News - Friday, August 9, 2013

When the Honorable Judge Suzanne Bailey became a referee for the late Juvenile Court Judge Dixie Smith in 1982, kids were typically throwing rocks and stealing popsicles, she says.

When she retired at the end of April of this year, the cases she heard sometimes involved murder, rape, or burglary, and dealing with young kids who’d become involved in gangs wasn’t uncommon.

For the last 25 years, Chattanooga attorneys Alix Michel and David Ward have been helping clients from all walks of life solve their legal problems, often handling cases other lawyers did not take. After spending the last eight years handling all types of litigation matters at Chambliss, Bahner and Stophel, they have now formed their own firm, Michel and Ward.

On July 30, nearly two dozen local students in need visited the Gunbarrel Road Target store to purchase school supplies, clothing and other necessities for going back to school. The Salvation Army and Target helped 23 K-12 students across the city gear up for the upcoming academic year. Each child, selected by The Salvation Army, was awarded an $81 Target Gift Card to purchase school supplies. Additionally, each child was paired with a volunteer chaperone. (Photo provided)

I have a rule that I try to instill in every person that works at the James Law Firm. It is a rule that I try to live by, even though I often fail. The rule is simple: When you work on a file, make sure you are creating something that can be used in the future and does not need to be redone. On a scale of one to ten, I would say that the firm is at about a six in following the rule. While we do a pretty good job in getting things done, it always seems like we could do better. The goal of creating value for every movement that we make might be a little high, but what’s wrong with that? 

Are you a social networker? You know – a Facebooker? Do you Tweet? Do you blog? How about Instagram? Are you an Instagrammer? Or a Pinterest-er? Do you have a Pinterest account? And, most importantly, are you “LinkedIn?”

All of the above are forms of social media – the part of the Internet that has stormed the world. Just about everyone I know is a social networker in some form. (Except for my husband!)

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.

Hamilton County’s new Kona Ice truck blends entertainment and frozen treats into an experience unlike any other in the area, says its owner, Kyle Elrod.

“When our customers get a glimpse of the decked out truck and its vibrant colors, the looks on their faces say it all,” says Elrod, who joins his wife, Dei, as the entrepreneurs responsible for the launch of their third Kona Ice truck in the Bradley County and Chattanooga area. The Elrods have been in Hamilton County since 2010.

One of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes is The Hunt, about an old man named Hyder Simpson and his hound dog, Rip. One night, Mr. Simpson and Rip head out for another coon hunt, despite pleas from his wife, Rachel, to stay home because she’d seen some bad omens. (“Blood on the moon, and then a bird flew in the house and lit on your side of the bed!”)

Last Friday night, Don and I had a funeral visitation we had to attend around six o’clock. Afterwards, since we were pretty “dressed-up” and all, we decided to make it a date night. After all, who wants to be showered and dressed on a Friday night for only about an hour? We felt like we needed to take advantage of the situation.

Collier Construction recently broke ground on six new homes on Harper Street in North Chattanooga. This is the general contracting business’s first sustainable urban development.

Although Collier Construction has just started the build process, the project has been in the works for quite some time. It got its start in 2007 when the land was purchased and the three existing homes were removed. Two were recycled, rather than just being bulldozed, and one was in good enough condition to be moved. Ethan Collier, president and CEO of Collier Construction, said environmental stewardship of land and materials has been and will remain a key element of the project.

The kick off meeting of the Chattanooga Connectors Networking Chapter took place at Green Spaces Thursday, August 1. Chattanooga Connectors is a business and professional networking organization whose primary purpose is to increase the business of its members by enabling them to exchange business referrals. Chattanooga Connectors Networking Chapter allows only one person per profession in a chapter. If your competition joins first, the opportunity to join is gone. The core group locally consists of a Realtor, a builder, a financial planner and a caterer plus two local organizations: Habitat’s ReStore and Green Spaces. Pictured (L-R) are: Charles Leon Adamson of Adamson Developers; Christopher Taylor of SolomonWood Financial Advisors; Marty Mauldin of Habitat ReStore; Dawn Hjelseth of Green Space; and Marie King of Keller Williams. To learn more, visit www.Facebook.com/ChattanoogaConnectors. The next meeting is Thursday, August 15. (David Laprad)

As I type this, it’s SHARKWEEK on the Discovery Channel. I know because my son loves Sharkweek. He told me all about Megalodon yesterday. I just had to watch it when we got home.

Here is a trivia puzzle on sharks, and some trivia on Megalodon. If you don’t know what that is, here’s your chance to find out!

Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine since the first X-Men movie, released in 2000. He’s always been good in the role, even when the movies have been less than stellar. (X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I’m looking at you.) But he’s never been more compelling or nailed the role like in Wolverine, the new X-Men movie focused solely on his character.