News - Friday, April 16, 2021

On the eve of Memorial Day weekend in 2020, the U.S Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration released long-awaited Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness guidance.

Although Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel had geared down for the holiday, the firm shifted back into work mode and began a long night of preparing a summary for its clients.

As legal battles in the opioid epidemic continue to play out in various courthouses throughout the country and the first jury trial in this battle awaits, another Goliath has fallen!

Ironically, the fatal blow was self-inflicted. On April 6, Chancellor E.G. Moody, the judge presiding over the Sullivan Baby Doe class action in Sullivan County, issued a default judgment against Endo Pharmaceuticals.

A common question raised about the federal courts, especially the Supreme Court, is why judges rule differently in the same or similar cases.

Federal judges take an oath to “administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and [to] faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all [their] duties.”

Chattanooga-based Rockridge Venture Law is leading African American owned Sicko’s trademark claims against celebrity designer Ian Connor, e-commerce giant Grailed and several others.

Plaintiff Sicko is an apparel company headquartered in Nashville. The company, whose trademark on “Sicko” dates back to 2016, has become a nationally recognized brand with a “distinctive reputation of design, innovation, craftsman and credibility in the urban streetwear category of apparel,” Rockridge attorney Kevin Christopher says.

The laws of aviation suggest bees should be unable to fly, as their wings are too small to lift their bodies into the air. Not knowing this, bees fly anyway, perhaps because doing so is essential to their survival.

When Dawn O’Neil became a Realtor with a now-closed Century 21 brokerage in 2005, she was given the opportunity to fly but not the wings that could lift her off the ground, she says.

What a difference a year makes. The normal, expected spring increases in sales activity coupled with relaxing COVID-19 policies have created a very busy March.

Buyer demand has largely been unabated in the face of rising home prices and mortgage rates. Existing home and new construction activity continue to remain below levels necessary to bring the market back into balance, pointing to a busy and competitive buyer scene in the coming months.

Have you decided to build a new home or remodel your existing one? Your home is one of the biggest investments you will make, so finding a trustworthy contractor with whom you can communicate well is imperative.

Use this checklist to help you select a homebuilder or home remodeler to work on or build your home:

Several experienced financial services professionals have joined Pinnacle Financial Partners’ Shallowford Road and Broad Street offices. Jeremy Mason is the new office leader at the firm’s Shallowford Road office. New associates at the Broad Street office include Glenda Tharp, Cristy Monroe and Casey Johnson.

The first time I heard about a restaurant serving chicken and waffles, I thought someone had lost a bet. Why would anyone combine one of the South’s most comforting savory foods with one of the best sweet breakfasts you can eat? It seemed like an odd pairing.

The Chattanooga Police Department adds to its ranks a new employee who possesses specialized skills the CPD says could save lives.

Vapor Wake-trained K9 Gunther (aka Gunny) is an almost 2-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer who originally hails from Hungary. Gunny trained in Anniston, Alabama at Vapor Wake K9 where his CPD handler, Sgt. Sean O’Brien, joined him for the final seven weeks of the program.

The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center released the following statements after the passing of Medal of Honor recipient Coolidge on April 6:

“Today, our city, state and nation have lost a great American hero with the passing of Charles H. Coolidge. Mr. Coolidge was beloved by all who knew him, and his heroism was legendary.

A sculpted streetscape dubbed The Scramble now serves as a connection from Walnut Plaza to the Tennessee Aquarium along 1st Street.

River City Company has worked in a public and private partnership with the City of Chattanooga, Public Art Chattanooga, The Lyndhurst Foundation and The Benwood Foundation since 2016 to select the artist and complete the construction of the installation, which repurposed existing infrastructure into an interactive space and a stormwater collection and filtration system.

From serving as mythical gateways to the underworld to providing refuge for paleolithic humans, humanity has a long and storied relationship with caves.

Much of the legend and mystery surrounding caves stems from how few people have experienced these underground marvels for themselves. “Ancient Caves 3D,” a new IMAX offering from MacGillivray Freeman Films, seeks to change that by taking audiences beneath the earth’s surface to visit a subterranean frontier.

You might contribute to your IRA for decades to help pay for your retirement. But if you don’t need all the money, you may want to leave what’s left to your children or grandchildren. However, if you want to ensure they get the most from this inheritance, you’ll need to do some planning.

Your doctor needs to know certain numbers to judge your physical health, such as your weight, your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels.

Similarly, you need to know certain numbers to monitor your own financial health, including:

1. After-tax income

2. ‘Must-have’ expenses

Your after-tax income is your gross income minus the taxes you pay (federal, state and local income taxes, plus Social Security and Medicare taxes). If you get a steady paycheck, you can use your latest pay stub to calculate this figure. Otherwise, check your most recent tax return.

Yeah, says who? The answer likely depends on who’s asking but the outcome is still the same: Once was, if it was a parent or teacher, you took a deep breath before replying. Now, as an adult, you still want to think before answering.

Is it you who says or, as in the new book “Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet – And Why We’re Following” by Gabrielle Bluestone, is it someone who’s out for your money?

SUVs top nearly every automaker’s sales charts, and they’re not cheap. Any given SUV costs a few thousand more than its closest sedan counterpart. To help ease the sticker shock, Edmunds’ experts have compiled a list of five SUVs that come in a variety of sizes and have unusually low starting prices for their competitive segments.

The unfortunate truth of today’s job market is that applying for jobs is very competitive. Employers can be picky about who they hire and how much they want to pay. For many job seekers older than 50, the search process is a longer, harder road than they remember from years past.

In 2020, I was looking forward to leaving Los Angeles for a socially distanced vacation in San Diego. I had stocked up on food, hand sanitizer, wipes and masks.

To stay safe and distant, I had booked two cottages near the beach with my travel credit card. My friend and his significant other would stay in one, and my roommate and I would take the other. That was the plan, until one friend tested positive for the coronavirus and had to isolate at home.