Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) articles from August 2003

Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) archives from August 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Lowers Fee Paid to Downtown Hotel Operator.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 1--Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker said Thursday that he has negotiated a 40 percent reduction in base fees the city will pay Texas-based Benchmark Hospitality to run The Chattanoogan hotel. Under terms of the...

Owner of Chattanooga, Tenn., Restaurant Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 1--As The Loft restaurant opened in 1974, its future owner was across the planet contemplating weightier matters. "I began developing aspirations of going to college," said Hamid Andalib. "It was the only way...

TVA Official Recommends Changing Methods of Charging Customers for Power.
August 1, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 1--The Tennessee Valley Authority needs to change the way it prices its electricity to better pay for power generation and pollution controls, a top TVA official said Thursday. That could soon mean lower...

Lees Carpet Purchase Expected to Boost Profits for Mohawk Industries.
August 1, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Arts Festival Reaps Public Relations Benefit from Flooding.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 2--Chattanooga's worst flood in 30 years turned out to be a watershed event for the 4 Bridges Art Festival. Torrential rain in the days before the May 10-11 festival did an estimated $17 million in damage...

Mohawk Industries' Acquisition Could Mean Trouble for Smaller Carpet Makers.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 2--Mohawk Industries Inc.'s most recent acquisition could mean trouble for The Dixie Group and similarly sized carpet makers, an industry analyst said Friday. Mohawk officials announced Thursday that their...

TVA Wins Approval to Issue Bonds for Nuclear Power Plant Repair Funding.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 2--Federal regulators have cleared the way for the Tennessee Valley Authority to pay for the repair of its oldest nuclear reactor -- and possibly other major capital programs -- without having to go further into...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Experiences Rainiest Summer in More than 30 Years.
August 2, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 2--Mother Nature has drenched Chattanooga with nearly 12.5 inches of extra rain in the past three months, making this summer the wettest in more than three decades, according to the National Weather Service. ...

Quartet Buys Volkswagen Dealership in Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 5, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 5--A quartet including Nelson Bowers has bought Chattanooga's Volkswagen automobile dealership from the company Mr. Bowers sold it to six years ago. Co-owner Brad Cobb, Mr. Bowers' son-in-law, said the...

Study Shows More Floridians Seek Better Jobs, Weather in Tennessee, Georgia.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 6--After working for the past 20 years in Tampa, Thomas O'Neill was looking for a change when he found out about a job in Chattanooga with an outdoor advertising company. "The job brought me here, but it's...

Utility Weighs Alternatives for Managing Tennessee River.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 6--Persistent rains this summer have helped the Tennessee Valley Authority to keep its lake levels high and its hydroelectric costs low. But river planners are still looking for better ways to manage the...

Experts Stress Importance of Establishing Trust Funds for Children.
August 6, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 6--Clint and Kari Heyworth have done their best to prepare for the worst. As Mr. Heyworth said his parents did years ago, the East Brainerd couple has established a trust for their daughters, 5-year-old Tori...

Disability Insurer UnumProvident Reports Lower Second-Quarter Operating Income.
August 6, 2003

Tampa, Fla., Officials Tour Chattanooga, Tenn.'s Downtown District for Ideas.
August 6, 2003

Renovations Planned for Old Hotel, as New Facility Opens in Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 7, 2003... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 7--Chattanooga's newest hotel has opened downtown, while a $10 million refurbishing is slated to start soon on the city's oldest. Staybridge Suites, a 124-room extended stay hotel near the Chattanooga Convention...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Disability Insurer May Take Its Time Naming New President.
August 7, 2003... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 7--The search for a permanent chief executive for Chattanooga's biggest company could stretch into this autumn, UnumProvident Corp.'s interim head said Wednesday. "It could be early fall before it reaches a...

Shelbyville, Tenn., Electric Co-Op May Cut Tennessee Valley Authority Ties.
August 7, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 7--A Middle Tennessee electric cooperative could severe its 67-year relationship with the Tennessee Valley Authority and buy its power from another utility by 2008. Duck River Electric Membership Cooperative...

Cleveland, Tenn., Nursing-Home Vice President Wins National Award.
August 8, 2003... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 8--When Allison Pierce decided to make a run for a state award given by a business women's group, she knew she'd be contending against some highly qualified people. After she won the state award and moved to the...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Sports-Apparel Firm Eyes Aggressive Growth Strategy.
August 9, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 9--Dan Cooke is an Auburn University graduate and fan. But last fall, the 54-year-old Chattanooga native was among those cheering the "return to glory" at Notre Dame. When the Fighting Irish won their first...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Official: City Should Consider Finding New Water Company.
August 9, 2003... Aug. 9--Chattanooga should consider finding new ways to get water if its relationship with the private Tennessee-American Water Co. continues to deteriorate, City Councilman Ron Littlefield said. "If our relationship with the water company...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Kitchenware Store Gets Positive Reviews.
August 12, 2003... Byline: Anne Patterson Braly Aug. 12--Filled with cookware from such manufacturers as Emile Henry, Le Creuset, Chantel and Berndes, the showroom at Chattanooga's newest kitchenware store, Mia Cucina is a cook's dream, according to...

DuPont Is in Talks with Koch Subsidiary to Sell Its Textile Business.
August 12, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Nursing Home Looks to Build New Facility.
August 12, 2003

More than Quarter of Young American Adults Lack Health Insurance.
August 13, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 13--For aspiring disc jockey Jake Land, getting health insurance isn't a chart-topping priority. "It doesn't keep me awake at night," he said. "If I had a health problem right now, I'd worry a lot." Mr....

IRS Gets Child Tax Credit Checks out to Tennessee, Georgia.
August 13, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 13--The Internal Revenue Service has completed mailing out checks to most of the 1.2 million families in Tennessee and Georgia that qualify for child tax credits this year. Over the past three weeks, Uncle...

More than 21,000 Tennessee Residents Switch Health Plans.
August 14, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 14--More than 21,000 Tennesseans have switched to other health insurance plans this year since BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee removed HCA hospitals from its preferred network, a new report shows. HCA...

Interim CEO of Insurer UnumProvident Likely to Be Named to Permanent Post.
August 14, 2003... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 14--UnumProvident Corp. interim chief executive Thomas R. Watjen appears to have the inside track on taking the controls of the disability insurer on a permanent basis, an analyst says. Mr. Watjen is expected to...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Maker of Consumer Products Posts Steep Losses.
August 14, 2003

Tennessee Valley Sees No Major Impacts from Electricity Blackout in Northeast.
August 15, 2003

MeadWestvaco Closes Cleveland, Tenn., Packaging Plant, Lays Off 70 Workers.
August 16, 2003... Byline: Jason M. Reynolds Aug. 16--CLEVELAND, Tenn.--MeadWestvaco Corp. closed its packaging plant here Friday. Company spokesman Robert Crockett said about 70 workers were laid off in the closing. In its layoff notice to the state...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Residents Pay Above-Average Costs for Water.
August 16, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 16--Chattanooga may have an abundance of water, but residential customers of Tennessee-American Water Co. still pay more for water than most other cities in the region. The higher water rates approved by...

Two Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Appliance Makers to Add Workers for New Products.
August 16, 2003

Tennessee Regulators Say Three UnumProvident Units Meet Solvency Requirements.
August 16, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport Tests Waters for New Hangar.
August 19, 2003... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 19--Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport plans to survey area aircraft owners as officials seek customers for a proposed multimillion-dollar hangar development on the west side of the facility. "There are probably...

Developers to Add 150 New Parking Spaces to Downtown Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 19, 2003... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 19--Downtown workers are expected to see about 150 new parking spaces open up in what officials say is the hardest part of the central city to find a spot. When demolition is finished on the Civic Forum building...

Parents Weigh Pros, Cons of Various Types of College Saving Accounts.
August 20, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 20--Roger and Amanda Burt, of Dalton, Ga., have what every couple with a 2-year-old son and an 8-week-old daughter need -- cribs, strollers, and college savings accounts. Mrs. Burt said she and her husband...

Corporate America Increasingly Targets Hispanics in Marketing Campaigns.
August 20, 2003... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Aug. 20--If money talks, there's little question that Hispanics have the collective ear of corporate America. Jim Forrest, who directs diversity research for Synovate, a Chicago-based market research firm, said the...

Experts Predict Higher Gas Bills This Winter for Chattanooga, Tenn., Consumers.
August 20, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 20--NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Higher natural gas prices could put an extra chill in this winter for the 60 million Americans who heat their home with gas. "It looks like natural gas prices this winter will be...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Convention Center Enjoys Busy, Profitable Month.
August 21, 2003

Detroit-Based Electric Vehicle Maker Delays Plans for Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 21, 2003

Tennessee Valley Authority Official to Lead Fund-Raising Campaign for Charity.
August 22, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 22--Like his employer, Ron Loving is a multipurpose worker. During his 31 years with the Tennessee Valley Authority, Mr. Loving has worked throughout the federal agency doing everything from designing nuclear...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Group Turn Old Bakery into Residential, Commercial Complex.
August 22, 2003... Byline: Dave Flessner Aug. 22--For over two years, a group of Chattanooga investors gathered every Thursday morning to try to figure out how to redevelop an abandoned bread bakery on the city's Southside. After discarding plans for...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Bank Lures Loan Officers from Competitors.
August 22, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Unemployment Numbers Drop in July.
August 22, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport Officials Work to Boost Area's Tourism Traffic.
August 22, 2003

Summer Heat in Chattanooga, Tenn., Boosts Electricity Demand.
August 23, 2003

Developer to Build $9.5-Million Hilton Hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 23, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Store to Update Popular Map Book.
August 23, 2003

Tennessee Valley Authority Reports $8 Million Net Loss during Spring.
August 23, 2003

Convenience Store Chain Moves into Chattanooga, Tenn., Market with Acquisition.
August 26, 2003

Developers Breathe Life into Former Manufacturing Site in Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 26, 2003

Gardens, Pathways Coming for Area in Hamilton County, Tenn.
August 26, 2003

Hixson, Tenn., Insurance Agent Suggests Car Renters Research Insurance Options.
August 27, 2003

Many TVA Distributors Object to Proposed Rate Increase.
August 27, 2003

Expanded Diving Store to Open in Chattanooga, Tenn.
August 28, 2003

Tennessee Valley Authority to Raise Residential, Commercial Electricity Rates.
August 28, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Riverfront Development Projects Win Approval.
August 28, 2003

Chattanooga, Tenn., Credit Union Competes Renovations of Main Office.
August 30, 2003

Incentives Packages Grow Large as States Battle for Manufacturing Jobs.
August 30, 2003

Nuclear Agency Finds TVA Plant Operators Performed Properly during Shutdown.
August 30, 2003

Tennessee Withdraws Objection to Banks' Effort to Enter State Title Industry.
August 30, 2003