News - Friday, November 10, 2023

In 1993, when improvisational dancer, choreographer and instructor Ann Law founded Barking Legs Theater in Chattanooga “in the buckle of the Bible Belt,” she recalls, “No one here even knew what alternative art was. For the first seven years we could never really build an audience. We had the same number of people come from Day One and the same faces. They were so supportive, but we weren’t growing any new audiences because it was so eclectic and so ahead of its time. But it did give me an artistic outlet. And it’s taken on its own life now.”

During a domestic relations class at the University of Tennessee College of Law in the early 1970s, Mary Neill Southerland found herself on the receiving end of a discriminatory remark related to her gender.

“The course was a little bit on the bawdy side,” says Southerland, assistant attorney for Hamilton County. “[The instructor] referred to part of the female anatomy as something that I’d never heard before, and it just rolled off my back. I didn’t know what he was saying.”

Like many young professionals, Jon Connors took the “typical” route from college to corporate career simply because he thought it was the only way to earn a real living. But, he says, “I hated my job [as an insurance customer service representative]. I really hated it and I always felt like I was destined to be an entrepreneur. Even in college, I had my own clothing brand and I had an online business.”

Whether you’ve been looking to buy a house, a car or even finance a large home appliance, it’s no secret that interest rates have gone up sharply in the past few years.

Anat Nusinovich, an economist for the National Association of Realtors, recently summarized the drastic difference in interest rates in such a short period. “Between 2018 and 2022, most mortgage applicants (around 5.5 million people) received a mortgage rate below 3%.

As the weather turns cooler, you might look for ways to make your home cozier and more inviting. And with the holidays approaching, now is the time to make any improvements so gatherings at your home can be safe and comfortable for your guests.

 Planning is vital to keeping your home in shape this winter. For example, if you have a significant project in mind, such as adding insulation or upgrading your heating system, you’ll need time to get several quotes from professional contractors. The Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga has a list of professionals with a wealth of experience and professional integrity.

Three local leaders have been selected for a national program on career readiness. Across the country, eight counties were chosen for the National Association of Counties “Counties for Career Success” initiative.

Members of the cohort include:

The Hunter Museum of American Art is the recipient of five Southeastern Museums Conference awards, one for publication design and four for the use of technology.

The SEMC technology and publication design competitions recognize excellence and innovation in the use of technology, communications and graphic design and provide benchmarks for regional publication efforts in southeastern museums.

Text Request’s vice president of marketing, Kenneth Burke, has been named Executive of the Year in the Business Intelligence Group’s 2023 Public Relations and Marketing Excellence Awards.

According to the Business Intelligence Group, this awards program “identifies and recognizes agencies and corporate departments alike who accelerate their brand’s growth through exposing and promoting great business stories.” Burke was one of only two winners in the “Executive of the Year” category nationwide.

For the 2024-25 school year, Hamilton County is offering choice seats at 70-plus school options to students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade across Hamilton County.

Choices include Workforce Development and College Schools, Future Ready Institutes, Magnet Schools, Charter Schools and Open Enrollment Schools.

The private collection of fossils discovered decades ago in Lookout Mountain Cave prompted a significant new partnership between Ruby Falls and the East Tennessee State University Center of Excellence in Paleontology and Gray Fossil Site & Museum.

You may spend decades contributing to various retirement accounts. But for some accounts, such as a traditional IRA and 401(k), you must start withdrawing funds at a certain point. What should you know about this requirement?

To begin with, the rules governing these withdrawals – technically called required minimum distributions, or RMDs – have changed recently. For many years, individuals had to begin taking their RMDs (which are based on the account balance and the IRS’ life expectancy factor) when they turned 70½.

The nearly universal experience of finding yourself face-to-face with a checkout counter screen asking you to select an amount to tip for service can prompt a cascade of awkward questions: How much should you tip on a $5 coffee if anything? How can you decide before the cup has even been poured? Is it rude to select “no tip” then slink away with your drink?

Malik Willis needs to be a starting quarterback in 2024 – for the Memphis Showboats.

The statement above is not meant to degrade or demean the second-year Titans QB. But Willis is the perfect example of why the NFL needs to start using spring football to develop players – especially quarterbacks – by allocating a handful of them in the offseason to get much-needed game snaps that could help once they return in the fall to the NFL.

Will Levis is far from a finished product, but he showed enough in his first two starts that the Titans should be encouraged about him as the quarterback of the future – and the present.

There is no denying Ryan Tannehill’s accomplishments for this franchise, taking over four years ago in midseason and guiding the Titans to one step from the Super Bowl.

Sunday, November 12 | 1 p.m.

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

TV: CBS Radio: WGOW-AM/FM

The Titans come off their mini-bye with their season again at a crossroads. Do they continue to limp along and pretend they’re on the cusp of contention, or do they finally embrace a rebuild and turn the page toward 2024?

To the intrigue of many compact-car enthusiasts, Acura brought back its Integra nameplate for 2023 after a long hiatus. Based on parent company Honda’s Civic, the Integra hatchback debuted with practicality and value in spades but performance that was a bit underwhelming.