 Showcase of Homes awards.

The local builder claimed five awards, including Home of the Year, for its entry on High River Drive in Soddy Daisy.

Tennessee’s football program remains in limbo as the Vols pursue bowl eligibility under fifth-year coach Butch Jones.

Jones is hanging onto his job as the Vols (4-5, 0-5 SEC) play their final three games of the season, starting with Saturday night’s 7:30 ET game (SEC Network) against Missouri (4-5, 1-4 SEC) in Columbia.

After seeing “Thor” in 2011, I thought, “Meh. That was OK.”

After seeing “Thor: The Dark World” in 2013, I thought, “Wow, that was depressing.” It wasn’t a bad movie, but for a Marvel film, it was a dour, downbeat affair.

GreenTrips, the Chattanooga Hamilton-County Regional Planning Agency’s traffic and air pollution-reduction program, is relaunching its trip logging, incentives and carpool matching services. Users can now access the service at GreenTripsCHA.org or via the GreenTrips iOS app.

Hamilton County and the City of Chattanooga are proposing a public-private partnership to extend MLK Boulevard across Riverfront Parkway to the Tennessee Riverwalk trailhead at Blue Goose Hollow.

The proposed public-private partnership involves the City, County and Nashville developer Evergreen Real Estate – the developer of Cameron Harbor – which is offering to build the new section of MLK Boulevard on parcels of land it owns.

Firefighters and volunteers installed 56 smoke alarms and 20 fresh batteries as they canvassed the community on Saturday, Nov. 4.  Fire Marshal Beau Matlock says smoke alarms are the first line of defense when a fire breaks out in a home. “Make sure your alarms have fresh batteries. Also, if any alarms are 10 years old or older, replace them,” he says.

The City of Chattanooga is making improvements in the Miller Park District, which includes the new Miller Park and renovating MLK Boulevard between the park and Miller Plaza.

On Monday, Nov. 13, crews will begin the phase that includes the renovation of MLK Boulevard and requires a full closure of the road.

Driving a small hatchback offers many advantages. They’re efficient, maneuverable, practical and, above all, affordable. Sometimes they’re even fun to drive.

Kia and Honda have each updated their cars in this segment for 2018. The Kia Rio is all-new, while the Honda Fit has received a number of minor upgrades. Each has its own appeal.

Director Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” has been hailed as a “gripping” and “gut-wrenching” masterpiece. Some critics are even predicting the film will receive multiple Academy Awards.

Nolan’s epic recounts the real-life events of May and June 1940, when 400,000 Allied troops were forced to rely on their wits and pure grit to survive while surrounded in a small coastal French town.

Tax reform discussions took a step forward as leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee released its legislative proposal for an overhaul of the American tax code. The National Association of Realtors believes the bill represents a tax increase on middle-class homeowners.

During a recent business trip, I realized there are numerous parallels between airline travel and buying a home. At times, both processes are a case of “hurry up and wait.”

Most airline travelers book their flight in advance and arrive early on the day of travel to ensure they’re ready to go. This can be likened to a homebuyer getting pre-approved for a purchase so that when they’re ready to shop for a home, they’re truly really to roll.

The holiday season is a special time for family gatherings and festive celebrations, but it’s also an important time for home owners in Chattanooga and the surrounding area to keep some basic safety precautions top of mind.

Indeed, crime rates tend to rise during the holiday season – Thanksgiving to New Year’s – because of the increased number of consumers shopping for gifts and bringing them home.

 As you know, we’ve been enjoying a long period of steadily rising stock prices. Of course, this bull market won’t last forever – and when it does start losing steam, you, as an investor, need to be prepared.

Before we look at how you can ready yourself for a new phase in the investment environment, let’s consider some facts about the current situation:

The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera will perform its sixth annual Veteran’s Day concert on Saturday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. The event will also feature the Lee University Singers. The concert will be free and open to the public.