News - Friday, August 10, 2018

Doug Edrington is on the phone, getting bad news. “The world is falling apart,” the caller tells him, “and I can’t stop it.”

Edrington listens patiently on his earpiece as he walks in slow circles inside a small meeting room. The caller is an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices J Douglas Properties, and she says she believes a transaction has gone irreparably south.

Realtor Kelly Jooma’s day begins at 5 a.m. with a peaceful stroll from her house to her working farm.

The 12-acre grassy sprawl is quiet at that time, save for the clucking of a few hens and the chattering of her Guineafowl, Boy, who’s usually hungry.

Hard-working, legally astute attorneys who can do legal heavy lifting, retain existing clients and find new business are the ones who usually make partner at law firms.

It’s not easy to do and certainly not a given, especially for women.

Working Mother has included law firms Baker Donelson and Husch Blackwell on its annual list of the best law firms for women attorneys.

The list recognizes firms that utilize best practices in retaining and promoting women lawyers. Baker Donelson and Husch Blackwell were among 60 firms to earn a spot on this year’s list.

Charles Gilbreath, a labor and employment attorney at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, has joined the board of directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga.

At Chambliss Law, Gilbreath serves as an advisor for employers and defends them in litigation as necessary. Through legal guidance, he helps to ensure Chattanooga-area employers are compliant with Tennessee and Federal Regulations.

Sen. Reginald Tate ran a campaign ad in the waning days of the Democratic primary race bragging about his service to the city of Memphis.

But voters, apparently tired of Tate’s shenanigans, finally decided he was more concerned about serving himself and opted for political newcomer Katrina Robinson instead.

Realtor Jay Robinson and the Robinson Team is celebrating its success as the top team at Keller Williams’ Greater Downtown Chattanooga during the first six months of 2018.

The Robinson Team led the way by selling $51,612,838 worth of real estate during the first six months of 2018.

Sustainable home features and environmentally friendly neighborhoods are becoming an even more important factor for homebuyers when choosing a home.

According to the NAR’s 2018 Realtors and Sustainability Report, 61 percent of the Realtor members surveyed reported that consumers have an interest in sustainability when it comes to buying a home. The report surveyed Realtors about sustainability issues facing consumers in the real estate market and ways Realtors are setting their own goals to reduce energy usage.

Everyone loves the great outdoors in the Tennessee Valley, and summer is the perfect time to fire up the grill or gather around your backyard fire pit or build a camp fire. Just remember to follow proper safety precautions to avoid serious injuries.

In “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” Tom Cruise does an excellent impression of an impervious superhero. As Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt, he outruns deadly sprays of automatic gunfire, motorcycles through busy intersections at just the right moment and walks away from brutal fistfights looking no worse for the wear.

Janna Eichelberger is the new head varsity basketball coach at Girls Preparatory School.

Eichelberger is the former director of basketball operations with the men’s basketball program at Tennessee State University, one of only seven women on an NCAA Division I men’s basketball coaching staff, and worked as an assistant with the women’s basketball program at TSU for two years.

It’s still summer, but we’re getting close to a new school year. One day, though, “back-to-school” will mean “off to college” for your children. Will you be financially prepared to help your kids cope with the costs of higher education?

A Colorado man is permanently barred from selling securities in Tennessee and paid a $12,000 civil penalty to the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance as punishment for his role representing a Chattanooga natural gas and oil company.

Steven S. Boulter, who resides in Central City, Colorado, found investors who gave money to Hixson resident Harry Thompson and his company Chattaco from 2012-2014 to help purchase new leases on natural gas wells in Magoffin County, Kentucky.

Signal Mountain will receive a $282,738 federal grant through the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the Pedestrian Connectivity Project.

The Transportation Alternatives Program grant will fund construction of sidewalks from James Boulevard to Ridgeway Avenue and interior connecting walkways within the park system. This includes crosswalks and a retaining wall.

Greater Chattanooga Realtors and The Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga will co-host the annual Economic Outlook Luncheon on Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the Chattanooga Marriott Downtown for their members, local businesses and community leaders.

United Soccer League Division III has awarded a founding member franchise to an organization led by businessman Robert Martino for the league’s 2019 debut season.

The club will host a public event in the coming months to unveil its vision for the future of professional soccer in Chattanooga.

The Project Inspire teacher residency, a partnership among the Public Education Foundation, Hamilton County Schools and Lee University, is celebrating the graduation of 20 new teachers.

“PEF is proud of these teachers beginning their careers in Hamilton County’s high-needs schools and grateful that talented individuals from across the country chose to work with students in our community,” says Dan Challener, PEF president.

On Saturday, Aug. 18, 4 p.m.-midnight, McKamey Animal Center will open an offsite adoption center at St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church, 7547 E. Brainerd Road. An estimated 100 pets will be available for adoption.

As an incentive to adopt shelter animals, McKamey will be waiving all adoption fees with the purchase of a $25 new pet starter kit. All McKamey animals are spayed or neutered, vaccinated according to their age and given parasite prevention. Cats are leukemia-tested and dogs are heartworm-tested.

Townsend Atelier will host the debut art exhibition by artist and Townsend Atelier instructor Kristin Kendall in September.

The exhibit includes work in a variety of subject matter and mediums that Kendall has created since moving to Chattanooga two years ago – a period of time that has redefined her understanding of, and relationship with, art.