News - Friday, November 17, 2023

Felix Heisel, director of the Circular Construction Lab at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, once said, “Today’s waste is only called that because we’re missing the tools to understand it as materials.”

The Southeast Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women recognized Hamilton County Chancellor Pamela Fleenor as the recipient of its 2023 Lioness of the Bar honor at a reception on Sept. 8 at The Westin Chattanooga.

Hamilton County Clerk and Master Robin Miller, SETLAW’s 2021 Lioness, cited Fleenor’s adherence to the rules, well-researched opinions and “impressive” record with the Court of Appeals as factors in SETLAW’s selection of Fleenor for its Lioness of the Bar distinction.

After the music stopped at Dare to Dance 2023 – the Kidney Foundation of Greater Chattanooga’s annual heel-kicking fundraiser – the numbers added up to a victory for Chattanooga Bar Association Executive Director Lynda Hood: More than $80,000 in donations, making Hood the People’s Choice Champion for the most money raised; the adulatory applause of more than 700 attendees; and enough votes for Hood and her dance partner, professional dance teacher Joel Thomas, to place third overall.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee unveiled portraits of Noah Parden and Styles Hutchins during a ceremony at the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Nov. 1.

Parden and Hutchins, two African American attorneys from Chattanooga, obtained a stay of execution in 1906 for Ed Johnson, an African American criminal defendant, in the Supreme Court of the United States.

Eric Kaulfuss is the new director of talent and employee engagement at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.

Kaulfuss will manage all aspects of human resources for the firm, including benefits, hiring and training.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in strategic organizational leadership from Quinnipiac University.

“You’re a Realtor? Then all you do is drive around in a big car and put signs in front yards, right?”

I’ve heard variations of this notion more than a few times over the past couple of years. After all, everyone knew the real estate market was hotter than it had been in recent memory, and it wasn’t out of the question for a newly listed property to have multiple offers above the asking price mere hours after hitting the local broker marketplace.

Small Business Saturday – Nov. 25 – is a day to celebrate and support the small businesses that make our communities vibrant. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and play a vital role in our communities. They fuel our local economy and provide unique products and services on which we all rely.

The Chattanooga chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors honored Real Estate Partners agent Brenda Pargeon with its 2023 Realtor of the Year Award in recognition of her 28 years of membership and service.

WCR 2022 President Jamie Curtis noted Pargeon’s positive attitude and said Pargeon is “lovely to work with” while presenting the award during the Nov. 1 networking luncheon at The Walden Club.

Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett recently presented two Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputies with the agency’s Life-Saving Medal in recognition of actions that saved the lives of two inmates in separate incidents.

The endless parade of sunny, cloudless days in Chattanooga for the last two months might seem like the stuff of dreams to anyone planning an outdoor activity. However, this fall has turned into a blue-sky nightmare for aquatic species living in smaller creeks and streams.

As you go through life, you’ll have various financial goals. To achieve them, you’ll need to invest. But just recognizing the need to invest is not as useful as matching specific types of accounts or investments with specific goals. How can you make these connections?

After a spouse dies, the survivor often ends up paying higher taxes on less income – something known by accountants and financial planners as the “widow’s penalty,” because women typically outlive their husbands.

Couples who know what’s coming often can take steps to soften the penalty’s effect, but too many don’t think far enough ahead, says Barbara O’Neill, a certified financial planner and educator in Ocala, Florida.

Many frequent travelers carry tales of delayed flights and disappointing hotel rooms. Yet Airbnb “horror stories” are a genre all their own.

Videos with the tag #AirbnbHorrorStory have more than 63 million views on TikTok, featuring guests venting about unclean properties and last-minute cancellations leaving them stranded. The website “Airbnbhell” features hundreds of similar accounts, where things do not go as expected for short-term renters.

A couple of years ago, just before the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving, I made the case in this column for considering it America’s top holiday. Even better than Christmas. I stand by that.

Among the reasons I cited then was that the reason for the holiday – to acknowledge life’s blessings – is something that can apply to all of us, regardless of political or religious beliefs. And gratitude provides physical and emotional benefits, as an article in a Harvard Medical School publication from 2021 reminds us:

Perhaps the biggest thing working to the Tennessee football team’s advantage over the next two weekends is location.

The Vols end the regular season by hosting rivals Georgia and Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium, where Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) is riding a 14-game winning streak.

The Tennessee Titans have achieved the terrible combination of bad and boring.

Given now nine consecutive losses away from Nissan Stadium dating back to last season, the Titans have been the unluckiest group taking trips since the castaways on Gilligan’s Island. But at least the castaways provided some form of entertainment each week. The Titans? Next to nothing.

Legendary coach Bill Parcells is credited with saying you are what your record says you are.

At 3-6, we are beginning to see just how bad the Titans really are. The rebuild that should have been embraced at the start of the season is now underway, but is already behind what is going on with division rivals Houston and Indianapolis.

The Titans are sinking out of sight in the AFC South and are still woeful on the road, having dropped nine consecutive games away from Nissan Stadium. That task doesn’t appear to get any easier this week in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars are smarting from being pounded at home last week by San Francisco.

Midsize trucks are a viable option for truck shoppers looking for something that’s smaller and less expensive than a full-size truck. But much is happening right now that potential truck buyers will want to know about.

Popular models such as Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma are fully redesigned, while others such as the Jeep Gladiator receive significant new features and capabilities. Edmunds experts report on which trucks are the most intriguing for 2024.