News - Friday, November 20, 2020

Fred Clelland thought he’d chosen his words carefully as he argued his first jury trial. But his judiciously considered phrasing lost its intended meaning once it reached the 12 people in the box.

Fresh out of law school, Clelland was representing a woman in what to him seemed like an open-and-shut case. His client had slipped on a wet marble floor in a Chattanooga establishment, and all he had to do was prove it was raining at the time.

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, disinfectant wipes and other cleaning materials are still in high demand.

Back in mid-March they were impossible to find, meaning many businesses weren’t able to take necessary steps to keep staff and clients safe.

Hamilton County Criminal court clerk Vince Dean was one of many local officials who recently completed the Local Government Leadership Program hosted by the Naifeh Center for Effective Leadership, an agency of The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service.

This month, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. We all have our own traditions for the holiday – traveling to be with family, meals with friends and loved ones, football games, movies and myriad other traditions. With COVID-19, we must alter many of these traditions and celebrate Thanksgiving in a manner unlike our past celebrations.

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, this week released the following statement on the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which would provide $189.1 million for the construction of a new federal courthouse in Chattanooga.

Legal Aid of East Tennessee honored Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel as the 2020 Pro Bono Firm of the Year during its annual Community Justice Pro Bono Celebration Nov. 5.

Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Firm of the Year award honors a law firm that has made a significant impact on the community through pro bono legal work over the year.

Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan has been ranked in the 2021 U.S. News-Best Lawyers Best Law Firms list regionally in eight practice areas.

Firms included in the 2021 Best Law Firms list are recognized for professional excellence, with clients and peers providing impressive ratings.

Realtor Brandon Olinger says he can tell a White Oak from a Northern Red Oak while walking through woods, but put him in a house and he’ll be at a loss to suggest which set of drapes will go best with the carpet.

So, as a Realtor, Olinger sticks with what he knows – the great outdoors. As a self-proclaimed “land specialist,” he exclusively represents buyers and sellers in transactions involving patches of Mother Earth.

The National Association of Realtors released last week the results of one of its most anticipated studies in recent memory – the “2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.”

This annual report is a survey of buyers and sellers who purchased homes during the previous year. (The 2020 report covers July 2019-June 2020). It gives those of us in the industry a very detailed look at buying and selling behavior.

Families across the Tennessee Valley are making plans for the upcoming holiday season and looking forward to sharing meals with family and friends. As you plan your holiday meals, also keep in mind the safety hazards that can pop up in the kitchen.

Members of Greater Chattanooga Realtors presented a $10,000 check to Janice Robertson, founder of Snack Pack Ministry, during a Realtor volunteer event.

“Greater Chattanooga Realtors is thrilled to continue our support for Snack Pack,” says Brandi Pearl Thompson, 2020 president of the organization. “Snack Pack does so much to help out area school children, and as Realtors, we feel it’s important to give back to our community.”

Divorce is common in our society, but that doesn’t make it any easier to navigate. If you’ve recently finalized a divorce, you’ve likely been coping with uncertainty and tension, but you can still avoid turning an already difficult situation into one that’s even more challenging. How? By making the right financial and investment moves, including the following:

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition will open a warming shelter at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen for the homeless community this winter on nights when temperatures are expected to remain at 35 degrees or below.

The Homeless Coalition developed a COVID-19 safety plan in collaboration with the Hamilton County Health Department that includes temperature checks, hand sanitizer, PPE and barriers.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies has awarded the Hamilton County Emergency Communications District “Reaccreditation with Excellence” following its annual assessment and operations review.

Hamilton County’s ECD earned its initial CALEA accreditation in 2013, reaccreditation in 2016 and now “Reaccreditation with Excellence” through a standard on-site accreditation assessment.

As the Westside Community Evolves planning activities continue, partners in the effort are moving into the second phase of planning, which will involve seeking community input.

Chattanooga Design Studio, Chattanooga Housing Authority and City of Chattanooga are partnering to work with residents, businesses and other community members to develop a plan for the future of the community.

Volkswagen of America has marked the start of construction of its Battery Engineering Lab at its Chattanooga Engineering and Planning Center.

The approximately $22 million facility will test and validate electric vehicle cells and battery packs for the North American region.

Warm up your axe-throwing arm; Craft Axe Throwing has arrived in Chattanooga.

If you don’t toss enough sharp implements to dedicate an appendage to the activity, Craft Axe Throwing still invites you to visit their new location at 619 Camp Jordan Parkway.

EPB has donated 5,000 masks to Hamilton County Schools and La Paz Chattanooga as part of the TN Strong Mask Movement, an initiative of Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s Economic Recovery Group.

The face coverings were distributed to five Hamilton County Schools: Dalewood Middle, East Brainerd Elementary, East Lake Academy, East Lake Elementary and East Side Elementary.

Foundation House Ministries is now offering its clients on-the-job training through its product development and in-store and online shopping platform.

Foundation House provides financial, emotional and physical support to pregnant women or women with newborns who struggle with addiction, homelessness and joblessness.

Hamilton County Schools has established a nonprofit partner foundation to harness additional resources for public schools in Hamilton County.

“The Hamilton County community is a tremendous partner with our school district in preparing our children for success and played a key role in the district becoming the fastest improving in Tennessee,” says Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools.

Dunkin’ has opened a drive-thru-only restaurant at 3334 Broad Street. As the first drive-thru only restaurant in Tennessee, the store allows guests to order ahead and pay via the Dunkin’ app.

An “On-the-Go” drive-thru lane lets DD Perks members who order ahead via Dunkin’s mobile app bypass the ordering lane and drive straight into the line for the pickup window.

Some of it comes from the basketball court – boxing out, if you will – creating space like a power forward going for a rebound.

Who knows who invented it? Maybe Lynn Swann, catching that memorable pass against Dallas way back in Super Bowl X. A generation later, Randy Moss certainly perfected it in his Hall of Fame career.

On March 13, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court declared a state of emergency for the judicial branch of Tennessee government and activated a continuity of operations plan for the courts of Tennessee.