News - Friday, August 26, 2016

The moment belonged to Sei-Ondra Williams. As she strode into 2 on the Roof Saturday night – her dress looking like a shimmering pool of diamonds, her smile outshining her clothes, and her fiancé, Derrick Owens, Sr., at her side – everything stopped, and everyone turned to look at her. Williams stepped up to the microphone, where a moment ago a singer had been performing with a live band, and tried to contain her emotions.

Miller & Martin last week said 41 of its Chattanooga attorneys have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2017. Additionally, Best Lawyers has named nine Miller & Martin attorneys as a 2017 Lawyer of the Year. 

Oral historian William Lynwood Montell has put together a collection of stories he gathered from lawyers and judges throughout Tennessee. Titled “Tales from Tennessee Lawyers,” the book reveals candid and unusual snapshots of the legal system – both past and present. The late Selma Cash Paty was among the attorneys who shared the wealth of their experience with Montell.

The Supreme Court has elected Justice Jeff Bivins to be the next chief justice of the Court. Justice Bivins was unanimously elected by the Court to a term that begins Sept. 1.

Justice Bivins was appointed to the Court in 2014 by Gov. Bill Haslam. Prior to assuming that position, he was a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals from August 2011 until July 2014.

It’s almost back-to-school time. If you have young children going to public schools, your biggest expenditures may be on pens, pencils and notebooks. But if you want those same kids to go to college someday, you’ll eventually face considerably larger costs – so you may want to start preparing soon.  

On Saturday. Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28, the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga, along with EPB, will present the annual Fall Home and Remodeling Show at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Expos can be overwhelming if you aren’t prepared, so take a few minutes to organize your thoughts and make a plan:

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently began a new initiative called the Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) report to monitor consumer sentiment about the housing market.

On a quarterly basis, the HOME report will feature consumer outlook on topics including views on housing as a good financial investment, whether homeownership is part of the American Dream, if now is a good time to buy or sell a home, and perception of home price changes.

The tiny house trend is booming across the country, but the illegal conversion of ready-removable shed structures into living spaces could mean big headaches for buyers.

In an effort to protect consumers, the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office is urging Tennesseans to be aware of state laws governing ready-removable structures and not fall victim to persons trying to make big profits by selling these small structures as legal living spaces.

Now through the end of August, the Hamilton County Health Department is accepting applications from local neighborhoods and organizations for a grant to begin growing and sustaining teaching gardens.

The grants are offered through the Health Department’s Step ONE (Optimize with Nutrition and Exercise) program. Applicants should be ready to launch a garden next spring

“You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children,” Dolly Parton says.

For the last several years, the Dollywood Foundation, headquartered in Pigeon Forge, has been promoting a program known as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The idea is, essentially, that every pre-school child born in a given community should have the opportunity to receive 60 books between his/her true birthday and his/her fifth birthday. 

Wildflower Tea Shop helping people navigate the path to wellness, one cup at a time

Hillary Libby, proprietor of Wildflower Tea Shop & Apothecary, doesn’t ask her customers how she can help them. Instead, she asks, “How are you feeling?” It’s a direct question, and an honest answer gives Libby the information she needs to make her patron feel better.

What in Sam Hill is “Hell or High Water” doing buried in the suck pit of August? Late summer is a dumping ground for movie studios with product they regret – films that should not have been made and no one wants to see. Yet “Hell or High Water” is easily the best film of 2016, and it sets a bar that won’t be easy to top.

The Tennessee Aquarium and several of Chattanooga’s top restaurants are gearing up for 2016 Serve & Protect, which will take place Thursday, Sept. 15. The event will pair a live cooking show with an elegant seafood dinner in one of the Aquarium’s galleries.

Saturday, Aug. 27

Miss Barbara Forsyth Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Clay Evans Johnson, was crowned queen of the 34th Annual Cotton Ball Friday night at Maclellan Gymnasium at the University of Chattanooga. T. Allen Lupton, Jr., president of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, was crowned king. One hundred four cotton belles were presented to the royal pair.

Saturday, Aug. 26, 1916

The Citizens National Bank was absorbed by the Hamilton National Bank today. The merger makes the Hamilton Bank second in the state only to the National Bank in Nashville in deposits. Officers of the newly merged bank will be: T.R. Preston, president; G.H. Miller, H.T. Olmsted, and C.M. Preston, vice presidents; J.B.F. Lowery, D.S. Henderson, and S.A. Strauss, cashiers; and E.B. Shadden, auditor.

Somebody forgot to tell the Achievement School District it had to follow a few simple rules when the Legislature formed it a few years ago to save failing schools: Primarily, don’t party with the money.

But that’s exactly what they’ve been doing, according to a state Comptroller’s Office audit, which shows among many other findings – or failings – district personnel spent $2,500 on a holiday event at the Sheraton in Memphis, in part to recognize outgoing Superintendent Chris Barbic, including expensive finger food, alcohol and a bartender.

The temptation here is to throw a couple of buckets of cold water on the great expectations for the Tennessee Vols this season.

But you know what? Enjoy the hype, UT fans. Any fan base that was subjected to three years of Derek Dooley deserves this moment.

Tangerinas 10-year anniversary

Tangerinas will hold a ten-year anniversary celebration on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. There will be sangria, snacks, and a chance to win a gift basket. Nicole Griffin and her aunt, Debbie Prater, started their adventure at the Chattanooga Market, and were originally known for transforming old wooden windows into works of art called window tables. In August 2009, they opened Tangerinas in the Northshore art district in Chattanooga. Their creations now include everything from hardware words to anything made from the materials they scavenge. Tangerinas is located at 157 River Street. Find them online at www.tangerinasonline.com.

An investigation begun by the securities division of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) led to a recent court-ordered asset freeze to halt ongoing fraud by two former Chattanooga brokers with disciplinary histories.

Since its inception in November 2009, close to 3,000 young Chattanoogans have completed the professional defensive driving curriculum and multimodal instruction provided by the City of Chattanooga’s Drivers Education Program.

Chattanooga Seating Systems last week announced it will expand its existing facility. The automotive seat manufacturer will invest $5.4 million and create 190 jobs in Hamilton County.

A joint venture of Magna Seating and Hollingsworth Logistics, Chattanooga Seating Systems manufactures and supplies seats for vehicles assembled at Volkswagen Chattanooga.