News - Friday, May 24, 2013

Future Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Gail Lee did not like what was on her plate. But her father insisted she eat everything in front of her. She suggested he send the contents to children in China.

This did not go over well with her dad. 

Following the long stretch of grey winter, the burst of color on the Hamilton County Courthouse lawn as spring goes into full bloom is a sight for sore eyes. (Photograph by Shelia Cannon)

Surprisingly, I was not chosen to speak to my law school class upon graduation. Michelle Odom was president of the Student Bar Association at UALR Law School, and she spoke about the importance of trying to be relevant in the world as we wandered off into the practice of law. At least, that’s what I remember from it. If anyone else spoke, I don’t remember a word.

Although adults can and do get this infection, you probably don’t have it – unless you happen to be a childcare worker, an infant, or a child. HFMD, better known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, is a common infection in babies and children under ten.

(Continuing my apologies to Schmick, Wheelan, Rowling, Lamott, Wallace, Sedaris, and others, I offer Part 2 of the graduation speech I’ve never given. Part 1 ended On Election Day, 1996. Executing a plan to visit 25 polling places, I got caught in traffic, went down a road I’d no intention of traveling, and wound up at a polling place I’d not intended of visiting. It was 5:30 p.m., and the volunteers at this place expected only a dozen or so voters in the next two hours.)

Have you ever wanted to do something new and exciting, like hang gliding, rock climbing, or scuba diving, but didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars finding out whether or not you liked it? Swimming through the clear waters of the Caribbean while gazing at tropical fish and colorful coral would be amazing, but what if scuba diving turns out to not be your thing, even if you thought it would be? That would be an expensive test run.

My late mother was born in 1929 – one of those watershed years in the U.S. 

I always picture the food lines; those stockbrokers, hurling their commission-conscious selves from Manhattan windows; black and white faces like Tom Joad; and gin joints.

It’s the time of year when just about everyone you know is racing the clock to get in shape before they have to don that cellulite-bulging, fat-roll showing bathing suit. Eventually, the opportunity will pop-up (if not already), and – if you’re like me – you won’t be any closer to looking svelte and debonair than you were last year at this time!

Members of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors and the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga on Wednesday, May 22 met at the Choo-Choo Hotel for a joint lunch meeting. Dr. David Crowe, chief economist and senior vice president at the National Association of Home Builders, was the featured speaker. Dr. Crowe spoke about the state of the economy as it relates the real estate and home building industries. His projection: Things are looking up. Pictured from L-R from the head table: Lorrie Shearon, chief strategy officer for the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; Carol Seal, CEO of GCAR; Mark Blazek, president of GCAR; Dr. Crowe; Teresa Groves, executive officer of the HBA; and Tim Swafford, president of the HBA. (David Laprad)

Mayor Berke last week announced Donna Williams will lead the Economic and Community Development department for the City of Chattanooga.

“As a city, we will connect community with economic development to provide new opportunities,” said Mayor Berke. “By working closely with our key partners, we can grow our city by both attracting large companies and helping to grow startups and small businesses throughout Chattanooga.”

1. What breed of dog is often referred to as the Apollo breed? Rotweiler; Golden Retriever; Afghan Hound; Great Dane.

2. Legend is that nomadic tribes of Central Asia, who carried milk in animal skin bags, “discovered” cheese. Which culture is credited with developing the art of cheese-making as we know it today? The Romans; the French; the Dutch; the Swiss.

I want to spoil Star Trek: Into Darkness for you. I want to tell you about the resounding echoes of what many fans consider to be the best Star Trek movie, and how each one adds resonance to Into Darkness. I want to geek out with you about how director J.J. Abrams and his writers took those deep nods to a classic Trek film and turned them inside out to produce a movie that mirrors certain iconic moments, but in a way that serves the story they wanted to tell. I want to talk excitedly with you about this or that snippet of dialogue, or chat about the Easter eggs, or debate the effectiveness of “the scream.” (You’ll know it when you hear it.)

Saturday, May 25

Rebel Steel Corp of Dayton and Chattanooga has completed plans to locate a $25,000,000 steel mill in Rhea County, with construction on the mammoth plant to get underway in 60 to 90 days. The plant will be located on a 400-acre site at Watts Bar, will turn out 175,000 tons of finished steel annually, and is expected to employ 600 to 700 persons, Ross Bohannan, attorney for the company, announced.

Saturday, May 24

Over 5,000 attended the 7th annual commencement exercises of Central High School at the City Auditorium Friday night. Sixty graduates received diplomas from Hon. D.H. Bloom, president of the Hamilton County Board of Education. Two main features on the program were the address of James Bass on The Call of the Men of the South, and singing by the Central Quartette, composed of Emmett and Robert Stephens, William Seagle, and Ivan Anderson. Dr. J.W. Bachman pronounced the invocation. Mrs. W.H. Pryor directed the singing of the student body.