News - Friday, February 14, 2020

In the wake of the July 16, 2015, terrorist attack in Chattanooga, in which a Muslim extremist opened fire on two military installations, killing five and wounding two, several questions weighed on Mayor Andy Berke’s mind.

He pondered how the community could refrain from engaging in retributive, Islamophobic behavior, how the people of the city could respond constructively and what the local government’s responsibility was in addressing the tragedy, says Kerry Hayes, Berke’s chief of staff.

Riley Kurtts spent 10 years climbing the ladder of success as a collegiate outdoor recreation educator. After reaching the top rung, he looked down to see he was only a few feet off the ground.

Realizing he wanted more wealth than his current profession would ever allow, he climbed down and started up a different ladder – commercial real estate.

Three local jurists have applied to be considered for the Tennessee Court of Appeals opening in the eastern division created by the retirement of the Hon. Charles Susano, Jr.

Attorneys Joseph Christopher Clem and Samantha Lunn and Chancellor Pamela Fleenor of Chattanooga are among the 16 individuals from across the state the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments will consider when it meets to select nominees.

Gov. Bill Lee has appointed Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Robert Philyaw to a three-year term on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.

As a member of the commission’s 21-person policymaking body, Philyaw will further the organization’s mission of improving the quality of life for children and families and providing leadership and support to child advocates.

Leadership Chattanooga is a 10-month leadership development program that allows local professionals opportunities to learn more about and engage with the community where they live and work.

Nominations are open at www.chattanoogachamber.com/leadership/nominate_apply.

The author of the New York Times best-selling book “From Scratch” will deliver the keynote address at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel’s fourth annual Embrace Aging Forum.

Tembi Locke will share her personal experiences as a caregiver and the importance of creating a community when it matters most.

A President’s Day message from Judges Curtis L. Collier and Travis R. McDonough:

Monday, February 17, is President’s Day. The holiday was originally designed to honor our first president, George Washington, and was celebrated on his birthday, February 12. In an effort to give the public more leisure time, in 1971, President Richard Nixon officially designated certain federal holidays to be celebrated on Mondays. This included President Washington’s.

In an episode of the sitcom “Frasier,” Dr. Frasier Crane enthusiastically suggests he and his girlfriend go antiquing.

In reply, she scrunches up her face and says, “I am not one for whom ‘antique’ is a verb.”

We started off the year with continued low interest rates, low unemployment and rising rents across the country. These factors should encourage healthy buyer demand and sets us up for a strong start to the 2020 housing market and a lot of optimism for the coming spring market.

It will soon be peak season again for home sales in the Chattanooga area, and one of the most exciting steps in the home buying process is walking through the house you might live in one day.

Whether it’s a new or newly renovated home, touring a property in person will help you with your purchasing decision.

In one scene from “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey,” an action film based on the titular DC Comics team, a crime lord slaps the chatty antihero Harley Quinn across the face and shouts, “You’re so irritating!”

Not that I identify with criminals, or condone violence, but I know how he felt. Quinn had been prattling on for most of the movie, and I just wanted her to stop talking and let things play out naturally.

On Valentine’s Day, you can give your spouse or life partner a traditional gift such as candy or flowers. But once you’ve done that, why not think about something that can provide longer-lasting benefits for your loved one? Specifically, think about ways to provide a lifetime of financial protection.

It’s worrisome when officials try to turn their private religious principles into public policy. Turns out it can also be worrisome when they ignore those principles.

Take the refugee resettlement program, a federal program designed to offer a haven for people who flee war, persecution or other dangers in their home countries.

Emblematic of their 2019 season, the Tennessee Vols made a strong closing run to complete their 2020 recruiting class.

The Vols put the finishing touches on the highly ranked group last week during National Signing Day by securing four-star wide receiver Malachi Wideman and three-star athlete Damarcus Beckwith.

Once exclusive to heavy-duty pickup trucks, diesel-powered engines have recently come to full-size light-duty trucks, as well. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 are among the most popular vehicles sold in America, and each one now offers a diesel engine.

Losing a job is almost always traumatic. Job loss in your 50s can be devastating – and devastatingly common.

More than half the workers who entered their 50s with stable, full-time jobs were laid off or pushed out at least once by age 65, finds an analysis of employment data from 1990 to 2016 by the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica and the Urban Institute, a nonprofit think tank. Only 10% of those who lost a job ever found another that paid as much, and most never recovered financially.

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera’s “Big Band Fever” concert will return to the Tivoli Theatre on Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

The annual Valentine’s weekend performance will feature live swing music from principal pops conductor Bob Bernhardt and the CSO Big Band.

Dr. Laura Riley has joined CHI Memorial Internal Medicine Associates in Chattanooga. Riley earned her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Jersey City Medical Center in New Jersey.

The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga is accepting applications for its 2020 Inclusion by Design executive leadership program.

Since 2017, the Urban League has prepared more than 30 diverse professionals for leadership roles at regional businesses and nonprofits and with the local government.