Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) articles from December 2002

Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) archives from December 2002

Calhoun, Ga.-Based Carpet Company Succeeds in Conversion from Textiles.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 1--CALHOUN, Ga.--In the view of at least one analyst, The Dixie Group Inc. has "beaten the odds" in going from making textiles to making carpet. "With most companies I see that transition that dramatically,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Gas Utility to Move to New Headquarters Building.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 1--Chattanooga Gas Co. plans to shift into its new headquarters building in the growing Shallowford Road area in mid-December. Larry Buie, Chattanooga Gas' general manager, said the utility will move its...

Franchisee Closes Four Burger Kings in Chattanooga, Tenn., Area.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 3--Burger King is shrinking its Chattanooga domain, but the owner of the local fast-food restaurants insists it is not retreating from the local market. AmeriKing, one of the nation's biggest franchisees of...

Sequoyah, Tenn., Nuclear Power Plant Keeps Operating Costs Lowest in Nation.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 3--The Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant generated power over the past three years at the lowest cost of any nuclear plant in the country, according to a new study by an industry newsletter. Nucleonics Week, a...

Executive of Chattanooga, Tenn., UnumProvident Heads Christian Foundation.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 3--The family that helped build Chattanooga's biggest business over the past century has an even bigger dream to build. "We want to build people and programs that can bring Christianity to every man, woman...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Over-the-Counter Drug Maker Splits Stock.
December 3, 2002

New Vehicle Sales Drop in Hamilton County, Tenn.
December 4, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 4--New vehicle sales in Hamilton County plunged in November as buying dropped under the 1,000 auto mark for the first month this year. Car and truck sales totaled 991 units in November, 23.1 percent below the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport to Add Explosives Detection.
December 6, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 6--Explosives detection machines designed to find bombs in the luggage of airline passengers are being added at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. Five machines are expected to be installed in the lobby in front...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Company Buys Automotive Plant in Warrenton, Ga.
December 6, 2002... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 6--The Chattanooga-based Livingston Co. agreed Thursday to buy Wheland Automotive Industries' former Warrenton, Ga., plant for $2.25 million. The deal approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Thomas Stinnett...

Tennessee Utility Adds Hybrid Vehicles to Its Fleet.
December 6, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 6--One of the nation's biggest power utilities is getting a new source of power to transport some of its managers. The Tennessee Valley Authority has bought 13 new hybrid gas- and battery-powered vehicles as...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport Drops Post-Sept. 11 Security Check.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 10--Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport on Monday eliminated the security checks of vehicles entering the facility's parking lot that were put in place after last year's terror attacks. A $1 per vehicle surcharge...

Some Tennessee Officials Say It's Time to Offer Incentives to Auto Makers.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 10--Tennessee promoters insist the Volunteer State is geographically best positioned to capitalize on the shift south in U.S. auto production. But some business and development officials worry that Tennessee...

Southern Tennessee Hospital Makes Top-100 List.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 10--Parkridge Medical Center, which has upgraded its treatment programs and invested more than $60 million in new facilities over the past four years, was recognized Monday as one of the 100 top hospitals in the...

Tennessee Valley Authority's Nuclear Power Program Makes Turnaround.
December 10, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 10--The Tennessee Valley Authority's nuclear power program, rated as one of the industry's most troubled in the 1980s, has since become one of the best performing businesses in the state, a statewide quality...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Restaurant May Return to Old Address.
December 10, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Office Supply Company Has New Name, Headquarters.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Carolyne Park Dec. 11--Family-owned Chattanooga Office Supply has grown over its 62 years in business and three generations of the Ireland family, said company President H.H. "Skip" Ireland III. Now the company sells a wide...

Two Executives To Depart Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Road Materials Firm.
December 11, 2002... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 11--Two top executives will be leaving Chattanooga-based Astec Industries Inc. at month's end, said the company's chairman and CEO, J. Don Brock, on Tuesday. Dr. Brock said Richard Bethea, Astec's executive...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Jewelers See No Drop in Sales Despite Economic Slump.
December 12, 2002... Byline: Ashley M. Heher Dec. 12--Diamonds, indeed, may be forever. Local jewelers said this week that despite a slump in the nation's economy Chattanooga area customers are continuing to purchase rings, earnings, necklaces and...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Hamburger Chain to Expand Again into Texas.
December 12, 2002

Barbecue Restaurant Chain Drops Suit against Charleston, S.C.-Based Rival.
December 12, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn., Chamber Chief Uses Banking Experience to Stir Job Growth.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 13--Jeff Olingy has worked for large banks such as NationsBank and the Bank of Boston, but he sees his work now at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce as yielding dividends for the city. "We're in the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Downtown Blocks May Fill with Government Office Buildings.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 13--Two of the least developed blocks in the center of downtown Chattanooga may be filled with government office buildings if the sites are cleared of environmental problems, officials said Thursday. ...

Nashville, Tenn.-Based Hospital Operator Questions Blue Cross Decision.
December 13, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 13--Officials with HCA Inc. questioned Thursday why Tennessee's biggest health insurer is removing Parkridge, East Ridge and other HCA hospitals from one of the state's biggest preferred health plans next year....

Russian Leaders Study Chattanooga, Tenn., Economic Development Efforts.
December 13, 2002

Hamilton County, Tenn., Tech-Business Center to Be Overseen by Nonprofit.
December 13, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn., Worker Charges Teamsters with Discrimination.
December 13, 2002

UnumProvident Workers Supply Christmas Gifts for Agency.
December 14, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 14--CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--Ellie Johnson of Family & Children's Services of Chattanooga says some of her clients' Christmas lists don't make the typical requests which show up this time of year. Everyday items such...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport to Drop Security Parking Surcharge.
December 17, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 17--Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport users are expected to see a break in parking fees when the facility drops a $1 a car surcharge tacked on for security reasons after last year's terror attacks. However,...

Hospital Chain HCA Airs Dispute with Tennessee BlueCross BlueShield.
December 17, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 17--The nation's biggest hospital chain Monday accused BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee of raising its premiums for its subscribers more than what it is paying health care providers and unfairly limiting access...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport Sets Sights on North Atlanta Passenger Traffic.
December 17, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn., Security Firm Participated in Unfair Labor Practices.
December 18, 2002

Retailers Hope for Last Rush before Christmas.
December 20, 2002... Byline: Mike O'Neal Dec. 20--With this weekend being the last before Christmas, retailers are preparing for a last minute rush of seasonal shoppers. The traditional start of the shopping season -- the Friday after Thanksgiving -- is...

Tennessee Valley Authority Gets Help Re-evaluating Operations.
December 20, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 20--Theresa Flaim was a graduate student at Cornell University studying agricultural economics when she was asked to accompany two of her professors to a public hearing about a proposed nuclear reactor on Lake...

South Carolina Paper Manufacturer to Cut Jobs at Calhoun, Tenn., Plant.
December 20, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn., Investors to Buy Stock in Local Long-Distance Company.
December 20, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn., Retailers Guard against Shoplifting.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Mike O'Neal Dec. 21--Retailers trying to protect their bottom line this holiday season are increasingly calling on security measures to curb shoplifting, according to industry reports. Merchants said they are employing a...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Utility to Contribute to Economic Development Efforts.
December 21, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 21--Chattanooga electricity users will be providing some of the juice to energize a $120 million upgrade of the downtown riverfront. EPB directors Friday authorized the municipal power utility to contribute...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Dealer to Sell DaimlerChrysler's Sprinter Cargo Vans.
December 21, 2002

TVA Coal-Fired Plant near Oak Ridge, Tenn., Named Nation's Most Efficient.
December 21, 2002

Hospital to Lose about $7 Million Due to Loss of Tennessee BlueCross.
December 24, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 24--Parkridge Medical Center could lose up to $7 million in income next year because of the loss of business from BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, a hospital official said Monday. "The bottom line is that...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Custom Publisher Aims to Provide Jobs to Area.
December 24, 2002... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 24--Even as he was tending bar, waiting tables and studying primate behavior, David McDonald knew what he really wanted to do. "I've had a printing press since age nine," said Mr. McDonald, 43. "My grandfather...

Chattanooga, Tenn., High-Speed Link Meets Delays; Alternatives Are Considered.
December 24, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 24--Chattanooga's entry to the high-speed information superhighway may have to take a new route. The initial intercity link for the new city-sponsored Metro-Net encountered some unexpected delays and...

Former Tennessee Utility Chair Now Economic Adviser to Chinese Territory.
December 24, 2002

Tennessee Retailers Gear Up for Post-Holiday Returns, Sales.
December 26, 2002... Byline: Mike O'Neal Dec. 26--Merchants said they expect today will be another pack-the-parking lot, jam-the-aisles kind of holiday shopping experience. Only today, merchants said many people will be returning Christmas gifts. But...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Large-Scale Wood Restorer Doesn't Have to Scrape By.
December 26, 2002... Byline: Ashley M. Heher Dec. 26--Douglas Baxter's workshop near Bonny Oaks Drive in Chattanooga is littered with old wood waiting to be reborn. There are the cabinet of a 1927 Sohmer & Co. piano, dismembered fireplace mantles and...

Chattanooga Women Realtors' Group Names New President.
December 27, 2002... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Dec. 27--It took Jennifer Grayson just six months to go from client to agent at Chattanooga Realty. Today, Mrs. Grayson is relocation director at the same agency, now known as Coldwell Banker 1st Chattanooga...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Charities Appeal for Year-End Donations.
December 28, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 28--Christmas may have over for another year, but the gift-giving season is still peaking this year for many Chattanooga charities. "The last few days of the year are always busy for us as people clean up...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Jobless Rate Drops to 3.2 Percent.
December 28, 2002

Chattanooga, Tenn., BellSouth Officials Toast First Long-Distance Customers.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 31--BellSouth officials in Chattanooga didn't wait until New Year's Eve to break out the bubbly Monday. The telephone company shared a champagne brunch with its first long-distance customers in Chattanooga...

Hospital Giant, Blue Cross Clash Could Limit Tennesseans' Health Care Options.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 31--Tennessee's biggest health care giants appear headed for a rift tonight that could limit where nearly 900,000 Tennesseans receive hospital treatments. HCA, the nation's largest hospital chain, appealed...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Retailers See Ups, Downs in Post-Christmas Sales.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Mike Pare Dec. 31--Some Chattanooga area retailers reported Monday that shopping activity since Christmas is a mixed bag as merchants try to garner momentum heading into 2003. "We had a strong end of the week. Thursday, Friday...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Workers Probably Won't Get to Spend Their Earnings Gains.
December 31, 2002... Byline: Dave Flessner Dec. 31--Most Chattanooga workers can expect bigger paychecks this year, but personnel managers warn that most of the gain in earnings likely will be absorbed by inflation and higher health insurance premiums. ...