News - Friday, September 12, 2014

As assistant vice president of mortgage lending at Cornerstone Community Bank in Chattanooga, Karen Flores has the most important job of anyone who works there: come to the management meetings armed with a joke.

“They have to be PG rated,” she says, laughing. “They can’t have any bad words or suggestive scenarios, they just have to be funny.”

Zach Morris is looking sharp. He’s wearing a crisp white shirt, impeccably pressed grey slacks, a yellow tie, and a charcoal grey jacket with light grey pinstripes.

He stands in direct contrast to others at Emerson Russell Maintenance Company (ERMC), where casual attire is common. To alleviate confusion, he says, “I was dressed casually, too, until about five minutes ago.”

L – Lawyers providing professional guidance

E – Excellence in service to clients

A – Advance highest standards of civility

D – Develop strong relations with the Bench and Bar

W. Frank Brown, III, Chancellor, Part 1, 11th Judicial District, State of Tennessee (Hamilton County), retired. Simply stated, that sentence is a woefully inadequate description of the true servant that Frank Brown is and has been.

His service as Chancellor for the past 16 years is commonly known. That he was a great judge is also well known for those of us who came before him. What may not be so well known is why he was such a great Chancellor for 16 years. When I tried cases before him, I knew I had to be prepared. He was always prepared and always knew the case as well (or better) than the attorneys before him. I could always expect a pleasant reception, a polite and patient demeanor, and I always received a thoughtful and legally sound ruling, even when suffering defeat. Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Chancellor Brown was always in his office or on the bench. In addition, many are the times I would arrive at work on Monday morning to find a fax sent from Chancellor Brown on Saturday or Sunday afternoons.

The Chattanooga Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors Wednesday, Sept. 10 welcomed Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Rick Smith as the guest speaker at its monthly business resource and networking meeting at Choo Choo Hotel.

Smith provided an update on recent, current, and future matters related to the county school system, including details on the new school in East Brainerd.

You’ve worked with a Realtor to scour the listings, toured what feels like a million houses, and finally found it: the house you want to call home.

The next step is to make your purchase offer, and if you’re like most people, the prospect can be intimidating. In a seller’s market, there can be even more pressure on the buyer to submit an impressive bid. So how can you make sure the offer you submit is the one the sellers accept?

Think back on your childhood. What do you remember? Do you remember meeting the first boy or girl you kissed? Or do you remember only the kiss? Do you remember breaking up?

As we age, our life doesn’t weave a narrative thread; rather, it becomes a patchwork of memories. These recollections make up a quilt that covers us at night as we lie in bed and think back on the years.

If you ever find yourself craving a coffee outside Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Wash., you’ll be in luck, as you’ll be a one-minute walk from three Starbucks: one inside the building, where the symphony performs; one across the street; and one behind the building. When I toured the Space Needle during my last visit to the city, the guide joked about being unable to find coffee.

Thunder Enterprises President Dane Bradshaw last week announced the addition of two new members to their corporate team: Vice President of Marketing Jay Garrity and Chief Financial Officer Michael Shope. Garrity and Shope aim to assist families in making home buying decisions in Jasper Highlands.

Fletcher Bright Co. has announced the line-up of traditional and contemporary bluegrass bands performing at this year’s free 3 Sisters Festival, scheduled to take place at Ross’ Landing Oct. 3 and 4.

The event begins Friday, Oct. 3, with a 6–0 p.m. performance by the Dismembered Tennesseans, followed by the Claire Lynch Band at 6:50 p.m., Rhonda Vincent & the Rage at 8:10 p.m., and the Del McCoury Band at 9:30 p.m.

It probably doesn’t happen as much as you’d like, but from time to time, you have some extra disposable income. When this happens, how should you use the funds? Assuming you have adequate emergency savings — typically, three to six months’ worth of living expenses — should you pay off debts, or fund your IRA or another investment account?

Ladarius Lebron Blunt, 27, of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Jeremy Jermaine Whatley, 29, also of Chattanooga, Tenn., were sentenced on Sept. 3, 2014, by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 188 months and 60 months, respectively, in federal prison. Both Blunt and Whatley were previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.

A one-day joint operation by Chattanooga Police Department (CPD), Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), and Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) last week resulted in the safe arrest of 20 probation and parole violators on outstanding warrants.

When Jerome Foster isn’t working on the Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly line, he’s pursuing his passion for art. He recently found a way to combine the two when his hand-painted design was chosen for the 2014 Volkswagen Chattanooga United Way t-shirts.

The Chattanooga Heart Ball this week announced their 2014-2015 executive leadership team, which will lead fundraising efforts over the coming months.

Kevin Spiegel, Erlanger CEO, and his wife, Judy, will serve as co-chairs for the team. Tim and Erika Ballard, Tom and Laura Bible, Dale Bolton, Jim and Rhonda Catanzaro, Leonard Fant, Mike Griffin, Donnie Hutcherson, wTraci Jennings, Brian and Erin May, Kristi Murray, Rick Napper, Oliver and Barbara Perdomo, Todd Phillips, Kelly Spencer, Jim “J.V.” Vaughn, Zach Wamp, and Frank Williams will also serve on the team.

Warehouse Row’s first men-only retailer, Onward Reserve, has opened a 925-square foot pop up shop in Warehouse Row.

The pop up shop will last until January of 2015. Onward Reserve is featuring a selection of items ranging from men’s gifts and apparel to accessories, home goods, and luggage.

Sienna & Bellini, a new fashion label based in Atlanta, Ga., has selected Hamilton Place to open their first store. Construction is underway on the 3,100 square foot space, which officials say will be open in late October. The new store will be located on the upper level of the mall, near JCPenney, and will carry their private labels of apparel for young women.

In a two-phase rollout, the City of Chattanooga will provide free wi-fi in city-owned buildings and public spaces.

Phase one of the initiative is currently underway, and includes the rewiring of city-owned public buildings to ensure ubiquitous wi-fi access. These buildings include all 18 Youth & Family Development centers, Head Start centers, neighborhood Fire Halls, City Hall, the City Annex, the Development Resource Center and more.

Mark Making and Glass House Collective, in partnership with Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE), celebrated their expanded presence in East Chattanooga with a ‘ribbon tying’ Friday, Sept. 5 at their new Glass Street location.

Mark Making has relocated to their new East Chattanooga home after operating out of their North Chattanooga studio for over five years. 

The next Raptography workshop will take place Saturday, Sept. 20 at Edgar Evins State Park from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The unique birds of prey photography workshop is offered in partnership with Wings to Soar, a non-profit environmental organization that cares for unreleaseable birds of prey trained for educational programs.

Twenty-five men and women graduated from the Chattanooga Fire Department’s Fire Academy Thursday night after more than six months of intense training.

Fire Chief Lamar Flint and Mayor Andy Berke led the ceremony, which took place at Clear Creek Church of Christ. Many of the graduates began working 24-hour shifts at fire stations throughout the city the following morning at 7 a.m. 

Not long ago, we were eating dinner with our daughter Betsy and her family. Betsy, who’s a super good cook, had made Twice Baked Potato Salad, and it was so delicious! I thought I would share that recipe with you this week. If you’ve never tried this, I say do it soon – you’ll fall in love with this recipe and end up carrying it to every cookout!

I remember Safeway stores, but not where any were. Growing up in North Little Rock, after and before it was Argenta, I maybe remember one down in Levy, on Pershing, but couldn’t swear to it.

The reason I even began thinking of Safeway was Fred. Just when I thought I’d heard all of his true tall tales, he dropped another on me:

THEA crops up in crosswords occasionally. In an easy puzzle, it’ll be clued as “Ellington’s ‘Take ___ Train’.” Or “Mr. T’s ‘___ Team’.” In more challenging grids, THEA’s clues include “Actress Gill,” “German author von Harbou,” or “Mother of Eos.” Snobby solvers don’t like any of these clues; thus, they don’t like THEA. That’s about to change. Henceforth, a new clue for THEA will be available. I predict a change of attitude toward the answer.

As a lawyer, my life is one big argument. From jurisdiction to jury selection, the life of a lawyer is rife with disagreements that can spill over into regular life. Okay, maybe that's not entirely true but it's not untrue either. It seems in my life there are at least a few regular arguments, although most are with my husband about what's for dinner and who took the trash out last (it was me).

Once again, we approach that date on the calendar that many of us will always remember as one when we experienced feelings of fear, tragedy, confusion, outrage, and patriotism all in one day. Sept. 11, 2001 for our generation will be like another generation’s Pearl Harbor, and as we approach the 13th anniversary of that date, I just hope it’s not an omen of things to come.

About three months ago, a friend offered me some of her homemade laundry detergent to try. I am using the word homemade loosely, because you do buy the laundry soaps to make the happiness that comes from the homemade detergent. As the headmaster of the laundry for a family of five, I know personally, how much money people spend on laundry detergent and how quickly it is used.

I love doing puzzles about words. There are so many. Millions of words. ‘am constantly running across ones I don’t know. Like “symbiosis.” Do you know what that means? Read on to find out.

1. Symbiosis means: confusion of one sensation with another; a relationship between two people or groups that work with and depend on each other; study of processes of invention; fear of symmetry.

Fill in the blanks in the quote using the following words:

must, riding, moving, life, balance, keep, bicycle

“______ is like ______ a ______. To ______ your______, you ______ keep ______.”  

~Albert Einstein

She’s so nice. Every thing about her seems to highlight the additional fact that she’s also as genuine as she is nice. Betty Ann Robertson left her position as the “Voice” of the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s office last week. After years answering the phones at the state’s largest prosecuting attorney’s office, “Betty Ann” answered and then hung up the phone for the last time. She will be missed greatly.

Saturday, September 12, 1914

Chattanooga High School has the largest freshman class in the history of the school. Senior Class President Miss Lollie Belle Keese welcomed the freshmen class. Jack Wiggs, president of the School Association, outlined what was expected of freshmen in their new relation. Superintendent Charles H. Winder and Principal W.E. Erwin concluded the program.

Saturday, September 12, 1964

The T.H. Payne Co., Chattanooga’s oldest business firm, will begin a full-scale remodeling project at once to completely modernize and beautify both the Market and Broad Street fronts, according to Thomas P. Howell, president. T.H. Payne is located at 821 Market Street.

Memorial Stair Climb

Saturday, Sept. 13

Firefighters from the Chattanooga area on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7 a.m. at the SunTrust Bank Building, located at 736 Market Street, will host the 1st annual Chattanooga 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb. The event will consist of participants climbing the equivalent of 110 flights of stairs, just as the firefighters did in the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001. Each participant will represent a FDNY firefighter who gave his or her life on that day in an attempt to save others. This is a fundraising event for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation which creates and maintains events for fire service survivors. Monies raised will provide assistance to the surviving families and co-workers of the 343 firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001. The registration fee is $30.