Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) articles from August 2007

Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) archives from August 2007

Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn., Mark Wiedmer column: Wynn may wipe away rush records.(Column)
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mark Wiedmer Aug. 12--Never mind that the temperature was roaring past 90 degrees Saturday morning. Or that it might have been 40 degrees hotter atop Finley Stadium's plastic grass. Or that his sore right ankle was too sore to...

Chattanooga City Council aims for more say on budget.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Michael Davis Aug. 12--Members of the Chattanooga City Council said they plan to play a bigger role in next year's budget process and hope to meet with department officials as they begin shaping the document. "Basically it's...

Lee offers program for ages 60 and up.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Randall Higgins Aug. 12--CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Lee University is launching a program for students ages 60 and older this fall. The Encore Program for seniors offers more than 400 classes for the fall semester as well as an...

Users extol foam insulation as home building goes green.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Jason M. Reynolds Aug. 12--People already use foam to keep sodas ice cold, and now they are using it to cool home interiors during scorching summer days. "After I retire, I wanted a house that was efficient. Energy costs...

Chattanooga lands Japanese maker of car carpet.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 12--Chattanooga missed out on a Toyota Motor Corp. auto assembly plant, but the Scenic City landed a related company that plans to start operations in Lookout Valley. Toyota Tsusho, part of the Toyota Group...

Paths to teaching.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Christina Cooke Aug. 12--Cuba native Tony Socarras performed in a Latin jazz band in Miami and worked for an international shoe importer before, at 55, he decided he wanted to teach. Emily Wilson, who turned 23 on Thursday,...

Bank fishing.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Jan Galletta Aug. 12--Boasting 34,500 acres in which to wet a hook, Chickamauga Lake likely has spawned its share of fish stories, ever since the 1940 damming of the Tennessee River created the scenic reservoir. But now comes...

Area college and universities get ready for fall semester.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Amber J. Adams Aug. 12--Colleges and universities in the Chattanooga area are starting this semester with a range of new academic programs, services and buildings. Here is a roundup of what's new at area schools, as reported...

Sequatchie sales tax revenues up 30%.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Ben Benton Aug. 12--DUNLAP, Tenn. -- Sequatchie County officials say local sales tax collections in the new Wal-Mart era are up 30 percent over the same period last year. County Trustee Larry Lockhart said growth and the new...

Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn., Tom Griscom column: Griscom: Visit to the newspaper morgue offers insight into most stories.(Column)
August 12, 2007... Byline: Tom Griscom Aug. 12--You judge the history of a newspaper not only by the digital archives that are easily scanned by those looking for material, but by asking to visit the morgue. There are bodies in this journalistic morgue...

Researchers study possible asthma-obesity connection.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Emily Berry Aug. 12--Chattanooga's air quality and allergens combined with a high incidence of obesity have created a "perfect storm" for epidemic levels of asthma, a local physician said. Allergy specialist Susan Raschal...

More immigration authority could go local.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Dick Cook Aug. 12--CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Some local police and sheriff's departments are interested in having officers get training through the federal government that would allow them to enforce some immigration laws, officials...

Marion schools chief says his job's a dream.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Beverly A. Carroll Aug. 12--JASPER, Tenn. -- Mark Griffith said his life's work and experiences combined to prepare him for the role he believes he was destined to play -- superintendent of Marion County Schools. "There are a...

No gag order in Theresa Parker case.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Chloe Morrison Aug. 12--Officials said there is a misconception that a gag order has been issued in the case of missing Walker County 911 dispatcher Theresa Parker. "There has never been a judicial gag order issued," said...

Schools liaison reaches out to children of migrants.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Erin Fuchs Aug. 12--DALTON, Ga. -- As liaison for Dalton Public Schools' Migrant Education Program, Maria Khote serves the children of migrant workers -- those who move across the United States doing seasonal labor where and when...

Between the Bridges Festival mixes water, sports and music.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mike O'Neal Aug. 12--The first edition of the Between the Bridges Festival proved so successful that it is back, bigger and better for a second installment. The festival is staged at Ross's Landing and features a broad...

East Brainerd neighborhood circles wagons after series of midnight break-ins, robberies.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Owen Hearey Aug. 12--An East Brainerd neighborhood is taking its security seriously after a series of robberies, break-ins and close-calls. Nearly 50 concerned residents of the Valley View subdivision met at the end of the...

Take fishing to 'the banks'.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Jan Galletta Aug. 12--Tennessee annually nets more than $30 million in fishing-related sales tax, according to a report compiled every five years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 2001 document is the most recent...

Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn., Mark Kennedy column: Kennedy: Curbing AIDS inside Africa is daunting.(Column)
August 12, 2007... Byline: Mark Kennedy Aug. 12--The situation in Africa is bleak. About 29 million sub-Saharan Africans are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, according to the World Health Organization. The epidemic seems unstoppable. The...

UT stocks seed for biofuels project.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Angie Herrington Aug. 12--The University of Tennessee this year plans to buy 5,000 pounds of switchgrass seeds -- the bulk of the nation's high-quality supply -- and plant them next spring on farms near Knoxville. The seeds,...

Northwestern Tech provides GED instruction course free.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Chloe Morrison Aug. 12--Chickamauga resident Pam Steele said earning her GED certificate at age 50 was the best thing she has ever done, even though she had doubts when she began. "I honestly didn't think I could do it," she...

Pottery references Southwestern landscape.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Ann Nichols Aug. 12--"Seeing Out" is the title of Macy Dorf's most recent series of functional ceramics. The designs on the cups, saucers, platters, vessels, pots and bowls created by this Colorado resident reflect his love of...

Holbert's season ends.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Gentry Estes Aug. 12--KNOXVILLE -- An evaluation of Tennessee senior David Holbert's right knee showed he tore his anterior cruciate ligament during practice Friday. The injury ends the season for Holbert, who hasn't used his...

Jim Scales optimistic for new school year.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Christina Cooke Aug. 12--Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Jim Scales recently discussed accomplishments in his first year at the helm of the 78-school district as well as the opportunities the new academic year holds. ...

Selling Chevys 75 years.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Brooks Rexroat Aug. 12--Jim Gentry's phone hardly stops ringing. He leaps with urgency to pick up calls that are sometimes about car deals and sometimes more personal. He doesn't have an answering machine, and his office door...

UT no-huddle fizzles out.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Wesley Rucker Aug. 12--KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's offense went from no-huddle to no more touchdowns in Saturday's two-hour scrimmage in Neyland Stadium. Senior quarterback Erik Ainge directed a no-huddle attack to the end zone...

Mocs' offense plays well.
August 12, 2007... Byline: David Uchiyama Aug. 12--First came the laughs, giggles, goofy smiles and ultra-serious looks during picture day for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team. Then came the business end of the morning with a...

UGA's Davis adds weight to O-line.
August 12, 2007... Byline: David Paschall Aug. 12--ATHENS, Ga. -- As a toddler in the early 1990s, Chris Davis ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so he could become a big, big boy. Davis arrived at the University of Georgia last summer as a...

Dalton State to offer 4-year math, science.
August 12, 2007... Byline: Erin Fuchs Aug. 12--DALTON, Ga. -- As part of a statewide push to train more math and science teachers, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia has approved new four-year math and biology programs at Dalton State...

TSSAA is investigating Temple.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Stephen Hargis Aug. 11--The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association is investigating potential recruiting and eligibility rules violations by Tennessee Temple Academy. "We have met with members of Temple's...

Vols get chance to shine.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Wesley Rucker Aug. 11--KNOXVILLE -- How open is playing time for Tennessee's wide receivers and running backs? So open that offensive coordinator and football bookworm David Cutcliffe could care less about scheme in today's 4...

Private funds still help UTC.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Wesley Rucker Aug. 11--The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletic department balanced last fiscal year's budget without last-minute, additional university support, and with less privately-donated "restricted funds." ...

Bowman defender isn't set.
August 11, 2007... Byline: David Paschall Aug. 11--Three weeks from today, the Georgia Bulldogs open their football season against Oklahoma State. Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez knows that. What he doesn't know is which cornerback will...

Business technology lagging.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Cliff Hightower Aug. 11--Almost one in four businesses across East Tennessee does not own or use a computer, a new technology study says. The state-funded, nonprofit group Connected Tennessee recently released preliminary...

Missouri, Ohio State visiting mat Mocs.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Ward Gossett Aug. 11--Four teams that finished in the NCAA wrestling tournament's top 20 are among opponents the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will face in the 2007-08 season. Three of those -- third-place finisher...

Gallery blends art, tourism, jobs.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Chloe Morrison Aug. 11--LAFAYETTE, Ga. -- Northwest Georgia is often overlooked as a hub for art and artists, but state and local officials are working to promote tourism and economic development through the arts. The...

Hixson 'Geezer' promotes fitness.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Angie Herrington Aug. 11--The dozens of medals displayed on John Disterdick's bike in his garage include a third-place in the 1982 Ironman World Championship triathlon and a silver in the 2007 Senior Olympics. And the newest...

Chattanooga Endeavors considers expansion.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Lauren Gregory Aug. 11--Chattanooga Endeavors is ready to extend its reach into other areas of the state, said Chief Executive Officer Tim Dempsey, who hopes to help more people transition back into society and work toward...

Forum today to explain Medicaid changes.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Yolanda Putman Aug. 11--Only the poorest of the poor are provided nursing-home coverage under new Medicaid standards, and other seniors must pay expenses out of pocket, local attorney Lynne Dechman said. "People need to be...

Jobless claims jump in July.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Matt Wilson Aug. 11--The Georgia Department of Labor reported Friday that nearly 45,000 workers filed for first-time unemployment insurance in July, up more than a third from June. Unemployment claims increased in both the...

Tax incentives create downtown investment.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 11--Tax incentives designed to expand downtown Chattanooga's renaissance have spurred 47 building projects and $300 million in investment since 2002, an official says. Developers and other business people have...

Construction commences on $22 million Hixson Middle School.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Owen Hearey Aug. 11--The groundbreaking was ceremonial, but the noise and smoke from excavators and graders shaping the landscape were not. Construction on the $22.2 million Hixson Middle School finally is under way. "We've...

Power surge damages Community Kitchen.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Susan McMillan Aug. 11--The Chattanooga Community Kitchen is recovering from an electrical accident last week that left the dining room sweltering and several pounds of meat spoiled. Executive Director Charlie Hughes said the...

Civil War history lives today in Bledsoe County.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Ben Benton Aug. 11--PIKEVILLE, Tenn. -- When Bledsoe County was little more than half a century old, Union and Confederate flags flew over a divided community during the Civil War. Today, re-enactors from both sides will...

Group begins effort to expand high-speed Internet service.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Mary Fortune Aug. 11--Business technology lagging By Mary Fortune Staff Writer Tom Bumgardner doesn't need a map to tell him a gap in area high-speed Internet service includes the six acres of wooded land on Signal...

School heads criticized for hiring their wives.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Randall Higgins Aug. 11--CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Bradley County Director of Schools Bob Taylor on Friday responded to a school board member who criticized the hiring of Mr. Taylor's and school board Chairman Troy Weathers' wives for...

Catoosa projects administrator enjoys community, family, job.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Ronnie Moore Aug. 11--RINGGOLD, Ga. -- When she compiles information, keeps discussion notes and logs maps, Catoosa County Projects Administrator Christal Thomas said it is satisfying to be in on the ground floor of county...

U.S. Census rallies for meticulous 2010 count.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Yolanda Putman Aug. 11--Yolanda Putman Staff Writer The U.S. Census Bureau is planning the largest peacetime mobilization of residents ever for civilian purposes with the 2010 census, said Mathew Scire, director of...

Babel by the river.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Mike O'Neal Aug. 11--An alien language is invading town this weekend to describe the superhuman moves during the Between the Bridges Wakeboard, Skateboard, Music Festival. "Last year in my first pass, I started with a blind...

Volunteers are vital to high school bands.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Susan Pierce Aug. 11--Behind the pageantry of high school football halftime shows are hours of rehearsals and drills by students to fine-tune their performances -- and a dedicated parents group supporting their children's musical...

Faith-based organizations help local war against pornography.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Clint Cooper Aug. 11--John, a husband and father who lives in the Chattanooga area, said pornography was a satisfying appetizer for the same-sex attraction he'd felt for a number of years. "Pornography was what I used rather...

Baylor, McCallie face distant foes.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Kelley Smiddie Aug. 11--Anyone unfamiliar with Baylor and McCallie would not know by their football schedules that they are schools in Chattanooga. Aside from their league's mandatory game against each other, which is Oct. 5...

Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn., Darren Epps column: Texting ban is good but insufficient.(Column)
August 11, 2007... Byline: Darren Epps Aug. 11--Like a mother who deems her teen is spending too much time on the cell phone, the NCAA upheld its ban on coaches texting recruits Thursday. And like teens burdened by the decisions of their parents, there was...

UTC's best battles at backup corners.
August 11, 2007... Byline: David Uchiyama Aug. 11--Ronnie Jackson and Ronnie Golder don't have to worry about losing their starting cornerback jobs any time soon. But they can enjoy watching the best battles on the University of Tennessee at...

Tapes link Crutchfield to mayor's union ties.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Brian Lazenby Aug. 11--Transcripts from secretly recorded conversations during the FBI's Operation Tennessee Waltz investigation indicate that former state Sen. Ward Crutchfield may have played a key role in introducing...

Newest Krystal menu items tested in area restaurants.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Anne P. Braly Aug. 11--Ever wonder how Chattanooga-based Krystal Co. comes up with all the menu items it's been promoting of late? There's a method to it that starts in the test kitchen -- a secret location -- then moves into...

TV shows helps family stage house to sell.
August 11, 2007... Byline: Jan Galletta Aug. 11--Drawn by their lot's location on a quiet cul-de-sac and the neighborhood's nearness to their work sites, Thomas and Rose Cole built a two-story Colonial-style home in Hurricane Creek 20 years ago. With...

Obituaries.
August 11, 2007... Aug. 11--Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn., Obituaries HAMILTON COUNTY Bobby Combs Bobby Lamar Combs, 68, of Apison, went home to be with our Lord Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007. He was in construction as a superintendent or field...

Safety of metal plates examined.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Pam Sohn Aug. 10--The National Transportation Safety Board is advising states to check bridges held together with steel plates and rivets, and Tennessee and Georgia officials confirm there are many in the area. Officials with...

Obituaries.
August 10, 2007... Aug. 10--Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn., Obituaries HAMILTON COUNTY Bobby Combs Bobby Lamar Combs, 68, of Apison, went home to be with our Lord Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007. He was in construction as a superintendent or field...

Mocs' defense dominates scrimmage.
August 10, 2007... Byline: David Uchiyama Aug. 10--Round one went to the defense. Round two of preseason scrimmages Saturday will likely go to the offense. The two sides seem to flip-flop every University of Tennessee at Chattanooga scrimmage: The...

Hart beats the odds.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Wesley Rucker Aug. 10--Tennessee State law requires all university budgets to balance at the end of the fiscal year. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has traditionally balanced its athletic budget with last-minute...

Sept. 18 vote requires photo ID.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Matt Wilson Aug. 10--Despite a continuing court challenge, local registrars are preparing to enforce Georgia's 2005 voter ID law in next month's special elections. "Our poll workers are being trained to ask for photo ID,"...

Unified 911 plans near finalization.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Ian Berry Aug. 10--A final plan for unifying 911 services countywide should be ready within the next three months and will involve hiring about 20 employees, Hamilton County Commissioner Jim Coppinger said Thursday. Mr....

Summer graduation to continue at UTC.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Angie Herrington Aug. 10--University of Tennessee at Chattanooga administrators have shelved discussions for now of eliminating summer commencement in 2008, Chancellor Roger Brown said. The UTC Faculty Senate in 2006 passed a...

More Signal Mountain parents sticking with public schools.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Christina Cooke Aug. 10--Signal Mountain resident Karen Tucker stopped wondering where to send her children to high school once the Hamilton County Board of Education decided to build a middle/high school on Signal Mountain. ...

Condos could go on Main.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Mike Pare Aug. 10--A century-old warehouse on Chattanooga's Southside could become the next downtown site to hold new condominiums. "There is a better and higher use for the property these days than a furniture warehouse,"...

Dalton red-light cameras give fines.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Erin Fuchs Aug. 10--DALTON, Ga. -- The adjustment time is over at a busy downtown intersection where traffic signal cameras were installed last month. Now instead of warnings, violators will find a $70 traffic citation in their...

Local designer wins national competition.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Karen Nazor Hill Aug. 10--A one-of-a-kind purse constructed on her sewing machine and named for her grandmother has won Chattanoogan Orean Collier national attention. "We have a winner!" exclaims a headline on www.glam.com,...

Grand jury opts not to indict father in son's death.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Brian Lazenby Aug. 10--A Chattanooga man whose 15-month-old son died after being left for hours in a hot car likely will not face prosecution, officials said Thursday. A Hamilton County grand jury opted not to indict Robert...

Firefighter charged in murder bond set.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Brian Lazenby Aug. 10--Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman heard evidence Wednesday in the case of a Chattanooga firefighter accused of kidnapping and killing a 15-year-old boy before saying that a conviction in...

Heat, drought could endanger air quality rating.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Pam Sohn Aug. 10--Hoping for breathing room to meet federal air standards, local air regulators plan to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to waive 85 daily air monitor readings from the past three years. "The...

Study will begin on Interstate 75 within months.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Cliff Hightower Aug. 10--The Tennessee Department of Transportation said Thursday a study will start soon on how to ease traffic congestion on Interstate 75 from the Georgia state line to the Kentucky border. "They anticipate...

School bus drivers get raise.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Ben Benton Aug. 10--DUNLAP, Tenn. -- Sequatchie County school officials headed off route reductions and another year of bus driver shortages by boosting pay and incentives over the summer, the system's assistant director said....

Air conditioning takes edge off heat in public housing.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Yolanda Putman Aug. 10--With temperatures hitting 100 degrees this week, some Chattanooga public housing residents including Rosemary Sellers appreciate this year's $3 million renovation at Woodside Apartments that included the...

Mislabeled sign eyed in response delay.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Kelli Gauthier Aug. 10--A mislabeled road sign may have contributed to the delay in emergency response when a runner collapsed during the Missionary Ridge Road Race, officials said. John Bruner, the 19-year-old runner, died...

Sue Bartlett elected to state tennis hall.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Mallory Carrra Aug. 10--The USTA Tennessee section selected GPS tennis coach Sue Bartlett for induction into the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame next year. Bartlett, 49, will be inducted Jan. 26 in Nashville. She is already a...

Richt slips a flip into Dogs' day.
August 10, 2007... Byline: David Paschall Aug. 10--Georgia football coach Mark Richt surprised his players Thursday afternoon by taking them to the Ramsey Center's Gabrielsen Natatorium for a break from the heat between two-a-day practices. Then he...

Between the Bridge Festival entertains with water sports, music.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Barry Courter Aug. 10--In only its second year, the Between the Bridges Wakeboard, Skateboard, Music Festival has proven a hit with skateboarders and wakeboarders around the country. Event organizers weeks ago cut off accepting...

Shrine clown contestants serious about being funny.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Mike O'Neal Aug. 10--A funny thing happened Thursday in Chattanooga: a battle of the clowns. "I've always acted like a clown," said Jerry "Bubba" Harden, a resident of Rome, Ga., and a participant in the Southeastern Shrine...

Company finds success locally.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Brooks Rexroat Aug. 10--A FedEx truck pulled up to an old air conditioning repair shop in Cleveland, Tenn., on Wednesday, and Lou Burger and son John tore open a package and started polishing the stainless steel parts. The...

Ambulance set for triathlon site.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Ron Bush Aug. 10--A record field is expected Sunday morning for the Sports Barn/Quintana Roo Sprint Triathlon. For the first time in the event's history, in fact, there will be no race-day registration. "Right now we're...

BRIEF: Grand jury opts not to indict father in child's death.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Brian Lazenby Aug. 9--A Hamilton County grand jury did not indict a Chattanooga man whose 15-month-old son died after being left in a hot car for hours. Robert Reid initially was charged with aggravated child abuse and...

City gets lengthy profile in airline magazine.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Jason M. Reynolds Aug. 9--Passengers flying into Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport on U.S. Airways Express' next flight may recognize the scenery if they read the in-flight magazine. This month's edition of U.S. Airways...