News - Friday, December 28, 2012

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed Lila Statom of Chattanooga as General Sessions Court Judge in Hamilton County.

Statom replaces Ronald W. Durby, who stepped down from the bench October 1, 2012 due to a disability.

“I am pleased to name Lila Statom to this position. She brings a wealth of experience to the bench, and Hamilton County will benefit,” Haslam said. “She has served Hamilton County ably since 1998, and we are fortunate to have someone in this role with her qualifications.”

Attorney Cindy Hall on December 21 presented Maeghan Jones, president of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, with $11,250 in donations from the lawyers and judges who are members of the Chattanooga chapter of the American Inns of Court. Over $10,000 of the donation was raised at an auction held during the local Inn’s annual Holiday Party. The remainder came from private donations made by Inn members.

It is no fun watching the television in the Levison Towers media room the last few weeks. Either there is another shooting in the news, or another store hawking a holiday sale. I have to choose between being sad and being disgusted, which is a poor choice at the most wonderful time of the year. From Black Friday to Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Free Shipping Day, I am about holidayed out a full week before the real celebration even begins. Humbug.

This article was originally published in The Hamilton County Herald on December 30, 2011. 

I think it is first important to remember what it is that is really important in your life. It is not the things you have or the cases you win that make you a success, but rather the people that are in your life. Winning every case and having every toy is of little value if you do not have people to share your life with. The people that care about you don’t care about those things, and the only person that is keeping score is you.

This article was originally published in The Hamilton County Herald on December 30, 2011.

Temper tantrums. If you have children, you have temper tantrums.

I remember one  (it was so traumatizing to me that I will never forget it) that one of my children had in a grocery store. I won’t mention names, because I don’t want any of them to hate me!

There was some reminiscing going on the other day. It was late December, and there wasn’t much else to do around the courthouse. Something about being in the courthouse causes the reminiscing to go in a certain direction; to wit: sworn testimony.

Welcome to River City Redux, a collection of our favorite moments from this year’s River City columns. Whether eating more than we should have at a new restaurant, discovering something fun to do in Chattanooga, or listening to live music, we had our share of thrills in 2012 – yet we only scraped the surface of what one can experience living in or near the Scenic City. Case in point: Soaring 2,300 feet above the Tennessee River Gorge on a trike piloted by Erik Graper, owner of Fly This. (Photos by David Laprad, excluding this photo, which a camera mounted on the wing of the trike took.)

Clark Griswold: Hey, hey, easy kids. Everybody in the car. Boat leaves in two minutes... or perhaps you don’t want to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away? - National Lampoon’s Family Vacation  

This article was originally published in The Hamilton County Harold on December 30, 2011. 

Well, Christmas is past and New Year's Day is upon us. That's a whole lot of partying going on. However, if (unlike me) you find yourself still longing for a reason to have yet another party, I have found a solution to your problem. Have a food party! Did you know that there is a food honored just about every day of the year? Seriously. The answer to your dilemma is to celebrate the day based on the National Food Holiday.

Local general contractor Ethan Collier, president and CEO of Collier Construction, was recently recognized as the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga’s (HBAGC) Home Builder of the Year.

According to Teresa Groves, executive officer of HBAGC, this annual award recognizes a builder who exemplifies the organization’s mission of promoting quality building practices in the Chattanooga area. 

November home sales saw the second-highest year-over-year increase in 2012, with a 15.7 percent rise from last November. October had a 17.8 percent increase, making sales this fall season unusually high. The November RE/MAX National Housing Report, a survey of MLS data in 52 metropolitan areas, also shows that home prices rose 6.9 percent higher than the prices seen in November 2011. The median price for homes sold this November was $163,750. Rising prices are due mostly to a dwindling inventory, which continued to drop across the country. The average number of homes for sale is now 29.1 percent lower than last year. Low inventory levels are having a negative impact on home sales in many markets, where there are more buyers than homes for sale.

Dear EarthTalk: 

Is it true that children are sicker today than they were a generation ago and that pesticides have played a major role? 

- Maria Jenkins, Clewiston, FL

It’s impossible to say with certainty that our modern reliance on pesticides is directly causing more of our children to get sick more often, but lots of new research points in that direction. An October 2012 report by Pesticide Action Network North America entitled “A Generation in Jeopardy” examines dozens of recent studies and concludes that the influx of pesticides in our society is taking a heavy toll on our kids’ health and intelligence.

1.  Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score, or the leader, until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

There’s a moment in the new comedy, “This is 40,” that sells the whole move. Debbie, the wife, tries to pull Pete, the husband, off of a hospital bed. She is, in a roundabout way, responsible for him being there. But so is he. Anyway, as she playfully makes a go of picking him up, he places his right hand on the back of her head, pulls her face to his and kisses her. It’s a long kiss, one that says, “I love you. I’m glad you’re with me. We’re in this crazy thing called life together, and we’re going to get through it. I wouldn’t do anything else for even a minute if it meant being without you.”

Saturday, December 29

The Metropolitan Charter Commission Friday appointed Will Allen Wilkerson, a veteran Chattanooga lawyer experienced in government matters, as its legal counsel.

Tennessee’s County Clerks Association has thrown its support to a bill fixing a single state license fee for all automobiles, according to County Court Clerk David M. Ramsey. Hamilton County registers 80,000 to 90,000 automobiles annually. Residents currently pay $10 per year to license a small, or compact, car and $13.50 for a heavier model. These fees include 50 cents for the county court clerk.

Saturday, December 28

President John H. Race of the University of Chattanooga last week announced a half-million dollar endowment has been secured for the university.

Two brilliant dancing parties contributed to holiday gaiety. Notable among the enjoyable holiday affairs given was the dinner dance given last evening by Mr. and Mrs. C.F. Milburn in honor of their son, Knapp Milburn, and his guest, Robert S. Crowell of Bridgeton, N.J. The lovely home on East Fourth Street, which is so well adapted to a dance such as this, made an effective setting with its artistic decorations and prettily gowned young girls. The Cotillion club dance last evening at the Masonic Temple was also a delightful social event. The Patten orchestra furnished the music for dancing during which fruit punch was served. At midnight, a supper was enjoyed. D.S. Henderson, dancing with Miss Anna Martin, led the cotillion.