News - Friday, April 5, 2013

Daymond John is on a mission to breed sharks.

The founder, president, and chief executive officer of FUBU (For Us, By Us) and one of the stars of ABC’s Shark Tank spoke at the Urban League of Chattanooga’s 1st Annual Entreprenuer Power Luncheon Tuesday, March 26 about how to succeed in business.

Mayor-elect Andy Berke last week filled several positions within his administration. Among those chosen was Travis McDonough, who is currently serving as co-chair of Berke’s transition team and leads the litigation department at Miller & Martin. He will serve as Chief of Staff & Counselor to the Mayor.

In a March 25 vote the state House of Representatives approved a public notice bill sponsored by the Tennessee Press Association by a margin of 94-1. 

Seen by many as vote for transparency and keeping its citizens better informed, House Bill 1001, sent to Governor Haslam for his signature, will soon require newspapers that publish public notices to also post them on their local website as well as to the statewide website of the TPA.

Special to Hamilton County Herald

State Rep. JoAnne Favors (D-Chattanooga) has one word to describe the state’s proposed school voucher system: rip-off.

The vouchers, as proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam, would allow lower-income students from poorly performing schools to go to any school of their choice.

Shelby R. Grubbs has been appointed to the Board of Visitors of the Georgia State University College of Law. The College of Law’s Board of Visitors plays an important role in helping the dean of the law school respond to particular challenges facing legal education.

I finally got an iPad. It took several years and many trips wandering by the iPad table in Best Buy. It also took several trips to the Apple store for me to finally get my hands on a rectangular portal into electronic heaven.

I’ve always wanted one, but even though every member of my family had one, it took my oldest son deciding he didn’t want his anymore for me to get one. William went back to college after Christmas and left it behind. Apparently, he has more electronics than he can carry.

The Tennessee Bar Association has recognized Joe DeGaetano for his “outstanding service and leadership” as Chair of its Tort and Insurance Practice Section, a non-partisan group of attorneys dedicated to improving the practice of tort and insurance law in Tennessee.  DeGaetano served as Chair of the group’s Executive Council in 2011 and 2012. Current Chair Jim Wright, a partner with Butler, Vines & Babb in Knoxville, made the presentation at the group’s annual meeting in Nashville.  DeGaetano is a sole practitioner with offices on Frazier Avenue in Chattanooga. (Photo provided)

The essence of your freedom is that in America, very little government happens by decree. Most every action is open to democratic debate.

Question is: Will that debate occur before or after a decision is made?

On big issues – like, who will be mayor or governor – you have the right as a citizen to vote before an election or issue is decided.

Tennessee State Parks has unveiled its new campground reservation system, offering visitors the ability to reserve campsites at 35 state parks up to one year in advance of their planned stay. Reservations can be made online, at the park’s office or by calling an individual park.  

The BelkGives on the Go Mobile Mammography Center, a 39-foot-long screening center on wheels, will stop in Cleveland and Chattanooga in April to offer free and convenient mammogram screenings.  Women age 40 and over with no breast concerns and who have not had a mammogram in the last 12 months are eligible by calling 855-655-BMMC (2662) to schedule an appointment.  The dates and locations are:

From L-R: Police Chief Bobby Dodd, Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, County Mayor Jim Coppinger, and Sheriff Jim Hammond on Monday, April 1, break ground for the new $4 million Law Enforcement Firearms Training Center, to be located at 740 East 12th Street (behind the old Farmer’s Market). (David Laprad)

This column originally ran April 13, 2012. 

It is not that the Asian culture is generally smarter than Americans (that opinion comes from an American and is probably not shared by Asians!); however, their practice of drinking tea over soda makes you stop and wonder! Although the health benefits of tea have been professed for centuries, only lately have the medicinal properties been scientifically investigated. As far as the health benefits of soda – sorry, but there are none. Zero.

Something happened recently that cries out for me to get a column from it. I got an email from a friend with a link to a “health column” in a ski resort town newspaper somewhere in these United States. The column’s author was a doctor with a clinic in the ski village.

This is the first of a two-part article about the making of “42,” a movie about the life of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Partially filmed in and around Chattanooga, the movie will debut in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 12, 2013. The second part of this article will be published on that day.

Never try to cross a river just because it has an  average depth of four feet.

– Martin Friedman

Some odds and ends from last week:

The new pope is reportedly doing some housecleaning. You might recall that on his first day as CEO of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, Pope Francis picked up his luggage at a Vatican hotel, personally thanked each member of the staff, and even paid his own bill. Then a bit later, doing as the rest of us less than pontiff-like people would do, he called the owner of the Argentine newspaper to cancel his longtime subscription. Daniel Del Regno was somewhat skeptical when he got the call. “Seriously, it’s Jorge Bergoglio. I’m calling you from Rome,” Pope Francis told the disbelieving man. “I was in shock, I broke down in tears and didn’t know what to say,” Del Regno says. “He thanked me for delivering the paper all this time and sent best wishes to my family.”

This column originally ran April 29, 2011. 

One of my and my husband’s favorite places to visit is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We love the ocean (of course), but also we love the language, the history, the beautiful old buildings, and the food!

Ronda Van Billiard has the most eye-catching nametag in the room. While it sports her name and company logo, as would be expected, there’s something else: a matrix of black dots that form a two-dimensional image known as a QR code. Short for Quick Response Code, the code allows any smart phone user with a QR Reader to scan Van Billiard’s nametag and automatically receive her business card via their phone’s browser.

Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, 3rd district (far right, holding the ribbon), made brief remarks Tuesday afternoon at the ceremonial opening of Alton Place Apartments.  The 88-unit complex received an allocation of low-income housing tax credits to reduce the development costs so the apartments could be affordable to households earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income.  This affordable property competes with the market rate units in the area, featuring a gated entrance, clubhouse, swimming pool, community room, fitness center, high energy efficiency, walk-in closets, and utility rooms in each unit with washers and dryers provided.  The rent for a two-bedroom unit is $545 for a family of four that earns $34,800 or less. The allocation from this affordable housing program, administered by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, is for $1,030,000 in tax credits each year for 10 years.  Mike Hedges and H. David Hayes of H&H Residential Development are the developers of Alton Place Apartments, which are managed by Fourmidable. (David Laprad)

Dear EarthTalk: What is the theme of this year’s Earth Day festivities? – J. Worden, Austin, TX

Organizers from Earth Day Network have chosen “The Face of Climate Change” as the theme for 2013’s celebration on April 22. According to the group, which works with 22,000 partners in 92 countries, more than a billion people will take part in Earth Day events this year.

This column originally ran April 29, 2011. 

Cinco De Mayo is coming up soon, and there will be several celebrations surrounding that Mexican event. How much do you know about our neighbors in Mexico and the history of the country?

Olympus Has Fallen is a tough call. It’s too bloody, violent, and mean to be popcorn entertainment. And it’s too dumb to rise to the level of the classics of its genre, like Die Hard and Air Force One. I enjoyed it but found myself grasping at my memory of it as I sat down to write this review.

The 13th Annual Spring Plant Sale at Crabtree Farms will take place Saturday, April 13 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free and open to the public, the festival will offer gardeners sustainably-grown fruit, vegetable, flower, and herb plant starts for their spring or summer garden. Guests will also be able to attend free gardening workshops, see the farm on a hayride tour, and enjoy live music, food, and crafts from local vendors and artisans.

Coker Tire created the Chattanooga Cruise In two years ago to encourage car and truck enthusiasts to gather in the Scenic City. On April 6 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Cruise In will be in full force, attracting hundreds of collector vehicles to the area. The event is a laid-back car show hosted by two local businesses: Coker Tire Company and Honest Charley Speed Shop. Corky Coker, owner of Coker Tire and an avid car collector, is enthusiastic about driving classic cars and encourages his customers to drive their cars regularly.

Saturday, April 6

Some 1,700 manufacturers in a 34-county tri-state area are being invited to display the thousands of products their plants turn out in an Industrial Exposition in Warner Park Field House October 20-26. C. Bert Osborne is exposition chairman. George T. Richardson is chairman for the week, which is sponsored by the Industrial Committee of 100 of the Greater Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.

Saturday, April 5

Mrs. Will Rule of Amarillo, Texas is expected to visit her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Schlesinger, for the summer months.

Miss Dorothy Tarwater of Rockwood, Tenn., will arrive today to visit Miss Augusta Gardenhire and attend the McAllester-Spears wedding.

Saturday, April 6

Wanted: 1,000 volunteers for Clean and Green

On Saturday, April 6, individuals, company teams, and civic groups will volunteer their time to make Downtown Chattanooga a healthier and more beautiful area for residents and visitors to enjoy. Starting at 8:30 a.m. at Miller Plaza, located at 850 Market Street, volunteers will check in, enjoy a complimentary breakfast, and receive their designated area of downtown to clean up. To sign up, visit causeway.org/cleanandgreen. For additional information, contact Tiffanie Robinson at trobinson@rivercitycompany.com or 423.265.3700. Since 2011, Clean and Green volunteers have collected over 3,000 bags of trash, removed graffiti from more than 100 buildings and monuments, and cleaned 55 city blocks and various neighborhoods multiple times.