News - Friday, February 18, 2022

It’s five minutes after noon on a Saturday when the door at St. Pete Records opens and a lone traveler steps through the threshold. There’s no bell on the entrance to announce his arrival to the proprietor, Keith Wilson, so the crunchy Seattle grunge pouring through the tall speakers on the floor goes unspoiled.

Freshman attorney Vincent Jackson says two experiences had the greatest impact on his early development as a legal professional.

One was his participation in moot court at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law in Knoxville.

As Jackson wrote briefs for a case centered on qualified immunity and then stood his ground before a panel of judges, he gained confidence in his ability to fashion a well-reasoned argument and then successfully defend it in a live forum.

February is Black History Month. Dr. Carter G. Woodson originally established it as a one-week observance in 1926. He picked the second week of February in memory of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

In 1976, the celebration was extended to the entire month. It highlights the accomplishments and achievements of African Americans that might otherwise go unrecognized.

Asked to boil down his job description to its essence, Keller Williams Realty Greater Downtown Compliance Manager Steven LaMar says he keeps small problems from becoming big problems.

But as he explains what he does for the Washington Street real estate brokerage in more detail, it becomes evident that LaMar, 41, has no small task on his hands.

Limiting the celebration of great Black Americans to only one month troubles me, even as I observe Black History Month.

As I was gathering my thoughts for this column, name after name of significant Black Americans and Chattanoogans came to mind. Eager to share my thoughts about these individuals and their profound impact on society, I wondered if I’d live to see a time when we don’t need a calendar to remind us of such an occasion.

With the dreary days of winter keeping everyone cooped up indoors, many are continuing to focus on ways to make their homes more enjoyable. The upcoming spring months are a wonderful time to tackle home improvement projects.

“Despite delays and higher costs due to supply chain problems, demand for remodeling remains high,” says Paul Emrath, NAHB assistant vice president for surveys and housing policy research. “Looking ahead, we expect to see continued growth in the remodeling market in 2022 and 2023, although not as strong as 2021.”

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga presented RP Homes with its Developer of the Year award at its annual dinner in January.

HBAGC presents the annual award to a developer who demonstrates “a tireless dedication to their community, HBAGC and the home building industry.”

The McNabb Center recently acquired a new building in Chattanooga and will be relocating several community mental health services, including its peer support program, to the site.

Located at 960 Airport Road, the building will provide a better, more accessible space for individuals seeking services, says Gayle Lodato, senior director of Greater Chattanooga Area services for The McNabb Center.

Are you a “gig” worker? If so, you’ve got a lot of company. By some estimates, more than a third of U.S. workers participate in the gig economy as freelancers, independent contractors or moonlighters.

And while gig work offers some attractive features, such as flexibility in setting your hours and no real limits on your income potential, it also comes with challenges. Specifically, you may miss out on the array of benefits available to full-time employees of many organizations. How can you fill this benefits gap?

Trying to work while caring for an aging loved one can be difficult, stressful and at times overwhelming. Many people feel they must quit, take a leave of absence or at least reduce their hours in order to cope.

Sometimes, caregivers have little choice. But often people don’t realize the heavy financial toll they’ll pay or adequately research options that could allow them to keep working, says Amy Goyer, AARP’s national family and caregiving expert.

February is the month of love, and for many people that means trying to find Mr. or Mrs. Right. The same goes for cars. It isn’t easy finding the right one, and many have personalities of their own. So why not choose your next car as you would a date?