News - Friday, November 27, 2015

On Thursday, Nov. 18, members of the Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) enjoyed an evening with the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society and the Tennessee Supreme Court.

The reception took place at Hunter Museum of American Art following a one-hour CLE on the Tennessee Confederate Courts presented by attorney Sam Elliott. 

The Estate Planning Council of Chattanooga (EPC) has been awarded the highest honor available to an estate planning council affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils: the Leonard H. Neiman and Walter Lee Davis, Jr., Council of Excellence Award. The award was created in 2015 to recognize councils that provide a strong multi-disciplinary environment for estate planning professionals within their community, and is intended to honor councils that grow their programs and services and provide an exceptional member experience.

Super Lawyers has named Jerry H. Summers and Jimmy F. Rodgers, Jr., of the law firm of Summers, Rufolo and Rodgers to its 2015 list of Mid-South Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers also named Marya L. Schalk, of the same firm, to its 2015 list of Mid-South Rising Stars.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel recently welcomed Nathan Bosshardt to its team of attorneys in its labor and employment practice group. Bosshardt will advise clients on compliance issues arising under federal, state, and local employment laws. Bosshardt is looking forward to representing clients in federal and state agency matters, including the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Labor. He will also handle federal and state litigation and administrative proceedings relating to employment issues. 

Super Lawyers has selected 15 attorneys at Miller & Martin’s Chattanooga office as Mid-South Super Lawyers or Mid-South Rising Stars for 2015.

Mid-South Super Lawyers at Miller & Martin in Chattanooga include: Donald J. Aho – Business Litigation; John R. Bode – Employment & Labor; C. Celeste Creswell – Business Litigation; Roger W. Dickson – Business Litigation; James M. Haley IV – Real Estate; Douglas T. Johnson – Intellectual Property; David B. Kesler – Employment & Labor; C. Crews Townsend – Class Action; William G. Trumpeter – Employment & Labor; and W. Randall Wilson – Construction Litigation.

In 1967, Ezra Pound told Allen Ginsberg, “The worst mistake I made was that stupid suburban prejudice of anti-Semitism.” Some say it was an apology. Pound died in Venice in 1972, shortly after his 87th birthday. In one of his final cantos, he wrote, “I have tried to write Paradise … Let the Gods [and] those I love try to forgive what I have made.” The above was well after the treason case.

William C. Killian, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, has submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama, effective Dec. 5, 2015. He is joining a national law firm.

Killian was sworn into office Oct. 4, 2010 after nomination by Obama and unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate. While a U.S. Attorney, he served on three Attorney General’s Advisory Committee subcommittees, including Terrorism and National Security; Civil Rights; and Healthcare Fraud Working Group.

It’s certainly the season for giving – and when you make charitable gifts, you can both give and receive.

To get the most out of your gifts, your first step is to make sure you are giving to a worthy charity. That means you’ll need to ask some questions. How does a group measure its effectiveness? And does it use its money wisely? Is it devoting as much of its contributions as possible to the actual work of the organization, or is it spending too much money on administrative costs? Generally, a worthwhile charity should spend at least 75 percent of its income on programs.

Realtors work hard, and deserve a little time off now and again. So, on occasion, the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors will host an after-hours event to allow everyone who will come to enjoy themselves for a couple of hours. (Some people talk shop, but apparently, that can’t be helped.) 

Realtors from Greater Chattanooga joined roughly 20,000 colleagues, experts, and industry leaders from around the country at the 2015 Realtors Conference & Expo in San Diego, Nov. 13-16, to mark another strong year for the real estate industry.

Realtor Sherie Westerfield has joined Ooltewah-based Signature Brokers. Westerfield is the latest of several new hires at the real estate company.

A graduate in business from Western Kentucky University, Westerfield will be serving a variety of clients – from first-time homebuyers to those selling luxury properties. She is a graduate of the Realtor Institute, an Accredited Buyers’ Representative, and brings 15 years of experience to her new company.

A recent study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) revealed some interesting and alarming data. According to NAHB research, the median price of a newly constructed home in the Greater Chattanooga area in 2014 – which includes 210,567 households – was $182,679. The annual income needed to qualify for a loan on this new home was $46,376.

A piece of Ringgold, Ga., history is now for sale. Originally built in 1849, the Old Graysville Grist Mill was burned down during the Civil War and then rebuilt in 1869. It continued to operate as a grist mill until the 1950s, and was later renovated and served as a residence.

^“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” begins without so much as a “How do you do?” Getting right down to business, it picks up soon after “Part 1” ends, and in so doing, left me scrambling to gather my bearings.

Details are being finalized for Warehouse Row’s annual Holiday Open House on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. The evening of winter festivities will include bites and beverages from Public House and Two Ten Jack, live reindeer in the motor court, local music, and a visit from jolly St. Nick.

Mainx24, a 24-hour festival celebrating Main Street and the surrounding Southside, will take place Saturday, Dec. 5. The annual event features parades, music, poetry readings, chili cook-offs, and more. The event is organized by residents, merchants, and friends of the Southside community.

Two award-winning documentary films will be screened on Saturdays Dec. 5 and Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Cultural Center, located at 5461 North Terrace Road. Individual tickets are $10 per person, and include popcorn and a soft drink. Advanced ticket purchases are $18 for two tickets and $34 for four tickets, and can be acquired by contacting the Jewish Federation at 493-0270 or rsvp@jewishchattanooga.com.

Saturday, Nov. 27

Dwight Haven of Detroit, one of the nation’s top Chamber of Commerce executives, will address the 89^th annual meeting of the Greater Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, S.L. Probasco, Jr., president, announced.

Saturday, Nov. 27

Mrs. Samuel Boyd Allen and little daughter of Tate Springs will spend the holidays with her mother, Mrs. Sue C. Johnson.

Miss Elizabeth Atlee was hostess of the Girls Bridge Club Friday. There were five tables devoted to the game. Invited guests were Miss Agnes Davidson and Mrs. William Fritts.

Garlic ... Other than chocolate and coffee, garlic makes anything taste better! OK, that might not quite be true, but it does convey the love I have for garlic!

This week, I have a yummy garlic soup recipe. OK, before you turn up your nose because it sounds, well, kind of garlicky, give it a try. It’s really a great “comfort food” type soup, and it’s very popular in some parts of the world!

A short week, short deadlines, short fuses, and short points on the scoreboard has caused me to have a bit more –  OK, a lot more – stress, well disguised as blood curdling rage. It doesn’t help that the office next door to mine has someone who went to Mississippi State, and she, like Christopher Walken, feels the need for “more cowbell.” All this made me appreciate the video my friend Carla posted on Facebook of an ad for a new wonder drug for just this kind of thing. The drug is already FDA approved, and they call it “Nature.”

Every year we make a list as a family of the activities we want to do for the month of December; and of course, this always includes many trips around the city to see all the beautifully decorated yards. 

A couple of years ago we came across a home that had the words ‘joy’ and ‘peace’ in large wooden letters in the yard. The words had been painted with a spotlight shining on them. My husband and I could not help but stop and talk about the possibility of making our own letters.