News - Friday, December 7, 2018

With legal battles behind them and hundreds of aging barrels ready to be tapped, craft distilleries statewide are part of a growing army of whiskey businesses poised to share their liquid gold and their houses of origin.

Is it too much of a good thing or just the beginning?

The Tennessee Whiskey Trail has 26 distilleries across the state from the Tennessee Distillers Guild’s 30-member roster. These distilleries range from small, boutique-style operations to well-known distilleries that have been making legendary Tennessee Whiskey for generations.

Amid the now-lauded legislation that allowed for the re-emergence of Tennessee distilleries was a smaller bill signed separately by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2013, and it redefined what constitutes a ‘Tennessee Whiskey.’

The bill set in writing the state’s first standards for distillers wanting to call their product Tennessee Whiskey, or as Jack Daniel’s does, Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. It is designed to match federal standards for bourbon, but distillers will have to jump over many barrels to comply with those standards.

Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan has teamed with the local chapter of the Salvation Army to sponsor the Corporate Angel Tree Program during this holiday season.

 Staff and attorneys sponsored angels throughout the Chattanooga area.

Burnette, Dobson & Pinchak associate Kathleen Siciliano is sworn in and ready to officially practice law.

Siciliano is a Chattanooga native, a graduate of Girls Preparatory School and the daughter of Gerard and Paula Siciliano.

While in law school, Siciliano served as the publications editor and web editor for the Tennessee Law Review and was active in the environmental law organization.

Attorney Alix Michel steps through the door of the Refinery on an important mission. Lured in by the word “apothecary” on the front door, he hopes to find a product that will ease his daily dilemma: shaving a beard that’s getting tougher with age.

Urban Story Ventures and West End Property have selected Dover, Kohl & Partners as the master planner given the task to revive 112 acres of riverfront property newly named the West End.

The firm’s award-winning projects include revitalizing South Miami, creating downtown plans for Richmond, Virginia, and Montgomery, Alabama, and crafting visions for new neighborhoods like Glenwood Park in Atlanta.

It feels great to have a clean, organized, well-functioning home when guests are coming – especially around the holidays. It’s like your gift to you. Use this checklist from the National Association of Realtors to get that satisfying feeling, no matter how much time you have.

There’s nothing like cozying up to a glowing fireplace on a winter evening. For a gathering of friends and family sharing delicious food, festive music and warm conversation or for quiet time with a cup of cocoa and a good book, a crackling fire sets the scene.

I imagine Gary Hart’s ego swelled a bit when he learned Hugh Jackman would be playing him in “The Front Runner.” Who wouldn’t puff up at least a little upon learning that one of Hollywood’s most handsome actors would be playing them in a movie? I bet he even bragged to his friends.

The number of hepatitis A cases in Hamilton County continues to rise. Since May, 54 cases have been reported to the Health Department. By comparison, zero to one cases per year are reported in non-outbreak years. The best way residents can protect themselves is by getting the hepatitis A vaccine, knowing how the virus is transmitted, and taking preventive actions.

TDOT contract crews from GeoStabilization International have completed a slope stabilization project on a section of U.S. 127 (Signal Mountain Boulevard) in Hamilton County near log mile 16.05.

This is the second slope stabilization repair that TDOT has completed on U.S. 127 since July 2018. In addition to this site at log mile 16.05, crews completed repairs to the slope near log mile 15.97 in October.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency will raise the national conforming loan limit for 2019 by 6.9 percent from $453,100 to $484,350.

In addition, the high-cost limit will rise from $679,650 to $726,525. As a result, loan limits will be higher in all but 47 counties or county equivalents across the country beginning on Jan. 1.

Most photographers use expensive gear to take pictures of their subjects. Chattanooga artist Annie Lindstrom uses her cell phone to take and edit photos before turning them into pieces of art. The Tap House will host Lindstrom’s first solo art show, Cell-a-lluia St. Elmo, Dec 16-Feb 3.

The holiday season is here, which means gift giving is probably on your mind. In addition to making gifts to your family and friends, you also may be interested in contributing to charitable organizations.

But before you donate financial assets, such as stocks, you will need to consider several factors, including taxes, your portfolio balance and the reputation of the charity. Let’s look at these areas:

Millennials’ aversion to credit cards can make it hard for them to build good credit scores. A recently announced scoring system, the UltraFICO, may someday help them and other consumers get loans and credit based on how they use their bank accounts.

Diners at State of Confusion can now eat within heated outdoor igloos on the restaurant’s patio. Each igloo, which holds up to eight people, includes heating, comfortable seating and fleece blankets. Twinkling colored lights line the top of the igloo, and diners can see through to the night sky as well as the activity on State of Confusion’s expansive patio. State of Confusion is the first establishment in Chattanooga to present the concept, which was made popular in London and New York City.

Gina Dhanani is the new chief operations officer of Double Cola Company. Dhanani has been with Double Cola for nearly 15 years and has served as the company’s vice president since 2012. In her new role, Dhanani will design and implement operations, establish policies and oversee company operations and the work of executives.

Food City will host its annual holiday open house in all area locations on Saturday, Dec. 8, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Events will include: live entertainment, crafts, door prizes, cake shows, displays of holiday fruit baskets, floral centerpieces, wreaths, in-store made candies and gift items, and sampling stations featuring candies, cheese balls, specialty cheeses and new and traditional holiday favorites.