News - Friday, December 8, 2023

Like David in the Book of Samuel, Pamela O’Dwyer is facing a giant as she stands at a trailhead into the woods behind her vine-covered ranch house in McDonald. This Goliath did not set up camp among the towering oaks and pines that cover the lion’s share of her 80-acre sprawl but rather claimed territory within her and threatened to end her life, not with a sword but with a sickness for which there’s no easy cure.

Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison is home to two new associates, Molly Green and Hunter Hoskins.

Green, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, attended the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political science.

The real estate community is devastated to have lost Steven Sharpe, president of Greater Chattanooga Realtors, to cancer this past week. He leaves behind his wife, Lindsey, and twin daughters Molly and McKenzie, who cherished him as a loving husband and father.

New homebuyers must make many important decisions about their future homes. Often one of the first decisions to be made, depending on the builder, is the floor plan. Open floor plans have become increasingly popular in recent years.

A recent National Association of Home Builders survey found 85% of buyers prefer an open arrangement between the kitchen and the dining room.

When interior designer Yancey Martin and her husband moved from Los Angeles to Chattanooga three years ago, Martin had no local friends. Ever the extrovert, she decided to remedy the situation by hosting dinner parties.

“We feel like there’s no better way to meet people than to have them in your home, sitting around a table,” she smiles.

New business filings in the third quarter of 2023 were the highest for a third quarter in the 25-year history of the data being collected, according to the new Quarterly Business and Economic Indicators report issued by Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office.

If your children are grown and your mortgage is paid off, do you still need to carry life insurance? It depends on your situation, but for many people, a cash-value life insurance policy, such as whole life or universal life, can be a valuable, tax-efficient source of retirement income.

In his early 20s, Chris Chen’s nephew dreamed of becoming a professional photographer. But to pursue that dream, he needed equipment that cost more than $5,000.

His nephew worked hard to save $1,500, then his maternal grandmother provided an additional $750. Chen, a certified financial planner in Newton, Massachusetts, covered the rest.

Social Security benefits for millions of people will rise by an average of over $50 a month starting in January, thanks to the Social Security Administration’s 3.2% annual cost of living adjustment for 2024, announced Oct. 12. The change will immediately put more money in current retirees’ pockets, but it also could have a considerable effect on payouts to future retirees.

Two plaques commemorating the landmark achievements of the late Dalton Roberts and Claude Ramsey will soon be publicly displayed in Hamilton County. Roberts was the county’s first county executive, while Ramsey served as county mayor.

Current and former Hamilton County and city of Chattanooga officials paid tribute to the achievements of both men during an unveiling ceremony in the Hamilton County Commission Room Nov. 29.

The freshwater scientists of the Tennessee Aquarium are sharing good news about the status of endangered fish living in streams near Chattanooga that this fall’s prolonged drought drastically impacted.

In late November, the area around Chattanooga received more than 2.5 inches of rain – more than five times the amount that fell in the area during the previous 72 days. This helped to restore some flow to streams on Walden Ridge, which are home to the world’s only known populations of Laurel Dace – one of North America’s 10 most-imperiled fish species.

One program is known for having a prolific offense. One program is known for having no offense.

There will be a stark contrast on one side of the ball when No. 21 Tennessee and No. 17 Iowa meet in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. EST and will be televised on ABC.

You have to learn to walk before you can run.

Right now, the Tennessee Titans are crawling in circles.

The Titans found creative ways to lose in overtime to the Indianapolis Colts, 31-28. Blocked punts on two consecutive series and a missed extra point were enough to cost special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman his job. His firing was announced Monday.

The firing of Jon Robinson last season will buy coach Mike Vrabel some time to get the rebuild going in earnest for the rest of this season and next year.

And while the national media seems to have Vrabel already buying a house in Foxboro and replacing Bill Belichick in New England, I wouldn’t look for that to happen this offseason.

The Titans were as healthy as they had been all season going into Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis. That certainly changed, and now some of their key players on offense (Derrick Henry), defense (Jeffery Simmons) and special teams (Ryan Stonehouse) are all banged up as they get ready for a nearly impossible task of trying to slow down the Miami Dolphins. Miami is 8-0 against teams with losing records this season, and the Titans are winless on the road. Yikes.