News - Friday, May 10, 2013

Cori Hill would make a great trial attorney someday. Even at nine months old, she already knows how to captivate an audience.

She’s plopped on the living room rug of her North Chattanooga home, focused on a toy her father pulled out of her box. All eyes are on her as she plays, her arms occasionally beating like wings in a joyful thrash, her vocal cords letting out random squeals of delight. She pauses and looks up at her mom, her cherub-like cheeks stretched out in a smile, her grey blue eyes sparkling. Having confirmed she’s still the center of attention, Cori returns to her fun.

Judge Herschel P. Franks on Tuesday, May 7 at the Walden Club celebrated his retirement and unveiled his portrait for his colleagues in the Chattanooga Bar Association to see. Franks was Tennessee’s longest serving state judge when he retired from the court on December 31, 2012. In a letter to Governor Bill Haslam, he wrote: “Words cannot express my heartfelt and sincere appreciation for Tennessee’s voters, who have elected me as one of their judges in seven elections.” Pictured, L-R: Lee Davis, Russell King, Franks, and Chancellor Howell Peoples. (David Laprad)

For the first time since our children have been born, their mother is away from home for two weeks. I went to the National Criminal Defense College once for two weeks, but that wasn’t the same. When the heart and soul of your home is suddenly gone, you cannot help but to feel the pain. The best part about this column is that by the time most of you read it, Judge James will either be home or well on her way back to Arkansas.

ATLANTA, GA. – On a weekend trip to this, the city where we honeymooned four decades ago, Susan and I find ourselves in a place touting the “best burgers in Atlanta.” On its menu is the “Fat Elvis,” a half-pound of meat “slathered with a King-sized helpin’ of smooth peanut butter, bacon and fried bananas.” Neither of us opts in for this.

Do toning shoes live up to their claim of firming and shaping your legs and butt better than regular sneakers? Several trial “runs” have been done on the different shoe brands that make those allegations, and there have been some startling results.

Our HR manager sent the name of our new primary care physician, who is Asian. I had some questions about diet and exercise, and was able to get Dr. Yu So Fat on the phone Wednesday afternoon. The conversation went something like this.

Me: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

How much do you know about this spice/vegetable? That’s about how much I know, too! However, one thing is for sure: I made a great chicken dish for dinner using fennel.

I had never tried fennel before because it was so strange looking, and I didn’t know quite what to do with it. Now that I have tried it, it will become something I use more often.

Nearly four years ago, God told Realtor Becky Lockwood what He wanted her to do. She was sure He was talking with the wrong person.

“The Lord said He wanted me to double what I was giving Him. I wrestled with this. As a Christian, I tithe ten percent of my income. But twenty percent is a lot when you’re self-employed,” she says.

Jeff Glasbrenner had made it to mile 25 in the 2013 Boston Marathon. Up ahead were family and friends waiting for him near the finish line. But some problems with his $25,000 prosthetic leg finally caused him to stop and make an adjustment. “Usually, when that happens. I just power through it,” he told the audience at the Little Rock Rotary Club weekly luncheon, “and especially when I’m that close to the finish.” 

I love to watch Wheel of Fortune, as million of Americans do, according to the ratings and the length of time the program has been on the air. See how much you know about Vanna and Pat by answering the following questions. Have fun!

1. What was the original name of the show? The Wheel of Fortune; The Shopping Game; The Wheel of Shopping; Shoppers Bazaar.

Tony Stark is having trouble sleeping. One can understand how watching aliens pour through a rip in the sky above New York City can do that to a guy. Still, he saved the world, he has the love of a good woman, and he can spend his days tinkering in his shop, making cooler and cooler toys. So why can’t he sleep?