News - Friday, November 2, 2018

Every holiday season has its “must-have” toy or gift item that tops the shopping list.

This year it’s workers, as retail and support industries struggle with a tight labor market to find enough employees to serve holiday shoppers and revelers.

Given the national employment picture, it’s no surprise that employers are having difficulty filling the ranks all over the country, says Greg Dyer, president of Randstad Commercial Staffing.

“Strong consumer spending and low unemployment, as well as slow wage growth, does create a great opportunity for those looking for work, or just to make some extra money during the holiday season,” Dyer says. “It’s a tight market, particularly in urban areas, and if companies aren’t willing to be creative and take an approach that allows for flexibility and perks, or higher wages, it’s going to be a struggle for them.”

Consumers say they will spend an average of $1,007.24 during the holiday season in 2018, a 4.1 percent increase from $967.13 last year.

Consumers will spend in three main categories:

• Gifts: $637.67

• Items such as food, decorations, flowers and greeting cards: $215.04

“At Legal Aid of East Tennessee, we have a dream: to create an East Tennessee where justice is a community value and no one faces a legal problem alone, without a lawyer, because they can’t afford one,” said LAET Executive Director Sheri Fox as she welcomed guests to the firm’s annual Pro Bono Night Thursday, Oct. 25 at Chattanooga Whiskey. “We’re here to celebrate the ways each one of you helps us make that vision a reality.”

Attorneys with the Chattanooga Bar Association are providing low-income military veterans with free advance directives for health care and basic wills.

The first annual “Wills for Veterans” will take place Monday, Nov. 12, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Court Building, 600 Market Street.

The American Inns of Court honored Max Bahner, senior counsel at Chattanooga law firm Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C., at the Celebration of Excellence in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20. Bahner received the 2018 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Sixth Circuit.

Libertarians have flooded the Tennessee ballot for governor in an effort to show how hard it is to get on the Tennessee ballot.

Let me explain.

It is in fact ridiculously easy to get on the ballot in Tennessee. Any Tom, Dick or Funkmaster V (more about him later) can qualify simply by meeting age and residency requirements for office and providing a petition with the valid signatures of 25 voters. There’s no fee.

Tenesha Irvin is usually the one doling out good advice on her weekly radio show, but at the moment she’s on the receiving end.

Her guest is Rhonda Moore, program director at Aim Center. Moore is on The Tenesha Irvin Show to discuss mental health, but the topic has shifted to the importance of taking mental breaks.

With cooler temperatures finally here, it’s time to pull out the flannel shirts and tackle a few simple household chores to make winter more pleasant and prevent nasty surprises next spring.

Not sure where to start? Here’s a quick checklist from the National Association of Realtors.

Traditionally, the kitchen is king when it comes to making an impact on a home’s identity, making it truly the “heart of the home.” But having a beautiful bathroom is even more important for many home owners.

In fact, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders, bathrooms outpaced kitchens as the most popular remodeling project.

The .realestate domain, launched by the National Association of Realtors in partnership with investment firm and registry operator Second Generation, will be available for purchase through GoDaddy this month.

Due to the anticipated demand for the .realestate domain, GoDaddy, get.realtor and more than 20 other registrars will offer .realestate starting Nov. 26, following the end of NAR’s member pre-sale on Nov. 16.

Single female buyers continue to be a powerful force in the housing market, while low inventory, rising interest rates and increasing home prices remain, holding back first-time buyers despite notable interest in purchasing a home.

This is according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, which also identifies numerous current consumer and housing trends, including mounting student debt balances, the impact of pets on home buying decisions, increases in down payments for all buyers, the rising age of repeat buyers and the fact that a vast number of respondents use a real estate agent to buy or sell a home, which kept for-sale-by-owner transactions at an all-time low.

Until I surprised myself by purchasing a ticket for the new “Halloween” film, I hadn’t seen a single installment in the series since watching the original John Carpenter classic years ago.

It turned out I didn’t miss a thing, as the people who made the latest reboot wiped the slate clean after 40 years of sequels and reboots and sequels to reboots with a single stroke of the pen (or clack of the keyboard).

The Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute has secured Katty Kay, award-winning lead anchor for BBC News America, as the keynote speaker for its 14th annual Impact Leadership Dinner.

The event will take place Feb. 21 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Gina Dhanani, vice president of The Double Cola Company, is the 2019 IMPACT chair.

Prosthetic manufacturer Fillauer is the recipient of the 2018 Spirit of Innovation Award presented by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.

Fillauer is the designer the NEXO system, an upper extremity prosthesis that’s 50 percent lighter than other prosthetic products, with options for various wrist and elbow attachments and PEEK rods that are flexible and reduce both vibration and pressure on the residual limb.

The Company Lab, Unum and Erlanger are partnering to launch a health care startup accelerator beginning in the spring of 2019. The accelerator will provide entrepreneurs with an opportunity to work with large-scale leaders in health care and the employee benefits market.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance advises consumers to be aware of individuals who might try to lure them into the “accident clinic” trap following an automobile accident.

Accident clinics target automobile accident victims to make money by creating the false impression that the clinics either work for a government agency or are part of an insurance company. The clinics aim to quickly sign up accident victims as patients before they can talk to their own doctor or lawyer.

White House volunteer decorator Brandon Carruth will host decorating clinics the first three Saturdays of November at The Great Christmas Shop in Chattanooga. The clinics will focus on how to decorate a tree, mantle and wreath. The events are free but require registration. Register at The Great Christmas Shop’s Facebook page. 6240 Perimeter Drive. Information: 423 892-3128.