News - Friday, November 20, 2015

Attorney Joe Manuel has secured a grant that allows him to offer mediation services to fathers and mothers seeking to establish or increase parenting time. The grant comes courtesy of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), and applies to certain parties in the Circuit Courts for Hamilton County.

Seven attorneys were sworn in before local judges Thursday, Nov. 12 in the Hamilton County Commission Room. The ceremony allowed new lawyers practicing in the greater Chattanooga area to meet and speak with the judges that were present. 

John Phillips and his wife, Mufti, had waited a long time to become grandparents. When it finally happened, they were doubly blessed.

“We learned we were going to become grandparents at the end

of last year, as I was about to retire,” Phillips says.

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have once again named Miller & Martin a 2016 “Best Law Firm.” 

The firm’s Chattanooga office achieved a metropolitan Tier 1 ranking in 23 areas of practice, including: Antitrust Law; Arbitration; Banking and Finance Law; Commercial Litigation; Corporate Law; Criminal Defense: Non-White-Collar; Criminal Defense: White-Collar; Employee Benefits Law; Employment Law - Management; Health Care Law; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Construction; Litigation - Intellectual Property; Litigation - Labor & Employment; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; Mediation; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants; Product Liability Litigation - Defendants; Real Estate Law; and Trademark Law. 

Last week we noted that American poet Ezra Pound wrote a historical two-line poem in 1913. While establishing himself as a leader in the movement that gave  us stream-of-consciousness fiction, free-verse poetry, atonal music, and abstract art. And years before being indicted for treason.

When will the Federal Reserve raise interest rates? This question has been on the minds of economists and financial market prognosticators for quite some time now. But what does it mean to you, as an individual investor?

First of all, it’s important to understand just what is meant by “raising rates.” The Federal Reserve, or the “Fed,” directly controls short-term interest rates, although, through various measures, it can also affect long-term rates. Typically, the Fed will lower short-term rates to stimulate the economy. Conversely, the Fed will raise rates to slow down the economy if it seems to be “overheating” and threatening to push inflation to excessive levels.

Travis Close (left), president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors (GCAR), with National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Chris Polychrome at the 2015 Realtors Conference & Expo, held last week and earlier this week in San Diego.

Transitory periods in the market are common this time of year. After a persistent period of steady year-over-year climbs in sales metrics, recent low national numbers have not fulfilled what many predicted. But on a positive note, jobless claims have also been at low levels nationally, coming in as the lowest number since 1973.

If you associate log home living with rugged mountains in a rural community, think again. Log homes can be found in cities and towns across the country. And, today’s log homes include modern amenities and options to fit your lifestyle, including open floor plans, multimedia rooms, master suites, garages, and more. You may be surprised to learn all the benefits that log homes offer.

When I was a boy, reading the comics in the Toledo Blade was an important part of my day. My favorite strip was printed at the top left of the first of two pages: Charles Shulz’s “Peanuts.” I counted Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole gang as friends, and like many now my age, grew up loving the daily window into their lives.

Saturday, Nov. 20, 1965

Combustion Engineering, Inc., played host to some 7,000 employees and members of their respective families at an open house celebration. General Manager J.H. Slack said the occasion was held in order that members of the families of those employed by Chattanooga’s largest industry might observe firsthand the immensity of the projects the firm undertakes.

Saturday, Nov. 20, 1915

Plans are now being completed to establish a large spinning mill in Chattanooga with $250,000 capital. G.H. Miller of Miller Bros. Co. has just returned from Philadelphia, where he conferred with A.G. Thatcher, president of Coosa Mills in Piedmont, Ala., and his son, Alfred Thatcher, who is the manager of the Standard Processing Co. in Chattanooga. Mr. John Stagmaier is also interested in establishing the new mill.

The Chattanooga History Center on Monday presented U.S. Senator Bob Corker with its 10th Annual History Makers Award.

The award recognizes local individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to Chattanooga, the region, the state, or the country.

The City of East Ridge will offer a triple-dose Christmas Extravaganza on Saturday, Nov. 21. The Christmas in Song concert is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Camp Jordan Arena. Admission is $6 per person, and patrons are asked to bring an unwrapped Christmas gift for the Needy Child Fund. Children ten and under will be admitted free.

The Chattanooga Bach Choir and Chamber Orchestra will perform “Celebrate the Seasons,” featuring “Gloria” by Vivaldi and Britten’s “A Hymn to St. Cecilia,” on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m. at First Christian Church, located at 650 McCallie Ave.

FIVE, located at One North Shore, is bringing a new tradition to Chattanooga’s Thanksgiving celebrations.

A traditional seated Thanksgiving meal prepared by the restaurant’s culinary team will be served free of charge from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the restaurant.

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.

Tennessee Aquarium president and CEO Charlie Arant announced his retirement to staff and volunteers Monday morning by thanking them for their service during his more than 20-year tenure. “The people I’ve worked with at the Aquarium are incredible,” said Arant. “Their efforts are beyond anything you could expect as a leader.”

Shane Lawson of the Chattanooga Police Department sings the national anthem during the flag-raising ceremony last week at Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Each flag raised was purchased by a family member of a U.S. veteran, and will fly on the bridge until Armed Forces Day next May.

The city of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce last week announced that JPMorgan Chase will invest $100,000 to produce a skills-gap report that will provide data-driven solutions to address the mismatch between employer needs and the skills of local job seekers.

I hardly ever dream, and when I do, I hardly ever remember them. Usually, when I lay my head down on my pillow and close my eyes, that’s all. It’s all over until the next morning.

Hubby, however, always remembers his dreams. Sometimes, I feel deprived because I am unable to conjure up a fun, exciting scene in my head when I’m asleep. When I do happen to remember one, which is maybe once every two months or so, they are ones I don’t want to remember.

I was reminded recently of a conversation a few of us once had with Perrin Jones, the retired newspaperman and former Arkansas legislator who passed away three years ago this month.

During our chat, I told Perrin of my daughter Alexis’ recent trip to Europe, and he recalled being in Berlin in 1963, behind the Iron Curtain and the relatively new Berlin Wall. He was there with dozens of reporters from around the United States, covering the Cold War.

Although we are just now celebrating Thanksgiving, decorating for the winter holidays was in full swing this weekend at my humble abode. I have an irresistible love for decorating for the holidays; it makes me feel so warm and blissful inside.

I love to go to the stores during the holidays and see all the designer trees and decorations. They cause me to ‘ohh’ and ‘ahh’ at all the creativity, followed by a little bit of digging to see how they made this or that particular decoration.