News - Friday, August 5, 2016

Attorney Herbert Thornbury is standing at The Moving Wall, running a finger across a sea of letters. He’s looking for the names of men he knew – men whose feet stepped off of American soil and didn’t return alive. He finds one – John Robert Hagan – and pauses for a moment of contemplation, the unblocked July sun beating down on his silvery head.

The Daily News Publishing Co. announced it has acquired The Hamilton County Herald, a 102-year-old Chattanooga-based paper of record that adds another holding to the newspaper properties the Memphis-based company now owns across the largest markets in Tennessee.

Attorney David W. Hunter has joined Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. Hunter brings more than 10 years of legal experience to the firm as a tax, corporate, and business law attorney representing individuals and businesses in a variety of estate planning, federal and state tax law, tax controversy, corporate law, and general business law matters. Chambliss clients will benefit from Hunter’s experience in both routine and complex matters, the firm said in a press release.

Parenting is never an easy job – and, unfortunately, it can be especially difficult if you’re doing it on your own. As a single parent, you face many challenges, not the least of which are the financial ones. But by following the suggestions below, you may be able to make life easier – for you and your children.

Pioneer Title Agency this week announced the recent hire of Amanda Kee. Kee is an experienced title attorney licensed in both Tennessee and Georgia whose primary focus is the underwriting and review of title examinations for the Chattanooga metro market.

When someone buys a home, they aren’t just buying the house, they’re buying the neighborhood as well. But what exactly are potential home buyers looking for in a new community?

According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2016 “Home Buyers and Sellers Generation Trends” report, the home buyer’s age impacts the type of neighborhood they want to call home.

Since the October 2015 implementation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s “Know Before You Owe” mortgage initiative, Realtors have raised concerns over challenges in gaining access to what’s known as the mortgage “closing disclosure” form, or CD. The CD is delivered to homebuyers in advance of their closing, and contains important financial information related to their purchase.

President Obama last week signed into law housing legislation that, among other provisions, reforms the current Federal Housing Administration restrictions on condominium financing. H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, passed unanimously in the U.S. House and Senate earlier this year with strong support from NAR.

Five Chattanooga Realtors are included in a new ranking report that identifies the most productive real estate agents in the nation. Robert Backer of Coldwell Banker Pryor Realty, Mike Chauncey of RE/MAX Real Estate Center Plus, Geoff Ramsey of RE/MAX Properties, Nathan Torgerson of The Torgerson Team at Keller Williams Realty, and William Weathers of RE/MAX Properties are listed in “America’s Best Real Estate Agents,” a ranking report produced by REAL Trends and sponsored by Zillow Group.

As we enter the last weeks of summer in the Chattanooga area, many residents are preparing to say goodbye to their adult children, who are moving out of the house and starting the next chapter in their lives. While you may be excited about this new phase, you’re still faced with lots of questions about your empty nest. If you’ve made the decision to stay in your home – at least for now – it’s time to figure out how your house can work better for you in this the next chapter of your life.

In “Jason Bourne,” former CIA assassin Bourne remains on the run from the agency that trained him to be a deadly weapon as he tries to uncover the truth about his past.

That might sound familiar to you. It did to me. Wasn’t that the plot synopsis of the first three films? Moreover, didn’t the third film resolve the Bourne storyline? Didn’t Bourne learn the truth about his past and expose Operation Blackbriar?

Erlanger Health System President and CEO Kevin M. Spiegel, along with City Mayor Andy Berke and County Mayor Jim Coppinger, last week announced the Chattanooga Heroes Run/Walk raised $15,000 for the Fallen Five memorial.

At the request of the families of Chattanooga’s fallen heroes, funds from the event will be used to build a permanent memorial for the five men who lost their lives last July.

Sportsbarn triathlon

Athletes from the Chattanooga area are invited to test their physical strength at the 20th Annual Sportsbarn Sprint Triathlon on Sunday, Aug. 7. The event will start at the Chickamauga Dam, where competitors will swim, ride, run, or paddleboard to downtown Chattanooga. The triathlon will begin at 7 a.m. with the participants either swimming one-quarter mile or paddleboarding one mile across Chickamauga Lake. The middle portion of the race will consist of an 8.2-mile bike ride to downtown Chattanooga via Amnicola Highway. The event will end with a 2-mile run along the Chattanooga riverfront and the North Shore. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners overall and in each age group. The proceeds from the triathalon will benefit First Things First, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening area families. Register online at www.sportsbarn.net or by calling The Sportsbarn at (423) 266-1125. Pre-registration is required. Registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6. For more information about First Things First, visit www.firstthings.org.

Saturday, Aug. 6, 1966

A ribbon cutting was held Friday night for the new Gateway Professional Building on Carter Street. Dr. William G. West, minister of the First Christian Church, gave the invocation. Mayor Ralph Kelley cut the ribbon.

Saturday, Aug. 5, 1916

The election of Capt. Joseph F. Shipp as a member of the County Court from the Fourth District brings again into public service a citizen of whose record his friends are proud. Capt. Shipp, who came to Chattanooga in 1873, was pioneer furniture manufacturer.

It’s been a summer of ingestion: Taking things in. Reading books. Watching movies. 

Last week I wrote about “The Lobster,” which has enjoyed positive review ratings, though it’s not making much money. As of July 10, it had grossed just over $8 million in a couple of months – around twice its budget.

There seems to always be some kind of excitement around our house. With our combined families of children and grandchildren, there’s always something funny, dramatic, big, exciting, crazy, fantastic, and sometimes traumatic going on. Oh, and we can’t forget my wonderful husband, Don. He’s one of the “big” kids, too.