WDEF News 12 - Local Business News

Chattanooga Kids on the Block Get Fitted for New Glasses

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:10 -0400

(WDEF) The Chattanooga Kids on the Block get a makeover.
     And it's thanks to Eyear Optical.
     Some of the Kids on the Block puppets have been sporting old and out of style glasses.
     A few even had broken glasses.
     So the folks at Eyear Optical decided to fix that by offering free "eye exams" and glasses fittings for the kids.
     Kelly Lowry of Chattanooga Kids on the Block said, "It's very important for the puppets to relate to the kids. We always tell the children at the beginning of each program our kids are just like you. They're just like me. They have differences and that's what makes the world go round, is we all have differences and we're all unique in our own way."
     Kids on the Block officials say it's the perfect way to get the puppets ready for summer and the next schoolyear.

Blockbuster Closes Its Last Store in Chattanooga

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:35:43 -0400

CHATTANOOGA, TN. (WDEF) --Blockbuster is closing its last store in Chattanooga, but the company insists it's not going out of business.
The legendary movie rental store has fallen on hard times in recent years.
Blockbuster is being battered by competitors Netflix and Redbox.

Dropping by a Blockbuster store and picking up a movie to take home has been a tradition for many for 30 years.
But in 2013 it's a lot easier to find what you want to watch on cable or on-line.
A sign of the times, this is the Blockbuster store on Highway 58, and it will close on June 13th.

TYSON PORTER, STORE MANAGER "Well, we're selling the entire store..everything in the store must go."

Blockbuster filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010, and the company was bought in 2011 by Dish Network.
But Dish began closing 300 of its 1700 remaining brick and mortar locations a few weeks later.
At one time, there were 7 stores in the Chattanooga area.
But many customers found Netflix and Red Box more convenient.

TAMMY PERSINGER, CHATTANOOGA "Its been several years since I've used them..because Redbox came out and I started using it."

Some customers think losing Blockbuster will create a new set of problems.

MIKE EAVES, CHATTANOOGA "I've already started since I moved to the other side of town..using the Red Box..but it is very limited and they said if you really want to get first run movies..coming out here...but with it closing...it's leaving less options."

Last year, Blockbuster began offering DVD-by-mail services and video streaming on its website, which will continue.

TREY ALLEN, CHATTANOOGA ".. 99 cents a movie..why not? I don't buy movies..I'm only going to watch them one time anyway."

Two stores remain open in southeast Tennessee--one in Cleveland and the other in McMinn county.

Volunteer Dog Walkers Needed for Cleveland Animal Control Facility

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:42:52 -0400

(WDEF) Want to help shelter animals, but you don't have any more room in your house to adopt or foster a pet? Running low on cash and can't donate? There's another way.

As Cleveland Animal Control works with Cleveland For A No Kill City toward implementing programs to stop the killing of healthy, adoptable dogs and cats, Cleveland Animal Control Director Gene Smith is putting out a call for volunteers to help dogs at the shelter get some exercise and socialization.

Last summer, Cleveland City Council implemented a mandatory hold time of 72 hours for owner surrender pets. There is already a five-day hold time for stray pets. Cleveland Animal Control is currently holding animals for even longer than the mandatory hold times, whenever possible, to help all pets get the greatest chance of being adopted. Some pets are even being held for up to a month, if space allows, so that Cleveland for A No Kill City has more time to network and find rescues and adopters.

Smith sees a problem with holding pets for so long. The dogs are confined to their kennel space 24 hours a day, seven days a week during their time at the shelter.

"If we could get volunteers to walk some of the dogs who have been here longest, it would help the pet's emotional and mental stability," Smith said. "These volunteers would help us go further toward reaching our No Kill mission."

The program for those walking dogs is a city volunteer program, and not part of Cleveland For A No Kill City. Volunteers who wished to participate should visit Cleveland Animal Control for a volunteer packet. The shelter is located at 360 Hill Street SE in Cleveland. Shelter hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon.

First DARE Contest Winner Encourages Fellow Students at Kiwanis Recognition

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:07 -0400

(WDEF) Back in 2006, April Dominguez was the first winner of the Whitfield County DARE Essay Contest to be honored by the Kiwanis Club of Dalton.
Now a senior at Southeast Whitfield High School, Dominguez returned to the eighth annual recognition ceremony at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center on May 13 to talk about how the DARE program has affected her life.
“I don’t know what I can tell you guys that DARE hasn’t already taught you,” she said, “but I guess I’ll just start off by saying that peer pressure is very real and people that you thought were your friends are going to try to pressure you into doing things that you don’t want to do. You might lose friends and they’re going to try to ridicule you and call you a baby for not doing what others are doing.
“I think that’s what DARE taught me,” Dominguez said, “not just the ability to say no but I think it was more of the ability to deal with the aftermath of saying no, how to deal with people trying to ridicule you for making the right choice.”
DARE taught her to be courageous in the choices she makes, Dominguez said. “Since being in high school, I’ve been given the opportunity to try drugs, and every single time I’ve stood my ground and now whenever I say no, nobody laughs because they know that’s not one of my priorities. They know that’s not what I’m about so they don’t even offer me it anymore.”
She urged the fifth-grade essay winners being honored at the program not to let peer pressure affect their decisions. “Whatever you’re doing, if you believe that it’s the right choice, then it’s the right choice,” she said. “Don’t be afraid and speak your mind. Stand up firmly in what you think is right.”
Temptations will be there, she said, “and you guys have learned tons of ways to say no, so use every single weapon that you possibly can. There are so many adults who are willing to help you if you do need help. It’s going to be tough, you might slip once or twice, but don’t forget who you are, and don’t change for anyone because it’s not worth it. So be proud in you and be proud in the choices that you make every single day.
“I think DARE has taught you guys just about everything that you need to know,” Dominguez said. “It helped me to get to where I am today, graduating with honors and attending the University of Georgia this fall. I know the pressures are going to build in college, but I think that DARE has taught me to be ready to accept whatever comes my way. So I wish you guys all the best, and I hope you take what you learned in this program to heart and use it in the future because it’s going to come in handy.”
The 13 winners of this year’s DARE Essay Contest were recognized during the program, including Gissel Guzman of Cedar Ridge Elementary, overall winner and recipient of a plaque and $100; Amelia McClure, Beaverdale Elementary, second place and recipient of a plaque and $50; and Crystal Toche, Antioch Elementary, third place and recipient of a plaque and $20.
Also recognized were winners from each of the county’s other elementary schools, including Coda Voyles - Cohutta, Carly Edwards - Varnell, Mallory McAllister - Pleasant Grove, Tyson Haley - New Hope, Samantha Samano - Valley Point, Patton Pickard – Dawnville, Reyna Fraire – Dug Gap, Olivia Mauldin – Westside, Kate Burton – Tunnel Hill, and Sandra Gudino – Eastside.
District Attorney Bert Poston, a member of the Kiwanis Club who has served as emcee for all eight honors programs, praised the students for their efforts on the winning essays.
“This program is first and foremost about you students that have won the essay contest at your school and are here today,” he said. “We want you to know how very proud we are of all of you. You have shown that you paid attention during the DARE program and actually learned from it.”
He also praised the parents who attended the recognition ceremony. “These kids couldn’t do it without your support,” Poston told them, “and I see it in the district attorney’s office that the kids we deal with and the adults that we deal with generally come from homes that don’t have that kind of support. That support is so important for these kids, and we’re so glad that you’re behind them and that you’re here today. Likewise with the teachers, the impact that you have on these kids is tremendous. We really appreciate you taking your time out today – the principals and others with the school system that are also here.”
Sheriff Scott Chitwood thanked the school administrators for allowing the sheriff’s office to hold the DARE program each year since 1987, noting that he must have permission from the schools to teach DARE.
“We always say at our DARE graduation that if we changed the life of one person, one student, then we’ve made a difference,” he said. “When we attend programs like this where the Kiwanis Club takes the time to set aside one program each year to recognize the outstanding work of the school system and these fine students, it brightens our day.”
DARE instructors Tammy Silvers and Darlene Roberts presented each of the 13 winners with certificates of recognition. Also attending the program was Lt. Wayne Mathis, who is in charge of the DARE program.
“You’re the top 13 out of just over a thousand students that went through this program,” Silvers said, “so you’re the cream of the crop. You’re the ones that others are going to be looking at to make those good choices and to make that decision for staying drug free. You’re that role model, and you have to make that stand to stay drug free from now on.”
Roberts pointed out that the students had to get up in front of their class and read their essays to make a promise to stay drug free and violence free.
“I would not have wanted to judge any of these essays, much less pick the top three out of this 13,” she said. “You guys truly are the cream of the crop. We are so very proud of you for your efforts and for your accomplishments.”
This year, millions of school children around the world will benefit from DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), which gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.
DARE was founded in 1983 in Los Angeles and has proven so successful that it is now being implemented in 75 percent of the nation’s school districts and in more than 43 countries around the world.
DARE is a law enforcement officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through middle school how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug- and violence-free lives.

SIDEBAR 1:

The winning essay in the eighth annual DARE Essay Contest, written by Gissel Guzman, Miss Raines’ class, Cedar Ridge Elementary School, follows:
My D.A.R.E. Essay
Hello! My name is Gissel, and through these past weeks of D.A.R.E., I’ve learned about many things! Drugs, communication, bullying, and the list goes on. I appreciate Mrs. Silvers for teaching us about things we should avoid and what we shouldn’t. I am now going to share my experience with you.
My first Thursday with Mrs. Silvers was magnificent. The first thing she taught us was the Decision Making Model. Once everybody got the hang of it, we then used it a bunch of times to solve problems. I thought the Decision Making Model was an easy way to solve problems, so I used it in some of my problems. I know you might be pondering what the Decision Making Model stands for; it stands for define, assess, respond, and evaluate. Define is when you describe the problem or challenge. Assess is when you think about how many choices you have. Respond is when you respond or make a choice. Last but not least, you Evaluate; you review your decision.
I’m not going to tell you what we did every Thursday, but I will talk about it quickly. Next, we talked about drugs and resistance strategies. Mrs. Silvers taught us really cool facts about drugs. I’m going to tell three facts:
1.Mixing alcohol with medicine is dangerous;
2.Alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of 21;
3.There are more than 200 chemicals in cigarette smoke.
In the resistance strategies lesson, we learned how to avoid the situation, strength, walking away, saying no, or giving an excuse. I think these are magnificent strategies.
Mrs. Silvers taught us about peer pressure, stress, and pressure. Peer pressure is when people your age try to get you to do something. Pressure is a force or influence that acts on you to do something. Stress is any strain, pressure, or excitement felt about a situation or an event.
Next, Mrs. Silvers taught us about communication styles. Here they are:
1.Confident: acting in any way while respecting others;
2.Unsure: being uncertain or unwilling to stand up for yourself;
3.Demanding: acting in a way that is hostile; attacking others without regard for their feelings.
Mrs. Silvers said the best way is “confident,” because you are respecting others.
Next, I’ll talk about nonverbal communication, effective listening, and empathy. Nonverbal communication is physical actions or body language that goes with what we are saying. Effective listening is showing the other person through verbal and nonverbal communication that you are paying attention. Last but not least, empathy is about understanding how other people feel.
Mrs. Silvers talked to us about bullying and bystanders. Bullying is an aggressive or unwanted behavior used again and again to isolate, harm, or control another person. A bystander is someone who witnesses bullying and who has an opportunity to help.
Next, I’ll talk about tattling and telling. Tattling is when you want to get someone in trouble for a harmless behavior. Telling is providing information to a trusted adult to help someone or keep them safe.
Do you know what a good citizen is? Well, a good citizen is someone who acts responsibly by helping someone who is in need.
Do you have a help network? Do you even know what a help network is? A help network is a person or a group you can call on for advice, help, encouragement, or guidance.
What is a fact? Well, a fact is something that can be proven to be true. A risk is taking a chance!
Last, “I, Gissel Guzman, pledge to never take drugs nor do bullying.” Thanks for listening!

Sen. Bob Corker Writes to Army Corps of Engineers About Sunken River Barge on Tennessee River

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:28:49 -0400

(WDEF) WASHINGTON – In a letter Thursday regarding a barge moored in the Tennessee River across from the Chattanooga Riverfront, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., wrote to Lieutenant Colonel James DeLapp, commander of the Nashville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, urging the Corps to, “keep in mind the significant negative effects that this has on the community when making the decision whether or not to revoke its permit.”

Full text of the letter follows and is attached.

Dear Lieutenant Colonel DeLapp:

     It has come to my attention that the permit for a barge moored in the Tennessee River across from the Chattanooga Riverfront is under review for being in non-compliance. While I understand and respect that the Army Corps has a process for reviewing such matters, I want to encourage you to keep in mind the effect that allowing this barge permit to continue could have on the Chattanooga downtown.

     Chattanooga has undertaken significant actions in recent years to develop its downtown. These efforts have served to make the Chattanooga Riverfront the jewel in the downtown crown and have helped attract new business and tourists to the area. The beautification of the Riverfront has been integral to this process and it would be disappointing to see the productive activities of hard working Chattanoogans undermined by allowing this partially sunken, dilapidated barge to mar the otherwise picturesque area. It is my sincere hope that you keep in mind the significant negative effects that this has on the community when making the decision whether or not to revoke its permit.

     Thank you for your service and I appreciate your attention to this matter. Please keep me informed should any decision be made concerning the future of this permit.

Sincerely,

Bob Corker
United States Senator

Firefighters Battle Blaze Across from Rhea Medical Center

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:20:35 -0400

(WDEF) Firefighters battled a blaze in the strip-mall located directly across from the Rhea Medical Center.
     Fire chief Jackie Reavley tells us the fire broke out in an apartment in the strip mall on Highway 27.
     Firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire.
     The strip mall had a game room on one end and Davis Floorcoverings on the other.
     Neither business suffered any damage.
     There are no reports of any injuries.

NTSB Wants To Lower Blood Alcohol Limit For Drivers

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:06:53 -0400

How many drinks would it take for a small woman to have a blood-alcohol content of point-05?
How about larger people just drinking beer?
Questions like that swirl around a proposal by the National Highway Safety Administration to drop the legal limit from point-08.
State leaders may have to make that decision eventually or risk losing federal highway funding.

DEBORAH HERSMAN, CHAIRMAN, NTSB "There were almost a thousand fatalities in the United States in 2011, involving driver's who had their BAC between point-05 and point-07."

Right now its just in the talking stage, but it could become a federal mandate.
The move to point-08 came in 1998, during the Clinton administration, but there have been nearly 440 thousand deaths due to alcohol-related crashes in the last 30-years.
Now the push for the point-05 figure raises some issues, one of which is: at what level is a person actually impaired?

JOE LEDBETTER, CO-FOUNDER, CHATTANOOGA WHISKEY CO. "The point-08 to point-04 is such a moving target . Really. What I care about is education, and making sure people understand, 'don't drink and drive'..know your limits."

That limit might be one drink for some, several for another person.
Rep. Vince Dean says the state's highways are already safer, but he wouldn't stand in the way of such a law.

REP. VINCE DEAN, (R) EAST RIDGE "We were down 27% last year in alcohol related deaths ..that's still too many..we're still having way too many."

Representative Richard Floyd fights most bills involving liquor..and he's doubtful anything will come of it in Nashville.

REP. RICHARD FLOYD, (R) CHATTANOOGA "We have lost, estimates as high as 11 million dollars in the last 5 years in the state of Tennessee because we can't pass an open-container law...and we can't draw down federal funds."

MARK ROSENKER, FORMER NTSB CHAIRMAN "Studies have shown that if you can bring it down to point-05, you can significantly reduce the number of fatalities, accidents and injuries on our nation's highways."

But, skeptics think there may be more fatalities from people texting behind the wheel, than from a small drop in blood alcohol content.

A blood content of point-05 is already the law in 100 other countries.
The NTSB can't force states to lower their legal limit, but it can try to persuade Congress to support the idea.

National Salvation Army Week Celebrated with Music and Arts in Chattanooga

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:45:30 -0400

(WDEF) This week marks national Salvation Army Week.
     In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared this week Salvation Army week to encourage volunteerism and giving back.
    The greater Chattanooga area Salvation Army likes to give back with its school of music and arts spring graduation.
     It's a time to look ahead to the summer months and programs like the Salvation Army summer day camp.
     That's a three week summer camp aimed at encouraging kids' musical talents.
     Major Algerome Newsome explained, "As you know as high schools and school budgets have gotten cut or get cut over the season, music programs are one of the ones that get cut the most, and we find that students who excel in music also excel at school. And so we wanted to continue to promote the music arts in this city."
     The camp costs $50 per week.

CARTA's Parking Enforcement is Making Money

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:56:15 -0400

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) --- The city's efforts to create more parking spaces in downtown Chattanooga are apparently working.
And, that program is also bringing-in more revenue.
CARTA took-over that job from city police last October.

If you decide to park on the curb in Nashville, Birmingham or Philadelphia, it'll cost you between 2-dollars and 6.75 cents an hour.
It Chattanooga, its 75-cents an hour.
CARTA has installed new pay stations like this one in front of the Aquarium and enforcement is done by the so-called Ambassadors.
They smile----but its a much tighter enforcement.

GREGORY ALEXANDER, PARKING AMBASSADOR "What we don't want is that person to leave saying that they got a ticket. We want them to leave saying someone helped them find where they need to go."

CARTA, which has been operating the city's parking meters, agreed last year to take on enforcement.
The bus service contracted with Republic Parking which hires and supervises the eight parking ambassadors like Chris King.

He is one of those who took the job once done by police department employees.

JIM BOWEN "They had other jobs..other than just enforcing the parking. They would work accidents, they would work crowd control."

The Ambassadors try to make sure all visitors and shoppers can find a place to park.

JIM BOWEN "You can see the difference out in front of the stores...the ultimate goal is to have about 15% of the stations available at any given time."

Six months into the program, the Chattanooga Parking Authority has collected almost 440-thousand dollars in parking fees and fines. In 2012, the city made only 220-thousand dollars for the entire year.

JIM BOWEN "That's working really well. We have a program that allows the work staff at the various restaurants and shops to park offsite in garages for 15-to-20 dollars a month. We've got 140 of them signed up."

Jim Bowen says CARTA will do an assessment of their parking enforcement program later this yea to see what changes may need to be made.
And, by the way---downtown parking will be free on Memorial Day.

VetForce1 Kick Off Event Brings Chattanooga Area Veterans Together with Veteran-Friendly Employers

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:38:49 -0400

(WDEF) A new organization kicked off a better way for veterans to job search Monday night.
     VetForce1 gets veterans together with veteran-friendly companies.
     The goal is to give vets a fighting chance to enter the civilian job market.
     VetForce1 offers programs and support to help veterans and their families make a successful transition from military service to civilian life.
     Jared Dickerson is a veteran of the US Army. He said, "People that have experience in the military want that experience to translate into the job field. So they're not always necessarily looking for entry-level positions."
     Larry Trabucco is the VetForce1 President. He said, "For the military, they have a different language. They have acronyms that they use and what we want to do and what they've asked us to do is help them translate their language and skill level into the private sector."
     Monday night's kick-off event was packed.