News - Friday, June 20, 2014

It’s been three decades since attorneys Gary Patrick, John Beard, and Hoyt Samples bid farewell to Stophel, Caldwell & Heggie and started their own practice. Since then, other local firms have formed and split, while others have grown into large concerns. Yet Patrick Beard is still together, and while it’s grown, it’s still small.

Nine years ago this coming week, the Chattanooga Bar Association lost one of its most skilled, beloved and colorful members, Harry L. Weill. 

Many of you reading will likely have had the pleasure of knowing Harry and can still recall with marked detail his gentlemanly manner, his keen wit and his unflinching optimism. Regrettably, a sizeable and ever-growing lot of younger readers will not have had that opportunity. One thing is certain: those who did know Harry are far richer for it. 

Steve Thomas, Emmy Award winning television personality and former host of the home improvement shows “This Old House” and “Renovation Nation” joined Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area and local home building professionals Wednesday, June 11 to build, renovate, and repair two homes in Chattanooga’s Southside as part of Habitat’s nationwide Home Builders Blitz 2014.

One of the most popular spaces in today’s residential world is the outdoor living space. Increasingly, people are re-purposing a portion of their lawns, and rather than maintaining it or struggling with an odd corner of the lot, owners are opting to transform these spaces into rooms for relaxing and entertaining.

Crye-Leike, Realtors has been ranked as the nation/s 5th largest residential real estate brokerage, according to REAL Trends. 

Crye-Leike once again made the REAL Trends 500 list, an annual research report that identifies the country’s largest and most successful residential firms as ranked by closed transaction sides and separately by closed sales volume. 

The first chapter in 2014’s Crafted by Southern Hands event series will bring The Peach Truck and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams to Warehouse Row for a peach-themed celebration on Saturday, June 28, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The distinctly Southern event will feature delectably fresh, hand-picked Georgia peaches and a variety of peach themed food and drink for youth and adults, with live music and pony rides on the Warehouse Row lawn. 

If you’re in the mood for a sub, you won’t have to travel far in Chattanooga to get one. Sub shops are almost as ubiquitous as churches: there’s one on nearly every corner.

But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to travel a bit to get a great sub. I’ve tried my share of sub shops in town, and have found only one I believe makes an outstanding sandwich. Or rather, that was the case before Jersey Mike’s Subs came along.

There were many handshakes and heartfelt expressions of thanks two weeks ago as guests greeted the World War II veterans who came to the Tennessee Aquarium MAX 3D Theater to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.

Some were among the invasion forces who landed on the beaches of Normandy, others shared their stories of service in other parts of Europe, Africa, or the remote islands of the South Pacific. One veteran even recounted his time on submarine duty patrolling underwater virtually from Pole to Pole.

Emerson Russell Management Corporation (ERMC) recently acquired U.S. Cavalry, an outfitter for military, law enforcement, fire and rescue, transportation and security markets. The company plans to expand by investing $3.7 million and creating 55 permanent, fulltime jobs in Chattanooga. 

On June 12, 2014, the Chattanooga Police Department Regulatory Bureau and the Hamilton County Coalition conducted compliance checks at several establishments in the Chattanooga area.

Out of 15 establishments checked, two sold to an under aged buyer. The following establishments sold to the under aged buyer and were cited to appear before the beer board on June 19, 2014: Top of the Line, 424 E. M.L. King Blvd., and Midnight Oil-Shiv Food Mart, 631 Signal Mtn. Blvd. 

The Chattanooga Zoo has decided to give both its animals and visitors a break from the summer heat by extending operating hours throughout the summer.

Every Thursday, the Zoo will stay open until 8 p.m., three hours past its normal closing time. Twilight Nights will be every Thursday through August 14, and will be regular Zoo admission (adult $8.95; child $5.95; children under 3 are free).

I’m a sucker for sap. Why else would I have been choking back tears at the end of “The Fault in our Stars,” a drama about teenage cancer patients who meet at a support group and fall in love?

The story is told through the eyes of 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster, an intelligent but sarcastic teen with terminal thyroid cancer. Believing her to be depressed, Hazel’s mother urges her to attend a support group for cancer patients at a church. There, she literally bumps into Augustus Waters, a slightly older boy who had cancer and beat it, but not before losing half of his right leg.

Summer is almost here — which means it’s officially vacation season. You may be looking forward to “getting away from it all,” but, as you know, vacations actually require a fair amount of planning. And it might surprise you to learn that some of the efforts required for successful vacations can impart some valuable lessons in other areas of your life — such as investing. 

Not long ago, I felt a close friend of mine needed some cheering up, so I took her a bouquet of flowers as a little pick-me-up. She and her family have been going through some difficult medical issues lately, and it just seemed to me she could use them.

June is the month that we celebrate our fathers. June 15 marked the official day for Fathers Day this year and this month also marked the celebration of men’s health month. Men are often referred to as the “silent crisis” in America due to their less healthy lifestyle, which causes them to die younger than American women on average.

It’s summertime, and the living’s easy. Well, maybe the living isn’t easy, but it’s definitely summertime.

Summer is my favorite time of year, and lounging at the pool is one of my favorite pastimes, and not just because there’s a great concession stand. However, I can never escape my legal tendencies, even at the pool, and every year when I go, I think about the legalities behind it. People undoubtedly injure themselves every year at their local swimming hole. From belly flops to slip and falls, the pool most certainly has its fair share of lawsuits.

I type in the word civics at OneLook Dictionary Search. Giving credit to “MacMillan Dictionary”, the site gives me “a school subject in which you study how government works and what people’s rights, duties, and responsibilities are as citizens.” Okay, so MacMillan uses the second person (you) in its definitions. Below this, I see “the social science of municipal affairs,” with WordNet being cited.

Broker Billy Weathers of Re/Max Properties on Shallowford Road won an iPad Mini for making a hole-in-one at Bear Trace Golf Course at Harrison Bay.

Weathers was part of a foursome playing in the annual Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place Scholarship Tournament May 28 when he aced hole 11.

While some have noted a slight pause this year in the housing recovery, the American Dream of homeownership is alive and well. However, we must still contend with market fluctuations.

If buyers are expected to buy homes, they need homes for sale. Also, buyers need reliable financing, better jobs and stronger wage growth. The opportunities are out there, and it is important for people take advantage of them.

We traveled to the U.S. Open by plane (see Louis C.K.’s priceless bit about air travel on David Letterman). I had set my alarm for 3:01 last Saturday morning, not because I missed the 3 (like when you try to stop the gas pump exactly on $40.00 and it goes to $40.01, so you go on up to $41.00 and it stops on $41.01), but because at that time of morning, every extra minute of sleep seems important.

It’s my favorite time of the year again, when all the stores are filled with patriotic supplies, making red, white and blue the colors of choice for the next couple of weeks.

As we prepare to celebrate the 238th birthday of this country, everyone is making plans to have their own birthday bash in their own special way.

Few things affect our life more than how we deal with the never-ending choice of doing what we want or doing what we need.

Sometimes, when what you want and what you need are the same things, the choice is easy. However, in most cases, the choices are diametrically opposed.

I received a new computer not long ago, and you know how that goes – you have to set up a new screensaver and wallpaper. The screensaver that caught my eye displays words and definitions. A word slowly scrolls across the computer screen, with the definition following.

Fill in the blanks in the quote using the following words:

comes, physical, indomitable, not, strength, capacity

“______ does ______ come from ______ ______. It______ from an______ will.”

Kids Time at Riverpark

Thursdays in June and July

Through July 24, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation will be hosting free hands-on learning activities every Thursday (except July 3) beginning at 10 a.m. A different organization will lead the program each week: June 26 – Read 20 will host story time at the Fry Center; July 10 – Scenic Cities Beautiful will present “Creative Critter Pots” at Tennessee Riverpark Shelter No. 4; July 17 – Parks and Recreation will host “NSI: Nature Detectives” at Tennessee Riverpark Shelter No. 4; and July 24 – Read 20 will host story time at the Fry Center. This program is for elementary school children ages 5 and up. Groups of eight or more must call for a reservation. Adult supervision of the attending children is required during the program. Most programs last 45 minutes to one hour. For more information, call 842-6748.