News - Friday, June 1, 2012

Some attorneys project weary resignation when describing the work they have done for decades, and will likely do for the rest of their lives. But not Bo Hixson. After more than 25 years of practicing law in Chattanooga, he uses words like “fun” and “refreshing” to describe his job.

Built in 1930, Engel Stadium has seen a lot of baseball magic. Now, over a decade after the Chattanooga Lookouts vacated the stadium to move to AT&T Field, Engel is seeing a different kind of magic: the magic of movies.

It’s mid-morning on May 22 at Engel. Near the first base dugout, an assistant director raises a megaphone to his mouth and says, “Rolling,” prompting vendors in the stands to begin hawking peanuts and fans dressed in ‘40s garb to jump to their feet and shout toward the field. Jackie Robinson enters the frame, intent on catching a foul ball. His eyes are skyward as he follows the arc of the ball, and he runs perilously close to the edge of the dugout. To keep Robinson from falling, a white teammate leaps off the bench and catches him. Incensed, the crowd shouts racial epithets at the black ballplayer.

When the latest group of Chattanooga Fire Department recruits graduated May 17 in a ceremony at Clear Creek Church of Christ, officials showed several videos chronicling the blood, sweat and camaraderie that are part and parcel to the grueling six-and-a-half month training program. The department has posted one of the videos, titled “Into Dust at Chattanooga Fire Academy 2012,” on YouTube. To view the video, which documents how hard the department’s men and women work to become firefighters, visit www.YouTube.com and enter the title of the video in the search field. (Photo by David Laprad)

Saturday, June 2

Air conditioning is to be installed on city buses. Southern Coach Lines, Inc., has begun tests of a new type of air conditioning unit on one of its late-model GMC buses, with an eye toward adapting similar units to other vehicles in its fleet if tests prove successful. The bus on which the new unit has been installed is already in operation, with the unit cooling passengers through ducts built into the busts for ventilation. The vehicle is being alternated on several routes.

June 2

Build a strong neighborhood

The public is invited to attend “Conference on Building Strong Neighborhoods” at Second Baptist Church, located at 2305 East Third Street, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Joyce Morley, nationally-known educator and family therapist. Call (423) 629-5400 to reserve a spot. A light lunch will be served. There is no cost to attend.

Is a law without an enforcement mechanism really a law? This past Memorial Day weekend, we scheduled a barbecue for the holiday Monday. We couldn’t really invite anyone until the last minute, however, because my girlfriend wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have to work. Turned out several of my friends ended up working on “Memorial Day Monday.” Some had jobs that required them to, but “compensated” by paying double pay. Others, including several attorney friends, simply had so much to do on the following Tuesday or Wednesday they simply felt they had to go into the office “at least for a couple hours.” Others were simply so far behind, that a day without new work flowing in presented too good of an opportunity to catch up.

State of Tennessee v. Garry Lee Nance.

Appeal from the Criminal Court for Hamilton County

Case Number: E2011-02646-CCA-R3-CD

Authoring Judge: Judge D. Kelly Thomas, Jr.

Originating Judge: Judge Rebecca J. Stern

Date Filed: Monday, May 14, 2012

To ensure summer holidays and events are celebrated safely, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding Tennesseans of legislation passed last year concerning sky lanterns: They are to be operated only by licensed fireworks professionals.

Sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns or wish lanterns, are unmanned airborne paper lanterns fueled by fire. According to TCA § 68-104-101(9), they are special fireworks, and can be purchased and used by only individuals with a professional license. The general public cannot purchase or use sky lanterns, and if found in the possession of someone who does not have a professional license issued by the State Fire Marshal, sky lanterns can be confiscated and later destroyed.

If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. – Atticus Finch

My hometown had a movie theater with one room. I use the word “had” because it closed about the time I reached double digits. I’m sure I was taken to more, but the only movies I can remember seeing were “Dr. Dolittle” (1967), “The Computer Wore of Tennis Shoes” (1969) and “Trog” (1970).

A video shot last year by an undercover employee of the Humane Society of the United States, better known as HSUS, showing Walking Horse trainers at a Collierville farm mistreating and applying chemicals to the ankles of horses has caused a major uproar across the Volunteer State and in national media. Held in high esteem in this state for over 100 years, the Tennessee Walking Horse is the only horse breed that carries the name of its state and is the official horse of the State of Tennessee. While all agree that the mistreatment of the horses should not be tolerated, the discussion still continues on the many effects of future regulations and the recent damage inflicted by unknowing media on the breed and the Walking Horse industry.

Twenty nine years ago, I graduated from high school. One week ago, my oldest son graduated from high school. All of a sudden, I feel very old. I have several friends that graduated high school with me that had children graduate years ago and already have grandchildren. That doesn’t make me feel any better, nor does it make me feel any younger. It really just makes me feel just the same - old.

Ihsaan Al-Amin, 61, was arrested on Tuesday, May 29, 2012, and appeared in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga on charges of illegal distribution of controlled substances, possession of a firearm in relation to commission of drug trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion. Al-Amin was released on bond pending his trial set for Aug. 6, 2012, in U.S.

After reading the 2009 novel that I dissed a bit last week, I read Tina Fey’s 2011 autobiographical “Bossy Pants.” Superb, stellar, well-written. Educational, insightful, witty and fun! What more could I ask?

From how she got the scar on her face in kindergarten to how she came to spend four years at University of Virginia “trying to charm the uninterested”; from character sketches of friends and relatives to her overdue responses to mean Internet posts; from the shipboard fire on her honeymoon cruise to how she came to impersonate Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” during the busiest week of her life, …Tina delivers.

It’s a hot May Saturday afternoon, the kind for which air conditioning and iced tea are made. But Realtor Becky Cope English does not have time to relax. She has houses to sell.

Her open house started a few minutes ago, but she’s still rushing from unit to unit to ensure everything is in place. Brochures are laid out on kitchen countertops, balloons are tied to For Sale signs and each home has been cooled to perfection. Finally, she takes a moment to breathe.

Saturday, June 1

The following boys received diplomas Thursday night at the 5th annual commencement exercises at McCallie School: Clifford Grayson, Richard Dugger, William Perry, Irving Reilly, Frances Warrenfels, Griffin Martin, Melville Shyer, Sims Read, Frank Atlee, Alwyn Brown and Robert Nelson.

I’m a movie theater snob. I like big screens, plush seats and booming sound. Air conditioning, clean carpets and fresh popcorn are important, too. What’s more, if the picture isn’t lined up right, I’m the first one to jump out of my seat and let management know. These things make the world around me disappear and draw me into a film.

My memories of the “Men in Black” movies are vague. Sony released the original in 1997 and the sequel a decade ago, and I haven’t watched either one since its theatrical run, so my lack of recall has nothing to do with age and everything to do with apathy. All I remember is thinking the first one was “OK” and the second one stunk. So news that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were reprising the roles of Agents J and K for a third movie did not excite me.

When going thru basic training for the National Guard, my son said that they were taught “calories in – calories out”. In other words, if you eat, you must exercise. I’ve tried to take that approach, but since I’m not in the Army, I figure I DON’T ALWAYS have to stick to it. See, I am really good with the calories in – the calories out seem to suffer!

More and more people are writing their memoirs these days. There are certain “rules to writing” that you are to know if you plan on doing the same. Take this quiz and see how effectively you can write.

1. Good writers know that all writing can be improved upon after the first draft. What is the most important aspect of revision? Re-examining your ideas; Reviewing capitalization; Looking for subject-verb agreement; Checking grammar usage.

Every time I visit my hairdresser to get my hair trimmed (along with gray covered), she turns her TV to the Food Network Channel. She knows I write about, cook and eat a lot of food, and that I have been cooking since I was able reach the stove by standing on a chair alongside my mom and granny. Well, maybe some of that is a little exaggerated, but some of it is true.

The business environment is getting more competitive every day. New companies and new concepts are being born daily. There is always someone trying to do it better and cheaper than what has been done previously.

There is more competition in today’s global economy than every before. Do you remember when the US Postal Service was the only way to send documents? Now that age-old institution has to compete with delivery services such as Fed-EX, Airborne, UPS, as well as fax machines and the Internet with e-mail. Competition is everywhere and in every business segment.