News - Friday, May 8, 2020

Who doesn’t treasure high school graduation memories? The pomp and circumstance amid a sea of caps and gowns. Family and friends whoop-whooping as the principal offers a diploma and a handshake that ends one chapter of your life, eager to chronicle the next phase with the start of freshman year of college in the fall.

A Vanderbilt freshman has sued the university in a class-action lawsuit stating it violated state laws in refusing to reimburse students for room and board, tuition and other costs for its spring 2020 semester, despite closing residence halls and offering students a limited online learning experience, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman, which has offices in eight U.S. cities but not Nashville.

Mark Cunningham says he has a single, all-encompassing objective as the new managing shareholder and president of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel: Don’t screw things up.

“To a certain extent, that’s my mission,” he claims with a laugh.

Jay Craig had a vision for the level of activity he would see at Keller Williams’ new home at 7158 Lee Highway after the company moved there in March.

After two years of planning, renovating and moving, he saw the building buzzing with life as the sound of Realtors doing business emanated from their offices and agents and clients filled chairs and couches and conference rooms to discuss their plans.

The largest investment most people will ever make is purchasing a home. And though we try to plan for the unexpected, people certainly didn’t know the impact COVID-19 would have on every aspect of their daily lives.

With that in mind, the National Association of Realtors has compiled a list of actions for homeowners to take to help protect their investment in during this uncertain time.

The onset of summer is typically a perfect time to refresh your home. This year, with public health officials continuing to ask many of us to stay at home for an extended time to slow the spread of COVID-19, this might be a particularly good time to make a few simple home improvements that can help you avoid significant repairs or costly utility bills later in the year.

Knoxville-based mattress manufacturer MLILY USA has donated 200 mattresses in Chattanooga and Northern Georgia to help residents affected by the Eastern Sunday tornadoes.

The company partnered with the J.A. Henry Community YMCA in Chattanooga for the donation. The YMCA, which provides bedding and other products to those in need, will distribute the MLILY mattresses to people the storm impacted.

The Tennessee State Review Board will consider adding two Hamilton County sites to the National Register of Historic Places when meets via WebEx on May 20.

The board will vote on the Dixie Mercerizing Company and the Downtown Chattanooga Historic District, along with six other sites across the state.

Volkswagen Chattanooga has reassessed its plans to resume production. Before setting a new start date, Volkswagen will weigh the readiness of the supplier base, as well as market demand and the status of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The company says it will continue the work to start production from an organizational perspective and refine and strengthen the health and safety measures to safeguard its employees.

Covenant Allergy and Asthma Care is temporarily relocating to a new office on 6141 Shallowford Road during renovations to its Mackey Branch location following Easter Sunday’s tornado.

“We’re grateful for the community support we have received during this difficult time,” says Dr. Susan Raschal. “And we’re excited about serving our patients at a temporary location while renovations occur at Mackey Branch.”

Public Markets will reopen the Collegedale Market on Sunday, May 10. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2020 season eight weeks ago. The Chattanooga Market will reopen later this month.

Cynthia Chaffer of Red Clay Farms is looking forward to having an outlet for their crops again.

Greater Chattanooga Realtors has allocated money for Greater Chattanooga residents and Realtor members affected by the Easter Sunday tornadoes. The funds come from the National Association of Realtors’ Realtor Relief Fund.

For Tennessee residents, the NAR approved up to $200,000 to help victims of the April 12-13 tornadoes. The NAR will allocate a significant sum for Georgia tornado victims, as well.

May is National Bike Month. Of course, millions of Americans enjoy biking, so there’s reason to celebrate. But even if you’re not much of a rider, you can apply some of the guidelines and lessons of bicycling to other areas of your life – such as investing.

If you’ve lost your job or struggle to pay your debt, you may need to file for bankruptcy. If that’s the case, you should ignore some common financial advice and start thinking defensively.

The coronavirus pandemic that upended the economy also is expected to send unprecedented numbers of people and businesses to bankruptcy court. Millions are out of work, and economic disruptions could continue until a vaccine is widely available, something that may be more than a year away.