Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) articles from July 2001

Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) archives from July 2001

Foster Falls, Tenn., Residents Fight Intrusion of Gas Pipeline.
July 31, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 31--FOSTER FALLS, Tenn.--Elaine Andrews was looking forward this year to a leisurely summer at her wooded 52-acre property in Marion County. But a proposal by Duke Energy Co. to upgrade its East Tennessee...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Towing, Recovery Equipment Maker Posts Quarterly Loss.
July 31, 2001... Jul. 31--Miller Industries Inc. on Monday morning reported a narrowing loss in its fourth quarter and for the year as it saw results from efforts to manage costs. The towing and recovery equipment maker with operations in Ooltewah had a...

Optical Superstore to Open in Chattanooga, Tenn., Plaza.
July 30, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 30--Customers won't have any trouble seeing Eyear Optical's newest superstore. The 3,000-square-foot store is prominently situated at the intersection of Brainerd and Spring Creek roads and is painted in...

Manufacturing Sector Declines in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Jul. 28--For Chattanoogan James Troutman, manufacturing has been more than a way to make a living for nearly 30 years. "My grandfather worked at Lodge Manufacturing in South Pittsburg for 35 years," said the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Office Building Has New Owner, Name.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 28--The Chattanooga Gas Co. corporate building in the Bonny Oaks Industrial & Office Park has a new owner and a new name, but the natural gas distributor is temporarily leasing space in the two-story...

Golden, Colo.-Based Tech Firm To Close Chattanooga, Tenn., Plant.
July 28, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 28--Chattanooga will soon lose one of its biggest high-tech manufacturers. CoorsTek plans to close its ceramics packaging plant in Chattanooga early next year. The Golden, Colo.-based company, which planned...

Portland, Maine-Based Insurer Not Happy with Second-Quarter Performance.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 27--UnumProvident officials Thursday expressed disappointment at second quarter results which drove down the company's stock price by about 7 percent in Thursday's trading. "We're disgusted we lost a little...

Hamilton County, Tenn., Jobless Passes 3 Percent for First Time in Nine Months.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Jul. 27--Hamilton County's streak of nine straight months with less than 3 percent unemployment came to a screeching halt in June. Figures released Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce...

Businessman Leads Renovation Project in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 27, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 27--A Southside businessman, seeing a demand for office space by professionals in the revived area, is leading a group making an $800,000 upgrade to a former manufacturing site. "The kind of tenant I'm looking...

New Electrical Union Officers Say They'll Stress Safety in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 26, 2001... Byline: Michael Finn Jul. 26--Newly sworn-in officers of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No. 175 have put worker safety and an increase in the minimum wage at the top of their agenda. "We want to see the...

Tennessee Utility Company Tries to Reduce Power Purchases.
July 26, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 26--The Tennessee Valley Authority may make its money by selling more power. But in its own shop, TVA is trying to reduce the power it buys to heat, cool and light its buildings. With relatively cheap and...

Former Chief of Chattanooga, Tenn., Airline Criticizes Its Service.
July 25, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 25--The former head of Atlantic Southeast Airlines in Chattanooga is sharply criticizing the carrier's service, saying it gives the city's airport "a bad reputation." "Chattanooga officials know that their...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Conference Center Changes Its Budget, May Turn a Profit.
July 25, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 25--The Chattanoogan conference center, facing prospects of a $757,000 deficit the city was obligated to pay, has revised its budget and officials now believe it will turn a profit. "I can assure you this was...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Mayor Wants to Change City's Business Culture.
July 24, 2001... Jul. 24--Mayor Bob Corker wants to change the business culture in Chattanooga. In the process, Chattanooga's approach to economic development may shift again -- just three years after the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce took over...

Revamped Eatery in Chattanooga, Tenn., to Feature Display Cooking.
July 24, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 24--Ryan's Grill, Buffet & Bakery is taking the cooks out of the kitchen and putting them in the public eye. The new Ryan's under construction behind the current Hixson Pike restaurant will feature display...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Paint, Coating Maker to Close.
July 24, 2001... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Jul. 24--Fewer than 18 months after celebrating 90 years of paint and coating manufacture in Chattanooga, Jones-Blair Co. is shutting that operation down. Tommy Tonkin, the plant's general manager for 16 years,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport Officials Try to Resolve Runway Problem.
July 21, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 21--The head of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority said Friday the airport shouldn't pay to help a fellow panel member relocate a proposed hangar due to a mistake by a federal agency. "It doesn't...

SunTrust Bank Picks Female Executive for Position in Chattanooga, Tenn/.
July 21, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 21--SunTrust Bank has tapped the head of its Tennessee retail line of business to help direct Chattanooga's biggest bank. Margaret Callihan, a 23-year bank industry executive, was appointed president of...

Mississippi Man Picked by President to Head Tennessee Valley Authority.
July 21, 2001... Byline: Andy Sher and Dave Flessner Jul. 21--President Bush designated Glenn McCullough of Mississippi as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the White House announced Friday. The former Tupelo, Miss., mayor becomes the first...

Project at Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport Halted by Mapping Mistake.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 20--The misreading of a map of Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport by the Federal Aviation Administration has apparently led to a costly problem for a well-known city businessman and the airport. Auto dealer...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Transport Agency Reports Decrease in Passenger Trips.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 20--Passenger trips on CARTA's Incline Railway dropped sharply in June as a hazy economic picture and higher gas prices hurt mid-summer ridership. Trips on the Lookout Mountain attraction fell 17.1 percent last...

Business Slows at Chattanooga, Tenn., Convention Center.
July 19, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 19--A cooling economy and work on the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Convention and Trade Center expansion are expected to slow business for much of the rest of 2001, officials said Tuesday. "The construction is...

Gasoline Prices Remain Comparatively High in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 19, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 19--Gasoline prices in the Chattanooga area are dropping slowly but remain stubbornly high, continuing to outpace other major Tennessee cities and costing more than in any metro area in a 350-mile radius. ...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Realtors Sell Record Number of Homes.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 18--Despite an uncertain economy, home sales by Realtors in the Chattanooga area broke the record for the first six months of the year. Chattanooga area Realtors sold a total of 2,472 homes during the...

Virginia-Based Dominion Drops Plans for Nashville, Tenn.-Area Power Plant.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 18--A Virginia power company has dropped its plans to build a $600 million power plant in Cheatham County north of Nashville after nearly 200 residents protested the plant earlier this week. But Richmond,...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Trucking Firms Report Modest Gains.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 18--The slowing economy continued to put the brakes on profits at Chattanooga's major trucking companies during the second quarter. Covenant Transport Inc. and U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. on Wednesday...

Cleveland Airport Official To Become Chief of Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 17--A top Cleveland, Ohio, airport official was tapped Monday to take over the controls in Chattanooga. Mark VanLoh, 41, was picked by the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority to move into the president's...

Memphis, Tenn.-Based Bank Continues Expansion in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 17, 2001... Jul. 17--The Memphis-based National Bank of Commerce is continuing its expansion to the east with plans to build another office in Chattanooga and buy more branches in South Carolina. National Commerce Financial Corp., the parent company...

Veterinary Chain Opens Location in Chattanooga, Tenn., Pet Supply Store.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Jul. 17--A regular at Petsmart since she got a Chihuahua in May, Melinda Wilson of Collegedale now has one more reason to visit the Gunbarrel Road store. The veterinary chain, known as Banfield, The Pet Hospital,...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Brach's to Bring Back Dancing Raisins.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 17--After a 7-year hiatus, the California raisins are hitting the dance floor this summer to help reverse a slump in U.S. raisin sales. The Chattanooga-based Brach's Confections was the first company to...

Calhoun, Ga., Rug Maker Posts Record High Earnings for Second Quarter.
July 17, 2001... Jul. 17--CALHOUN, Ga.--Rug maker Mohawk Industries Inc., boosted its quarterly per-share earnings to a record high and exceeded analysts' expectations in the second quarter. Mohawk, the nation's largest publicly traded carpet manufacturer,...

Tennessee Sees Bond Rating Downgraded after Passage of New Budget.
July 14, 2001... Byline: John Commins Jul. 14--NASHVILLE, Tenn.--The patchwork budget passed Thursday night by the Tennessee General Assembly has immediate financial repercussions Friday. Standard & Poor's downgraded Tennessee's Double-A+ bond...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Medical Billing Company Moves into New Location.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 14--At the new home of the Receivables Management Group Inc., patients are billed from rooms where doctors once treated young patients. The full-service medical billing company has moved into the...

Whitfield County, Ga., Residents Seek River Water Transfer to Ease Drought.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 13--Drought-stricken residents of Whitfield County appealed to Tennessee regulators Thursday night to tap into the South's biggest river. "We need this water (from the Tennessee River) to protect the...

Krispy Kreme to Light Up Vintage Rooftop Sign in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 13--Krispy Kreme is lighting up a part of its heritage. The neon and plastic sign atop the red, white and green Krispy Kreme store on Brainerd Road will be turned on today after 25 or more years in the...

Utility Groups Tout Successes of Public Power to Tennessee Managers.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 13--Public support is growing again for public power, Tennessee's municipal electric utility managers were told Thursday. Government-owned power utilities, dismissed by their critics amid the deregulation...

Comair to Restart Service at Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport.
July 12, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 12--After more than a three-month hiatus, Comair is scheduled to restart air service at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport today with one flight. The first Comair plane to depart Chattanooga since pilots walked...

Economist Says Fed Is Likely to Make Another Interest Rate Cut.
July 12, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 12--The Federal Reserve Board likely will end this year's interest rate cuts with a final quarter percent reduction in short-term rates next month, a top bank economist said Wednesday. Robert Allsbrook,...

Bush to Nominate Former State Official to Tennessee Valley Authority Board.
July 12, 2001... Byline: Andy Sher Jul. 12--WASHINGTON--President George Bush announced Wednesday that he will nominate former state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Baxter to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority's three-member...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Gas Prices Are State's Highest.
July 11, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 11--Chattanoogans are seeing higher average gasoline prices than any metro area in the state, with a gallon of self-serve regular unleaded costing up to 18 cents more than in other cities. "I'm furious. It...

Firm Hopes to Turn Around Internet Service Provider in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 11, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 11--Former NextLec President Jeff Gomberg hopes to build a bankrupt Internet service provider in Chattanooga into a profitable nationwide company in the next three years. Mr. Gomberg's CDC.Net LLC outbid...

Budget Leaves Tennessee without More Funds for Roads, Training Incentives.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 10--The budget stalemate in Nashville has forced the state to drop one of its biggest incentives for luring new businesses to Tennessee. The temporary budget adopted by the Legislature last month left the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Florist Passes Business on to Her Daughter.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Emily McDonald Jul. 10--After 65 years as a florist, Lou Gregg is leaving the arrangements to her daughter. Earlier this year Mrs. Gregg sold Gregg's Chattanooga Florist to Judy Gregg Hacker. The business was started by...

American Eagle to Offer More Seats from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Chicago.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 7--American Eagle, whose Chattanooga boardings soared during the Comair strike, plans to boost the size of the jets the carrier flies from the city to Chicago and may add a fourth daily flight. The bigger jets...

First Tennessee Bank to Open Office in Georgia.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 7--Chattanooga's biggest banks are heading south of the border. First Tennessee Bank will open the first office under its own name in North Georgia on Monday. But it certainly won't be the last. "North...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Program Sends Teachers Into Manufacturing Workforce.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Jul. 7--Faced with the prospect of nearly three months off after nine months spent teaching seven hearing-impaired Red Bank High School students, Chris Thomas went back to work. Ms. Thomas and four fellow...

Vehicle Sales Decline in Chattanooga, Tenn., Area.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 6--Chattanoogans put the brakes on buying new vehicles last month, even as car and truck sales edged ahead nationally. Vehicle sales in Hamilton County fell 13.2 percent in June compared to the same period last...

Tennessee Valley Authority Searches Mississippi for Power Plant Sites.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 6--The Tennessee Valley Authority scrapped the only power plant it ever tried to build in Mississippi two decades ago when construction problems forced the cancellation of the proposed Yellow Creek Nuclear...

Plans Underway to Build New Restaurants in Chattanooga, Tenn.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Bob Gary Jr. Jul. 5--Northgate 8 Theaters cashier Lorriane Shell loves Panera Bread Co. pastries, but dreads the fact that they'll be available next door to her workplace this fall. "It's going to be horrible," she said....

Federal Officials to Watch Tennessee Nuclear Power Plants Closely.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 5--The nuclear power plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority -- under the closest scrutiny by federal regulators in the 1980s because of safety concerns -- are now operating well enough to receive...

Trenton, Ga., Cable TV Equipment Firm To Add Filter for Curse Words.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 4--A Trenton, Ga., company that sells cable TV converter boxes plans to install technology on its units that will block out curse words from programs and movies. "It covers just about every swear word you can...

Birch Telecom Challenges BellSouth in Chattanooga, Tenn., Market.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 3--The newest telephone company to enter the Chattanooga market has a not-so-friendly message for its main rival from man's best friend. "Three things I hate," Birch Telecom's frisky dog Buddy says from...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Nanotechnology Firm Seeks Capital for Expansion.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Mike Pare Jul. 3--Jayesh Doshi believes the world of the dot-coms and the Internet is becoming saturated, with many business people pursuing similar opportunities offering falling profit margins. "New technology has to be...

Tennessee Valley Authority Reconsiders Options for Unfinished Nuclear Plant.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Dave Flessner Jul. 3--The nation's last unfinished commercial nuclear power plant is getting a new look as a possible power source for the future by the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA announced Monday that Jack Bailey, vice...