News - Friday, March 5, 2021

A table its maker says can save lives during an active shooting will be manufactured in Chattanooga.

Claiming a piece of furniture could prevent casualties during an attack when places like schools, stores and churches still feel soft might seem bold, but St. Louis-based First Line Furniture is certain it has a product the country needs.

Just as lawyers, judges and jurors have been convening virtually to try cases during the pandemic, high school students across Tennessee recently assembled via Zoom to participate in regional mock trial tournaments.

The Tennessee Bar Association organized the COVID-friendly competitions – held in each of the state’s grand divisions – to give teams an opportunity to qualify for its upcoming statewide contest.

Family and friends of late attorney Stan Lanzo have established the Stan Lanzo Christmas Fund to honor his life and commitment to the less fortunate. The fund will provide Christmas presents to older foster children in the Chattanooga area. Contributions can be made online at fundly.com/stan-lanzo-christmas-fund or mailed to: Stan Lanzo Christmas Fund, Chattanooga Bar Foundation, 801 Broad Street, Ste. 420, Chattanooga, TN 37402. Lanzo died Feb. 4 following a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

A little more than 10 years ago, Nadia Charmelus noticed one of the couples in the church her husband pastors was drowning in a deep pool of financial distress.

As Charmelus, the owner and managing broker of Vision Realty in Chattanooga, describes it, the husband and wife had sunk to the bottom and believed they had no means of rising above the surface.

The dream of homeownership is sadly being kept out of reach for many in this country.

A study just released by the National Association of Realtors shows the homeownership rate for Black Americans (42%) is nearly 30% less than the rate for white Americans (69.8%).

Lumber prices have soared because of supply chain issues and other COVID-19-related challenges. Solving the crisis is a critical priority for the Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga, particularly because of housing affordability implications.

The Tivoli Theatre Foundation has launched the Recovery Fund Challenge to help return its historic venues to life. The challenge provides donors to the nonprofit the opportunity to double the impact of any contribution.

Modus Build has joined the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer’s capital campaign, “Transforming Lives, Building Dreams.”

After working on the construction of the foundation’s Education Advancement Center, Modus Build partnered with Austin Hatcher on its capital campaign to aid the foundation in its expansion of services.

Hamilton County renters, along with renters in all of Hamilton County’s municipalities, might be eligible for COVID-19 rent relief.

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency has implemented the U.S. Treasury’s Rent Relief Act of 2020.

Parkridge East Hospital has begun a $9,759,000 modernization of its Women’s Services units.

Among the largest expansions in the hospital’s nearly 50-year history, the 4,366-square-foot project will add five postpartum beds and one labor and delivery bed.

On March 8, we observe International Women’s Day, a celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Of course, women still tend to encounter more obstacles than men in the pursuit of financial security. Let’s consider a few of them.

Death and taxes may be the only certainties in life, but death taxes are only a remote possibility for most people. The vast majority of Americans won’t ever have or give away enough to owe estate or gift taxes.

Far more people could be affected if a tax break that benefits heirs is eliminated. While campaigning for president, Joe Biden proposed doing away with something called the “step-up in basis” that allows people to minimize or avoid capital gains taxes on inherited assets. But no legislation has been proposed yet, and such a change could have a tough time getting approved by a divided Congress.

The Net Resource Foundation is looking for individuals or businesses to sponsor benches in its south Chattanooga community beautification project.

In partnership with Westside Baptist Church, the open space at 4000 Hughes Avenue will enhance the community by offering an outdoor performance venue, tree-covered paths, a location for summer and after-school programs and a community garden.

Among luxury SUVs, the Cadillac Escalade has long made no apologies about being big and brash. Now Cadillac has redesigned the Escalade for 2021 with a new look and an infusion of new technology. Do these updates make it the best large luxury SUV you can buy?

The past year has fractured our world in countless ways. Now, as people look to pick up the pieces, those managing debt need to account for their position in our uneven economic recovery.

In this so-called K-shaped recovery, one part of the population is rebounding quickly while another has a longer, slower path. For example, in January the unemployment rate for whites was 5.7%, compared to 8.6% for Hispanics, 9.2% for Black workers and 6.6% for Asians, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

It sometimes feels as if the pandemic has changed everything about the nature of work. One notable thing that has changed: Our work attire.

For most of my career, I’ve thought of my work uniform as a costume. It’s a version of ourselves that we show in a certain setting. It’s like wearing certain clothes to religious services.