News - Friday, March 25, 2022

Intellectual property attorney Paul Weidlich has seen a thing or two in his 22 years of practice that made him say, “Wow.”

This included the time he helped a client obtain a patent in the 3D printing space. And the e-commerce patent he helped to secure.

For a couple of hours March 18, members of the Chattanooga Bar Association set aside the practice of law to commemorate the judges and attorneys who died last year.

The presenters at the association’s annual memorial service wove a tapestry of rich details as they celebrated 16 lives at the Hamilton County Courthouse. Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton presided over the service.

The General Sessions Judges Conference presented Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Gary Starnes with the 2021 Leon Ruben Memorial Award for Excellence at its spring 2022 convention.

The conference presents the award annually to a judge or judges who distinguish themselves through outstanding service to the community, the conference and the judiciary as a whole.

The author of New York Times bestselling book “From Scratch” will deliver the keynote address at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel’s 2022 Embrace Aging Forum.

Tembi Locke will share her personal experiences as a caregiver and the importance of creating a community, as written in her bestselling memoir.

If a civic or community organization is having difficulty recruiting volunteers, it might want to consider asking Rolanda Pullen Daniel to join its ranks. This might very well guarantee the establishment at least one willing and able helper.

“I like to have a seat at the table and be in on the decision making,” says Pullen Daniel, a longtime Realtor with Coldwell Banker Pryor Realty.

With the arrival of spring comes the unofficial start to the homebuying season. However, as you might have noticed over the past few months – and years – residential real estate sales are have become a year-round process.

As I’ve mentioned in previous installments of this column, Chattanooga is a very desirable midsize city to buyers from all over the country. This increase in relocations has shifted our market to the point that any day that ends with a “y” is a good day to list a home.

With housing costs increasing along with higher costs for supplies affecting home renovations, any tax deduction or credit can help make home ownership more affordable.

While most homeowners might know property taxes are deductible, some home ownership and improvement tax deductions and credits can easily be forgotten or overlooked when tax time comes around.

The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce presented small business awards to Cempa Community Care, Double Cola Company, Market Street Partners and Trident Transport last week.

It also announced the recipients of six community engagement awards and honored Jim “JV” Vaughn, market president of Truist Bank, as the Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year. The award recognizes one Chattanooga resident for exemplary leadership.

The showroom for the new Rockbridge Oaks assisted living and memory care community is open on-site at 6698 Palms Court. The community is under construction in East Brainerd.

The showroom offers visitors an opportunity to view the community’s floorplans and learn more about the programs the senior living rental community will offer residents.

Axis Research & Technologies has opened a bioskills training and cadaver lab in Chattanooga.

The company’s 11,000-square-foot facility is its fourth location in the U.S. It will serve the hospital sector in and surrounding Chattanooga.

When you reach the appropriate age, it’s easy to apply for Social Security retirement benefits – just go to Social Security’s website, fill out the online form and you’re essentially done.

But many people overlook the next step – completing Form W-4V, which asks you how much federal income tax you want withheld from your benefits. And if you skip this step, you could face an unpleasant surprise when it’s tax-filing time because Social Security benefits can indeed add to your taxable income.

There might never be a good time to draw the IRS’ attention, but this year you really want to avoid extra scrutiny.

The IRS is so understaffed and overwhelmed that even a tiny mistake could delay your refund for months. A return that requires “manual processing” – basically, any action by an IRS employee – could join a massive queue that started building at the beginning of the pandemic and has yet to be resolved.

Ben & Jerry’s was started by childhood best friends. Four grad school buddies founded Warby Parker. A long friendship-turned-partnership brought Clear to TSA security lines across the U.S. A shopping trip between two pals launched size-inclusive clothing brand Universal Standard.

As you probably know by now, I’m a supporter of working from home. I believe that, when it’s possible, it can provide an increased quality of life for the employee and a cost savings for the employer.

But it’s starting to become more common for employers to require workers to come back anyway. And the reasoning is surprising.

By several measures, the Tennessee men’s basketball team’s season was a success. The Vols captured their first SEC Tournament title in 43 years. They beat Kentucky, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn and North Carolina. They finished undefeated at Thompson-Boling Arena and were ranked No. 5 in The Associated Press poll.

A new car limited warranty, sometimes called a “bumper-to-bumper” warranty, is a contract between the vehicle owner and the automaker. It promises to take care of any applicable repairs provided that the owner properly maintains the vehicle.