News - Friday, February 1, 2019

Even as a college student, Jim Morgan knew exactly what his three-pronged career would look like.

“I wanted to work in a publicly traded company. I wanted to have an entrepreneurial company. And then I wanted to spend my last 15 or 20 years working with youth,” he says matter-of-factly.

Chattanooga-based law firm Maucere Law Group has merged with Nashville and Columbus, Ohio, firm Barham Legal.

The new firm, Barham & Maucere, is a business law boutique with a focus on representation in the areas of corporate law, startups, business litigation, creditors’ rights and foreclosure law, entertainment law, securities regulation, tax law and estate planning.

Realtor Paula Palmer of Real Estate Partners Chattanooga has returned to the board of the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga. She was sworn in at the association’s annual awards and induction ceremony at the Westin Hotel.

Palmer previously served a total of four years on the board but was off it last year. She is serving as an affiliate director and will be leading the association’s Grievance Committee.

Democrats in the state legislature are pushing a bill that would force the secretary of state to vacate the office if that official decides to run for public office.

The move follows several recent contests in which secretaries of state have been accused of gaming the electoral systems they oversee while running for office. The most notable controversy was in the Georgia governor’s race, when Democrat Stacey Abrams lost her bid last year to become the state’s first African-American governor.

A Tennessee legislator is trying to insert Almighty God into the Tennessee Constitution, after falling short in 2018.

And in 2017. And 2016. And 2015.

He certainly doesn’t lack for persistence. Bless his heart.

The legislator is Rep. James (Micah) Van Huss of Jonesborough. He’s a Republican, which is unsurprising: Behind any legislation that seeks to insert God into government lurks the good ol’ Grand Old Party.

My family, friends and clients hear me talk about “leaning in” a lot. When we lean in, we give everything we have to something we’re passionate about. It becomes part of our story.

The National Association of Realtors has chosen “Own Your Story” as its theme for 2019. As our local association’s president, I’m asking Greater Chattanooga’s Realtors to lean in to their stories. I’ll start with my mine.

Whether you decide to build a new house or remodel an existing one, there are several measures you can take to choose the most qualified professional for the job. Use this checklist to help you navigate the process:

Ask family, friends or coworkers for recommendations and contact the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga for the names of member builders and remodelers or visit www.HBAGC.net.

I was about an hour away from seeing “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” when a crying customer pulled up to the drive-thru window of the fast-food restaurant where I was working. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she’d just seen “Star Trek II,” and Spock dies.

David Jolley, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, have announced the completion of Operation Triple Beam, a collaborative enforcement operation focused on reducing violent gang crime.

The East Ridge Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office for its annual Seat belts Are For Everyone (SAFE) campaign.

This statewide initiative is designed to increase seat belt and child passenger safety restraint usage through the implementation of occupant-protection programs, public events and checkpoints throughout local communities. The SAFE campaign begins Feb. 1 and ends Aug. 1.

You probably already know that life insurance can protect your family if something were to happen to you. But you might not realize the many ways in which insurance can help you preserve your plans for the future – whether for yourself, the next generation, or those charitable groups you support.

For children, Saturday mornings are about pancakes and cartoons. For working men and women, they offer a chance to sleep in and unwind from the workweek. Now, for people over 50, there’s a whole new reason to look forward to Saturday mornings: a colonoscopy.

Air Force veteran and entrepreneur Brian Winton has launched a home maintenance, lawn care and cleaning business, TruBlue of Chattanooga.

Winton’s TruBlue franchise serves Chattanooga, Hixson, Soddy Daisy, Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, Red Bank and the surrounding areas.

VaynerX is launching The Sasha Group, a company working with entrepreneurs and small and mid-sized businesses generating between 1 million and $100 million in revenue.

Existing VaynerMedia offerings, including VaynerMentors (consulting), VaynerBeta (branding and marketing), and the Daily Digital Deep Dive (education), will now be offered through The Sasha Group. The Sasha Group will operate from VaynerX’s New York City and Chattanooga offices.

Mike Zumbaugh has joined the Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau as the company’s first chief operating officer. Zumbaugh will focus on streamlining the company’s finances, human resources and operations as the CVB executes a new growth-focused strategic plan.

Outdoor Chattanooga, 200 River St. in Coolidge Park, will host free indoor archery sessions for all ages and skill levels every Wednesday in February and March, 3:30-6 p.m. With a focus on the fundamentals of archery and with an emphasis on safety rules, the sessions follow the National Archery in Schools format and procedures.

Indoor cycling franchise CycleBar is open in Chattanooga at 2372 Lifestyle Way.

At CycleBar, instructors known as CycleStars preside over three CycleBar class formats that span all fitness levels: Classic, Connect and Performance. During a class, performance data can be monitored on large flat screen televisions located in the front of the CycleTheatre.

Erlanger’s third annual Believe Bash will be held Saturday, April 6, at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Proceeds from this year’s underwater themed gala event will benefit the Children’s Hospital at Erlanger.

Activities include cocktail and dinner hours, live and silent auctions, and live entertainment provided by Big Swing and the Ballroom Blasters.

If you’re getting a divorce, it pays to keep quiet on social media, says New York divorce attorney Jacqueline Newman. Trashing a soon-to-be ex or boasting about your great new life can complicate divorce negotiations.

One client’s husband, for example, insisted he couldn’t afford a proposed settlement. Then, he inadvertently gave Newman leverage to get a better deal.