News - Friday, October 11, 2024

Hoping to secure a cellphone for her best friend, Katie Philyaw tried her first case at the age of 10. Even at such a tender time of life, and without the benefit a legal education or a license to practice law, she demonstrated a flair for successful advocacy.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee hosted its annual Pro Bono Night Oct. 3 at Chattanooga Whiskey Event Hall. The event celebrated the American promise of “justice for all” and honored those who ensured justice was available to everyone in 2024 – including clients who cannot afford to pay for an attorney. The program included an awards ceremony during which Legal Aid recognized the contributions of various individuals and firms toward this mission.

As Dexter Gouger and his wife, DeAnna, arrived in Flintstone during their search for a place to relocate in 2018, he noted that the small Georgia town felt like home.

Gouger, a Realtor with Keller Williams, says he made the comment to his wife moments after the tires of their vehicle began rolling across Flintstone asphalt. Since then, his first impression has become a lasting one, and he and DeAnna are now living in the town and loving the laid-back lifestyle.

A new survey from Clever Real Estate finds most real estate agents expect some of their peers to leave the industry following recent commission rule changes. That may pose a problem for those looking for help buying or selling a home.

The changes stem from the recent antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and cover how buyer agent commissions are paid. With sellers no longer on the hook to cover buyer agent fees, buyers must agree on commission fees directly with their agents through a now-required-upfront agency agreement. These can be paid out-of-pocket, through a seller concession, or wrapped into a home mortgage with a higher offer price.

The Chattanooga Fire Department’s minimum hiring age is now 18. The Chattanooga City Council approved the change in a recent vote.

“This change represents a critical step forward in expanding opportunities for young people in Chattanooga,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “By lowering the fire department’s minimum hiring age to 18, we’re helping the CFD recruit talented public servants while opening doors for motivated high school graduates to begin meaningful and rewarding careers.

If you work for a midsize or large company, you might soon be able to review your employee benefits package as we enter the open-enrollment season. So, consider your options carefully, with an eye toward making changes appropriate for your needs.

Here are some of the key areas to look at:

Welcome to Quarterback Purgatory. Both the Tennessee Titans and Sunday’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, reside in the perilous realm of what is and what could be.

The two AFC South rivals are hoping against hope the second-year quarterbacks upon which they are banking their immediate and long-term futures will begin to click with success replacing frustrating struggles.

In addition to National Football League, NFL also is an acronym for “Not For Long.” Former Oilers coach Jerry Glanville made that line famous when caught by an NFL Films crew berating a first-year official after what he perceived to be a bad call.

After finally getting their first win of the season, the Titans now return home to face their first AFC South opponent when the Indianapolis Colts visit Nissan Stadium. Let’s look at the keys for the Titans.

First down

Get Levis in rhythm. Brian Callahan needs to start the game in scripted fashion for Will Levis with some low-risk play calls that can give the young quarterback a much-needed confidence boost. Mix in the run game the way it worked in Miami, and perhaps use some play action and high percentage pass plays early to get rid of any fear Levis might have of making another critical mistake.

The recent death of the baseball legend and pariah Pete Rose offers a timely opportunity to reflect on our culture’s notions of punishment and forgiveness, at least as they relate to sports.

“Pete should go into the Hall of Fame,” the noted baseball writer Jon Heyman tweeted post-mortem. “As a great baseball person reminded me, he was given a lifetime suspension. So he has satisfied the terms of his ban.”

As the cooler days of fall approach, it’s the perfect time to get your home in shape for the colder months ahead. Tackling a few simple maintenance tasks now can save you a lot of hassle and potentially costly repairs when winter hits.

John Riha from HouseLogic.com has put together a fantastic checklist of fall maintenance tips to help keep your home running smoothly throughout the season and into next year.

Push up, minimize, sports-type. Enhanced backside, padded hips, slimming effect, lift and separate. Smooth lines, no seams, no lumps, no peekaboo, not too-tight, no surprises, all curves.

We demand a lot of whatever we wear underneath our clothes and, as in the new book “Selling Sexy” by Lauren Sherman & Chantal Fernandez, we ask a lot of the place where we buy it.

Buying a reliable used car, truck or SUV on a $15,000 budget is easy if you know what to look for. Edmunds’ experts have done that homework for you so you can start your search with the five recommended models listed below.

RepairPal, a network of automotive repair shops, gives each vehicle a high score for overall reliability. The vehicles also have favorable consumer reviews on Edmunds.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Homebuyers in Seattle, Silicon Valley and the nation's other priciest markets are seeing more properties hit the market as mortgage rates finally start trending lower.

The number of newly listed homes for sale climbed 4.2% last month, according to data from Realtor.com. September's jump was the biggest annual increase since the peak of the spring homebuying season, and helped lift active listings 34% from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida theme parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld planned to reopen Friday after an assessment of the effects of Hurricane Milton.

Disney World said in a statement that its theme parks, Disney Springs, and possibly other areas will be open. The parks said some Halloween special events won't be offered and they won't necessarily be fully functioning Friday, but the public is welcome back.

Communities in Florida still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Helene are now also grappling with the still-unfolding damage from Hurricane Milton. The storm crashed into a community south of Tampa, drenching counties with torrents of rain, downing power lines and bridges and kicking up dangerous storm surges.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday publicly admonished Donald Trump, telling his predecessor to "get a life, man" and try to help people impacted by a pair of devastating hurricanes rather than spreading misinformation about the federal response.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — The city of Aurora is roughly the size of pre-evacuation Tampa, Florida. With 400,000 people spread over 164 square miles, it has swank subdivisions, working-class neighborhoods and the high-end resort where Donald Trump will hold a rally Friday to highlight a city turned into "a war zone" by immigrants, in the words of his campaign.

NEW YORK (AP) — The hosts of ABC's "The View" clapped back at Donald Trump on Thursday, a day after the Republican nominee for president insulted co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Whoopi Goldberg.

"I have a personal legal note," said Hostin. "Donald Trump, I want to thank you for personally telling so many lies and committing so many alleged crimes and providing us with material on a daily basis. You help us do our jobs and I'm so appreciative."

NEW YORK (AP) — Even in an election year, most seem to agree on one aspect about Ali Abbasi's much-debated Donald Trump film "The Apprentice": Sebastian Stan is a remarkably good Trump and Jeremy Strong is chillingly riveting as the New York power broker Roy Cohn.

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump is proposing to grant a key tax break to U.S. citizens living overseas, pitching the idea as an effort to court votes from potentially millions of Americans who could benefit.

The former president and Republican nominee made the pledge in a video released by Republicans Overseas CEO Solomon Yue. Trump was expected to emphasize his idea Thursday during an appearance at the Economic Club of Detroit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With less than four weeks until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris is facing new urgency to define how her potential presidency would be different from that of President Joe Biden.

Her struggle to present herself both as a candidate of change while demonstrating a loyalty to the politician she serves under was made clear Tuesday, when she was asked on ABC's "The View" how she would lead differently than Biden.

A company is recalling nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products made at an Oklahoma plant because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria that can cause illness and death.

BrucePac of Woodburn, Oregon, recalled the roughly 5,000 tons of ready-to-eat foods this week after U.S. Agriculture Department officials detected listeria in samples of poultry during routine testing. Further tests identified BrucePac chicken as the source. The recall includes 75 meat and chicken products.

NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of millions of older Americans will see an increase in benefits this January when a new cost-of-living adjustment is added to Social Security payments.

The 2.5% raise is intended to help meet higher prices for food, fuel, and other goods and services. The average recipient will see an increase of about $50 per month, according to agency officials. Social Security recipients received a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, and some retirees are concerned that this year's increase is not big enough to meet their needs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — TD Bank will pay approximately $3 billion in a historic settlement with U.S. authorities who said Thursday that the financial institution's lax practices allowed significant money laundering over multiple years.

Canada-based TD Bank pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, the largest bank in U.S. history to do so, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States dropped last month to its lowest point since it first began surging more than three years ago, adding to a spate of encouraging economic news in the closing weeks of the presidential race.

Consumer prices rose just 2.4% in September from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in August, and the smallest annual rise since February 2021. Measured from month to month, prices increased 0.2% from August to September, the Labor Department reported Thursday, the same as in the previous month.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their records Thursday after reports showed inflation was a touch warmer last month than expected and more workers filed for unemployment benefits last week.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 57 points, or 0.1%, after it likewise set an all-time high the day before. The Nasdaq composite edged down by 0.1%.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are coming off the early bye nobody really wanted, with the NFL schedule offering a chance to start making up for their 0-3 start.

Indianapolis visits Sunday for the Titans' first AFC South game this season.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The leaders of the SEC and Big Ten want to see how the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff works before deciding what comes next.

They met Thursday with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to go over the changing landscape of college athletics.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Dallas scored three goals on consecutive shots in the second period to hold off the Nashville Predators 4-3 Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.

Mason Marchment scored two goals in the win, while Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson each had a goal apiece for Dallas. Logan Stankoven had three assists.

RUSTON, La. (AP) — Freshman Evan Bullock threw touchdown passes on four straight drives to open the game and ran for a score on the fifth as Louisiana Tech cruised to a 48-21 victory over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night.

Bullock sandwiched touchdown passes to Omiri Wiggins covering 5 and 16 yards around a 15-yarder to Jimmy Holiday to lead Louisiana Tech (2-3, 1-1 Conference USA) to a 20-14 advantage after one quarter.

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Authorities in eastern Tennessee continued Friday to investigate a container suspected of holding large amounts of dynamite, warning residents that evacuations will likely remain in place throughout the night.

"Until we know more, we implore people to stay out of this area," Scott Erland, spokesperson for the Knoxville Police Department, told reporters Friday. "We're still dealing with a volatile situation."

Human-caused climate change intensified deadly Hurricane Milton 's rainfall by 20 to 30% and strengthened its winds by about 10%, scientists said in a new flash study. The analysis comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the southeastern United States, a storm also fueled by climate change.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Relatives of some of the 346 people who died in two crashes involving Boeing 737 Max planes are in court Friday, where their lawyers are asking a federal judge to throw out a plea agreement that the aircraft manufacturer struck with federal prosecutors.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and the White House criticized Donald Trump for his attacks on the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and suggested he was wrongly trying to turn the deadly storms to his political advantage.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former President Barack Obama gave a blistering critique of his White House successor Donald Trump and urged Black men to show up for Kamala Harris as he opened a swing-state tour for the Democratic ticket.

At a campaign field office to thank volunteers, Obama said Thursday he wanted to "speak some truths" after hearing reports on the ground that there was lower enthusiasm for Harris than there was for his own candidacy and that some Black men were thinking of sitting out the election.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A pair of unwelcome and destructive guests named Helene and Milton have stormed their way into this year's presidential election.

The back-to-back hurricanes have jumbled the schedules of Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, both of whom devoted part of their recent days to tackling questions about the storm recovery effort.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris was asked to name three virtues that her opponent in next month's election, Donald Trump, possesses — but was unable to come up with even one.

At the end of her town hall for Spanish-language network Univision in Las Vegas on Thursday, audience member Teresa Djedjro, 48 and originally born in Mexico, asked Harris to, "Please give me three virtues that Trump has."

DETROIT (AP) — Former President Donald Trump criticized Detroit while delivering remarks to an economic group there on Thursday, saying the whole country would end up like the city if his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, is elected.

DETROIT (AP) — Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out more plans for tax breaks without offering details on how they would work or how they'd affect the federal budget.

Trump vowed in a speech at the Detroit Economic Club to allow interest on car loans to be deducted from taxes, saying the proposal would "stimulate massive domestic auto production" and make car ownership more affordable. In a video, also released Thursday, he proposes to grant a key tax break to U.S. citizens living overseas to end so-called double taxation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A solid majority of Hispanic women have a positive opinion of Vice President Kamala Harris and a negative view of former President Donald Trump, but Hispanic men are more divided on both candidates, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California's reputation as a hothouse of progressive politics is being tested in a string of U.S. House contests that are again expected to play into which party controls the chamber next year.

Despite its distinction as a liberal protectorate, both parties see races in the nation's most populous state as crucial battlegrounds and are pumping millions of dollars into campaigns that stretch from the beaches of San Diego and Orange County to the almond groves and vineyards of the Central Valley farm belt.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, though fans of the electric vehicle maker will have to wait until at least 2026 before they are available.

CEO Elon Musk pulled up to a stage at the Warner Bros. studio lot in one of the company's "Cybercabs," telling the crowd that the sleek, AI-powered vehicles don't have steering wheels or pedals. He also expressed confidence in the progress the company has made on autonomous driving technology that makes it possible for vehicles to drive without human intervention.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale prices in the United States were unchanged last month in another sign that inflation is returning to something close to normal after years of pressuring America's households in the wake of COVID-19.

The Labor Department reported Friday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — didn't move from August to September after rising 0.2% the month before. Measured from a year earlier, the index rose 1.8% in September, the smallest such rise since February and down from a 1.9% year-over-year increase in August.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' outlook on the economy soured a bit this month after two months of small gains, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index, released Friday.

The index slipped to 68.9 in October from 70.1 in September, which had been its highest reading since May. "Consumers continue to express frustration over high prices," said Joanne Hsu, director of consumer surveys at University of Michigan.

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan on Friday reported that its net income fell 2% in the third quarter as the bank had to set aside more money to cover bad loans.

Net income fell to $12.9 billion from $13.2 billion in the year-ago quarter. However, the New York bank's earnings per share rose to $4.37 from $4.33 because there are fewer outstanding shares in the latest quarter. That beat Wall Street analysts' forecasts, which called for a profit of $3.99 a share, according to FactSet.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Donald Trump is detouring from the battleground states Friday to visit a Colorado suburb that's been in the news over illegal immigration as he drives a message that migrants are causing chaos in smaller American cities and towns, often using false or misleading claims to do so.

NEW YORK (AP) — JD Vance, Republican vice presidential nominee, again refused to acknowledge that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election over former President Donald Trump, evading the question five times in an interview with The New York Times, the newspaper reported Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — JPMorgan's net income fell 2% in the third quarter as the bank had to set aside more money to cover bad loans, but the results topped Wall Street estimates and shares rose in morning trading.

Net income fell to $12.9 billion from $13.2 billion in the year-ago quarter, the New York bank said Friday. However, earnings per share rose to $4.37 from $4.33 because there were fewer outstanding shares in the latest quarter. The result beat Wall Street analysts' forecasts, which called for a profit of $3.99 a share, according to FactSet. Total revenues rose to $43.3 billion from $40.7 billion a year ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Withdrawing the United States from the IMF and World Bank would be "a step backward," a top U.S. Treasury official said Friday, defending the organizations before a presidential election that could cast uncertainty about America's future in them.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With Israel's sabotage and military operations in Lebanon taking out many of Hezbollah's senior leaders, some in Washington and elsewhere believe there may be a window for a new push to break the political deadlock in Lebanon to try to ease escalating war.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Friday as big banks rallied following a run of reassuring profit reports.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top its all-time high set earlier in the week and close out its fifth straight winning week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 409 points, or 1%, to set its own record. The Nasdaq composite lagged the market with a gain of 0.3% after a slide for Tesla kept it in check.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says counties severely impacted by Hurricane Helene will soon be able to access a new $100 million loan program designed to help clear debris and repair damaged water systems.

Lee announced the program, dubbed the Helene Emergency Assistance Loan or HEAL program, on Thursday. The Republican says the no-interest loans will go toward communities while they wait for federal reimbursements.