News - Friday, August 7, 2020

Ward Nelson estimates he was 19 when he decided what he was going to be when he grew up. He remembers wrestling with the matter while taking a shower at 2 in the morning and reaching the decision that would define his professional life.

“I was pretty good at numbers but not reading. My score in the math portion of the SAT was way above my score in the verbal portion,” Nelson, a Chattanooga native and Miller & Martin attorney, recalls. “So, I decided to switch from pre-med to accounting.”

Personal injury attorney Zack England has left the only professional home he’s known to begin building a practice that’s all his.

A Rossville, Georgia, native, England, 37, began practicing with Chattanooga personal injury firm Warren & Griffin in 2008. He’s now with Best Hayduk Brock, where he intends to continue doing personal injury work.

Kelly Cooper was young and fearless when she tried out for the Lady Vols rowing team. Although she’d never even sat in a racing shell, she’d enjoyed watching her friends at Girls Preparatory School compete in regattas and wanted to experience the thrills of the sport for herself.

Fair Housing is a big deal. The National Association of Realtors Director of Fair Housing Policy Bryan Greene summed it up best when he said: “Discrimination has no place in our business. The work of the Realtors is even more important now because where you live determines health outcomes, educational opportunities and overall safety.”

The spread of COVID-19 this year led to economic hardship and job losses across multiple industries for many in the Chattanooga area. However, as the nation makes efforts to reopen, the unemployment rate and job gains across the nation are beginning to improve.

Recruiting and staffing service Aerotek is seeking to fill nearly 175 commercial positions with Volkswagen Group of America in Tennessee.

Aerotek is looking for individuals with experience in production, manufacturing, machine operation, warehouse or logistics.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, virtually all of us have considered health-related issues. But for people facing a serious, chronic illness, such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes or cancer, health concerns are an everyday matter.

The Hamilton County Health Department has partnered with local community organizations to raise awareness about human trafficking through the Red Sand Project.

The Red Sand Project uses artwork to spark conversations about human trafficking in Hamilton County. It is also an opportunity for people to learn about vulnerabilities that can possibly lead to human trafficking and exploitation, says Calvin Bibbs, health department educator.

The city of Chattanooga has named Angela Hayes the new deputy administrator for the Office of Early Learning. She will replace Ariel Ford, who has led the office since its inception in 2017.

Hayes has been with the city since 2014, first serving as the director of the Foster Grandparent program and then as an Early Learning Business Navigator, where she oversaw the implementation of the Seats for Success program.

Tennessee American Water’s Phillip D. Glass, the icon that sits atop the company’s landmark water storage tank on Amnicola Highway, has masked up in support of the Hamilton County Department of Health directive to wear masks or face coverings in public settings to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community. In addition to wearing a mask or face covering over the nose and mouth in public areas, other recommendations to slow the spread of coronavirus include frequent hand-washing and social distancing of 6 feet.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga will host its first virtual Raise the Roof event Wednesday, Sept. 30, at noon. The fundraiser will feature celebrity guests and a welcome message from Jonathan Reckford, president and CEO of Habitat International.

The Chattanooga Zoo has expanded its animal collection with the addition of two blue duikers to the Makazi ya Twiga exhibit.

The new species is being housed in one of the indoor habitat spaces within the newly built giraffe barn.

The blue duiker is a small antelope species that inhabits a variety of forests and woodlands throughout central, eastern and southern Africa. Blue duikers spend most of their time foraging for fruits and plants.

Hamilton County Schools is joining with EPB of Chattanooga and other community partners to ensure all students can access the internet for online learning as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

HCS EdConnect will provide internet services to about 28,500 economically challenged Hamilton County Schools students in the greater Chattanooga area at no charge to the family.

The Chattanooga Public Library will continue its efforts to keep the public and its staff safe during the pandemic by offering online learning programs this fall.

Since shutting its doors to the public in March, the library has delivered programs for all ages through Facebook, YouTube and its new Make Play Read Learn portal, mprl.chattlibrary.org.

Chattanooga State Community College held its inaugural Philanthropy Awards ceremony July 27, recognizing The Osbourne Foundation and The Tucker Foundation for their commitment to student success at Chattanooga State.

“As firmly established donors to the Chattanooga State Foundation, The Osbourne Foundation and The Tucker Foundation have invested heavily in Chattanooga State – and their philanthropic investments have made a huge impact,” Chattanooga State President Dr. Rebecca Ashford said during the virtual event.

Since its founding in 2015, the Tivoli Theatre Foundation has led a turnaround of Tivoli Theatre, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium and Walker Theatre that includes a 900% increase in the number of shows annually, four seasons of Broadway and hundreds of concerts every year.

Chicken Salad Chick will move from its downtown location to the former site of Karl’s Restaurant in Hixson this fall. The move will allow owner Josh Patton to offer patio dining, a pickup window and seating for 54 inside and 36 outside.

“We’ve loved being downtown,” Patton says. “But we’re in the process of determining if we still need a downtown presence. If so, it would focus on takeout.”

SmartBank makes a $10,000 donation to the Top of Georgia Economic Initiative, a nonprofit fundraising arm designed to enhance the marketing efforts of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority. The initiative serves as a way for private individuals and companies to contribute to the economic well-being of the greater Northwest Georgia area. Pictured, from left, are Georgia Sen. Jeff Mullis, president and CEO of the Joint Development Authority; Barry Watson, president of SmartBank in Chattanooga; Emerson Russell, Top of Georgia board chair; Natalie Hunt, senior vice president of SmartBank and Top of Georgia board member; and Juanita Hamblen, SmartBank loan administrator. Information

We’re about five months into this COVID-19 pandemic – give or take, depending on how you define the beginning – and we clearly haven’t mastered the behavior required to seize control.

I’m not talking about the big stuff like contact tracing, quarantines, temperature checks at public buildings, internal travel restrictions, etc., the things other countries have done to flatten their curves and restart the economies. I’ll even ignore the hot-button issues of whether to open schools and bars.

The Tennessee Titans have talked all year about how continuity – especially on offense where 10 of last year’s starting 11 return – is a key to finding success in an offseason curbed by the pandemic.

True enough, but something not talked about quite as much coming out of Saint Thomas Sports Park are the changes that are afoot on the defensive side of the ball.

No sooner had the Tennessee Titans opened their doors on training camp than the first distraction of 2020 reared its head.

Fortunately, for the Titans, it had nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic, even though first-round pick Isaiah Wilson landed on the Covid-19 reserve list to start camp.

A fancy desk is not for you. You have zero interest in sitting all day in a cubicle, talking on the phone or pounding on a keyboard. Nope, there’s no fussy suit in your work wardrobe, either, no stiff dress shoes, and that’s just fine.