News - Friday, December 17, 2021

Unlike poet Robert Frost, who described coming upon two roads and taking only one, Noel Durant is simultaneously walking down a pair of paths.

He’s moving briskly along one – an unfinished portion of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway that stretches for 3 miles from the intersection of Shallowford and Moore Roads to Faith Road.

While in law school, Mary Frances DeVoe had a vision of what her practice would look like.

Now, as a working attorney, DeVoe is pleased to say she has her dream job – and it looks nothing like that law school fantasy.

DeVoe, 28, earned an undergraduate degree in art administration at Elon University in North Carolina with an eye toward working in the music business. When she realized she didn’t want to spend the first few years of her career answering a phone, she took a hard right turn toward the law.

Judge Jeff Hollingsworth decorates Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s 2021 Pro Bono Christmas tree in the lobby of the Hamilton County Courthouse Dec. 8. The tree is hung with Christmas cards containing a variety of cases attorneys can voluntarily take on.

We recognize Dec. 15 as Bill of Rights Day. President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated this day by proclamation in 1941 to observe and honor the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. But how did the Bill of Rights itself come to be?

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel shareholder Doug Griswold is the new section chair for the firm’s health care and nonprofit service groups, which advise industry leaders across the country on the latest laws and regulations.

Griswold follows Jim Catanzaro, who previously served as section chair.

Realtor Celina Koszarek (“Celina K” to people who know her personally) is no stranger to hard work. Twelve-hour days and seven-day weeks are the norm for her.

If Koszarek, 51, isn’t driving to view a house for a buyer who’s working, or pouring over the minutiae of multiple contracts, or closing her nth house of the month, she’s taking calls from people who are relocating to Chattanooga, pumping out social media content, or keeping a close eye on the market.

When you zoom out to get the big picture of real estate across the country, you’re going to see some pretty positive developments. The economy is improving, unemployment is falling and the U.S. real estate market remains very strong.

This news is positive as we head into the holiday season, a period when activity typically slows as people take time to travel, celebrate and spend time with loved ones.

Nothing says Christmas quite like a home decked out with twinkling lights, trees, wreaths and garland. However, all those beautiful decorations can cause us to turn into Grinches when they leave behind damages or messes around the house.

Here are a few tips to help you display your holiday trimmings without any unsightly messes or costly repairs.

The Tennessee Department of Health has awarded the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office a Health Epidemiology & Laboratory Capacity Confinement Facilities Award totaling $440,066.

The ELC award is part of the Department of Health’s mission to reduce and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in confinement facilities such as prisons and jails in Tennessee.

If the ticking clock on the gift-buying season finds you still wondering what to get that discerning reader on your Christmas list, here’s an author suggestion:

Colson Whitehead.

I realize I am late to this party. Part of that is because my fiction reading tends to involve official good guys arresting criminals (e.g., Lucas Davenport) or unofficial good guys beating them to a pulp (Jack Reacher). Whitehead’s writing falls into neither category.

If your parents are getting close to retirement age, or are already retired, it may be time to talk with them about financial and aging issues, some of which may involve difficult conversations.

For the sake of everyone in your family, don’t avoid these “taboo” topics.

Age brings unique opportunities and obligations, including some important year-end tasks that can help you make the most of your money.

For people 50 and older, here are some to consider:

Play catch-up, if you can

If you’re still employed, use a retirement calculator to see if you should boost your savings rate.

Through eight years, Taylor Lewan has had an up-and-down career for the Tennessee Titans.

There have been the highs of Pro Bowl selections and playoff wins and the lows of a season-ending knee injury last year, the terrible seasons at the start of his professional career and plenty of other bumps in the road along the way.

The Tennessee Titans are going to have to win games with the defense for the foreseeable future.

Yes, A.J. Brown should be back at some point to help boost the offense. And there is speculation that Derrick Henry could return in January.

But based on what this team is now and how it has to play until Brown and Henry are back, the defense looks to be the key element.

Things are about to get tougher for the Titans, who snapped a two-game skid coming off their bye week with a shutout against Jacksonville last week. They now head to Heinz Field to play a desperate Pittsburgh Steelers team that is in danger of missing the postseason. Let’s look at the Titans’ mission for Sunday.

After a fall filled with offensive electricity on the football field, the Tennessee basketball programs are shining a light on the other side of the ball.

Both teams have made a mark with solid defense and rebounding as they prepare for big showdowns Saturday.

One of the perks of buying a new vehicle is that it offers features that promise a safer and more convenient driving experience. Some technologies have trickled down from luxury to mainstream segments, while others have been introduced quickly across the market.