News - Friday, September 24, 2021

On Thursday, Sept. 16, close to 100 people came together on the steps of the federal courthouse to celebrate the most basic thing we share as Americans: That together, we are “We the people,” and the Constitution is for all of us.

Congress has established Sept. 17 as an annual holiday to recognize the adoption of the United States Constitution. It was on Sept. 17, 1787, that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the new document to create our present form of government. Afterwards, they sent it to every state to be debated and ratified by conventions of the people themselves.

A patriot descended from a Revolutionary War patriot who moved to Bledsoe County in the early days of Tennessee is the 2021 recipient of the Chattanooga Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award.

The award recognizes community service that has strengthened the American system of freedom under the Rule of Law.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel shareholder Kirby Yost is the new chair for the firm’s real estate practice group, which advises local, regional and national clients on commercial transactions and developments.

Yost follows Michael Stewart, who served as section chair for several years.

Baker Donelson has for the second consecutive year achieved Mansfield Certification Plus status. It is among 118 law firms that have completed a 12-month collaboration with Diversity Lab with built-in measurement, transparency and accountability.

The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firm leadership by broadening the pool of candidates considered for these opportunities.

This is an edited version of the keynote speech U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley provided during the Chattanooga Bar Association’s 2021 Law Day celebration, held Sept. 15 on Zoom and in person in the Silver Room at The Read House.

While not nearly as acknowledged or feted as other special days of celebration in the United States, Law Day is arguably one of the most important.

Travis Close is shown following his induction as 2022 Tennessee Realtors president during the association’s annual awards and installation ceremony Sept. 17 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Close is a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Realty Center in Signal Mountain. He first served the organization as a divisional vice president in 2015. During that same year, Close served as president of his local association, which named him its 2015 Realtor of the Year.

The National Association of Realtors has awarded Greater Chattanooga Realtors MLS director Tonya Bell the Realtor Association Certified Executive designation, which recognizes exceptional efforts made by Realtor association executives.

Bell is one of more than 500 Realtor association executives and one of only 14 Realtor association executives in Tennessee who have achieved this mark of excellence, reports Greater Chattanooga Realtors.

September is winding down, and Realtor Safety Month will soon be behind us for another year. Before it’s gone, I want to take one last opportunity to focus on safety, as this topic is vital in our profession year-round.

Earlier this month, one of our fellow Realtors was shot while at a property adjacent to one where there was an issue. While the incident was unrelated to a real estate transaction, and this Realtor is thankfully recovering, it shows that our industry is especially susceptible to violence.

You’ve probably heard a recurring phrase recently if you’re shopping for pretty much anything: “Prices are up because of COVID.”

The higher prices shoppers are experiencing are largely due to surging demand and COVID-related delays as companies struggle to increase supply and hire employees.

The Chattanooga Bar Foundation introduced five new fellows during the Chattanooga Bar Association’s 2021 Law Day celebration Sept. 15 at The Read House.

Misty Harris (Harris Law Firm), Paul Hatcher (Duncan, Hatcher, Holland & Fleenor), Jim Levine (Baker Donelson), Richard Rose (Miller & Martin) and Jerry Tidwell (Tidwell & Associates) joined the 142 fellows who make up the current roster.

Tennessee Department of Transportation contract crews have completed the phase one project of the I-75/I-24 interchange modification in Hamilton County on time and within budget, TDOT reports.

C.W. Matthews Contracting was the contractor for the $132.6 million project that began construction in June 2019 and was completed in August.

Care Hospice, a multistate provider, recently assumed the operations of Hospice of Chattanooga and its four-state network, which for more than 40 years has provided family focused care aimed at meeting the medical, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the city of Chattanooga and member businesses, is launching the Healthy Chattanooga Coalition, a group of employers that will provide incentives for vaccine use among workers and to increase vaccination rates across the city’s employers.

Tennessee Aquarium’s virtual fall fundraising event is underway and will continue through Monday, Oct. 4, 5 p.m.

Among the items for which participants can vie are a variety of artwork created by human and animal artists, behind-the-scenes encounters and travel adventures, including an eco-tour in Costa Rica.

While stakeholders continue to invest money in the development of Chattanooga hot spots like the Westside and Southside communities, a grassroots nonprofit is shining a light on what its executive director says is one of the city’s most neglected assets – Rossville Boulevard.

Two weeks in, the Tennessee Titans’ best friend thus far this season might be the fact that they play in the AFC South.

Yes, the Titans were able to score a big overtime gut check win Sunday in Seattle, redeeming themselves for a Week One embarrassment at home to Arizona.

Volkswagen’s redesigned 2022 Golf GTI will be arriving at dealerships this fall, the latest generation of the car that pioneered the hot hatch segment when it launched in the U.S. for the 1983 model year. Nearly four decades later, the GTI still stands as a benchmark for sporty performance and everyday practicality on a budget.

I used to be a professional TV viewer, as a critic for a daily newspaper. I thought it would be a dream job. It was not. Turned out that a lot of the stuff I had to watch was bad.

For every “Hill Street Blues” there was a “Manimal.” For every “Cheers” an “AfterMASH.” For every “Greatest American Hero” a “Mama’s Family.”

Sheriff Jim Hammond, Chief Deputy Austin Garrett and the men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will once again be featured on “COPS.”

The TV show’s film crews rode with Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies for nine weeks beginning in September 2020 to film for season 33 and captured numerous stories and incident footage.

All of us hope to live long, healthy lives, so we do what we can to take care of ourselves through proper diet, exercise and avoiding unhealthy activities. However, none of us can predict our future, so it pays to be prepared for anything – including a serious physical illness or the onset of some type of mental incapacity, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Few retirement decisions are as critical, or as easy to get wrong, as when and how to take your Social Security benefits. The rules can be so convoluted that many people rely on what they’re told by Social Security employees, but that could prove to be an expensive mistake.

Leaving your current employer for a new career opportunity is a big decision, similar to the breakup of a romantic relationship. The process can be sad and painful – and you might never again see co-workers you once saw daily – but it’s a necessary step of growth.

The pandemic isn't crushing the entrepreneurial spirit. It's fueling it.

People normally tied to a desk or working double shifts used lockdown to launch side hustles, often out of necessity. And some have turned those side gigs into full-fledged businesses.