News - Friday, November 28, 2014

The holidays have arrived, and with them the telltale signs of the season: the lights have been hung on Market Street Bridge with care, Santa Claus is making his rounds, and the Chattanooga Bar Association (CBA) is presenting its annual employment law seminar: “John Bode & Friends: An Employment Law Update.”

The Northwest Georgia Council of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors has elected its new board of directors.

Pictured L-R are: 2015 President-Elect Mandy Bandy Melton; 2015 Director At Large Jake Kellerhals; Secretary/State Director Denise Lindsey; 2015 Director At Large Becky Maples; Immediate Past President Eddie Floyd; and 2015 President Teresa Hogg. Not pictured: 2015-2016 Treasurer/State Director Michele Dills Hudson.

The Company Lab (CO.LAB) announced three emerging companies as the winners of its fifth annual Will This Float business pitch competition last week. Innovasan Corporation took the grand prize for Best Idea Overall, winning $1,000 in cash, 32 hours of free business services, and a one-year mobile marketing contract.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke last week testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight. The hearing, entitled “Tax Relief after a Disaster: How Individuals, Small Businesses, and Communities Recover,” was held by Chairman Senator Robert Casey, Jr., of Pennsylvania and Ranking Member Senator Michael Enzi of Wyoming. Mayor Berke provided testimony on how cities like Chattanooga are “affected by natural disasters and how, with greater tax relief, they can recover stronger.”

It’s been a rough week here at the Levison Towers. A sewer line broke in the basement, and the plumbers had the whole floor torn up. We take pipes for granted, in that they move water out of our sight. There are, however, other unpleasantries associated with moving sewage. Suffice it to say that what happens in the basement does not stay in the basement.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a tailgate party with a good friend. He was in charge of the music because he had the wireless speakers. Once the sound system was set up, we were inundated with Christmas music. I immediately made it clear that I didn’t want to hear holiday music two weeks before Thanksgiving. It took about an hour of griping, but I was finally successful in getting the genre of the music changed. However, the change in music did not come about before I was called “Scrooge” by several people.

As 2014 draws to a close, you may want to look back on the progress you’ve made this past year in various areas of your life — and that certainly includes progress toward your financial goals. At the same time, you may want to make some end-of-year moves that can close out 2014 on a positive note while paving the way for a productive 2015.

Mise En Scenesters to screen underseen gem

Saturday, Nov. 29

The Canadian cult oddity “Crime Wave” remains one of the most criminally underseen films of the 1980’s. An early example of postmodern filmmaking, the story details screenwriter Stephen Penny’s attempts to write a crime film in the grand cinematic tradition. He has a variety of potential beginnings and endings, but he struggles to find a middle. He discovers an opportunity for script-doctoring assistance through a mysterious man named Dr. Jolly, who inhabits a surreal version of the American south. Borrowing the visual styles of everything from educational films to Hollywood gangster dramas, “Crime Wave” presents a world full of vibrant color and boundless energy, but with a strange, putrid presence lingering just outside the frame, says Mise En Scenesters’ Chris Dortch. Tickets are $5 dollars, and all of the proceeds go to the filmmaker. The screening will take place Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available via the Chattanooga Film Festival Shopify store, located at chattanooga-film-fest.myshopify.com.

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

This position is created by the upcoming retirement of Magistrate Judge William B. Mitchell Carter.

Toy collection boxes for the Forgotten Child Fund were being placed at all 19 Chattanooga fire stations this week. “We’re big supporters of the Forgotten Child Fund,” said Fire Chief Lamar Flint, “and we want to make it as easy as possible for people to donate to this wonderful charity.” To find the Chattanooga fire station nearest you, visit the Chattanooga Fire Department online at www.chattanooga.gov/fire-department/station-locator.

On Monday, Causeway shut down the block between Miller Park and Miller Plaza for a city-wide Thanksgiving potluck lunch in the middle of Martin Luther King Boulevard.

There was no fee, no expectations, and no agenda – just an open invitation for everyone to get to know their neighbors a little better, and to give thanks for this city of ours.

Members of the Hamilton County Commission last week approved a commercial development that will be located at the corner of East Brainerd and Ooltewah-Ringgold Road. The project, called The Enclave at East Hamilton, is being developed by the ANT Group, which is headed by developer Bassam Issa.

Even while the pace of home price acceleration normalizes, housing has shown recent signs of ongoing strength. Both housing starts and future building permits are on the rise nationally. Inventory levels are increasing in most metro areas, driven higher by rising prices and more confident sellers. Homes are still selling quickly and for close to or even above list price.

Nov. 28 is a really “highly celebrated” day in my life. No, it’s not my birthday, or my anniversary, although those are important. (Well, not the birthday one, unless for some reason I start getting younger.)

Coach Boone: Will you ever quit?

Team: No! We want some mo’, we want some mo’, we want some mo’! – “Remember the Titans”

We drove north into the heart of the Ozarks last Saturday for an encounter with some Rebels. It was a dark and stormy day.

^“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” makes one thing clear: Lionsgate did not need to stretch the three “Hunger Games” books into four movies. Oh, things happen, but not many, and when it was over, I was still wondering when the plot was going to kick in.

Three years ago Mindy Benton opened her deli within the Volunteer Building in downtown Chattanooga. Her goal was simple: create some of the best artisan sandwiches in town sourcing local ingredients whenever possible.

With names like The Caprese, The Thanksgiving, and the Ooh La La, Mindy B’s Deli has earned a reputation for plating some of the tastiest and most unique sandwiches around town.

With new grandbabies showing up in my household, you’d never think the granddaddy would be the one getting the vaccinations, but that’s something that happens at my house.

With my last granddaughter, I found out from my daughter-in-law that I should get a DPT, or a pertussis, shot if I was going to be around my new sweet little grandchild. In other words, I was told that if I was going to see her closer than the screen door out back, I was getting a shot, which I did.

Barnes & Noble’s annual holiday book drive is taking place now, and will continue through Jan. 1. The book drive provides an opportunity for customers to donate books through locally designated non-profit organizations. Last year, Barnes & Noble customers and booksellers provided more than 1.5 million books to over 2,000 local charitable organizations that provide services to children across the country.

I get a laugh now and again for telling what the crossword clues are for the term comb-over. In light of a recent story from the sports page, I can’t resist writing about the topic. For your edification, of course.

In 2010 the New York Times ran a puzzle by Brad Wilber in which the answer comb-over was clued “Cover-up unlikely to fool anyone.” And one by Byron Walden and Caleb Madison that clued comb-overs as “Dos that are don’ts.”

Members of the Chattanooga City Council approved the re-zoning Tuesday of the site selected for The Walnut Street Boutique Hotel. Located in the Arts District on Walnut Street, the five-story structure will feature 90 rooms with views of Chattanooga’s riverfront, Hunter Museum of American Art, and mountain vistas. Utilizing the best practices and technology in the industry, guests will enjoy having many of their preferences met with the swipe of a smart phone.

Board members, city leaders, and individuals from the art community last week broke today at Sculpture Fields at Montague Park, a 33-acre sculpture park that will contain larger-than-life monumental art.

“This isn’t just another art park; this is about enhancing culture, tourism, recreation, education, and economic development, with a Chattanooga city park contributing to the revitalization of the Southside,” said internationally known sculptor John Henry, the founding board member of Sculpture Fields. “Sculpture parks in America draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to their home cities. Chattanooga’s reputation will be enhanced by this addition.”

Photography, to me, is the best thing … next to Starbucks. I love being able to capture all the small moments in time that will make a huge impact forever. Essentially, everyone in my family is a photographer to some extent; therefore, there are always new ways to incorporate my family’s photos into my home. 

Saturday, November 28, 1914

Organizers of the Chattanooga Congregational Church held their first public meeting last night in the Chamber of Commerce assembly room. Herbert W. Boal was chairman of the meeting. Other leaders were C.W. Lawrence, G.R. Barnes, Jr., J.M. Gager, Harry C. Piper, Frank L. Humphrey, A.M. Jones, Paul W. Shepherd, Misses Lucile Pyott, and Annie Street.

Saturday, September 26, 1964

Three large building projects involving investments totaling $1,536,500 will begin soon in the Chattanooga area. The largest is the Continental Apartments at 2400 Hixson Pike, for which a $950,000 permit was taken out, a new Seventh Day Adventist Church in Collegedale permit for $464Saturday, Nov. 28

On Dec. 15, 2011, President Barack Obama proclaimed that date as the official Bill of Rights Day. The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They protect the natural rights of liberty and property, guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. Take this quiz to see how much you know about these important rights.

Fill in the blanks in the quote using the following words:

ideas, bright, least, have, year, together 

geniuses, once, genius, everyone, real

“_____ is a _____ at _____ _____ a _____. The _____ _____ simply _____ their ____ _____ closer _____.”