News - Friday, July 26, 2019

Many immigrants have stories of growing up dirt poor in a third-world country and dreaming of someday moving to the United States, the land of opportunity.

But that’s not Ricky Leveron’s story.

Instead, the 26-year-old Honduran native and Chattanooga Realtor paints a picture of a happy, productive youth filled with family, friends and whatever activities he could cram into his prematurely busy schedule, whether it was modeling, dancing or marching band.

Conscious Company Magazine has named Rockridge Venture Law founder and principal Kevin Christopher to its list of Top 22 Conscious Business Leaders of 2019.

Christopher is the only Tennessean to make this list of “trailblazers of conscious leadership” and is featured alongside executives from Mailchimp, Vmware and The Honest Company.

William Leech has joined the Chattanooga office of law firm Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan. Leech is a native of Santa Fe, Tennessee, and attended Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he studied history. He attended law school at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis, graduating in 2011 with his juris doctor. His practice focuses on general civil defense.

Members of Tennessee Realtors’ executive committee are visiting all 21 of the state’s local associations this year to share updates and hear from local leaders and members. The group visited Greater Chattanooga on July 23.

“It’s a joy to connect with Realtors and to see the inspiring ways they’re helping to make the American dream possible for Tennesseans all across the state,” says Chattanooga’s own Kathy Tucker, who’s serving as Tennessee Realtors’ 2019 president. Pictured from left: Steve McDonald, Angela Kay Shields, Tucker, Kelly White, Alexander Bynum and Sally Sparks.

Summer brings out the creepy crawlies. Ants march one-by-one toward your kitchen, fruit flies swarm your ripe farmers market peaches and wasps send you and your guests scrambling from the barbecue.

But don’t panic. You can kill bugs in your house naturally – and without expending too much effort – as long as you follow these expert-approved do’s and don’ts from the National Association of Realtors.

Natural or man-made disasters can hit any community at any time – including Chattanooga. While ensuring the personal safety of you and your loved ones is your No. 1 priority, being prepared for the aftermath by organizing your critical documents and communicating their location to designated individuals can save you countless problems later.

A Tennessean on the moon? It could happen. In his July 20 remarks to celebrate the 50th anniversary of man first landing on the moon in 1969, Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. is planning a return trip to the moon “within the next five years, and the next man and the first woman on the moon will be American astronauts. We’re going back.”

After watching “Crawl,” I took a deep, relaxing breath and stepped out of the theater and into sunshine. I was glad to be outside, away from hurricane winds, rising water and monsters that ruthlessly pursue their next meal.

While effects-laden blockbusters have jaded viewers, occasionally, a film will come out that’s so intense and immersive, it affects us physically. “The Walk,” a movie about a high-wire artist’s perilous trek between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, was such a creation. So is “Crawl.”

The world of mutual funds can be confusing. With more than 9,000 funds on the market, how can you choose the ones that are right for you?

One way to start is by considering the various categories of mutual funds, and there are quite a few of them: Small Cap Growth, Large Cap Growth, Large Cap Value, Diversified Emerging Markets, Foreign Large Cap Blend and more. The list is extensive, and, for many people, confusing.

As a spokesperson for the insurance industry, Loretta Worters, often gives tips to homeowners on preventing water damage. Some of her knowledge comes from personal experience.

Worters says she had owned a home in Bellmore, New York, for only a month when she noticed the washing machine washer in the basement was taking an awfully long time to fill.

A typical July includes vacations, travel, shopping, weddings and beaches. Budgets? Not really.

But the year’s halfway point provides a great opportunity to take a close look at your financial health and goals.

Now’s a good time to “check yourself before you wreck yourself,” says Nora Yousif, certified financial planner and vice president at RBC Wealth Management in the Boston area.

Orchard Knob Elementary School students are receiving a lesson in sustainability through a newly installed pollinator garden on the school’s campus.

By nurturing the plants, the students will help to provide a habitat for monarch butterflies and restore the dwindling population.

Parkridge Bone & Joint has opened a full-service orthopedic office and walk-in clinic in East Brainerd. Located at 1510 Gunbarrel Road, Suite 120, the office joins Parkridge Bone & Joint locations in Hixson and downtown Chattanooga.

Board-certified physicians Martin Redis and Chris Pankiw and physician assistant Lauren Milleville provide comprehensive orthopedic treatment options and are accepting new patients.

The luxury vehicle of your dreams might now be something you can afford, thanks to a record number of lease returns hitting the used-car market.

This trend has widened the price difference between a new vehicle and a 3-year-old used one, Edmunds transaction data show.