News - Friday, March 20, 2015

Tena Roberson might have grown up poor, but instead of allowing poverty to squash her spirit, she was inspired to reach beyond her humble beginnings. Her efforts yielded the fruit she sought: Today, she’s deputy general counsel and chief privacy officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBS).

Thousands attended the Tri-State Home Show at the Chattanooga Convention Center last weekend. The Homebuilders Association of Greater Chattanooga, which produces the annual event, made good on its promise to present a bigger and better event, offering over 500 booths showcasing the latest products and services for the home. Pictured: A local resident writes a message of thanks on a two-by-four that non-profit Steps 2 Hope will use in the construction of a home for Jason Smith, a soldier who lost his legs to an IED while serving in Afghanistan. (Photo by David Laprad)

CSTHEA (Green) and Signal Mountain (Black) will compete in the state high school mock trial competition this month after finishing as the top two teams in the local competition last week.

Competing as the prosecution in a case that involved the death of a motorcyclist in an alleged texting and driving incident, CSTHEA defeated McCallie (Blue). Signal Mountain prevailed over East Hamilton as the defense in the same case.

You might not think that 70 ½ represents any particular milestone. But when you do reach this age, you will have to make some decisions that affect an important aspect of your life – your retirement income.

Here’s the background: Once you turn 70½, you will need to start taking withdrawals from your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan and from your traditional IRA (but not your Roth IRA). Actually, you will need to begin these withdrawals – known as “required minimum distributions” (RMDs) – by April 1 of the following year and continue taking them by Dec. 31 each year after that. These RMDs are calculated by dividing your account balance at the end of the previous year by your life expectancy, as determined by IRS mortality tables. If your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you, you’d use a separate table. Don’t worry too much about the number crunching, though – your financial advisor generally can do the calculations for you.

While stopping by the Quickity Sack the other day to pick up a bottle of water, a farmer saw some of his discussion buddies conversing around the coffee drinkers table. They exchanged pleasantries about the weather, county politics, and how well he cleaned up. They were kidding him about his Sunday-go-to-meeting wear being his attire during the middle of the week. He explained to them he was on his way to Nashville for a National Agriculture Week celebration to honor farmers in Tennessee, and needed to look his best. Of course, he heard the usual comments about how it would take more than nice clothes to do that.

Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Soddy-Daisy, and Lakesite, in a joint effort with the National Park Service (NPS), have installed signs and markers that retrace the Trail of Tears through this area. The new signs were unveiled last week during an event at Ross’s Landing in Chattanooga. Following the dedication, guests were invited to a hike of Brown’s Ferry Federal Road, a section of the Trail of Tears located at 701 Moccasin Bend Road. The unveiling supports the continuing effort by the NPS to preserve and develop the national historic trail for increased public awareness and use. Pictured: Bob Bennett, NPS superintendent, announces the unveiling of the new signs. (Photo by David Laprad)

News stuff.

John Glasgow’s body, inside his clothing, was found last Tuesday near where his skull had been found the week before. Searchers also found his wallet, driver’s license and a credit card. The Conway County sheriff, Mike Smith, said the investigation was now done. And when asked if the case was now a criminal one, Smith said, “absolutely not.” Perhaps one of you legal types out there could tell me, if that’s the case, why are they sending the remains to the state Crime Lab for further investigation?

I recently received an email about the health benefits of lemons. It was interesting, so I thought I’d share it with you.

I didn’t write this article; I’m merely passing it on. If you want more information, check www.healthynews24.com or www.livingtraditionally.com/20-reasons-drink-lemon-water-mornings.

Realtor Jeremy Callahan is no stranger to new challenges. There was a time when he’d never sold a house. Today, he’s an agent for a leading real estate firm in Ooltewah. Now he’s hoping his ability to learn and do new things will serve him well on the dance floor.

I  was going to start this review by suggesting Liam Neeson stop making movies. Not because he isn’t a terrific actor (he is), or because he lacks charisma (he has charm and personality to spare), or because he seems to be tired of making movies (he still brings a lot of energy to his roles). No, I was going to suggest retirement because Neeson is essentially stuck playing the same role over and over and over again.

I am so excited about spring being here! This was the first week it actually felt like spring in the air, and of course with warmer weather comes thunderstorms. Yes, we have had those too, but I was not the least bit worried about it; I was just happy that it was not freezing cold outside.

The Honorable George Rose Smith is depicted in a John Deering wall-mounted bronze relief at the Central Arkansas Library System’s main branch. He’s in his robe, seated in front of a giant crossword grid. The inscription reads: “Wordsmith Extraordinaire – New York Times Crossword Puzzle Author – Arkansas Supreme Court Justice 1949-1987.”