News - Friday, June 5, 2015

Friends, family members, and colleagues of the Honorable Suzanne Bailey gathered in her former courtroom at Hamilton County Juvenile Court on Thursday, May 28 to unveil her portrait and to honor her for the contributions she made there. Although Judge Bailey could not be present, the memory of her more than 30 years of service to the children, families, and citizens of Hamilton County was strong in the minds of both those who spoke and those who listened.

The Women’s Council of Realtors (WCR) continued its summer program of monthly visits to new developments Tuesday night. About 30 real estate agents met at River Rock Cove, where WCR member and Realtor Paula Palmer of Real Estate Partners hosted a luau-themed reception.

Virginia College family luau

Virginia College will host a luau for staff and former, current, and prospective students and their families on Saturday, June 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Planned activities include free food, a bounce house, cosmetology lotion demonstrations, and health screenings. Attendees will be able to tour the campus, see demonstrations in all functional areas, and receive information about programs offered. Virginia College is located at 721 Eastgate Loop Road.

Just in time to give yourself a Father’s Day gift! The new CBA tie is being hand made in Postiglione, Italy by brothers Diego and Donatello, who are third generation tie makers.

Each tie is hand stitched of 100 percent custom made premium silk. This tie was created exclusively for the Chattanooga Bar Association, and designed by Wilson & Bow of Chattanooga.

The Chattanooga Hamilton County NAACP will present the Fifth Annual Thurgood Marshall Freedom and Justice Advocate of the Year Award to Senior U.S. District Judge Curtis L. Collier.

The organization gives the yearly award to an individual who has had the kind of lasting societal impact established by Justice Marshall.

Judge Rebecca Stern last Friday marked the end of 18 years on the Hamilton County Criminal Court bench with a small farewell party.

After working through her final docket, she welcomed friends and colleagues into her courtroom for cake, memories, and best wishes.

The Bessie Smith Cultural Center this week announced the lineup for the 2015 Bessie Smith Strut, taking place Monday, June 5 during Riverbend.

The Bessie Smith Strut is the day Riverbend features blues and local nightclub bands. The event is also noted for its many food stands offering barbecued pork, beef, turkey, and seafood.

A new title insurance company in Chattanooga is offering services built on a foundation of tradition and innovation. While Jones Raulston is standing on old school title insurance principles, it’s prepared for the sweeping regulatory changes the industry will undergo in 2015.

When it comes to listing photos, the adage a “picture is worth thousand words” is spot on. According to the National Association of Realtors most recent Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, the first step more than 43 percent of home buyers take in the home buying process is looking online. It’s reported that 92 percent of buyers use the Internet in some way in their home search process, and 50 percent of buyers search using a mobile website or application.

^“San Andreas” is one of those movies in which hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people die suddenly and horrifically, but you’re still supposed to leave the theater whistling a happy tune because the hero saves his immediate family of two.

Nickels for Nepal, Chattanooga Nepali Community members, and Gamma Chapter Kappa Kappa Iota members held a Benefit Pancake Breakfast at Applebee’s Northgate last Saturday.  They  raised over $2,400 to provide emergency relief supplies to the schools, school children, and their families in the remote villages in Nepal that were severely damaged by the recent earthquakes.

We all make excuses. Most of the time, they’re pretty harmless. But you could be hurting yourself if you make excuses for not taking action in some areas – and one of those areas is investing.

Not investing, or not investing enough, can have serious consequences. In fact, a lot of people are poorly prepared financially for retirement. Consider these figures from the Federal Reserve: The median retirement account value for individuals between 35 and 44 is just $42,700; for people 55 to 64, the corresponding figure is $103,000. These figures are frighteningly low, especially when retirement can easily last two or three decades.

The expansion of Volkswagen’s Chattanooga manufacturing facility to produce a new midsize sport utility vehicle could add about 9,800 jobs to the Tennessee economy, according to a University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) study released last week.

Mayor Andy Berke and members of the city council last week gathered on a small plot of land in Hixson to break ground for a new fire station. Station 11 will be located at 6418 Hixson Pike, and will serve the northern-most part of Hixson and the Big Ridge area.

The National Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives names the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce a 2015 Chamber of the Year finalist.

“Every day, the Chattanooga Chamber staff, its members, the Chamber Councils, and Chamber Ambassadors approach the opportunities before us in the Chattanooga way – join hands and get it done,” said Bill Kilbride, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s gratifying to all of us that our organization has been recognized in this way.”

This week, I decided to write about a little of this and a little of that. You know, tips on foods, a little trivia, etc. Maybe you’ll learn something you didn’t know. And the recipe is super healthy, tasty, and fast!

Out to eat last August with a date, my friend Fred noticed he had a choice to either park himself or use the valet service for a ten spot. Always conscious of value, Fred chose to skip the valet and drove to a place on a nearby street. After a short walk to the restaurant front door, the valet asked Fred if he had just seen him driving by in a car. Fred said yes. The man said that he was sorry but that to eat in the restaurant they must use the valet service.

I’ve seen in movie reviews that, once again, another “Poltergeist” movie has come to the big screen, with this one being in 3D, which should make some folks have second thoughts about reaching toward their TV. The original movie was produced back in 1982, along with “ET,” and I guess what goes around comes around.

Anne Lamott is something of an expert on grace. And she’s a brilliant thinker and writer. As such, she’s widely cited in sermons. And some columns. The following are among my favorite Lamott quotes:

“[T]he most we can hope for on some days is to end up a little less crazy than before.”

More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean for their primary source of food and, according to some estimates, this number will double to 7 billion people in the next two decades. Unfortunately, 80 percent of the world’s fish stocks are already over-exploited.

Creating a gallery wall in your home is a unique way to show off your personality while highlighting art and photos that are important to you. The addition of a gallery wall can add visual interest and punch instantly to any space. There are many different ways to create a display with use of frames, textures, sizes, and colors. 

Have you seen the new game show on TV called “500 Questions?” It’s not that easy for some of us. However, I do know of some that would be able to walk away with all the money. I know – it’s just not fair, is it?