News - Friday, December 14, 2012

Chattanooga is home to two more Super Lawyers.

Marya Schalk of the law firm Summers & Wyatt has been named to the Mid-South Rising Stars list as one of the top up-and-coming attorneys in Tennessee for 2012. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state receive this honor. The research team at Super Lawyers makes the selection for this list.

Miller & Martin attorney John Bode presented his annual Labor and Employment Law Update seminar Thursday, December 6 in the J. Guy Beatty, Jr., Conference Center in the Volunteer Building. The four speakers at the seminar included (L-R): Rosemarie Hill of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel; John Bode and Stacie Caraway of Miller & Martin; and Justin Gilbert of Gilbert, Russell & McWherter. Not pictured: Hon. Curtis L. Collier, U.S. District Court, Eastern Division judge. Additional photo on page 7. (Susanne Reed)

Christmas at the Courthouse returned for another holiday season December 5 through 13 in the City and County Courts Building. The annual tradition sees choirs from schools in Hamilton County honoring judges and other public officials with song. Here, the East Elementary Pioneer Chorus Club, under the direction of Marilyn Medley, closes its program on December 5 with a soothing rendition of “Go in Peace.” Honorees that day included Judge W. Frank Brown III, Judge Jeff Atherton, Clerk & Master S. Lee Akers, Judge Marie Williams, Judge W. Neil Thomas III, Judge Jackie Bolton, Judge Jeff Hollingsworth, and Circuit Court Clerk Paula Thompson. (David Laprad)

Four attorneys recently joined Gearhiser Peters Elliott & Cannon. Corrin P. Fulton and Justin B. Faith have joined the law firm’s civil litigation practice. Stacy H. Farmer and David W. Hunter have joined the firm’s business, corporate, and estate planning practice.

Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger is asking Hamilton County residents to take a moment this holiday season to remember the victims of criminal violence. The mayor along with the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults is calling for a “Season of Remembrance” for those whose lives have been disrupted by acts of crime. “This is a season of joy for many, but for others, there is a shadow on the holiday celebration because of the disruption acts of crime and violence have brought to their lives. It seems appropriate that as we reflect on the meaning of the season that we stop and remember those whose lives have been ruined by the misdeeds of others,” said Coppinger. Pictured: 13-year-old Keoshia Ford, an innocent bystander rendered comatose in a gang shooting in March, and her mother during a community praye meeting. (David Laprad)

The regional corporate law firm of Miller & Martin has been selected as a BTI Client Service A-Team for 2013.

The BTI list, conducted by BTI Consulting Group, is based upon client evaluations using 17 criteria of client relationships. This year’s evaluation relied on more than 240 independent interviews conducted between March and September 2012, with in-house corporate counsel to determine how 332 law firms perform.

The Chattanooga Fire Department is now using some of the most modern rescue equipment available, thanks to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. At the Firehouse Subs restaurant at 6025 East Brainerd Road in Chattanooga last week, Chattanooga firefighters put on a short demonstration using their new Hurst eDraulics S 700E Cutters. These cutters are designed to cut through the extra strong steel used in new cars and trucks.

Watching the local ABC affiliate as I get ready for work is part of my morning routine. I like to catch up on my morning news and weather. The other day, one of the segments had something to do with a few stores around the state that are operated by the Game and Fish Commission. The segment was pushing items that could fulfill the needs of a shopper looking for something to give an outdoors lover for Christmas. One of the items they mentioned was a frame that celebrated a hunter’s first deer kill.

Dear EarthTalk:

How can I have a greener, healthier laundry room?

~ Billie Alexander,     

   Topeka, Kan.

While there are many ways to green one’s laundry room, one place to start is with detergent. Luckily, in 2009, the federal government phased out phosphates, harsh chemicals that help break down minerals and loose food bits during the wash cycle, because their presence in wastewater causes algae blooms in downstream waterways. But mainstream detergents still often contain the surfactant nonylphenol ethoxylate, which researchers have identified as an endocrine-disrupting estrogen mimic, meaning exposure to it can cause reproductive and other human health problems. Bleach, a corrosive chemical known to burn skin and eyes on contact and damage lungs when inhaled – and which can react with ammonia to produce toxic gases – is also a common ingredient in detergents.

Allied Arts, a Chattanooga-based arts advocate and funding source, held a press conference last week to reveal a transformation the organization will be undergoing. The nonprofit announced it will be rebranded, including a name change, and will now be referred to as ArtsBuild.

Have you been told your child might have ADD or ADHD and should be tested? What about yourself? Have you been diagnosed with this disorder?

The symptoms of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) involve: inability to pay attention, impulsive behaviors (acting without thinking about the consequences), or being overly active. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Although ADHD can’t be cured, it can be managed and some symptoms improve with age.

The elections of 2012 are over. Under local law, a certain person was reelected, unopposed, to a fifth 4-year term.

The 16-year incumbent had occasion recently to reflect on the election of 1996, his first. He’s fond of saying, “I’ll never forget the year Bill Clinton rode my coattails to another term in the White House.”

My hometown is the 15th largest city in the country. For this reason, we moved to Chattanooga with some trepidation, worried that we might miss some of the “big city” amenities.

We were comforted by the proximity of Atlanta and Nashville to Chattanooga, figuring we could easily get a dose of “big city” on weekends.

Chaos is a friend of mine.” - Bob Dylan

Saturday broke warmer, but I still put on the red sweatshirt and headed out to blow some of the leaves from my front yard to the back.

Only five minutes into it, I looked up to see the white truck and its trailer slow to a stop. When I realized ignoring them was fruitless, I shut off the blower and turned, knowing what they wanted. I had another dead pine tree in my back yard, the fifth or sixth since we’d moved there. You could see the top of it from the street and that it was void of needles – and life.

Cupcakes seem to be all the rage right now. If you haven’t already visited a cupcake bakery, you are in for a treat! Thanks to my granddaughter and the music minister at my church, I have visited two, and I don’t plan on stopping there!

Realtor Paula McDaniel makes selling houses look easy. But she’s had to work hard to get there.

“These last two years have been my best two years in the 22 years I’ve been selling real estate,” she says. “But I attribute that to having worked harder than I’ve ever worked. I’ve worked longer hours, skipped vacations, and spent more money on marketing than ever before.”

Compass Auctions & Real Estate professional auctioneer Steven Holt has been elected to the Tennessee Auctioneers Association Board of Directors.

Founded in 1958, the Tennessee Auctioneers Association board promotes professional standards and encourages members to practice the highest principles of integrity in their auctioneering profession.

Color the Curve coordinators took advantage of beautiful weather early this month to do a photo shoot to promote Color the Curve, a “color race” taking place Saturday, June 8, 2013 at Greenway Farms in Hixson, Tenn. Participants that register before Monday, December 31 and use the code “BEFORE2013” receive a 20 percent discount on the registration fee.

This puzzle is about Christmas celebrations around the world and some of the things poor Santa has to put up with as he tries to deliver toys to all the good little boys and girls. How much do you know about other countries and their celebrations?

If you happened to be in Toledo, Ohio in the summer of 1977, and found yourself near the city’s university late one afternoon, you might have seen a 13-year-old boy on a ten-speed weaving in and out of traffic and making “Pew! Pew!” sounds with his mouth.

Most business owners take great pride in being their own boss and determining their own future. By the same token, they become a slave to their business. This is true because they actually function more as employee that works tactically “in” their business. They become consumed and involved in the day-to-day activities that can and should be handled by employees or other support staff. The problem with this is that they spend their time and energies on low value activities. As a result, they never have, or take, the time to step back and look at the big the picture. In other words, they never develop a strategic approach, which is the key to growing a successful business.

Saturday, December 15

George Kenneth Henshall, vice-president of Interstate Life and Accident Insurance, died early Saturday morning at his home, “Narrow Bridge,” in East Brainerd after a long illness. Mr. Henshall came to Chattanooga in 1927 to join Interstate. He was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church and a member of the Mountain City Club.

Saturday, December 17

A North Chattanoogan differs as to corporation lines, and many sharp opinions developed in Friday night’s mass meeting. The Golf and Country Club, Highlands, and Riverview are likely to be omitted from the town. These plans were modified by a Citizens Committee of North Chattanooga that sprang a surprise on the printed plan that had been issued.

This weekend

The Nutcracker Christmas Carol

“The Nutcracker Christmas Carol” has returned to Chattanooga State. The annual offering by the Chattanooga State Repertory Theatre combines several Christmas stories into a family-oriented holiday musical. Performances will take place Friday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 16 at 2:30 p.m. at the Chattanooga State Humanities Theatre. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children.