News - Friday, August 4, 2023

In 2005, Iris Rodger was living a productive life. Although single, she owned a home and a car and was the head of an adolescent psychiatric hospital in Chattanooga. In her mind, she says, she was doing well.

Then a thunderclap announced the sudden arrival of a storm. Without the forewarning of gathering clouds, Rodger’s employer laid her off to lower costs. She still owned her home and car, but she no longer had a job.

There was a time when Haylee Hughes believed she’d figured out what she was going to do with her life. However, there are few, if any, similarities between what she envisioned then and what she’s doing now.

There were multiple times, actually. Plan A took shape at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where Hughes earned an undergraduate degree in graphics design. She enjoys painting, she says, and at the time, she believed using her artistic skills in a professional capacity would be a good way to earn a living.

In the fast-paced world of real estate, there are many factors that can pose an issue when attempting to purchase property, which is exactly why the role of a buyer’s agent has become more crucial than ever before.

Buyer representation agreements are a win-win proposition for both real estate professionals and consumers. Not only do these agreements help build trust by promoting transparency through up-front and honest conversations, but they also provide clarity regarding services clients can expect to receive, as well as how their real estate professional will be compensated for their time.

Not all homes have the grand foyers, great rooms and huge living spaces we see in designer magazines. More often, homes have at least one small room that presents a challenge when decorating.

Homeowners can enjoy smaller spaces and make them look larger with the right design approach. You can create the illusion of space with simple modifications, such as adding natural light or selecting multifunctional furniture. To get started, consider the following design tips.

Leadership Tennessee has named Lynda Minks Hood, executive director of the Chattanooga Bar Association, to its 2023–24 Signature Program Class X.

The cohort includes representatives from 14 Tennessee counties with diverse professional experience in business, government, education and nonprofit sectors.

Baker Donelson has launched an artificial intelligence team, a multidisciplinary group of attorneys who have experience with AI-based technologies and industry-specific experience.

The firm’s AI team is composed of attorneys from multiple practices, including: technology; data protection, privacy and cybersecurity; intellectual property; labor and employment; health care; and advocacy.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has recognized David Wade and Alexander “Zan” Guerry as the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award and Outstanding Service Award recipients, respectively.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest annual commendation presented to a UTC alumnus or alumna and recognizes extraordinary service to their alma mater, field and community. Wade is a 2004 UTC graduate. The Outstanding Service Award recognizes community leaders who demonstrate exemplary personal service and commitment to UTC and the community.

The Tennessee Municipal League recently recognized the Hamilton County cities of Collegedale, Lakesite and Red Bank with two awards of excellence and two personal achievement awards. The awards were presented July 25 at the TML’s 83rd annual conference, held at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

To be successful in most endeavors, it’s important to develop good habits, and that’s certainly the case for investors. And the earlier one develops these habits, the better.

So, if you have teenagers who may be starting to work at part-time jobs, now may be a great time to introduce them to investing – and one place to begin might be a Roth IRA.

Travel planning can be a real chore. Booking flights, deciding on the right hotel and building an itinerary might be fun for some, but others dread it. That’s why some travelers are opting for an unorthodox travel strategy that eliminates the planning stage altogether.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to protecting yourself from financial scams is thinking you’re too smart to be duped by one.

“We’re all vulnerable – we can all fall for a scam given the right set of circumstances,” says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit organization that provides advice and assistance related to identity theft. Keeping yourself safe starts with accepting that fact, she adds.

Lyla Griffey saw a post on Instagram about Kiki Milloy hosting a softball camp this summer and immediately showed her father.

Although the family lives in Clearwater, Florida, Chris Griffey knew he couldn’t deny his 13-year-old daughter a chance to be around many of her idols. Within an hour, he had purchased a spot in the camp.

The seven-game losing streak that capped off the Tennessee Titans’ 2022 season and subsequent offseason activity also generated frequent use of a word NFL teams don’t like to hear: rebuild.

The talk of the “R word” started with the firing of general manager Jon Robinson in December in the midst of that seven-game slide. Former 49ers director of player personnel Ran Carthon was hired after the season and immediately went to work making moves with the releases of popular veterans Ben Jones, Taylor Lewan, Bud Dupree and others.

One of the key components that allowed the Titans to add a final major piece for this season was Kevin Byard’s change of heart about restructuring his pay for 2023.

The $3 million or so that Byard gave back to the team on this year’s cap, which he can make back through incentives and the structure of the deal, helped open enough cap space for Tennessee to bring in much-needed receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

By Chase Bierenkoven | Edmunds

The midsize sedan market lacks the diversity of models it once did, yet what remains is a competitive set of vehicles. Honda’s Accord has been a long-standing fixture in this class and for 2023 it receives a full redesign that introduces added legroom, greater fuel efficiency and new styling elements.