News - Friday, December 27, 2019

Another Christmas has come and gone, and Joel Westbrook once again received the gift at the top of his wish list: Season tickets to the Chattanooga Lookouts.

But Joel, 13, who was born with spina bifida, might have to revise his shopping list next year.

Many attorneys can trace the origin of their desire to pursue a career in the law to early in life, whether it was a parent who said they should become a lawyer, a teacher who inspired them or something else.

But not Dillon Thornbury, 28, an associate with Gearhiser, Peters, Elliott & Cannon in Chattanooga. His interest in the law took shape at Central College in Pella, Iowa, as he contemplated where his interests and skills might take him.

BTI Client has ranked Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel as a leader on the Service A-Team for 10 consecutive years.

Through more than 350 interviews, corporate counsel singled out Chambliss as a standout in both investing in client relationships and client communication. These recognitions are based on direct interviews with corporate counsel.

Before Women’s Council of Realtors Chattanooga President Susan Stout revealed the name of the organization’s 2019 Realtor of the Year during its annual meeting at The Walden Club on Dec. 18, she said the chosen agent “has enough strength to leave a roomful of hard-nosed men – as well as kidney disease and breast cancer – quaking in their proverbial boots.”

Fall and winter start cozy. Who hasn’t used the colder temperatures as an excuse to binge watch Netflix while swaddled in a couch blanket? But come January, staying indoors can feel less like a treat and more like you’re living in a cave.

This holiday season, you probably visited a dozen websites and read hundreds of reviews to choose just the right gifts for your loved ones. What about when it comes time to select a home remodeler? That remodeler will be doing a significant amount of work to your biggest investment: your home. Choosing the right one is a paramount decision.

“Is the new Star Wars movie good?” someone asked me this morning. I hesitated to share my opinion because I have no critical objectivity when it comes to “Star Wars.”

Since seeing the original “Star Wars” in a theater in Toledo, Ohio, when I was 13, I have loved the series. I adored it when it was great cinema (“The Empire Strikes Back”) and when the movies had been abysmally made (the prequels).

You might have heard that timing is everything. But that’s not necessarily true when it comes to investing.

To understand why this is so, let’s look at three common mistakes investors make:

• Selling investments and moving to cash when stocks are predicted to drop

The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer has added another set of wheels to its collection of therapy vehicles.

After the recent theft of two therapy vehicles in October, Mahindra Automotive North America aided in the foundation’s recovery by donating an ROXOR off-road vehicle.

Dement Construction Company will not meet the planned completion date of Jan. 28 on the U.S. 27 improvement project in downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee Department of Transportation reports.

The contractor submitted a request for a time extension earlier this month, which TDOT is in the process of evaluating.

CHI Memorial’s new physician leadership structure includes Dr. Matt Kodsi as vice president of medical affairs and Dr. Lee Jackson as surgery service line medical director.

Kodsi will serve as a liaison between physicians, hospital management and community organizations and work with CommonSpirit Health counterparts on strategic planning and organizationwide initiatives. He will also oversee CHI Memorial’s medical staff services.

With the Supreme Court set to consider a constitutional challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the coming months, the National Association of Realtors, Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Home Builders Association have filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to consider possible disruptions to the economy and housing market in any decision.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has selected GPS head varsity soccer coach Patrick Winecoff as its 2018-2019 Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year.

The TSSAA has also submitted Winecoff to the National Federation of High School Associations for consideration as Section 3 Coach of the Year. Section 3 includes the eight Southeastern states: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee. Sectional award winners are submitted to a national committee for consideration as NFHS National Coach of the Year.

With its grand opening scheduled for Feb. 22, the Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center has launched its Bricks of Honor fundraising campaign.

All funds raised from the campaign will be used to support the Heritage Center’s capital campaign and fund future exhibit upgrades, special programs and other enhancements.

The location wasn’t going to matter to the players and coaches on the University of Tennessee football team. Just being eligible to compete in a bowl game and getting extra practices was worthy of celebration.

The Vols will be heading to a warmer climate to take the field for the final time this season after being selected to play Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Securing the borders is a common recruiting goal among college athletic programs as coaches don’t want to let the best players from their state escape to other schools.

The Tennessee football program kept some talented recruits home in its 2020 class.