News - Friday, April 18, 2014

The community was invited to the atrium of the Hamilton County Courts Building on Tuesday for the reading of the Proclamation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and to honor those who work to end sexual violence in our community.

The Sexual Assault Response Team was recognized for its ongoing efforts to stop sexual assault and to provide crucial services to survivors. Sponsors of the event were Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, the City of Chattanooga, and Hamilton County.

A handful of Chattanooga area Realtors this week learned new skills for their profession that had nothing to do with the MLS, earning the ABR designation, or becoming an eco-friendly agent.

Rather, they learned how to perform wrist grabs, bear hugs, and choke holds.

Rep. Vince Dean of the Tennessee General Assembly says public service is not a way of life for him, it is his life. For 35 years, he’s served the public in one capacity or another, all generally geared toward helping people.

Before Dean was known as “Representative Dean,” many people knew him as “Officer Dean.” He started his career in public service as a dispatcher with the Chattanooga Police Department in 1979.

In a funny episode of my favorite television show, “Frasier,” Niles Crane and his brother think back on the wonderful meal they’d just eaten at a five-star restaurant.

As they recall the food and the standard of service, they’re in a state of near bliss. Then Niles mentions a small detail that failed to meet his well-heeled standards. While sipping sherry and nodding smugly, Niles says, “There’s nothing better than a great meal with one tiny flaw you can pick at.”

Scary movies are supposed to startle and surprise, but they’ve become routine.

You know when someone is going to pop into frame from behind the person you’re watching, and you know there will be a loud “BUM!” to announce their sudden presence. (In Scary Movie World, surprises make sounds.)

The Napkin Sketch Series lunch is a monthly design charette held with business contacts seeking a casual atmosphere for discussing business development ideas.

Started in January 2014, topics range from residential renovations and commercial development to property analysis or even business graphics and websites.

Hamilton Place officials held a dedication ceremony last weekend to celebrate the inauguration of the Siskin Children’s Institute Fountain, dedicated to bringing awareness and support to children with special needs and their families.

The fountain will serve as a reminder of the iconic wishing wells Mose and Garrison Siskin placed all over the city to allow anyone the opportunity to give a penny or more toward the Siskin mission of helping children with special needs.

The Community Health Institute at Chattanooga State will host the 7th Annual Health, Fun, and Wellness Expo Friday, May 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Health Science Center, located on the Amnicola campus.

The large, comprehensive health fair is open to the public, and will offer numerous free health screenings and exhibits from area health professionals and wellness-related organizations.

Trees were planted in eight communities across Tennessee last week to recognize and honor victims of crime.

The Tennessee Board of Parole, the Department of Correction, and TRICOR partnered to plan the events, which also honored victim advocates during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

I love roasted vegetables. The flavor that comes about when roasting a vegetable as opposed to steaming or boiling one is completely different.

Take carrots or sweet potatoes, for instance. When you boil carrots or sweet potatoes in water, they taste exactly the same as if they were raw.

April 22 marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, a day set aside to bring awareness to and promote appreciation for the Earth’s environment. How much do you know about Earth Day? Take this quiz – maybe learn something new!

Once upon a time, I went to school to be in the healthcare field. I love taking care of people, and the human body just amazes me.

I’m actually much better at taking care of other people than myself. I think women tend to do that!

I remember being in school, which was a whirlwind of information of the human body, and always wanting to learn the odd facts about the body, the things that you would not even think about.

AUGUST, GA  —  Overheard in the gallery:

“Where you staying tonight?”

“With you. Didn’t they tell you?”

“You got any cousins coming?”

Saturday at The Masters. The friendly banter I could record! 

On April 22, we celebrate Earth Day — a day devoted to education and action on environmental issues. As a citizen of the world, you may have a keen interest in protecting your physical surroundings.

And as someone trying to reach long-term financial goals, such as a comfortable retirement, you’re probably also interested in improving your investment environment. 

I heard banging and rustling down the hall in the Levison Towers and went to investigate. Not that banging and rustling are unusual in a law office, but they are usually accompanied by loud voices and occasionally cursing. This time, there was nothing but the sound of deliberate movement, without anger or words.

How many times in your life have you suffered for things you said?

Think back and really consider the things you have said in your life that you came to regret.

Failure to appropriately filter what is about to come out of your mouth during a heated conversation can be quite painful for both you and the target of the snarky comment. So often the best response to a situation iså “no comment.”

If you live in D.C. and are thinking of applying for a job at Walmart, you might want to reconsider and instead fill out an application for admission to Harvard or Yale.

This advice comes on the news that one of the giant retailer’s stores in the nation’s capital has hired 676 people out of the 23,000 who have applied for the right to don the blue vest since the store opened in 2013. (That’s a mere 2.6 percent of applicants.)

As outspoken supporters for fair housing issues and homeownership, the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors joins the nation in honoring Fair Housing Month this April.

For more than 100 years, Realtors have promoted and protected the dream of property ownership for millions of Americans and strongly support the Fair Housing Act. 

Public Art Chattanooga this week announced the installation and dedication of a new sculpture in the Brainerd Hills neighborhood.

Selected by the Brainerd Hills Neighborhood Association, the sculpture, entitled, “Fiercely (Over I)” is by Lexington, Ky., artist Andrew Light.

Realtor Jeff Dedmon was recently welcomed to Crye-Leike’s Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. branch office.

Dedmon has been a Realtor for three years. He recently transferred to Crye-Leike from Coldwell Banker to be more centrally located for his clients.

Tractor Supply Company, in partnership with National 4-H Council, recently announced the launch of its spring 2014 Paper Clover Campaign.

Tractor Supply Company, a farm and ranch supply store chain, raised more than $3.2 million for 4-H programs across the country through the Paper Clover Campaigns over the last four years.

When you write a column on a weekly basis, and it’s the type of column I usually write, very often you find yourself in the direct line of fire for criticism.

It used to really bother me to think that someone would dare to have the nerve to not agree with “good ol’ me” on every opinion I express with ink.