Chattanooga Chamber names Ooltewah-Collegedale top council
The Ooltewah-Collegedale Area Council was recognized by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Wednesday as the top council among the 12 area councils in the Chattanooga area.
Christy Gillenwater, president of the Chattanooga Chamber, said the Ooltewah council helped raise more than $4,500 for local schools and worked with the local library to survey area businesses to identify and then start a program to address the biggest staffing and resource needs for local businesses.
The Chattanooga Chamber operates 12 such area councils across the Chattanooga region, which Gillenwater said "are leading our grassroots efforts" and combined gave more than 3,000 volunteer hours last year.
"Our Chamber councils have done great things over the past year," Gillenwater said.
Chattanooga State adds Med Assistants apprentices
In partnership with CHI Memorial, Chattanooga State Community College is now accepting applications for its first registered apprenticeship in a "white collar" occupation.
The one-year apprenticeship for Medical Assistants will include paid full-time employment at CHI's Chattanooga-area clinics, classes in the evening and online, and on-the-job learning to prepare participants for a career with CHI. At the end of their training, successful apprentices will be eligible to take the National Health Career Association's Certified Clinical Medical Assistant exam.
CHI Memorial joins such local business leaders as Gestamp Chattanooga, Komatsu, Mueller, WestRock, Valmont Industries, Sphere One and Chattanooga Bakery in becoming a registered apprenticeship partner with Chattanooga State.
"We launched our first apprenticeship in manufacturing in 2019," said Pam Gitta, Chattanooga State's Apprenticeship manager. "Since then, we've seen excellent growth in that field, but it's exciting to show the community that apprenticeships are also available outside of traditional blue-collar careers."
Interested applicants can forward their resumes to ewd@chattanoogastate.edu or call the apprenticeship office at (423) 697-3320.
U.S. gas prices rise after 99 days of decline
After 99 consecutive days of declining gasoline prices, the cost for a gallon has edged a penny higher.
National-average prices soared above $5 per gallon over the summer adding to financial pressure on families and a potential threat for the Biden administration. While the White House has no role in determining what you pay at the pump, gas prices are always a political issue.
According to the AAA, the average price for gasoline Wednesday rose a penny to about $3.68 per gallon, but prices have been in steady decline. Wednesday's average is lower than the week-ago average of $3.70 per gallon, and well below last month's average of $3.90 per gallon.
Home sales slipped, prices grow slower
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed in August for the seventh month in a row, as sharply higher mortgage rates and rising home prices made home buying less affordable.
The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that existing home sales fell 0.4% last month from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.80 million. That's higher than what economists were expecting, according to FactSet.
Sales fell 19.9% from August last year, and are now at the slowest annual pace since May 2020, near the start of the pandemic. The national median home price jumped 7.7% in August from a year earlier to $389,500.
— Compiled by Dave Flessner