News - Friday, March 22, 2024

Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald once sang about their failure to agree on anything, including how to pronounce the names of certain foods. He said “potato,” she said, “potahto,” and they nearly called the whole thing off.

Since 1987, March has been recognized as National Woman’s History Month, so it’s fitting that we acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of women to our country’s judiciary this month. From the four women serving as associate justices of the United States Supreme Court to the women serving on the lower federal courts and as justices or judges of state courts, the nation has much for which to be thankful.

Last Friday, many of our members and consumers awoke to news that the National Association of REALTORS had reached a proposed agreement to resolve nationwide claims brought by homesellers related to broker commissions. This proposed settlement is a culmination of NAR’s efforts to strengthen the association and continue to take steps to lead our industry forward.

February’s numbers show the housing market is showing signs of healthy activity. Existing home sales have seen a notable increase, marking the most energetic pace since August. The National Association of Realtors attributes this surge to dropping interest rates and a boost in inventory.

Tax deductions and credits play a crucial role in helping homeowners save money when tax season rolls around. While many homeowners know about deducting loan interest payments, it’s easy to miss out on other valuable tax breaks related to homeownership, especially those that have changed for the 2023 tax year. Taking the time to explore all potential deductions and credits can significantly boost your tax refund.

One of the most powerful men in Tennessee was indicted for murder a hundred years ago this month.

Lem Motlow, then the owner the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, was accused of murdering Clarence Pullis, a porter on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, March 17, 1924.

Cloudland at McLemore Resort is touting Daniel Willett as its new executive chef. Willett oversees Cloudland’s three restaurants – Croft, Auld Alliance and the Sky Bar – and works with each restaurant chef on menus that reflect the French and Scottish themes of the venues.

The annual Sip TN Chattanooga Wine Festival will take place March 23, noon-4 p.m., at the First Horizon Pavilion, 1801 Reggie White Boulevard. The event will feature wines, hard ciders and meads from Tennessee wineries.

Wineries that will be sampling and selling their products include Holly Ridge Winery, Beans Creek Winery, Century Farm Winery, Savannah Bee Mead, Mountain Valley Winery, Mill Bridge Hard Cider Company, Hillside Winery, Apple Barn Hard Cider Company, Apple Barn Winery, Tsali Notch Vineyard, Cellar 53 Winery, DelMonaco Winery and Paris Winery.

The city of Chattanooga is being awarded $4 million in federal grants to help the city improve pedestrian safety and connect communities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Chattanooga a $2 million planning grant from the Reconnecting Communities & Neighborhoods program to conduct feasibility and design work on the infrastructure components of the Westside Evolves plan.

There was a time when the National Association of Realtors was a men’s club. It can be hard to imagine today, but such was the way of things in 1908, when what was then called the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges formed to “unite the real estate men of America,” according to the organization’s stated objectives at the time.

Coldwell Banker Kinard Realty recently held its annual awards luncheon at The Farm Golf Club to celebrate its top agents. More than 100 agents and guests attended.

Company President and broker Mike Maret reviewed Kinard Realty’s production in 2023 and highlighted the successful Ninja Selling Installation held in February that added and renewed 40 “Ninja” mindset agents to the team.

Spring is almost here, which means it’s time for some spring cleaning. This year, in addition to tidying your home and surroundings, you might want to consider sprucing up your financial environment.

Here are some suggestions for doing just that:

A 2023 report from investment firm Vanguard estimates that about a quarter of Americans age 60 and over could move to a cheaper housing market and use the equity in their homes to upsize their retirement savings – making retirement more secure and enjoyable.

Jennifer Updike and Lewis Fredette, of Auburn, New York, got engaged in December 2023. The couple, who are both on the autism spectrum, look forward to moving in together soon and tying the knot in a religious ceremony.

But because they both receive Supplemental Security Income – commonly referred to as SSI – they’ll lose about $300 in combined income monthly if they get married due to the resource limits that the National Council on Disability calls the “marriage penalty.” SSI resource limits would also restrict them from having more than $3,000 in combined savings, $1,000 less than they could have individually. They’re staying engaged indefinitely.

The Tennessee men’s basketball team had time to go back to the drawing board after its poor performance in the SEC Tournament. The Vols won’t have the luxury to do the same in their next postseason tournament. A loss there would end the season.

The Tennessee Titans’ long-anticipated signing of running back Tony Pollard on the first day of the so-called “legal tampering” period last week sent a clear signal.

Not only was Derrick Henry’s time as a Titan coming to an end – he agreed to a deal with Baltimore (you can hear Titans’ fans collective groan) a day later – but the Titans were truly moving in a different direction, as promised when Brian Callahan became head coach.

Here’s one thing to keep in mind as the Titans use free agency to rebuild the roster and change their offensive philosophy: These moves are being done to try to maximize the skillset of second-year quarterback Will Levis.

Levis showed flashes last season of being a potential franchise quarterback, something the Titans have not drafted in more than two decades. Now general manager Ran Carthon and new head coach Brian Callahan are going to give the former Kentucky star every chance in 2024 to make good on their faith in him.

Derrick Henry’s departure was inevitable. He said his goodbyes after leading the Titans past Jacksonville back in January when the regular season ended.

But when he signed Wednesday with the Baltimore Ravens, Titans fans surely hearkened back to the unpleasant memories of Steve McNair, Derrick Mason and Samari Rolle leaving Nashville to don the purple and black of one of Tennessee’s most bitter rivals.

As the Predators celebrate their 25th anniversary this season, one voice has been a constant in bringing the action to fans since the puck first dropped in October 1998. Over the course of these 25 years, play-by-play voice Pete Weber has seen and described it all to the teams’ fans.

To paraphrase Predators general manager Barry Trotz, Jason Zucker is a pain in the backside to play against. That endearing quality is one of the main reasons Trotz made the trade deadline deal to acquire the winger from the Arizona Coyotes.

The deal came at virtually no cost to the Predators, just a sixth-round pick in this June’s draft and to pay what is left on the final year of his contract that pays him $5.3 million this season. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

Shoppers thinking about buying a three-row SUV have plenty of options – unless they want an electric. Fortunately, there are two models that hold plenty of promise: the Kia EV9 and the Rivian R1S.

The EV9 is Kia’s latest and largest electric SUV. Think of it as an electric Kia Telluride. As for the R1S, it hails from Rivian, an electric vehicle startup, and boasts massive power and impressive off-road performance.