News - Friday, May 23, 2014

Acts of heroism and valor are performed every day by the law enforcement officers who serve the citizens of Hamilton County.

These men and women chose a career on the front line, and willingly placed themselves in harm’s way while protecting the public.

“If you’re not thrilled with the pro bono work you’re doing, if it doesn’t recharge your batteries, if you’re not experiencing the indescribable feeling that comes with changing someone’s life for the better, that’s a problem.”

The Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors kicked off the busy spring home buying season with the first annual Greater Chattanooga Area Open House Weekend.

Held during what is already the most active real estate season, the event drove what the Association expected to be the largest open house weekend of the year. Realtors hosted nearly 300 open houses during May 17 and 18 across the Chattanooga and Northwest Georgia areas.

The May meeting of the Women’s Council of Realtors, held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, gave one lady a chance to represent a local business that has signed on as a Super Sponsor of the organization, while another announced the publication of a Community Services Directory.

Keller Williams presents a check for $10,000 to Chambliss Center for Children during RED Day, held this month.

Pictured with three Chambliss kids are: Lisa Jaworski, Realtor; Katie Harbison; vice president of development and administration, Chambliss; Janet Henninger, Realtor; and Mark Hite, Realtor. Keller Williams raised the money through its 2014 Vendor Fair, held in April at Black Creek Clubhouse.

FSG Bank has signed on as a Platinum Sponsor for Chattanooga non-profit LAUNCH. This partnership, which has been several months in the making, will have the two organizations working closely together to empower LAUNCH youth entrepreneurs.

The two organizations will work side-by-side in significant ways throughout the year.

When talking about the real estate market, the media and the public finally have shifted from using words such as "slow" and "sluggish" to "multiple offers" and "recovery."

With prices going up, there are some who wonder if a new bubble is forming. The reason behind this speculation is that most metropolitan markets are somewhere between recovery and normalization.

Like many people, you might not particularly enjoy thinking about your estate plans, but such planning is necessary to make sure your assets go where you want them to go.

And it’s just as important to regularly review your plans with your tax, legal and financial professionals in case any changes are needed. For instance, some of your wishes expressed in your will may be overridden by beneficiary designations you filled out years ago.

My conversation with my wife about seeing “Godzilla” went like this:

Me: “I’ll be home late. I’m going to see Godzilla.”

Her: “You’re going without me?”

I received a gift the other day from Susanne Reed, a sweet friend of our family who lives in Chattanooga, Tenn. Susanne is the General Manager of The Hamilton County Herald, a sister newspaper to The Daily Record in Chattanooga.

Chattanooga, the fourth-largest city in Tenn., is growing in leaps and bounds. In 2010, the census claimed there was a population of 167,674. Located just a few hours from Knoxville, it is a beautiful little town spread out in the valley between the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau; so mountains and ridges surround the city.

There has been a long standing legend that Cleopatra once dissolved a pearl in some apple cider vinegar before drinking the vinegar, thus winning the wager against Mark Antony that she could spend a fortune on a single meal.

Who knows if this story has any actual truth to it or not, but I believe it is safe to say that she knew the health benefits of apple cider vinegar. 

”More than words is all I ever needed you to show, then you wouldn’t have to say you love me, cause I’d already know”…

So goes the 80’s song sung by Extreme. If you are part of my generation, I’m sure you remember it. It is a song about not having to say words due to his lover’s expressions.

The writer George Orwell wanted to call his classic novel “The Last Man in Europe,” until his publisher suggested he change it for marketing purposes. The author agreed and came up with the new title, “1984.”

He never said why he picked that particular year, and many theories exist about the title of the famous story about a dystopian society whose actions and even thoughts were watched over by the god-like dictator known as “Big Brother.”

David Rosenfelt has done it again! Kept me in my chair for two whole hours, that is. Once I got to page 100 of “Without Warning,” I had to just go ahead and finish it. You know, to see how it would end.

“Without Warning” is a stand-alone — no Andy Carpenter, no Laurie, no Edna, no Marcus, etc. There’s one reference to a crossword puzzle, but it’s sarcastic/facetious, so it hardly counts.

There are several embarrassing things about me, but today there is one less. Normally I’m embarrassed to admit that I love McDonald’s. It’s a shameful confession but it’s true. I’ve never been willing to admit it, however, until now. With one news story, it’s all changed.

I don’t remember much from the last days of eighth grade in Bentonville Middle School. I really don’t remember many of the details of that period of my life and I certainly don’t remember anything specific about the last day of school in the eighth grade.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately working in a pick-your-own berry patch located almost in the heart of one of Tennessee’s fastest growing cities, which gives me the opportunity to meet a lot of people.

Many of them have moved to our state from other parts of the country and world to enjoy what I’ve been fortunate enough to grow to love due to the fact I was born here at an early age and chose to not leave.