News - Friday, November 3, 2017

From my vantage point behind a pair of SWAT officers, I can see the target at the base of a tall cliff on the shore of the Tennessee River. The helmsman at the back of the boat in which I am traveling points the craft at the distant mark and then gives the engine a big swallow of gas.

Medical marijuana legislation is evolving, not to ease people’s debilitating pain but to help it pass the General Assembly, where it’s giving some lawmakers heartburn.

State Rep. Jeremy Faison, an East Tennessee Republican ferrying the bill through the House, is offering several changes to a bill he is sponsoring with Sen. Steve Dickerson, a Nashville Republican, to soothe the nerves of state bureaucrats and lawmakers who get shaky when the word marijuana is mentioned.

You’ve fallen for Facebook. You’re in love with Instagram. You’re in a tizzy over Twitter. And you’re savvy with Snapchat. But did you know your use of social media could miss the mark?

Not to worry. In a seminar titled, “How Social Media Can Go Awry,” the Hon. Roger Page, justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Hon. Brandon Gibson, judge with the Tennessee Court of Appeals, and Justin Furrow of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel will discuss how to use social media in a way that allows you to maintain a professional persona and prevent social media mishaps.

Carr Allison has added two new associates to its Chattanooga office.

Chancey Miller’s practice will focus on transportation, premises liability and commercial litigation matters.

Miller graduated summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee College of Business Administration in business analytics. He earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee College of Law. While in law school, Miller received multiple CALI Excellence for the Future Awards and was a member of the Tennessee Law Review and Transactions: Tennessee Journal of Business Law.

Stop the presses! I’m not sure if a newspaper has ever stopped the presses for any story, but this one is big: My wife – a Bronx, New York, native, a woman whose taste buds were raised by original Italian cooking prepared by original Italians and a notoriously picky eater – liked an Italian restaurant in Chattanooga.

So, you think you’d like to be a college basketball coach, huh? Kind of a dream job, beats a 9-5, lunch-pail kind of existence all day.

Folks welcome you to their home, feed you and brown-nose you while you decide if their precious little hoopster is worthy of your program.

At this stage in his career, George Clooney should be above juggling to entertain people. He’s an accomplished actor, a producer and director with a long list of credits and an active humanitarian and activist.

But juggle he does as the director and co-writer of “Suburbicon,” a crime caper starring Matt Damon and Julianne Moore. If I counted correctly, he tried to keep three balls in the air but wound up dropping them all.

A search committee has been selected and a nationwide candidate recruitment process is underway to identify candidates to lead the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A job description and instructions on how to apply can be found at www.ChattanoogaFun.com/careers. The committee will accept nominations from Oct. 30-Nov. 13.

Engel & Völkers has opened a brokerage in Chattanooga, marking the first Tennessee location for the global real estate brand. The newly established Engel & Völkers Chattanooga comes as the result of a partnership between Engel & Völkers and local real estate company Bridge City Realty. Real estate professionals Tonjia and Jeremy Landreth will lead the office.

The Chattanooga Fire Department has been upgraded from a Class 2 to a Class 1 Public Protection Classification. The Class 1 rating is the highest rating given by the Insurance Services Office, which rates the ability of fire departments across the country to respond to and suppress structure fires.

The Chattanooga Downtown Redevelopment Corporation has sold the Chattanoogan Hotel to Schulte Hospitality Group for $32 million dollars. The CDRC purchased a permanent easement from TVA for the purpose of constructing the Chattanoogan Hotel and the parking garage as part of a redevelopment initiative that included other projects such as the Development Resource Center and expansion of the Trade Center.

When considering a new residence as your potential home, there are many factors that contribute to its selection. One topic that’s seldom discussed, however, is which physical inspections a buyer should procure prior to purchasing a house.

Both Tennessee and Georgia provide a residential property disclosure form, with which an existing owner can tell a prospective buyer everything they know about the house and what remains with the home. This is an excellent tool to use during the initial evaluation of a property.

Despite solid interest in buying a home – sparked by steady job gains, record low mortgage rates and higher rents – the severe drought in housing supply in much of the country over the past year accelerated price growth and kept many first-time buyers out of the market.

Finding storage solutions for things like blankets, books, seasonal clothes and countless other items that often take over your living areas can seem challenging. But there are many practical and attractive ways to incorporate storage all throughout your home.

For reasons likely to remain obscure, October 30 is Checklist Day. But while the origins of this observance may be a mystery, the value of checklists is clear: They help us organize our time and break large jobs into manageable steps. You can use a checklist for just about any significant endeavor – including the task of choosing a financial professional to help you achieve your important goals.

Sarah Baker, M.D., has joined CHI Memorial Medical Group. Baker earned her medical degree at East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Colorado Denver and Health Science Center in Aurora. Baker is board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.