News - Friday, April 19, 2024

Identical twins Jeremy and Jermaine Hogstrom have always had similar interests. While growing up, initially in Chattanooga and later in Kansas City, they both liked to play piano; in high school, they competed together in doubles tennis; and as adults, they both became physicians.

Like many attorneys, John Karian can trace his initial interest in the law to a family member who was a jurist. In his case, stories about a great-grandfather who was a judge sparked his curiosity about the American system of justice, he says.

“He was a judge during the Ottoman Empire,” Karian clarifies.

“If the job is less than $25,000, I don’t need a contractor’s license.”

I’ve heard that over and over from homeowners, experienced contractors, real estate agents and even attorneys. This is pure folklore!

Here’s another one: “The county (or town) doesn’t require a building permit, so I don’t need a license.” More folklore!

Southeast real estate development group Urban Story Ventures has broken ground on the North Phase of The Bend, a 120-acre mixed-use redevelopment along the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga.

Community stakeholders, business leaders and neighboring businesses on the Westside gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony, where Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Charles Wood shared their support of the downtown riverfront project.

This week, we’re diving back into the National Association of Realtors’ “179 Ways Agents Who Are Realtors Are Worth Every Penny of Their Compensation.” Specifically, I want to review the buyer’s right to make inspections, including but not limited to the home, wood infestation, septic and well water tests and inspections. From there, we’ll examine the remedies available to all parties to get to a successful closing.

The Association for Visual Arts will bring its annual festival back to the First Horizon Pavilion Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., featuring 140 artists from 27 states, including more than a dozen from the Chattanooga area. The artists will bring work in a variety of media, including painting, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, wood, glass, photography and more. More details at 4bridgesartsfestival.org. AVA’s mission is to “strengthen and promote the artistic ecosystem of Chattanooga’s visual artists, art enthusiasts and arts-based institutions.”

The arrival of summer will bring a new spectator sport to the Scenic City: women’s professional fastpitch softball. (Key word: professional)

Soon, the sound of a grapefruit-sized ball smacking a catcher’s mitt and of a bat hitting the ball deep will be echoing through Frost Stadium as the Chattanooga Steam takes the field. The Steam are one of four teams that form the Association of Fastpitch Professionals, which is also in its inaugural season.

Since roughly three quarters of the American population reported feeling stressed in a recent American Psychological Association study, it makes sense that most of us are also trying to understand and manage our stress as much as possible.

What is stress?

Stress is the body’s response, in the form of worry or mental tension, to different challenges or situations. While we think of stress as being negative, it can also have benefits as well.

 April is National Financial Literacy Month, a good reminder that all of us can benefit from boosting our financial knowledge.

But what is financial literacy? There’s no one single definition, but the term certainly covers these areas:

It takes considerable work to make a household run smoothly, and the thread that runs through all the labor is money. It’s money that makes it possible to fix a broken appliance, enroll the children in summer camp and save up to replace the aging car.

American workers expect to retire at a median age of 65, reveals a 2023 survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute, or EBRI. But the actual median age for retirement is 62, the survey found.

That might not seem like a big gap. But if you retire three years earlier than planned, that’s three fewer years of savings and three more years of retirement to fund.

The latest poll by the Beacon Center of Tennessee, a conservative think tank, is out. Full of surprises it is not. Upon surveying 1,197 registered Tennessee voters online, it reports that:

• Tennesseans favor Donald Trump over Joe Biden for president by 57% to 29%. If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is tossed into the mix, the margin drops to 48 to 25, with Kennedy attracting 16% – a political choice roughly on a par with supporting Mickey Mouse, but there you have it.

Kim Caldwell made the rounds on Rocky Top last week, including throwing out the first pitch before Tennessee hosted LSU in baseball Friday night. She also made an appearance in front of a huge crowd at Tennessee football’s Orange & White Game Saturday morning.

Not many losses feel like wins, but that’s exactly what happened when the Nashville Predators fell to the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 in overtime April 9 at Bridgestone Arena.

The one standings point the Predators earned for the game was precious, as it clinched a spot in the postseason for a team that very few, if any, predicted would be playing anything but golf at the conclusion of the 82-game regular season.

Buying a plug-in hybrid vehicle, or PHEV, can be a great way to ensure fuel efficiency. These are hybrid vehicles that drive just like a regular hybrid but have a chargeable battery that allows you to first drive a short distance on all-electric power. Frequently charging the battery at home can significantly reduce your gasoline use.