News - Friday, September 6, 2013

Change sometimes begins with someone asking, “What if?” In Tennessee, people are not only being helped but lives are possibly being saved as a result of someone posing this question.

The change began years ago, possibly as far back as the 1980s, when two women serving on the board of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga said, “What if we had a fund devoted to issues that impact women and girls?” They seeded the effort, called the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga, but no one took immediate advantage of the money.

Chattanooga State Community College’s paralegal program has partnered with Chattanooga-based Olsen Law Firm and William & Mary School of Law to host a law school admissions informational session.

At the event, Rhianna Shabsin, assistant dean of admission for William & Mary School of Law, will run through the information students need in order to apply to law school as well as provide insight into America’s oldest law school. Dean Shabsin is a graduate of William & Mary School of Law and a native of Tennessee.

Eight attorneys at the law firm of Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan have been selected by their peers for inclusion in “Best Lawyers in America 2014.” Chattanooga office attorneys Paul R. Leitner, Thomas A. Williams, Gary S. Napolitan, William E. Godbold, III, and Nashville office attorney James P. Catalano were selected in the category of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. William E. Godbold, III was also included in the category of Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants. Chattanooga attorney John B. Curtis, Jr. was selected in the category of Medical Malpractice Law, Memphis attorney Thomas P. Cassidy, Jr., was selected in the Insurance Law category, and Chattanooga attorney David W. Noblit was selected in the category of Mediation.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel last week launched its new website, with navigation that previews what’s inside and search features that will enable visitors to quickly find what they are seeking. Bios of their attorneys and paralegals, the industries they serve, and their main areas of practice are all easily accessible. “We want to demonstrate on every page the ... fierce loyalty to our clients in everything we do,” said Dana Perry, president and managing shareholder at the firm. “Our chief mission is to find innovative ways of providing the best legal counsel to our clients. We also strive to communicate information about our firm in a timely and efficient manner, with the needs of our clients being our top priority.” Visit chamblisslaw.com and let them know what you think.

Get ready for area residents, private companies, non-profits and more to turn parking spots into playful areas for the sixth year of Park(ing) Day. On Friday, September 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Chattanoogans will get the opportunity to create and enjoy numerous parklets or mini-parks constructed in downtown metered parking spaces. Park(ing) Day was created by a San Francisco based art and design studio to encourage communities to rethink the way streets are used and reinforce the need for broad-based changes to urban infrastructure to promote healthy, vibrant and walkable urban areas. 

Chattanooga’s multi-media performance artist Tim Hinck returns to his roots for two concerts of some of the most beautiful and complex chamber music ever written. Joined by musicians, both local and from the Peabody Institute, the concerts will feature Johannes Brahms’ 3rd violin sonata, Samuel Barber’s violin concerto, quartets by Joaquin Turina and Frank Bridge, as well as the haunting “Chansons Madécases” by Maurice Ravel (featuring local mezzo-soprano Sara Snider Schone). The performances will take place Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, September 15 at 3 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, located at 848 Ashland Terrace. For more information, call 423-774-6252. (Photo provided)

The St. Barnabas Board of Directors last week announced the 48-year-old organization is changing its name to St. Barnabas Healthcare Center.

Chairman of the Board Gaines Campbell said the name change from St. Barnabas Senior Living Services to St. Barnabas Healthcare Center more clearly reflects the services provided.

I once opened a fortune cookie that had the following message inside of it: If you refuse to accept anything but the very best, you very often get it. I find the idea of this to be quite provoking. Of course, taking the idea behind the message to the extreme, could easily lead one’s life into a quicksand of dissatisfaction. 

This past weekend a friend of mine had such a tragic and frightening event happen in her life. Her four-year old daughter was at daycare and suffered a stroke.

It was a normal day for the family – nothing out of the ordinary happened, until the mother got the call from the daycare that her little girl was having problems. Then her life unraveled. Her child was having a stroke and was being rushed to the hospital. Nothing in their lives has been normal since.

In a Huffington Post article with the dateline of Venice, Italy, actor Scott Haze says he spent three months living in the Tennessee mountains to prepare for a role in a film. Losing 45 pounds, eating a piece of fish and an apple each day, and sleeping in caves, Haze hardened himself to the role of a deranged killer for “Child of God,” which is about to premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

After eating somewhere new and exotic, I like to toss around the names of the foods I ate, as though I’m an expert.  I did this following my first meal at the wonderfully named Kabob-ster, a newly opened restaurant on Gunbarrel Road that serves delicious Middle Eastern food.

I stood in a long line holding two cards and a box of chocolates. I daydreamed, hearing “Let My Shoppers Go!” from the promise land somewhere in my head. You know that place, where milk and honey and freedom from retail are the norm, and Earth Day is the only holiday allowed.

“Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin’”… 

Don and I decided to take a few days away over the Labor Day weekend and traveled down to Galveston, Texas. Both of us had been there during our younger days, but I’m talking “much” younger and neither one of us really remembered much about the area. Boy has it changed!

Fall is a great time for home remodeling, decorating, and landscaping.  People attending the 2013 Home and Remodeling Expo next weekend will be able to draw inspiration from displays and talk with experts about the renovations they want to make.

Dr. Chris Moore conserved Long Branch, a residential preserve, along Lookout Mountain a number of years ago to honor the mountain’s heritage. The Moore family has been in the Chattanooga area for over several generations. “It was something that ran in our family, this love of the land and our community,” said Dr. Moore. Dr. Moore wanted to partner with a local conservation group, one that would be around for years to come.

An outdoor Civil War banquet will be held 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27 on the lawn at 850 Fort Wood Street, joining the list of special events commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battles of Chattanooga. Tickets are $75 and are now on sale.

Music of the period and Civil War re-enactors will add to the ambiance. Following the dinner, Daryl Black, executive director of the Chattanooga History Center, will speak about Fort Wood’s role in the battles of the Civil War in a 20-minute program, “After Chickamauga.”

Hubby and I just returned from a long weekend at Galveston, Texas. We had not been there in quite some time, and wanted to see how it was coming along. As it is – Galveston Island is quite nice and quite popular! If you haven’t been in a while, I highly recommend it for a nice family vacation destination. In the meantime, see how well you fare with this trivia about Galveston and the surrounding area.

You’ve been given the “tremendous” opportunity to build a portfolio from scratch. We’ve all been there at one point or another in our career. For some, that’s a personal challenge they run with; for others, that can be so daunting, fear of rejection paralyzes them. Traditionally, this has meant you have two approaches.

Thank God it’s September. August, a traditional dumping ground for bad movies, is over, and we can look forward to a fall release slate packed with Oscar-worthy goodness. But before we sink our teeth into The Wolf of Wall Street, About Time, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, let’s look back at the moments that made this past summer worth going to the movies. You’ll have the opportunity to see these films at home in the coming months, so it’s worth revisiting why you should.

Realtors don’t just sell homes, they also sell neighborhoods, communities, and cities. Therefore, the more a Realtor knows and understands about his or her town, the better he or she will be able to serve clients, especially those who are new to the area. To that end, the organization for local Realtors with the CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) designation invited Dr. Daryl Black, executive director of the Chattanooga History Center, to speak at its quarterly luncheon about the history of the area in a way that would be beneficial to Realtors. A passionate, knowledgeable and engaging speaker, Dr. Black earned applause for his talk. Lunch, eaten at Broad Street Grille, earned high marks as well. To learn more about the local chapter of Realtors with the CRS designation, call president Jennifer Grayson at 423-593-3659. (David Laprad)

Saturday, September 7

Judge John T. Mahoney Friday announced he is retiring “under physical disability” from the First Division bench in Circuit Court. Judge Mahoney was appointed to the judiciary April 10, 1958 by Governor Clement.

September 6

The largest social affair of the summer season will be the Kappa Alpha fraternity dance at the Country Club. The college set and their friends will be the guests. A midnight supper will be served.

Lyle West, Sam Connelly, William Anderson and James Cash have returned to the University of Virginia.

Touch-A-Truck

Saturday, September 7

Children have a fascination for large motorized vehicles. At Touch-A-Truck on Saturday, September 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tennessee Riverpark in the maintenance field parking lot adjacent to C.B. Robinson Bridge, they will have the opportunity to observe up close and have hands on interaction with a variety of trucks, service rigs and other motorized vehicles. Admission is free. For more information, call 842-6748.