Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) articles from December 2000

Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) archives from December 2000

Chattanooga, Tenn., Business Leaders Predict Economic Slowdown.
December 30, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 30--The American economic expansion, already the longest on record, has driven Chattanooga's unemployment rate to a historic low and boosted business investment in Tennessee to successive record highs in the...

Self-Checkout Registers Gain A Following among Chattanooga, Tenn., Grocers ».
December 30, 2000... Byline: Yolanda Putman Dec. 30--Self-checkout is continuing to check in at area groceries. A year and a half ago, the Highway 58 Winn-Dixie became the first store in Chattanooga to have an automated self-checkout. Now...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Workers Can Expect Higher Wages and Health Costs.
December 30, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 30--Most Chattanooga workers can expect a pay raise of more than 3 percent this year. But for many employees, part of their additional wages will be absorbed in higher health care costs. Chattanooga...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Christian Bookshop Owners Buy Another Store.
December 29, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 29--Don and Sue Jordan, owners of the Good News Christian Bookshop in East Ridge, had some decisions to make when they bought Lanham's Bible Bookshop. There was the name, for instance. At a recent Christian...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Jobless Rate Drops While State, Nation Rises.
December 29, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 29--Tennessee's unemployment rate went up and surpassed the national rate in November, but the Chattanooga metropolitan area bucked that trend. Statistics released Thursday by the state's Labor and...

Firm Wants to Place Regional Call Center in Dunlap, Tenn.
December 28, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 28--A Minnesota company that answers after-hour telephone inquiries for the Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative has tapped Dunlap, Tenn., for the firm's new regional call center. Cooperative Response Center,...

Independent Seller of Used, Rare Books Opens in Chattanooga, Tenn.
December 27, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 27--The business of selling books is gaining popularity on the North Shore, as Novel Idea recently opened its doors at 38 Frazier Avenue joining the mix of unique stores aligning both sides of the street. ...

Fox Affiliate Station in Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area to Start Early News Program.
December 27, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 27--Two years ago, WDSI-TV, Fox-61 began its own local news by getting ahead of its competitors' late news programs with a newscast at 10 p.m. -- an hour before its rivals' 11 p.m. newscasts. Next month,...

Shoppers Rush to Return Items in Chattanooga, Tenn., Area.
December 27, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 27--You don't have to be stuck with that ugly tie Aunt Velma gave you for Christmas. But if you dash to the store to exchange your gift today, you better expect to wait in line with the thousands of others...

Georgia Training Center Produces Successful Group of Utility Linemen.
December 27, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 27--Another successful brood of utility linemen graduates are ready to enter the workforce after completing 15 intense weeks of courses at the Southeast Lineman Training Center nestled between Trenton and...

Bad Weather Causes Low Attendance at Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Attractions.
December 23, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 23--Jack Frost has nipped at more than Chattanoogans' noses over the holidays; he's also taken bites from a couple of Lookout Mountain attractions. Officials at Rock City and Ruby Falls said Friday that the...

Boat Motor Maker Closes Calhoun, Ga., Plant.
December 23, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 23--Outboard Marine Corp., maker of the popular Evinrude and Johnson boat motors, has closed its Calhoun, Ga., plant and laid off 600 employees, officials said Friday. The plant, located in Gordon County...

EDITORIAL: Teen-Age Smokers, Adult Litigants Defy Self-Preservation.
December 23, 2000... Dec. 23--Sane people don't generally go around jumping off cliffs. Most of us have a strong instinct for self-preservation that saves us from some extremes -- but not all. Some people know of dangers yet defy them foolishly to their own...

Study Says Land Developed by Tennessee Residents Rose Nearly 45 Percent.
December 23, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 23--Tennesseans are heading for the hills. A new study estimates that the amount of land developed for each person in Tennessee jumped by nearly 45 percent from 1982 to 1997 -- the fourth highest of any...

Former NBA Player Helps East Tennessee Firm Oversee High-End Real Estate.
December 23, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 23--In late 1995, Brandon Born had just completed one of the great careers in University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball history and was about to get his shot at the pro game. His ultimate ambition,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Hair Salon Plans Spring Move to Bigger Location.
December 22, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 22--Hair salon owners Bobby and Voula Fairbanks know about new looks. By next May, they are expecting the biggest one they've ever planned to be a part of their business. Hair Benders Internationale,...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Transit Authority Protests Planned Federal-Office Move.
December 22, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 22--CARTA directors Thursday rebuked federal officials for their plan to move the Social Security Administration field office more than a mile away from the nearest bus stop. Some board members of the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Center Officials Want Funds to Meet Construction Budget.
December 21, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 21--Trade Center officials, trying to find $4 million in savings on the facility's planned expansion to meet the construction budget, looked Wednesday at ways to scale down the project. A parking garage slated...

Owner of Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Restaurants Plans to Buy More Eateries.
December 21, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 21--Don Jones gave himself an early holiday present last month when he bought out his partners to become the sole owner of area Bojangles restaurants. But it was only a start, a chance to put more on his...

Local Activities Prevail for Chattanooga, Tenn.'s Hospitality Industry.
December 20, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 20--The adage "home for the holidays" rings true in the hospitality industry during December. As a result, there are no major conventions booked this month in Chattanooga. But local restaurants and...

Search for New Manager of Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport to Begin After New Year.
December 19, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 19--A national search to find a new manager for Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport is expected to get under way after the first of the year. Airport Authority officials said Monday they are looking at hiring a...

Valley Authority Loses Native Tennessean on Its Board.
December 19, 2000... Dec. 19--With the departure next spring of TVA Chairman Craven Crowell, there won't be a native Tennessean on the TVA board for the first time in nearly 25 years. Tennessee's Republican lawmakers insist they will push the new president...

Tool, Supply Store to Move Its Chattanooga, Tenn., Outlet.
December 19, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 19--Chattanooga's collective tool box is getting bigger. Ram Tool and Supply Co., based in Birmingham, Ala., is moving its Chattanooga retail outlet from 1301 East 12th St. to a facility under construction...

Christmas Bonuses Get Mixed Results Among Chattanooga, Tenn., Bosses.
December 16, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 16--Ebenezer Scrooge gave Bob Cratchit a Christmas bonus back in 1867 simply because he'd been infused with the spirit of the season by the spirits of the season. Mr. Scrooge would likely go about awarding...

Republicans Are Split on Who Should Be Director of Tennessee Valley Authority.
December 16, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 16--President-elect George W. Bush will get a chance next year to put the nation's largest government utility under GOP control again. But Republicans remain divided over where the next director of the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Center Suggests Budgeting to Avoid Holiday Overspending.
December 15, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 15--The day after Christmas is usually a day of reckoning for millions of consumers faced with mounds of credit card debt after they overspent during the holidays. But instead of getting the holiday blues,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Officials Consider Trimming Trade Center's Expansion.
December 15, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 15--Trade Center officials are looking at trimming the facility's planned $50 million expansion after Chattanooga Mayor Jon Kinsey said no more money would be available for the addition. "There's no added money...

Chairman of Largest Government Utility to Retire Next Year.
December 15, 2000... Dec. 15--A day after his friend Al Gore gave up his presidential campaign, Craven Crowell said Thursday he will retire next year as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Mr. Gore, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Math, Reading Center Gets Award.
December 14, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 14--James and Doris Boykin didn't know what to expect when they opened their Kumon Math and Reading Center franchise in August 1998. "I prayed that we'd have 10 students," Mr. Boykin said Wednesday. "I was...

Merchandiser Buys Chattanooga, Tenn., Wood, Metal Fixtures Maker.
December 14, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 14--A Los Angeles merchandiser has acquired one of Chattanooga's oldest manufacturers. Array Marketing Group, which was launched last year to help plan and execute in-store promotions for some of American's...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Realtors Group Holds Inauguration for Its New President.
December 14, 2000... Byline: Beverly A. Carroll Dec. 14--Three years ago veteran Realtor Randy Durham was chosen to head the Northwest Georgia Board of Realtors. It was a clean victory, no lawsuits or recounts, but he didn't get to serve a day. So his...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Transit Cannot Service New Social Security Office.
December 14, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 14--When the Social Security Administration decided to relocate its Chattanooga field office, a new suburban office park off East Brainerd Road was picked to nearly double the size of the local office. But the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Firm Pleads Guilty to Violating Environmental Laws.
December 13, 2000... Byline: Ronnie Moore Dec. 13--A Chattanooga company and two of its top officers have pleaded guilty to violating immigration and environmental laws by using illegal aliens to perform dangerous asbestos removal. From 1997 to February...

Dutch-Owned Grocery Chain Offers Gas Coupons, Discounts for Holidays.
December 13, 2000... Byline: Beverly A. Carroll Dec. 13--Bi-Lo is revving up its bonus card for the holidays. In addition to discounts and 2-for-1 purchases, Bi-Lo shoppers can earn coupons for free gas at local Golden Gallon outlets. The "Free Gas!"...

Oldsmobile Customers, Dealers Mourn GM Decision to Phase Out Division.
December 13, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 13--Fred Weinhold of Hixson has been around Oldsmobiles for most of his 61 years. "My father bought one before I was born," said Mr. Weinhold, who owns two Olds Delta 88s. "My first car, back in the 60s,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Dentist Moves to Revitalized Downtown Area.
December 12, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 12--A Chattanooga dentist is undertaking a nearly half-million dollar renovation of a century-old building in the Southside, becoming the latest professional to invest in the redeveloping area. "It was a matter...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Board Holds Off on Plans for Restaurant, Warehouse.
December 12, 2000... Byline: Beverly a. Carroll Dec. 12--Chattanooga planners Monday stalled plans for an East Brainerd restaurant and a 10,000-square-foot warehouse on Jenkins Road. But the planning board liked a proposal for five apartment buildings in...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Company Sees Stock Jump after Announcements.
December 12, 2000... Dec. 12--Shares of Chattem Inc. jumped by more than 25 percent Monday after the Chattanooga-based company announced a plan to retire about $85 million in debt, using some of the proceeds of its earlier sale of Ban antiperspirants. Alec...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Federal Workers Lead Country in Contributions.
December 12, 2000... Dec. 12--Federal employees in Chattanooga continued to lead the country in their charitable donations to the Combined Federal Campaign. But the annual fundraising drive still fell short of its goal this year. Employees of the...

Tennessee Valley Authority Sued in Dispute over Electricity Charges.
December 12, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 12--Two years after a summertime energy crunch pushed electricity prices to record highs, the Tennessee Valley Authority is still feeling the heat. Industrial power users in the Tennessee Valley contend...

Dalton, Ga., Carpet Maker to Vote on Investor's Buyout Offer Next Month.
December 9, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 9--One of America's most successful investors should own most of the world's biggest carpet company by next month. Shaw Industries Inc. mailed proxy statements to company shareholders Friday and scheduled a...

Brainerd, Tenn., Fitness Center Closes without Warning.
December 9, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 9--The Nu Lady Fitness Center, a 5-year-old Brainerd business which catered exclusively to women, has closed without the required warning to the state or payments to some workers, according to employees...

Cleveland, Tenn., Furniture Producer to Close Dec. 15.
December 9, 2000... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 9--The new year may not be happy for 86 employees of a 42-year-old Cleveland, Tenn., company. Cooke Manufacturing, which produces upholstered living-room furniture, will close Dec. 15. Owner Jim Cooke Sr.,...

Gift Refunds, Exchanges Vary From Store to Store in Tennessee.
December 9, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 9--Holiday shoppers need to think not only whether they are buying the right gift but what happens if they buy the wrong gift or a duplicate of what someone has already given. Since there's a 30 percent...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Shopping Mall to Welcome More Office Workers.
December 8, 2000... Byline: dave flessner Dec. 8--Eastgate Town Center will soon be home to more than 500 additional office workers as Chattanooga's first shopping mall continues to evolve into an office, retail and recreation complex. The manager of...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Nonprofit May Give Downtown Building to United Way.
December 7, 2000... Byline: Beverly A. Carroll Dec. 7--In this season of giving, a nonprofit group that works to preserve historic structures wants to give the United Way of Chattanooga an early present. United Way board members will meet today to...

Tennessee Valley Authority Leases Out Office Space in Chattanooga, Tenn.
December 6, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 6--With a dwindling number of employees, TVA still leases nearly 100,000 square feet of office space it no longer uses in downtown Chattanooga. But the federal utility decided last week it couldn't afford...

Confections Firm Picks New Top Officials to Be Based Out of Chattanooga, Tenn.
December 5, 2000... Dec. 5--Brach's Confections Inc. has appointed new top executives who will be based out of Chattanooga although the city remains the U.S. headquarters for the candy maker. Teun DeVen, former president of Swiss Telecom's retail business,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Hotel Industry Tries to Recruit Workers.
December 5, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 5--While retailers have been scrambling for seasonal workers this holiday season, lodging is another industry that has the "welcome" sign out as it attempts to recruit workers and alleviate its manpower woes....

Chattanooga, Tenn., War Hero Honored for Longevity, Career.
December 5, 2000... Byline: Clint Cooper Dec. 5--Chattanooga's Frank Mullinax, 82, has had two great escapes -- one while he was a prisoner of war during World War II and the other when he was an attorney with the government's price stabilization office in...

Restaurant Chain Opens Another Cajun Eatery in Chattanooga, Tenn., Area.
December 2, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 2--Before Martin Bolanos arrived to Chattanooga in 1989, he left his Mexican roots, 10 sisters and his mother and father to work for $7.50 an hour in a California school uniform factory. He later moved to...

Requests to Firestone, Ford for New Tires Slows in Chattanooga, Tenn.
December 2, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Dec. 2--After 16 weeks of drivers swarming area Firestone and Ford dealerships during a nationwide tire recall, requests have rolled to a crawl in Chattanooga and north Georgia. Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. has...

Average Salary for Chattanooga, Tenn., Workers Is Still Behind Rest of Nation.
December 2, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 2--Pay raises nearly doubled last year for the typical Chattanooga worker, according to a new federal report. But the average salary for workers in metropolitan Chattanooga continued to fall behind the rest...

Executive to Step Down from Georgia Carpet, Construction Materials Supplier.
December 1, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 1--When Leonard Chill joined Synthetic Industries 27 years ago, the company was a struggling maker of carpet backing with annual sales of $8 million. At the end of this year, Mr. Chill will step down as...