News - Friday, March 3, 2017

By Linda Bryant

Attorney and divorce mediator Patricia Best Vital has been practicing law in Hamilton County for 24 years, and during that time span, she’s seen some major changes in issues surrounding divorce.

Increasingly, there’s a strong focus on what’s the very best for the children.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel honored the 2016-2017 John C. Stophel Distinguished Students from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga during the firm’s annual Stophel Scholars reception on Feb. 16.

The reception at the Chambliss Conference Center in Liberty Tower offered the eight award recipients the opportunity to meet and engage with members of Chattanooga’s business community.

In a case of déjà vu all over again, Democratic state Rep. Bo Mitchell isn’t willing to give Republican House leaders a break on their handling of former Rep. Mark Lovell’s resignation for alleged sexual misconduct.

Lovell, a freshman Republican from Shelby County, resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment just weeks into the legislative session, his first.

Divorce is all too common in the United States, but that doesn’t make splitting up any less painful.

The incontrovertible truth is that, yes, breaking up is hard to do.

Experts say the exact number is hard to pinpoint, but most studies suggest that about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States eventually divorce.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Center, the largest locally owned brokerage, has announced the winners of its 2016 sales awards Feb. 22 at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club. These top Realtors and Realtor teams earned the highest marks both for Realty Center and for the international network of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Millennials are waiting longer to get married, and by the time they do, they are established in their careers, traveled and already even bought a house – together or separately.

This extra life experience could be one of the reasons the divorce rates have been falling, at least for new marriages.

A few minutes into watching “Get Out,” I thought I had the movie pegged. But I was wrong. Yet while I liked the way the film took advantage of my expectations to throw me off guard, its conventional ending disappointed me.

I’ll come back to the ending. For now, I’ll deal with the beginning.

The class of Leadership Chattanooga got in touch with their creative side this February as we looked at art and the quality of life in our city.

Our day began at ArtsBuild, a non-profit organization with almost 50 years of experience in funding arts organizations and arts programming for students, teachers, and underserved populations. To date, its donors have invested more than $70 million in our community.

International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, celebrates the social, cultural and political achievements of women. Yet, women continue to face many challenges. For one thing, women still encounter gender-specific obstacles to their important financial goals, such as a comfortable retirement. If you’re a woman, what can you do to get past these barriers?

It was June of 1977. Star Wars had been out about 10 days and my curiosity finally caught up with the hype. I was 20 years old, exhausted after my sophomore year in college combined with a virtually full-time job, and only recently aware my eyes had gone bad.

Art throw down

Three accomplished artists, all of whom are family members, will each create a portrait from a live model during a three-hour painting demonstration at Townsend Atelier, 301 E. 11th St., on Friday, March 3 from 6-9 p.m. Husband and wife Daud Akhriev and Melissa Hefferlin, and son Timur Akhriev, will go brush to brush to pastel in this “Family Feud” edition of the studio’s popular art throw downs. The works created during the demonstration will be auctioned at the end of the night. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (423) 266-2712 or email info@townsendatelier.com.

The Tennessee Supreme Court in March and April will sponsor free legal advice events as part of its statewide Access to Justice initiative, allowing all Tennesseans to receive free civil legal help online or in person at walk-in clinics near them. Educational events in which people can learn about their legal rights and how to resolve disputes without going to court will also take place across the state.

As the Chattanooga area continues to enjoy a growing economy and steady rise in consumer confidence, many first-time home buyers – including millennials – are gearing up to become home owners. Yet the abundant amount of paperwork involved in the home financing process can intimidate even the most eager of prospective home buyers.

The term “fake news” is now used almost daily in our society after coming of age during the 2016 presidential campaign. There are several safeguards in place to ensure “fake news” doesn’t come into play when working with a licensed real estate professional.

The Chattanooga City Council has approved a plan from the Department of Economic & Community Development to administer more than half a million dollars in federal funds for the creation of 16 affordable housing units in neighborhoods across Chattanooga.

Tennessee Aquarium guests have had little cause to look up as they explored beneath the iconic glass peaks of the Ocean Journey building – until now.

Following the opening of the Lemur Forest exhibit on March 1, anyone planning a visit to the building’s top floor will want to start exercising their neck muscles now.