News - Friday, June 28, 2019

Chattanooga Realtor Charlotte Mabry had achieved the dream of many agents.

After 31 years in the business, Mabry was a local real estate icon. Her business was flourishing to the tune of $70 million in annual sales, the Charlotte Mabry Team at Keller Williams Downtown Realty was a fixture in the Chattanooga market and more listeners than ever were tuning in to her long-running Saturday morning real estate radio show on WGOW.

The Fourth of July. Independence Day. A national holiday when all Americans join together to celebrate the breaking away from England and the establishment of our independent nation.

Our founders cherished the freedom and independence they were declaring. That declaration placed the founders in extreme jeopardy and subjected them to the loss of their property, liberty and lives. The founders bequeath to us that same spirit that we celebrate on Independence Day.

Chancellor Jeffrey Atherton will join Tennessee’s new Board of Judicial Conduct when it convenes July 1.

The legislature created the Board of Judicial Conduct to investigate and act on complaints against judges. Members are appointed by multiple appointing authorities, including the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House and various judicial conferences.

Bill Corbin always knew a day would come when he would no longer be able to call himself a third-generation tobacco farmer. That day has arrived.

The Springfield farmer says he had contracts to grow tobacco until this year, but will now devote all his energy and acreage to growing hemp.

Since 2014, Greater Chattanooga Realtors has been committed to an ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga to build homes and give back to the community.

This month, GCR members dedicated two weekends to physically assist in the construction of new homes for local families. Because families who are selected for Habitat homes are required to volunteer time on Habitat projects, volunteers get to know the future homeowners and their stories.

Let’s face it – we know how great Chattanooga is. Even if you haven’t lived in Chattanooga long, it’s easy to see why we love our town so much.

But sometimes it’s important to get an outside perspective to see how others view our town. I recently read an article from Anthony Sanfilippo at the National Association of Realtors in which he discusses how great our city is, how far it’s come and why so many people are moving here.

Thousands of baby boomers call Greater Chattanooga their home, and a recent survey from the National Association of Home Builders shows this group has a few distinct preferences when it comes to home location and features.

The survey asked first-time buyers and existing homeowners across different age groups to rank features based on how essential they are to a home-purchasing decision.

Given all the pointless sequels and reboots hitting theaters this summer – and the lack of audience interest – I would not have been surprised if people had regarded “Toy Story 4” with the same indifference.

After all, “Toy Story 3” was the crowning achievement of a perfect trilogy. When Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang let go of Andy as he outgrew them and left for college, it felt like the end of the story. (Tell me you don’t tear up at the memory of Woody sitting on Bonnie’s porch, watching Andy drive off.)

Not that long ago, most people worked for some type of an organization, be it a business or the government or a school district. But today, more and more workers are going their own way and joining what’s known as the “gig” economy.

If Rick Barnes needs to convince any recruits about his staff’s ability to develop players, he can simply point to this year’s NBA draft.

The Tennessee men’s basketball program had three players selected for the first time in the history of the draft’s current two-round format.

The Chattanooga Airport has completed the final phase of its solar farm along Jubilee Drive. The 2.64-megawatt installation generates renewable energy, which is sold through partnerships with TVA and EPB.

The power generated is equal to the airport’s total energy needs. The Chattanooga Airport is the only airport in the nation to achieve this renewable energy goal.

The American Cancer Society needs drivers to support the Road to Recovery volunteer program in East Tennessee and North Georgia, which provides cancer patients with free rides to treatment.

This year, an estimated 37,350 Tennesseans and 50,450 Georgia residents will be diagnosed with cancer. For some, getting to care can be a significant roadblock.

Tennessee Valley Healthcare System has broken ground on a new VA clinic at 6401 Shallowford Road. The new clinic will replace the current clinic on Debra Road when it opens in the spring of 2021.

At 75,000 square feet, the new clinic will be more than double the size of the existing VA outpatient clinic and will serve more than 25,000 veteran enrollees in Chattanooga and its surrounding counties.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce will present the 2019 Pride Month Networking event Friday, June 28, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Miller Park. Food trucks will be serving local fare, and Mayor Andy Berke will speak.

Pops on the River

The 2019 Pops on the River Independence Day celebration will take place Wednesday, July 3, 5 p.m., in Coolidge Park. The event will feature a free patriotic concert by the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera and performances from veteran songwriters with Operation Song. A large fireworks display is scheduled for its conclusion at approximately 9:45 p.m. Food and drink concessions will be available on site. The public is invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Thanks to an outpouring of community support, Tennessee Aquarium President and CEO Keith Sanford was able to present a $5,000 check to staff of the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Screenings of the 75th anniversary of “D-Day 3D: Normandy 1944” at the Aquarium’s IMAX Theater were popular enough with local audiences that two additional showings were added to the theater’s lineup.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke has selected CO.LAB Chief Executive Marcus Shaw to join EPB’s board of directors.

Shaw’s appointment will fill the vacancy from longtime member Joe Ferguson, who announced in April that he would retire after 28 years on the board.

Every eight seconds, a cardiac event occurs in the U.S., but only 8% of the nation’s population is trained in CPR.

To help educate and train local students about CPR, Unum donated 40 Hands-Only CPR kits to Hamilton County Schools through a partnership with the American Heart Association.

You’re likely familiar with the stereotype of a middle-aged person who impulsively splurges on an expensive new car. But there’s also a similar experience at a different life stage: Buying a flashy and fun vehicle right after you get your first well-paying job. You might call it a quarter-life crisis car.

Matthew Gardner is the recipient of the third annual Kayoko Dan Conducting Scholarship. The scholarship will offer Gardner an opportunity to work with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera’s music director during the 2019-20 season.

Gardner is a senior instrumental music education major and percussionist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A native of Chattanooga, he graduated from Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences.

If Mother Nature has a double-edged sword in her arsenal, it’s the volcano.

At one turn, these lava-spewing maws are incomprehensibly destructive, capable of tearing chunks out of the earth and coating entire continents in blankets of ash.