An animal control dispatcher asked an animal control officer over the police scanner why he didn’t climb a tree to remove a raccoon from it.

The reply: “Because I’m not a raccoon, and I’m not a tree climber. That was about 30 or 40 years ago.”

Not sure if that refers to him shimmying up trees or being a furry mammal.

CARPENTERS UNIONS ENDORSE HAMMOND, VINCENT

Tennessee state House candidate Jim Vincent and Hamilton County sheriff candidate Jim Hammond, both Republicans, have received the endorsements of the Tennessee Carpenter’s Regional Council and Chattanooga’s Carpenters’ Local 74 union.

Mr. Vincent is challenging incumbent state Rep. Jim Cobb, R-Spring City, for the District 31 seat, which he once held. Mr. Hammond is going up against Democrat Greg Beck, independent candidates Jim Winters and Tim Akins, and write-in candidate Fred Fuson.

The state primary and sheriff’s election are Aug. 7.

FACING DOWN THE FOOTPRINT

The Committee to Re-Instate Weekly Curbside Recycling met Thursday to discuss the size of Chattanooga’s carbon footprint.

Frank DePinto, who heads up the committee, has been seeking records from the city regarding how many trips are made by city trucks to the Birchwood Landfill each week and the amount of methane the city’s landfills emit.

The committee will meet again Monday for a slideshow presentation on global warming. In his invitation to the meeting, Mr. DePinto included a petition calling for weekly curbside pickup of recyclables to be returned in the city.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM YOUR FRIENDLY COUNTY OFFICIALS

The Hamilton County Commission passed its fiscal budget for next year, but the elected officials also demonstrated they were able to carry a tune.

Commissioner Curtis Adams asked the room to stand and sing “Happy Birthday” to Patti Lacourse, a staffer in County Finance Administrator Louis Wright’s office. Those in attendance complied happily.

Ms. Lacourse looked shy as she made her way to the center of the hall for the song. Her coworkers had asked the commission to surprise Ms. Lacourse with the song, according to County Commissioner Bill Hullander.

“I thought it would be an appropriate time since you were part of being involved in this budget, and I know you’ve been stressed like some of the rest of them,” Mr. Hullander said. “And we’ll remember next year when your birthday is, too.”

Though one or two commissioners sounded more tonedeaf than others, the commission held the sometimes-challenging tune together, more or less, with almost everyone ending the song together. The commission also showcased a surprisingly dominant baritone.

AN OLD-FASHIONED SIT AND STUMP

Candidates running in the Aug. 7 or Nov. 4 elections are invited to come and stump at the Wilkes T. Thrasher VFW Post 4848 on July 27. The cost for a table and campaign literature is $35, according to a news release. Candidates must reserve their tables by mail or in person. Any candidate who wishes to answer questions or speak will have the chance to do so. For more information, call John Scott, post commander, at 624-6687. The VFW Post is at 1491 Riverside Drive, next to the Boathouse Restaurant.

SHERIFF FORUM ON MONDAY

The nonpartisan Southeast Tennessee Political Action Committee is welcoming the public to a Hamilton County sheriff’s forum Monday night at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. The event will run from 6-7:30 p.m. at the hotel, located at 1400 Market St. Candidates Tim Akins, Greg Beck, Jim Hammond and Jim Winters are expected to participate in the forum.

A PLEA ON PANTS

During the Chattanooga City Council’s public comment period last week, Lawrence Curry pleaded for the elected body to take action against low-drooping pants. He said it’s a trait he’s noticed from employees at chains like KFC and Wendy’s. “These people that (are) waiting on you have these pants down below where they’re supposed to be,” Mr. Curry said last Tuesday night. “When is the council going to do something about this?”

Assistant City Attorney Mike McMahan said he has experience in these appearance issues because one of the first matters he spent time on for the City of Chattanooga dealt with the hair of fire and police personnel.

“The law is very restrictive about the power of a government to regulate personal appearance,” he said. “Even though the court did approve haircut regulations for firefighters and police officers, I can assure you I was grilled by the court when I took the case up. They took a skeptical view of such matters by governments.

“To be a little bit more specific, I don’t think it’d be at all possible to pass such an ordinance that would be upheld by a court,” Mr. McMahan said.

CHATTANOOGA HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS NEW WEB SITE

After being disabled for several weeks, the Chattanooga Housing Authority’s Web site is back on line, but it has a new address: www.chahousing.org.

The new Web site contains the same features and information as the previous one, housing officials said.

Comments