News - Friday, June 9, 2023

Fourth-generation law enforcement officer Jamie Heath has seen a lot of changes in his profession, not all of them for the better, since his days as a military police officer in the Marine Corps.

“It is not the same as it was 20-something years ago when I started [at the Collegedale Police Department]. It’s not the same as when my great-grandfather started in 1925,” says the self-proclaimed “hometown boy” who is now the department’s assistant chief of police. “It is a completely different mindset and a completely different generation when you’re asking about what officers need.

Most Civil War figures, no matter how large they loom, tend to “fade from the pages of history afterward,” says Maury Nicely, an employment-labor attorney and general business litigator at Evans Harrison Hackett.

Not so for the subject of Nicely’s fourth book, “Forging a New South: The Life of General John T. Wilder,” which debuted in April.

Watching her dad run his own business, never having to punch a clock but facing an uphill climb, Alexis Willis often wondered what his entrepreneurial journey would have been like if he’d had more support.

“I’ve always been drawn to the grit of entrepreneurship, the moving through fear, moving through challenges,” says Willis, who in March became head of the budding commercial division at The Group Real Estate Brokerage, a boutique firm. “It really does take a special kind of character to get into entrepreneurship, because there are a lot of highs and lows. I love connecting with and supporting people. I just kind of follow the flow of supporting entrepreneurs.”

I often joke with my fellow Realtors that our industry is very similar to the armed services in that both fields absolutely love to use acronyms. MLS and IDX are terms Realtors use every day, but I think it’s important to explain what these letters stand for, and more importantly, how they represent accurate property listings that benefit consumers and Realtors alike.

Is working from home a trend or is it here to stay? A recent nationwide poll by the National Association of Home Builders finds 30% of American adults work from home at least two days a week.

In response, homeowners are seizing the opportunity to reorganize their space to make it more functional, enjoyable and productive during the workday.

Agricultural and forestry businesses are on track to strengthen and expand operations thanks to an innovative new program. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has announced the first round of recipients for the Tennessee Forestry, Agriculture and Rural Markets (FARM) cost share.

The Chattanooga airport has named Tena Keith as vice president of finance and administration along with Kristen Behm as vice president of public relations and air service development.

“Both Tena and Kristen’s experiences and abilities complement the overall goal of the Chattanooga Airport and support the vision of growth and development we are diligently working towards,” says Terry Hart, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Airport. “We believe they will make excellent additions to the team.”

Trestle Studio unveiled plans for The Hotel Chalet, a reimagined lifestyle lodging destination set to open in late 2023.

Set on the campus of the Chattanooga Choo Choo, an iconic train station, hotel and entertainment complex, The Hotel Chalet reflects Trestle’s meticulous renovation of the former Choo Choo Hotel.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, in partnership with EPB and Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. (a TVA retiree organization), has awarded $60,000 in STEM grants to 15 schools in EPB’s service area.

These schools are among the 238 schools across TVA’s service area to receive $1 million in grants to develop science, technology, engineering, and math education projects to help spark student interest in future careers in STEM-related fields. The program will support 136,000 students with hands-on STEM activities.

Many things needed to fall into place for the University of Tennessee to have a chance to host postseason baseball at Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season. Nearly everything did. That leaves the Vols two road wins away from a trip to the College World Series.

At some point, you may have more money in your 401(k) than in any other investment. And even though your 401(k) is intended for your retirement, you might one day think you have to tap into your account early. But should you? And if you do, how should you go about it?

The first economic downturn I remember was the dot-com crash in 2000. It was shocking that even the best computer engineers were struggling to get a job. Today’s economic downturn feels similar. Unfortunately, many people have been negatively impacted, as layoffs appear to be far reaching.

In the spring of 2021, a person or persons unknown set up cable TV and internet service for an apartment in Chicago. That person or persons soon skipped out, leaving an unpaid bill that eventually worked out to be $192.72.

Happens all the time, I’m sure, and not just for cable bills. There’s no shortage of deadbeats in this world, people who want to cheat the system in one way or another. This particular incident would be unremarkable in the great scheme of things, given its relatively small grift.

For new college graduates, receiving that first post-degree paycheck can be almost as exciting as getting the diploma itself. But it also presents a challenge: Given the many demands on a young person’s budget, how should those funds be managed?

ESG, or environmental, social and corporate governance criteria, has become a lightning rod for contention. The right says it’s woke hogwash, and the left says it can save the planet. But few can say what ESG has actually done.

Measuring in polar bears?

If you’re putting in the effort of researching companies, deciphering ESG scores and choosing investments, you probably want to know what your dollars are actually doing.

Shopping for a new electric vehicle can seem a bit like the Wild West. While most people are familiar with Tesla and established automakers, they’re less likely to know much about all-new companies looking to replicate the success of Tesla and take a share of the quickly growing market.