News - Friday, December 26, 2014

Attorney Maury Nicely has a story for every occasion, including a few he’s reluctant to tell. He tries to think of a story he can share from law school, and comes up empty.

“Nope, I can’t share that one,” he says after several seconds of staring at the solid wood desk in his office at Evans Harrison Hackett. He shakes his head and laughs, but remains the only one in the room who knows the punchline.

After 56 years of distinguished work as a Realtor, Elgin Smith is retiring. A reception held in honor of his service to his profession, his community, and his church took place Thursday, Dec. 18 at the last place he called home as a real estate agent: Prudential Realty Center in East Brainerd.

Mayor Andy Berke this week announced the first three businesses to receive the City of Chattanooga’s new Growing Small Business (GSB) incentives. Bellhops, a local small business that serves over 121 cities in 42 states, will add 19 new jobs to their Chattanooga-based office, and Wafflez Factory, located on East M. L. King Blvd., will add 14 new jobs. In addition, a California-based company with plans to relocate to Chattanooga will create 60 new jobs. The total amount awarded to the three small businesses will be $22,503.65.

The Chattanooga Hamilton County Family Justice Center (FJC) this week formalized a new partnership with Southern Adventist University (SAU) School of Social Work to provide research and technical assistance to both the FJC and the Chattanooga Police Department. The partnership will focus on projects related to the development of a Victim Assistance Program and a pilot testing for Lethality Assessment protocol beginning in January.

Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston on Wednesday, Dec. 16 sent a letter to Dwight Tarwater, Gov. Bill Haslam’s legal counsel, asking the governor to make available reward money for information leading to the apprehension, arrest, and conviction of the person, or persons, responsible for the murders of Donnie and Sean Goetcheus.

The American Lung Association’s 30th Annual Women of Distinction Awards Luncheon, scheduled to be held Friday, April 24 at the Chattanooga Convention Center, will honor the 2015 Tennessee Woman of Distinction and a number of the Chattanooga area’s most accomplished women, all of whom have distinguished themselves within their family, career, and community.

Now that 2015 is upon us, you may be thinking about making some New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps you’ll decide to take up a musical instrument, or hit the gym more often, or even learn a new language. All these are worthy goals, of course — but you could also gain some key benefits by working to achieve some financial resolutions.

As we round the corner to yet another year and hope we get $200 as we pass “GO,” it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to improve yourself over the next 12 calendar months. This is an age old tradition. We lay out all the things we’re going to do or not going to do. We set goals for ourselves that we’re unlikely to ever achieve. This could set us up for disappointment. One could make an argument that this roller coaster ride we put ourselves on might actually do more harm than good. 

One thing I’m definitely not a fan of is Christmas music. I know. Ba hum bug. I just don’t like hearing the same annoying songs every single year for two months. Forever. Until I die. At least Miley Cyrus has an expiration date of when they’ll stop playing her music on the radio. (Fingers crossed.)

Someday, after entropy has reduced the universe to scrap, it would be nice if the owners of Tangerinas could be there to pick through the pieces and make something beautiful out of them again.

Nicole Griffin, one of the owners of the art gallery, likes to put on her gloves and hit the salvage yard. She doesn’t see piles of rusty machine parts and discarded junk, but bits and pieces of letters that can be repurposed and assembled into a word or phrase and then turned into art. She doesn’t see the bent forks, frayed paint brushes, and broken shower knobs for what they are, but for what they can be.

The Chattanooga CRS Local Networking Group installed its leadership for 2015 at its December meeting, held Dec. 11 at Broad Street Grille.

Pictured are (L-R): Kaye Ivey, secretary; Gil Patton, president elect; Sherre Bales, president; and Brenda Pargeon, treasurer. The group of Certified Residential Specialists also heard a presentation by Chuck Cantrell, associate vice chancellor for marketing and communications with the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Cantrell reviewed the university’s building needs and plans.

Looking back, 2014 largely has been another recovery year. Mortgage credit and student debt remain obstacles even as the U.S. leads the global economy toward recovery. As this recovery matures, many metrics are approaching a healthy balancing point. Throughout the year, rates have remained much lower than most forecasters expected, and inventory levels finally started rising in most areas as sellers generally listed more properties as a result of stronger prices.

I’m going to sound like I’m complaining, but I’m not. “The Hobbit” movies, by writer and director Peter Jackson and his band of merry helpers, failed to inspire enough passion in me to grumble about this third and, thankfully, final chapter.

“Interstellar,” the science-fiction thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, will play at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater, the region’s largest indoor movie screen, through Jan. 31.

The film begins in the future, when global crop failures and drought are rendering Earth uninhabitable. When a wormhole, which theoretically can connect widely-separated regions of space, is discovered, explorers and scientists unite to embark on a search for another planet that could become mankind’s new home.

A repeating scene in “Breaking Bad,” which I’ve now watched twice, involves the protagonist’s birthday. Skyler White (Anna Gunn) breaks up bacon strips on the plate of her husband Walter (Bryan Cranston), arranging them into the digits that indicate his age.

CBL officials last week announced that ULTA Beauty will open a 10,826 square foot store at Northgate Mall next year. The company plans to demise the former Piccadilly space and create an entirely new façade across the front of the mall.

In addition to offering over 20,000 beauty products across the categories of cosmetics, fragrance, hair care, skincare, bath and body products, salon styling tools, and salon hair care products, the new ULTA Beauty store will offer a full-service salon.

I visited my local Williams & Sonoma store not long ago to purchase a new Dutch oven. I love the durability and assortment of colors of the Le Creuset enameled cast iron bake ware, so opted for one of those.

Little did I know the Dutch ovens are not called “Dutch” ovens. They are French ovens. Of course. After all, they’re from France, but I never realized that the French don’t use Dutch ovens!

In the bleak mid-winter, Frosty wind m’ade moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone. ~ Christina Rossetti

My bleak midwinter came the Saturday before Christmas, on the day that, thankfully, is the year’s shortest. It was a gray morning – not that those bother me much; sometimes I prefer less sunlight. 

Just the other day, I picked up my annual Normal Rockwell calendar from the drug store for 2015, and as I thumbed through the months, checking out the next year’s dates, I began to feel a little sorry for 2014. Many people are glad to leave one year and move on to another, due to a year full of problems, but I’ve always been one to enjoy the past. With history, you know what you’ve had, but with the future, there certainly are a lot of unknowns. However, in just a few days, it will become one of the years of the past, and another time of only remembrance of yesterday.

Chattanooga Zoo Winter Camp

Beginning Monday, Dec. 29

Beginning Monday, Dec. 22, the Chattanooga Zoo will be offering a series of one-day education adventures covering themes such as animal adaptations, hibernation, and more. Winter Camp campers can choose to participate on chosen days or sign up for the entire series of programs (which began Dec. 22). Camp takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Winter camp dates are Dec. 29, 30, and 31, and Jan. 5 and 6.  Activities will include animal encounters, wintery crafts, educational programs, age-appropriate games, and more. Snacks will be provided to campers daily. Camp is broken up into two age groups: kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade. Cost is $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Aftercare will be provided from 3 – 5 p.m. for an additional $15 per day. For more information and to register, visit www.chattzoo.org/education/camps.

The other day I was driving and as I passed my father’s home I noticed him working out in the garage. I ran a quick errand I needed to complete and went back after to see how he was doing. 

For some reason the project to me seemed brilliant and cost effective, yet, I had never thought of it. He needed to replace the bottom couch cushions on his couch since they had no firmness or comfort left; instead they just left an imprint on something that use to be firm and comfortable. 

The Christmas and New Years holidays always have everyone rushing and hurrying through everything. It seems like there just isn’t enough time to sit and enjoy anything.

Here’s a quick puzzle I hope you’ll find time during a break to sit and enjoy. As the old adage goes, it’s short and sweet! Happy New Year!

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

digested, chewed, some, few, swallowed

some, others, books, tasted

“_____ _____ are to be _____, _____ to be _____, and _____ _____ to be _____ and _____.”

Saturday, December 26, 1914

“Straight as the crow flies” is the route proposed by C.E. James for the Hoosierland-to-Dixie Highway. Mr. James says “the straight road would be only 210 miles between Louisville and Chattanooga, and since most of the road in Tennessee would be on Walden’s Ridge at a 2,000 foot elevation, it would be kept in as good condition in winter as in other seasons of the year.”

Saturday, December 26, 1964

American National Bank & Trust Co., will enlarge its Hixson and Lookout Valley branch offices, it was announced by John P. Wright, president.

Sunday, Dec. 27

Mrs. Eugene O’Connor, member of the old and well-known DeBardeleben family of Chattanooga, died at her home in Detroit, Mich., Sunday. She’s survived by her daughter, Mrs. W.W. Russell of Detroit, her sister, Mrs. Lee G. Dearing, her brother, Dan DeBardeleben of Chattanooga, and two grandchildren.