News - Friday, April 8, 2022

Years ago, Craig Smith represented an agricultural credit bank from South Carolina that loaned money to a company working on a development project in Marion County.

“And in the process of the construction, the road up the mountain completely washed out and it was going to cost a million bucks to get it finished. So, the developer just went feet up and quit,” says Smith, 44, a bankruptcy, corporate law and real estate attorney who recently joined Litchford, Pearce & Associates (LPA).

When attorney Forrest Jackson moved back to his hometown of Dothan, Alabama, after law school, he took a job helping people in his community navigate ever-changing and always-frustrating Social Security disability and immediately fell in love with the ability to make a significant change in people’s quality of life.

With luxury listings across the state, Dustin Mullins has logged more than 1,000 miles in the past four days showing properties from Nashville to Knoxville listed at $2 million and higher. He spends more time with his clients than his friends, and his main companion is his Frenchie, Winston Riley, who will soon be featured on a billboard with Mullins, a first for both of them.

Ask anyone and you are sure to hear the housing market has been on a consistent upward swing over the past few years.

Yet, when we talk about real estate, people often focus solely on homes and the “For Sale” signs we see in our neighborhoods. Real estate is where we live, right? Of course it is, but it is so much more than that.

As one of the biggest purchases you will likely make in your lifetime, navigating the steps to finance your home can be a daunting experience.

Knowledge is power.  If you take the time to do your research and shop carefully, you can have a successful home-buying experience.

See Rock City Inc. presented a $16,400.75 check to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga for the 2021 season of the Enchanted Garden of Lights.

The donation amount varies annually based on attendance and ticket proceeds from Rock City’s award-winning holiday event. RMHC has been the designated community partner since 2002 and has received almost $260,000 from SRC since then.

Athena Esoterix has opened its new 3,850-square-foot office and lab space at the Riverfront Medical Center at The Bend, 1247 Riverfront Parkway.

The Athena team is now accepting COVID-19 walk-up appointments in their new office, Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m., and Saturdays 8 a.m.-noon. Patients may choose between an RT-PCR test or antigen test, a new offering, and will always receive same-day results.

EPB has chosen 12 Chattanooga-area artists to work on a community mural on the second side of its 10th Street Substation.

The 2022 mural theme is “Voices of MLK” to highlight the history, heritage and significance of Downtown Chattanooga’s Martin Luther King Boulevard area.

The city of Chattanooga’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is working alongside its partners to offer alternative housing arrangements to residents of homeless encampments on properties leased by the city and owned by Norfolk Southern.

Hamilton County Schools Superintendent of Schools Dr. Justin Robertson has announced three immediate principal moves within the district.

Gerald L. Harris will be the opening-day principal at the Construction Career Center, the latest Future Ready Center in Hamilton County. Harris comes to his new role from Tyner Academy, where he has served as principal since 2018. For the remainder of this school year, he will be working to recruit students, secure staff and make preparations for opening day at the new facility.

The Partnership for Families, Children and Adults presented its 2022 Distinguished Community Advocate Awards to YMCA Camp Ocoee and to Lamar Selcer at RISE 2022, the Partnership’s fourth annual fundraising luncheon at The Chattanoogan Hotel.

We all hope for long, healthy lives. But there’s a serious “side effect” of longevity – the possibility of outliving our money. How can you help prevent this?

It’s useful to know the seriousness of the threat. Consider this: About 41% of all U.S. homes in which the head of the household is between 35 and 64 are projected to run short of money in retirement, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reports.

As a firm believer not only in the right to vote, but also in the duty, I have begun my due diligence for Nashville’s May 3 election.

Initial conclusion: Yikes!

Some 72 people are running for 43 public jobs. To use a dining analogy, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet consisting of six-dozen varieties of squash casserole.

Millennials might still feel quite young (despite those pesky gray hairs and less-than-fine lines), but in so many ways, we have adulted. So it’s time for our money management to grow up a bit, too.

Your financial to-do list is small but mighty in your 20s. Setting up automatic transfers to a high-yield savings account, contributing enough to your 401(k) to get the full employer match and paying down high-interest debt can take you quite far.

They’ve got pitching. They’ve got power. They’ve got swag.

If anyone thought Tennessee baseball would take a step back on the diamond this season, the Volunteers have proven otherwise in resounding fashion.

Coming off a series sweep of Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee has solidified its status as the best team in the country.

Perhaps this scenario is familiar to you. Your car broke down and now you’re faced with a costly repair bill. It may not have been the first time this has happened, and you’re getting tired of pouring money into an aging machine. A new car would be nice, but is that the smartest decision in today’s inflated market?