News - Friday, June 17, 2022

Toccora Johnson-Petersen was 6 when her mother hit her with harsh facts about growing up black in a poor Chattanooga neighborhood.

As Johnson-Petersen was dressing for her first day of kindergarten in the bathroom of their West Side apartment, her mother said data suggested she’d become a teen mother, would never finish high school and would be working in fast food as she entered adulthood.

Attorney Patrick Walsh would like to apologize for what he says is his most glaring flaw: His love for University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball.

Despite moving to Chattanooga last fall, a full season of local and regional college hoops hysteria failed to convert Walsh to a Mocs or Volunteers fan.

People who work in restaurants sometimes say they could write a book about the experience. If Michael Schober ever writes his memoirs, he might include a chapter about how a phone call can change a life.

Schober, 34, was working an evening shift at J. Alexander’s in Chattanooga several years ago when local real estate broker and owner Doug Edrington called from his home to report half of his to-go order was missing.

Each June, Greater Chattanooga Realtors joins other associations around the country to celebrate homeownership by showcasing individual homeowners, government officials and various programs that protect and promote the American dream of homeownership.

Housing affordability has continued to be a challenge for the housing market as it grapples with a lack of inventory due in large part to five factors: labor, land or lots, lending, lumber and other material costs, and laws and regulatory burdens.

Mark Spain Real Estate has chosen Jan Cooper to lead the office and sales team at its new Chattanooga location.

Cooper brings more than a decade of leadership, sales team management and team building experience to the position.

“Jan is a great addition to our team,” says Mark Spain president and CEO John Makarewicz. “She’s goal-oriented, an excellent communicator and an effective leader.”

The Economic and Workforce Development Division at Chattanooga State Community College has launched a series of construction-related courses that will take place this summer and fall.

A two-day estimating course will be held June 29-30, 8 a.m.-noon.

Leadership Tennessee has selected six Chattanoogans to take part in the fifth class of Leadership Tennessee NEXT, a program that offers early and mid-career professionals personal and professional development while fostering a greater understanding of the state and its resources.

The Public Education Foundation has selected 31 teachers from the Southeast Tennessee region to participate in the 10th cohort of its STEM Fellows program during the 2022-2023 academic year.

The teachers will engage in a year of professional learning about best practices in STEM education and will have numerous opportunities to visit businesses in the region that benefit from the STEM skills their employees have learned.

Women of Distinction of Greater Chattanooga will host its benefit luncheon Wednesday, Oct. 19.

“This year’s honorees have set themselves apart through their civic, cultural, philanthropic and environmental commitments. We’re looking forward to celebrating them,” steering committee member Lynda Minks Hood says.

The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer will host its 15th annual Celebration of Life and Hope Oct. 22. The gala-style event will include family testimonies, live and silent auctions, live music from the Emerald Empire Band, a photo booth, an open bar, specialty cocktails, food and additional entertainment.

The Launch Pad, a 12-step sober living program for women in recovery, opened its second home June 9.

Karen Hutton, founder, CEO and president of Hutton Construction, Real Estate and Development Company, funded the home, which The Launch Pad has dubbed The Jean-Marie Home.

From being in the conversation as potentially the greatest college baseball team of all time to not even making it to the College World Series.

Tennessee’s season came to an abrupt and somewhat stunning end Sunday when Notre Dame upset the top-seeded Vols in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the Knoxville Super Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

With cryptocurrencies so much in the news, you might be wondering if you should invest in them. But “invest” may not be the right word – because, in many ways, cryptocurrencies, or “crypto” for short, are more speculation than investment.

The cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. can be enough to make you sick.

What you pay varies enormously depending on the drug, the pharmacy, your insurance plan and your deductible, among many other factors. A drug that may have been cheap or at least affordable the last time you filled it could be far more expensive or not covered at all the next time.

It’s been a rough couple of years, especially for teenagers. Between the shutdowns and the shift to contactless everything – including education – adolescents got a pretty raw deal. They could use a break this summer. Actually, they could use a job.

Shopping for a new or used car over the last couple of years has become a more challenging endeavor. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its after-effects, we’ve had to deal with factory closures, supply chain issues, a worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips, vehicle shortages, price hikes on dealer lots and fewer discounts.