News - Friday, June 15, 2012

Chattanooga attorney Gary Gerbitz is sitting next to one of his senior partners at Miller & Martin, talking about his tenure with the firm. He came to Miller & Martin in 2002 after serving decades as district attorney general of the 11th district of Tennessee and as a criminal court judge in Hamilton County. His experience handling criminal matters makes him an ideal advocate for clients charged with complex white-collar crimes.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz has named Marlene Bidelman its Chattanooga Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. Bidelman, of counsel in the firm’s Chattanooga office, was recognized for her work on an adoption involving the two-year-old son of a client’s wife, and for her pro bono efforts for the Orange Grove Center, which provides services for persons with disabilities and their families.

The League of American Bicyclists recently honored Tennessee in its annual Bicycle Friendly State list. The Volunteer State moved up to No. 26, thanks in no small part to Chattanooga’s hosting the first Tennessee Bike Summit in May and to the work of Bike Walk Tennessee, which promotes and advocates for biking activities statewide. Also, Bicycling Magazine listed Chattanooga No. 27 in its list of the Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities, ranking the Scenic City above such notable towns as Arlington, Va., and Ann Arbor, Mich. Pictured: Attorney Virginia Love on the Walnut Street Bridge. Love, a lawyer with Baker Donelson, regularly takes advantage of the amenities of living in a bike-friendly city. In May, she completed the 100-mile course in the 3 State, 3 Mountain Challenge, averaging two miles per hour faster than she did last year. She was the oldest participant to complete the challenge. (Photo by David Laprad)

The Chattanooga History Center will present the first lecture in a special preview series, “Gallery Talks,” at 7 p.m. on June 26. The series will examine each gallery visitors will encounter in the Center’s new exhibit, scheduled to open next year. The inaugural lecture is titled “The Cherokee Nation: Struggle for Sovereignty.” The History Center’s executive director and historian, Dr. Daryl Black, will present the program. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by June 25. Call 423-265-3247 to register.

Saturday, June 16

Over 300 women were registered late Friday for the four-day convention of the Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs at Hotel Patten. “Women in Orbit” is the theme of the annual Tennessee Convention.

June 15 and 16

Ride your bicycle to Riverbend

Outdoor Chattanooga and Friends of Outdoor Chattanooga will offer free valet bicycle parking at the south end of the Walnut Street Bridge from 6 to 11 p.m. Bicycle valet patrons also get their own porta-john and free cold water. No reservations required.

The Chattanooga Film Society and the Mise En Scenesters this week launched their presentation of the POV Summer Film Series, which began June 11 with one screening per month through September. The award-winning documentary films put a human face on contemporary social issues. Says series programmer Chris Dortch, “My background as a programmer with Nashville’s Documentary Channel gives me a spider sense when it comes to great documentary films, and each of the four films we’ve chosen for this series gives me that tingle I associate with the best docs.”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Tennessee is in danger of losing key funding that enables MADD TN to offer free victim services. Nationwide, more than 10,000 people are killed in drunk driving crashes each year.

“Our MADD Tennessee license plates are rolling billboards raising awareness about drunk driving, in addition to raising thousands of dollars to help MADD’s efforts in Tennessee,” said volunteer Norris Skelley of Cookeville, Tenn. Norris and his wife, Aline, were two of the volunteers that campaigned to create and produce the MADD Tennessee plate, which went into production in 1997.

The first of June is typically marked by the arrival of interns at the Levison Towers. The fresh new faces walk amongst us, asking where the file room or the bathroom or the conference room are located. This year, however, no interns joined us. Given the current legal job market, the work they would’ve performed is being handled by lawyers. Often for the same salary as an intern.

Consumer Advocate & Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Tennessee v. Tennessee Regulatory Authority.

Case Number: M2011-00028-COA-R12-CV

Authoring Judge: Judge Holly M. Kirby

Date Filed: Wednesday, May 30, 2012

It began as an itch on my arm late one day at the office. No big deal, just a slight tickle on the old epidermis that causes the hand to move to the spot where your fingernail brings instant relief. It actually feels kind of nice when you, “Scratch that thing and make it feel good.”

College football kicks off in 70-something days, so forgive me if my mind is jumping ahead. I’ve even caught myself watching some of that classic college football on cable recently.

A sharp-tongued and very sarcastic friend of mine in the newspaper business in Northwest Arkansas, Bob Caudle, used to keep notes on his favorite coachspeak. He accumulated quite a thick notebook over the years as a sportswriter before finally moving over to the news side of things so he could start over with a new set of notes on politicians.

In a somewhat tongue-in-cheek column I wrote a few years ago, I joked about the possibility of someday seeing warning labels on hamburgers, desserts and other foods that we eat. I was just trying to be funny while attempting to express a point that warning labels do very little to stop us from doing what we really want to do if we want to do it badly enough. The article was written during the time of tobacco taking a direct hit from warning labeling, and the pros and cons of its success were being questioned. I never thought that someday my thoughts in the article, which was supposed to be a collection of nonsense, would ever become a possibility. But, these days, nonsense often becomes law, so why should I not be surprised when Disney announces no more Pop Tarts on their channels?

I have snored all of my life. When I was young, it was reported that I snored when I was very tired. When I was in college, my roommates complained that I often snored loudly after a long night out on the town “studying.” About a year ago, I was snoring so badly that I was not able to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. I was so tired during the day that I had to turn off  the lights in my office and take a nap after lunch.

(Editor’s Note: Judge Vic is on vacation this week. Enjoy a 2007 column from the archives.)

A while ago, I was preparing to guest teach a class in Legal Profession, the law school ethics course. I decided to spice up the session with a little fiction. “Legal Briefs” is a collection of stories written by lawyer-novelists. In it are stories by Grisham, Scottoline, Martini, Patterson and others, including Grif Stockely’s  “The Divorce.”

If Happy Huddleston were only happy when times were good, then his widely known nickname would be nothing more than a gimmick, a cheesy alliterative moniker meant to drive sales. But times have been tough, and the guy is still grinning. Like a glass of fizzy Coca-Cola, he seems to be the real thing.

Winifred Sanders has always wanted to experience something her family never did: be a homeowner. Now her dream has become a reality. Construction on her new, energy-efficient home concluded June 9 as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area dedicated Sander’s home.

Dozens of “shavees” lost their locks Sunday to raise funds for the Children’s Hospital Foundation at Erlanger and its Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders. The annual event, called Jack’s Chattanoggins, took place at the Chattanooga Market. This is the second year 13-year-old Jack Skowronnek has teamed up with the Children’s Hospital Foundation at Erlanger. Last June, 60 heads were shaved and more than $18,000 was raised. According to event organizer and Jack’s mom, Dawn, close to $20,000 was raised ahead of this year’s event, with all funds raised going toward room renovations for the children’s oncology unit. Notable shavee teams included the Chattanooga Roller Girls (pictured) and Texas Roadhouse. Bekki Deck, a shavee from last year, also organized a team called “Girls Gone Bald.” Even WUTC’s Cleveland Carlson shaved his head for the cause. EPB sponsored the event. Fantastic Sam’s provided licensed stylists for the shaving. (Photo by David Laprad)

Saturday, June 15

Chattanoogans who are spending some time at Mineral Springs are Mrs. J.M. Ramsey and Miss Rosamond Ramsey, Misses Georgia and Mabel Green, Ms. C.D. Clark, and Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Gross.

Sunday, June 16

“A Hypnotic Spree” comedy sketch written by Bobby Strauss will be given July 2 at the Bijou Theater under the auspices of the Chattanooga Music Club. The story concerns four college boys, Billy Watkins played by Tom Dewees, his Uncle Harry Miller played by Raleigh Crumbliss, Doc Bullock played by Sam Connelly, and Parson Williams played by Bobby Strauss. The play is full of fun and hard work.

In “Men in Black 3,” Agent K says every problem can be solved while eating a piece of pie. To prove his point, he takes Agent J to a diner, where they eat pie while the end of the world draws near. By the time they clean their plates, they have a plan for saving mankind.

If you are planning to travel abroad this summer, you should brush up on some of the traditional superstitions. Try your hand with these.

1. Those of you who attend a Jewish wedding might be surprised at the sight of the groom stepping on a glass and breaking it at the end of the event. What is the commemoration of this custom? The birth of his mother-in-law; the ruin of the first Holy Temple; The Wall Street crash; The great Safed earthquake.

... or its shape, or size, or just general weirdness! I’m talking about Kohlrabi. One look at it might make you want to turn the other way, thinking, “People really eat that?” It is that strange. But I’m here to tell you, once you get past the oddity of it, you’ll have quite a tasty little veggie on your plate!

"Prometheus” is an ambitious science fiction film marred by moments of inexplicably poor writing. Its visual scale is staggering, its themes are compelling and its mise-en-scène is transportive, but some of its characters do unforgivably foolish things, creating an uneven experience.

In order for us to win in life, we must push through the adversity we face. Without facing it, we are poorly prepared for winning. The truth is most of us don’t welcome adversity like a long-lost friend. We don’t embrace with passion the pain and setbacks that occur.

Throughout May, Crabtree Farms provided 11 field trips and tours for local school groups, serving over 450 students from around the Chattanooga area. Kids experienced the sights, sounds and smells of a working farm.

During one field trip, students from Signal Crest Pre-K planted a garden wagon full of herb and vegetable plants to take into schools to teach other children about how plants grow.

Nutrition, fitness and healthy lifestyle options designed for breast cancer survivors will be featured at a free half-day seminar on June 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center. Presented by Breast Cancer Support Services (formerly Y-ME Chattanooga) and sponsored by Mary Ellen Locher Breast Center of Memorial Health Care System, “Moving On after Breast Cancer: Mind, Body & Soul” will highlight ways to achieve optimum health and sustain remission.

Remember that commercial? I do. Once merely cool summer accessories, whether Foster Grants, Raybans, BluRays or Guccis’ brown tint, cat-eye sunglasses, sunglasses are now a vital element for eye protection against the sun’s damaging rays.