News - Friday, August 17, 2012

Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Clarence E. Shattuck, Jr., says a person should do everything in his or her power to stay physically, mentally and spiritually sharp. At 76, he’s a living, breathing testimony to the wisdom of his words.

Alonzo Jay King, Jr. was arrested on Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 2009 for first-degree felony assault and, as is standard practice in 25 states and the federal government, a sample of King’s DNA was taken at the booking facility and sent to the state crime lab. After analyzing the sample and running it through the state’s DNA database, police found that King’s DNA matched crime scene evidence from a 2003 home invasion and gunpoint rape of a 53-year old woman. Based on the match, the state charged King with the rape, convicted him, and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Saturday, Aug. 18

Thirty-seven new business firms, seven of them manufacturers, moved into the Chattanooga area during July to form the largest number of new operations here this year, it was revealed in a list prepared by the research department of the Chamber of Commerce.

Through Aug. 31

Free fitness class continues

Outdoor Chattanooga and Greenlife Grocery will continue to host its free public fitness class using the PX90 and Insanity programs through the end of the month.  The class will take place Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Outdoor Chattanooga in Coolidge Park. Instructor Paul Mason has geared the class toward people of all fitness levels. Greenlife Healthy Eating Specialist Morgan Walley will provide healthy snacks.  No pre-registration is required. To learn more, email ruth@outdoorchattanooga.com or call 423-643-6888.

Barry W. Ritchie v. Bruce Westbrooks, Warden.

Appeal from the Criminal Court for Morgan County

Case Number: E2012-00062-CCA-R3-HC

Authoring Judge: Judge James Curwood Witt, Jr.

Originating Judge: Judge E. Eugene Eblen

Date Filed: Monday, Aug. 6, 2012

As a lawyer, my work wardrobe can sometimes get a bit drab. Wearing dark suits all the time gets depressing, and gabardine is not a fabric that exactly screams “excitement” or “trend-setter.” Not that I’m particularly fashionable, as I still think a tight-rolled pair of jeans looks good if done well. Because my wardrobe can get boring, I try to find ways to spice it up while still trying to look professional. Whether I succeed or not is a different story entirely.

ll that glitters: I wondered while watching one of the great athletes bend down to receive their gold medal just how much of the “major award” was actual gold. A quick Google search later and I had my answer.

According to deadspin.com (surely an accurate source), the gold medal is mostly silver, 92.5 percent to be exact, with a bit of copper mixed in for strength. And they’re gilded in about 6 grams of 24k gold. The street value: about $644.

As a reporter, there’s nothing better than getting that great quote during an interview that you know will be the centerpiece of the article. It’s one of those that, as you’re taking notes, you make a special little “star” mark off to the side. It’s kinda like noting where, when and by whom the home run was hit in a baseball scorebook.

On July 1, a lot of new legislation that was passed during the last session of the Tennessee Legislature became law. I don’t know if you have noticed a lot of things being done differently since that date, but several laws were placed on the books, and most of us didn’t even pay a bit of attention. We spent more time on that date worrying about if there were going to be fireworks for the Fourth of July rather than what the reduction in the food tax would mean for us.

Sometimes, we must go back to our roots. The roots of “I Swear,” the column, are in the actual dialogue between lawyers and people who are under oath. Those who, in essence, tacitly add “I swear” to everything that they say.

"The Bourne Legacy” is more entertaining that I had expected it to be but less satisfying than it should be.

Written and directed by Tony Gilroy, the fourth installment in the popular series of action thrillers takes place at the same time as the third movie, during which Jason Bourne finally learns who he is and disrupts operations at Treadstone, the super-secret U.S. government organization that created him. Unable to convince Matt Damon to return for the new sequel, Gilroy crams in the Bourne character wherever he can. He gives us brief snippets of dialogue alluding to the events in “The Bourne Ultimatum,” and Bourne’s name pop ups wherever possible, including computer screens, fake IDs and, improbably, on the bottom of a bunk bed in a remote section of Alaska.

Well, I survived taking William to college. Today was the first full day he has been away. I have texted him several times and have also made a few calls to him. The weight of his absence seems much greater now than it ever has. Maybe the difference can be attributed to the simple fact that I always knew he was coming home. Now, even though I know he will come home, he will only be passing through, and the knowledge that he will leave will loom over my head like a storm cloud.

Mike St. Charles (left), a business and commercial real estate attorney with Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, on Tuesday stepped down as Board Chair of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. During the Chamber’s annual luncheon, during which it celebrated 125 years of working on behalf of local businesses, St. Charles handed over the gavel to his successor, Diana Bullock. To thank St. Charles for his contributions as chair over the last year, Chamber president and CEO Tom Edd Wilson (right) gave him a commemorative golf driver. (Photo by David Laprad)

When one is doing something new and outside of one’s comfort zone, one experiences a diminishing sense of courage as the moment approaches. For example, when I decided to go powered hangliding a few months ago, I had an ongoing internal conversation that went like this:

This past week, hubby and I went on a short, but much needed vacation. Much needed for him, anyway. When he is here, he works non-stop, so I try to get him out of the work place often, where he is then like a different person. And it makes our time together so much fun.

1. The most abundant element in the universe makes up almost two-thirds of the atoms in the ocean. What is it? Oxygen; hydrogen; methane; nitrogen.

2. In early marine history, what group of people made the longest voyages? The Vikings; The Phoenicians; The Polynesians; The Greeks.

John Hetzler is putting his Toyota Tundra through its paces as he climbs Aetna Mountain, located 15 minutes north of Chattanooga. The vehicle has taken him from paved road to gravel, and from gravel to red clay, his tires dropping into and popping out of muddy holes that grow deeper and more numerous the farther up the mountain he goes.

On Aug. 11, more than 2,000 people gathered to compete in the third annual Chattanooga Mud Run at Greenway Farms in Hixson, Tenn., to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area. The Mud Run is a 5K-style event featuring a military-style obstacle course surrounded by, and at times consisting entirely of, mud. Teams of five traversed muddy belly crawls, slippery hill climbs, tires, wooden walls, mud pits and more. Awards were given in the following divisions: 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, Best Team Name, Best Costumes and Highest Fundraiser. (Photo provided)

Saturday, Aug. 17

Miss Nora Hall has returned to Cartersville, Ga., after a visit with Mr. and Mrs. Luke Hall in North Chattanooga. Miss Hall was honored by Mrs. Thomas Edwards with a party Thursday.

Word has been received here of the birth of a son to Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Shofner of Bedford County. Mrs. Shofner is the former Miss Rachel Connor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Emory Connor of Chattanooga.

Now is the time to face reality: You need to know your business and yourself.

During your daily Strategic Time Out Process (STOP), ask yourself, “What is working well in my business?” As we all know, nothing is perfect. Everything can be improved if enough thought is put to improvement. Is there anything you can do to improve what is working well? Write down your thoughts and implement new strategies. However, be mindful that although all progress comes from change, that does not mean that all change is progress.

I was sitting at my computer this morning wondering what my topic should be, but was drawing a blank. Then my good friend Jay sent me an email that he had received, and thought it would be good to use sometime. Little did he know that sometime would be right now!