News - Friday, February 22, 2019

Bill Lee the governor sounds a lot like Bill Lee the candidate as he works to implement the policies he brought to Tennessee voters since the Republican businessman announced that he would seek the state’s top job.

During 18 months of campaigning, the political newcomer spoke broadly about good jobs for Tennesseans, good schools for their children and safe neighborhoods. He has followed through on those themes in the agenda for his administration’s first year, adding a push to strengthen the economies of rural counties, 15 of which are economically distressed.

In his first week as Tennessee’s 50th governor, Bill Lee issued four executive orders, the first cementing his commitment to the 15 rural Tennessee counties that are economically distressed. Others addressed ethics, transparency and nondiscrimination in employment.

Christie Kizer Burbank has joined the Chattanooga office of Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell. Burbank is an experienced health care regulatory, transactional and contract law attorney.

Burbank has spent the last two decades representing health care providers in all aspects of health law, including health care contract drafting, transactions and negotiations, fraud and abuse analyses, hospital and physician arrangements (such as physician employment and exclusive coverage agreements), provider self-referral and kickback matters, HIPAA and privacy issues, compliance plan development and clinical research issues.

The issue before the House subcommittee was whether the annual Robert Spicer Memorial Buck Dance Championship in Dickson County should become the official buck dancing competition of the State of Tennessee.

Discussion was brief.

“Is buck dancing and clogging the same thing?” Rep. Mark White asked.

Jay Robinson and members of the Robinson Team of Keller Williams have concluded their “Closing for a Cause” fundraising initiative, which awards a percentage of each closing to a local charity. The effort yielded a $2,400 donation to McKamey Animal Center on behalf of the entire Robinson Team.

Buying or selling a house can be an intense experience under the best of circumstances, and that provides fertile ground for scammers hoping to capitalize on the process.

A fellow Realtor recently told me he receives calls almost daily from people who are at risk of being scammed.

Americans use fresh water for the basics of everyday living, which means we’re constantly using one of Earth’s most precious resources. In fact, less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water is available for human use, so we have a big responsibility to use water wisely. Consider these relatively easy steps to cut back on how much water you use without requiring big expense or lifestyle changes.

“Alita: Battle Angel” is a treat for the eyes but hard on the ears.

I can’t recall another movie that serves up a more sumptuous visual feast. Set on Earth 500-plus years in the future, the film takes place within a massive metropolis populated by bizarre hybrids of human flesh and twisted machinery. The city itself is a crumbling, apocalyptic wonder that’s both hideous and beautiful.

La Paz Chattanooga this month joined UnidosUS as an affiliate member. UnidosUS is the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, La Paz said in a news release.

UnidosUS serves the Hispanic population throughout the country through research, policy analysis, advocacy efforts and program work.

You’ll need to build an appropriate investment portfolio if you’re going to achieve your important financial goals. But that’s only part of the story. You also need to protect what you have, what you earn and what you’d like to leave behind.

In 2016, Flora Tydings, then Chattanooga State’s president, asked Jim Barrott, the executive vice president of the school’s technical college, to develop a leadership program.

Barrott used his personal leadership experiences gained during his then 31 years of college leadership and reviewed models in both Georgia and Florida before implementing the 11-month leadership exploration and development program called Chatt-LEAD.

To create awareness about heart disease – particularly in women – Erlanger partnered with members of St. Elmo Presbyterian Church and Genuine Purl yarn shop to knit tiny red caps for neonatal intensive care babies at Erlanger East Hospital and Children’s Hospital at Erlanger to wear on Valentine’s Day.

Chattanooga State Community College this month recognized Card-Monroe for its $100,000 donation to the Chattanooga State Foundation. The gift helped to equip a state-of-the-art learning lab designed to provide hands-on training for current and future students.

The Tennessee Aquarium is consistently rated as one of the world’s top aquariums for overall guest satisfaction. To remain so highly rated, the Aquarium is always seeking friendly individuals who enjoy interacting with guests and anticipating their needs.

Judge Gary Starnes last week inducted Austin Garrett as Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy.

Surrounded by his family, friends, members of the HCSO, and numerous law enforcement personnel and elected officials from the tri-state area, Garrett took the oath of office at the Hamilton County Courts Building and has officially assumed the role of chief deputy.

The Chattanooga Zoo is home to a new resident with a 2-foot tongue and a diet of 30,000 ants and termites a day.

The 2-year-old giant anteater, Betsy, is making herself at home in a new exhibit featuring an indoor holding and keeper area, a spacious outdoor habitat, and multiple public viewing areas for visitors to observe the gentle giant.

CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging is opening a second location. The new office will be at the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s Boynton Terrace Apartments in the Westside. Alycia Cleinman, a board-certified geriatric and internal medicine physician, is the medical director of CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging.

Hamilton County’s Amy Jo Osborn is a recipient of a 2018 Governor’s Volunteer Stars Award. She was honored along with winners from other Tennessee counties at the annual Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards Program in Franklin.

As the co-founder and president of the Austin Hatcher Foundation, Osborn serves a minimum of 40 volunteer hours per week. Under her leadership, the foundation improves the quality of life for younger cancer patients and their families through a variety of programs and services provided at no cost.

The U.S. Navy Concert Band will perform at Soddy-Daisy High School Friday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m. The Navy Concert Band will present an array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire. The performance will be free and open to the public.