News - Friday, September 8, 2017

Republicans made “Repeal and Replace” a catchy slogan for the right, but Democrats have one of their own.

Get ready to hear a lot of “Medicare for All,” the new rallying cry of those who think it’s time the United States adopts a single-payer health care system – or something like it.

One big stakeholder in the debate over single-payer health coverage is physicians. Opponents of a single-payer system argue physicians would be paid less under a government-paid health plan and leave the profession.

But a recent poll by physician recruitment firm Merritt Hawkins shows 56 percent of doctors say they support a single-payer health system, with 42 percent indicating “strong support.”

State Sen. Lee Harris is encouraged by the U.S. Supreme Court’s request for the state of Mississippi to respond to a lawsuit seeking to remove the Confederate battle flag from its state flag.

The Memphis Democrat concedes that Carlos Moore, the Mississippi attorney who filed the lawsuit, still faces an “uphill battle.” Two lower courts ruled against him, mainly finding he had no standing or couldn’t show enough individual injury from the state flag’s design, though largely staying away from the age-old argument surrounding the Confederacy.

It’s the Thursday evening before Labor Day, and traffic is congesting the streets of downtown Chattanooga as people leave work. But inside 300 West, a new event space in the building adjacent to Chattanooga WorkSpace on Sixth Street, a few dozen people are in no hurry to exit the city.

Get ready for another thrill ride, Tennessee fans. Your football team is at it again, just like last year.

Tennessee needed a comeback and overtime to beat Appalachian State in its 2016 season opener. The Vols needed comebacks to beat Virginia Tech and Florida and got a Hail Mary touchdown pass as time ran out to beat Georgia.

Four short years ago, Jonathan Lickliter was a carefree bachelor. He came and went as he pleased, made decisions on his own and was responsible for supporting only himself.

It’s the kind of life some married people wish they could go back to living. But something was missing.

Late summer officially belongs to filmmaker Taylor Sheridan.

After writing the script for the September 2015 release “Sicario,” for which he received a Writer’s Guild of America Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and the August 2016 release “Hell or High Water,” for which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, he singlehandedly redeems a month of dreadful late summer releases with the skillfully penned “Wind River,” a slow-burn murder mystery and his most poignant work yet.

The law firm of Michel & Ward has moved to the James Building on Broad Street in downtown Chattanooga. The new address for the practice is:

Michel & Ward

735 Broad St. Ste. 406

Chattanooga, TN 37402

Michel & Ward is a boutique litigation law firm focusing on trial and appellate advocacy. After spending eight years handling a variety of litigation matters at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, attorneys Alix Michel and David Ward formed their own firm, Michel & Ward, in 2013.

Chattanooga attorneys Jerry Summers and Jeffrey Rufolo of the law firm of Summers, Rufolo & Rodgers are listed in the 24th edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.”

A peer review guide to the legal profession, Best Lawyers included Summers for his work in criminal defense: general practice, criminal defense – white collar and personal injury litigation – plaintiffs.

The Trial Court Vacancy Commission met Wednesday, Aug. 30 to consider nine applicants for the Circuit Court vacancy in the 11th Judicial District – Hamilton County. The vacancy was created by the Hon. W. Neil Thomas III, who announced he will retire effective Oct. 5.

The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce welcomes 30 new and returning board members for 2017-18.

“We’re grateful for the time our board members give to support our business community,” says Bill Kilbride, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Chamber. “They represent the full gamut of industry here – companies large and small focused on everything from healthcare and technology to finance, utilities, education and more.”

The Chattanooga Bar Association is warning its members about a new scam targeting Chattanooga law firms. The con has worked twice, according to a local banker.

The details of the scam are as follows:

The “prospective client” and scammer goes by different business entities. In one case, they went by Custom Machine, Inc., which is said to be out of state and needing local representation.

Construction began this week on the long-awaited Exit 1 Interchange Reconfiguration.

The project will allow northbound traffic exiting onto Ringgold Road easier access to the new Jordan Crossing shopping complex as well as Camp Jordan Park.

The newest hire at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office might be a hound dog, but she’s leaps and bounds better than the sad sack Elvis sang about.

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond’s newest K-9 deputy is Tynne, a Hanoverian hound genetically descended from the bloodlines of the Liam hounds – large hunting hounds from medieval Germany. Hanoverian hounds and their decedents are known to be some of the best tracking and hunting dogs in the world.

The Chattanooga Area Food Bank has hired Mark Hilling as director of operations. Hilling will be responsible for ensuring the long-term strategies for warehousing, food distribution, transportation, inventory control, food purchasing and food resourcing aligning with the Food Bank’s goal of doubling in size by 2025.

“Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization.”

These sentences begin the preamble of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of Realtors.

Want to reduce your water bills – and be a little nicer to the environment? Take the advice of the experts at the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program and start with a good hard look at your bathroom.

Bathrooms account for 50 percent of all indoor water use, so making a few simple fixes can pay you back in spades: Using less water saves you money, and it means less water going down the drain and to the local treatment plant, saving the energy it takes to clean and filter that water before it returns to your faucet.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day may get more attention, but National Grandparents Day, observed on Sept. 10, has gained in popularity.

 If you’re a grandparent, you might expect to receive some nice cards, but if you want to make the day especially meaningful, you may want to consider giving some long-lasting financial gifts to your grandchildren.