Check out our Oct newsletter!
OCTOBER 2022
Put Some Miles on the Soul
SEEING WHAT THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER
Fall is officially upon us, and many people love visiting national parks in October! The United States has some of the world’s most diverse landscapes, and there’s no better place to see America’s
through gorges and waterfalls and even find time for a round of golf at the Fall Creek Falls golf course on the Tennessee golf trail. I remember my first ever trip to Washington State to visit my grandma who lived in Tacoma, Washington. My parents took my sister and me to Mt. Ranier National Park. At 14,411 feet, Mt. Ranier is one of the highest peaks in the U.S. and absolutely gorgeous. I vividly remember seeing the snow-capped mountain top of the Cascade mountains and thinking how different it was from the Smokies. This past May, my wife and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in Sedona, Arizona, and marveled at the beautiful red rock mountains surrounding the town. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon, so we took a day trip to check it out. Everyone has seen pictures of the Grand Canyon, but those pictures do not do it justice. It’s really quite astonishing how enormous the whole thing is. We didn’t do any camping or hiking there because of the heat and my fear of heights, but we did take plenty of pictures!
beauty than in its national parks. Currently, the U.S. has 63 national parks, each encompassing a unique beauty that attracts crowds of tourists every year. While I haven’t been to many of the parks, the ones I have visited provided some fantastic memories. Being a native of East Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains are dear to my heart, and the national park is just as impressive. Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is well known for its diversity of plant and animal life and the beauty of its ancient mountains. My wife and I spent many Thanksgiving holidays with her parents in Gatlinburg. We’ll rent a nice cabin, go hiking on the trails, get some of that tourism element in, and visit the shops in Pigeon Forge. The Smokies are definitely not a place I’ll ever take for granted. In November 2016 a catastrophic forest fire ravaged the Smoky Mountains, destroying over 10,000 acres of land, claiming at least 14 lives and causing over $2 billion worth of damage. Nearly everyone I know in East Tennessee knew someone affected by the fire. Tourism is so important to the East Tennessee economy, and Tennesseans rallied to come back to the Smokies after the fires, my family included. We love the Smokies so much that we hosted a family reunion in 2017 and rented a fabulous cabin that slept 30–40 people! Our cabin had five different levels, an elevator and an enormous game room where the kids could play. The views were breathtaking and I remember being thankful that I had that time there after the tragic fires.
I don’t have any trips to national parks planned this fall, but I have several bucket-list parks I cannot wait to visit, including Red Woods and Big Sur in California, Yosemite, and of course, Yellowstone. How could I not visit Yellowstone and pay the Dutton family a visit!
In any event, if you and your family have a chance to take a quick fall break with the family, you should definitely consider some national parks! If you’re anything like me, you’ll find the scenery and solitude of these parks relaxing and the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city living!
Growing up, I have fond memories of family trips to Fall Creek Falls National Park in the Cumberland Plateau Region of Tennessee, where we would hike
901-388-5805 • 1
TAKE YOUR TAILGATE TO THE NEXT LEVEL
GET IN THE GAME
One of the best parts of football season — other than watching your team dominate the scoreboards — is tailgating! It’s a great time filled with good food, drinks, and friends. The basics are easy to remember (condiments, trash bags, silverware, etc.), but sometimes the innovative and ingenious hacks are what bring the tailgate to a whole new level. Use a Toolbox. You can find these in just about any home improvement store and turn them into a tailgating kit filled with all of the essentials. From can openers and spatulas to trash bags and sunscreen, a toolbox can hold everything and anything you may need for the best tailgating experience.
your drinks and other refrigerated items cool for hours, and then by the end of the game, you will have fresh, cold water to drink.
Set up a Hand-Washing Station. This may be one of the most overlooked essentials in tailgating. Though some may settle for a simple hand sanitizer, if you’re cooking with raw meat and marinades, you’ll want to wash your hands with soap and water. Rather than waiting in long lines and missing tailgating time, you can have a “hand-washing station” nearby so you don’t miss out on the action! An empty laundry detergent dispenser or a cooler with a water spout can be filled with warm water for rinsing your hands — just have soap and paper towels on standby. Try these tailgating hacks this coming football season — or any sporting season! Whether you’ve been showing up to the games for decades or you’re hosting your first tailgating event, these genius hacks will make your next game easy, fun, and one for the books.
It’s also great for keeping everything in one place. You can even keep it in your car so you’re ready to tailgate at any moment.
Freeze Water Bottles. Instead of having to constantly refill your coolers and spend money on bags of ice, you can actually freeze your water bottles. The frozen bottles will keep
Navigate the Contempt of Court Processes
ENFORCING THOSE CHILD SUPPORT ORDERS
The duty to pay child support to provide for the needs of a child applies to all parents. Although child support disputes usually stem from divorce proceedings, disputes also arise between parents of children born out of wedlock. The duty to pay child support is a legal obligation arising from the parent-child relationship. In divorce cases involving minor children, the Court will enter an order establishing a monthly child support obligation from
These services provided include:
An individual held in Contempt of Court for willful failure to pay child support can face either civil or criminal liability for their failure to pay child support under the court’s valid orders. When a parent refuses to pay child support, Tennessee’s DCSS has several tools to enforce child support orders and collect payments when support is not being paid, including: • Withholding wages or other income • Seizing bank or investment assets • Intercepting federal tax refunds • Revoking driver’s licenses and/or professional licenses • Reporting child support debt to credit agencies, which can have a negative impact on credit scores • Imposing a lien against a home or personal property If you have additional questions about how to enforce a child support order in Tennessee, contact Douglass & Runger, PLLC, Attorneys at Law, at (901) 388-5805, so we can help you navigate through this process.
• Establishing paternity • Establishing child support orders • Enforcing child support orders • Establishing and enforcing health insurance coverage • Obtaining and distributing child support payments
A child support order may be enforced via a Wage Assignment Order whereby a monthly child support obligation is automatically deducted each month from an obligor parent’s paycheck. If an obligor parent is unemployed or does not receive traditional income, DCSS can take child support funds from the
one parent to the other. If a parent fails to pay court- ordered support, the other parent can seek enforcement of the Court’s child support order by asking to hold the noncompliant parent in Contempt of Court.
In scenarios involving child support for the benefit of
children born outside a marriage, Tennessee’s Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) assists parents wishing to establish a child support order.
other parent’s unemployment payments, workers’ compensation funds, Social Security benefits, or veteran’s disability benefits.
2 • DouglassRunger.com
Understanding Spousal Support Avoid Jeopardizing Your Financial Security Oftentimes in a marriage, one spouse is the “bread winner” and earns significantly more income than his or her spouse. In order to provide an economically disadvantaged spouse financial support pending and after a divorce action, the Court may order an economically advantaged spouse to pay alimony, a support and maintenance payment, to an economically disadvantaged spouse. Whether or not an award of alimony is appropriate in a particular divorce action depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to: the existence of disparity of monthly income or earning capacity between the parties, the need for alimony on the part of the economically disadvantaged spouse, the ability of the economically advantaged spouse to pay alimony, the length of the marriage and fault of the parties. Although people typically associate an award of alimony at the time a divorce is finalized, a Court can also order one spouse to pay temporary alimony to the other spouse while the divorce is pending. Any type of alimony ordered by a court is enforceable by the Court, so, if your spouse refuses to pay court-ordered alimony to you, you may take action to compel payment of the obligation. The recipient spouse can initiate legal action to compel payment of alimony by filing a Petition for Contempt of Court. In order to prevail in a Petition for Contempt against a non- paying spouse, the recipient spouse must prove: (1) the existence of a Court order directing payment of alimony and; (2) the obligor spouse’s failure to pay the alimony obligation is willful, which typically means that the obligor spouse possesses the means to pay the support obligation but simply refuses to do so in direct violation of the Court’s order. In the event you are successful in holding your spouse or ex-spouse in Contempt of Court for failure to pay alimony or temporary alimony, the Court may take several different actions against the non-paying spouse. The Court may simply re-order the obligor spouse to pay the alimony obligation within a certain number of days and assess attorney’s fees against the non-paying spouse. Or, in more severe cases, the Court may order that the non-paying spouse be incarcerated until he or she makes the alimony payments. If you are divorcing and alimony is an issue in your case, you need experienced and personalized representation to ensure your interests are protected and properly presented to the Court. Contact Douglass & Runger, PLLC, Attorneys at Law, at (901) 388-5805 to discuss your legal needs today.
Pumpkin Pie Parfaits
Inspired by Kenarry.com
These parfaits are an easy fall dessert everyone can make!
INGREDIENTS • 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 cup vanilla sandwich cookies
• 15-oz can pumpkin purée
• 8 oz whipped topping
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix and milk. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in pumpkin purée, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. 2. In a blender or food processor, crush vanilla sandwich cookies into crumbs. 3. In small jars or glasses, place cookie crumbs on bottom, then pumpkin mixture, then whipped topping. Repeat these layers twice and end with cookie crumbs.
4. Chill until ready to serve!
INSPIRATION
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” —Mahatatma Gandhi
901-388-5805 • 3
2820 Summer Oaks Drive Bartlett, TN 38134 901-388-5805 www.DouglassRunger.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Advertising Material
Inside This Issue
1 Appreciating Our National Parks 2 Best Tailgating Hacks
Contempt for Failing to Pay Child Support 3 How to Make an Uncooperative Spouse Pay Temporary Alimony Pumpkin Pie Parfaits 4 How a Formula One Racing Titan Disappeared
The Greatest F1 Driver Nobody Talks About MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’S LEGACY IS RETURNING
From Zero to Racing Hero Schumacher was born to a working-class family in the West German town of Hürth, North Rhine- Westphalia — despite this, he’s been racing since he was 4 years old. At one point, his father worked multiple jobs in order to fund his son’s racing dreams and pay for new parts.
A Living Legacy In “Schumacher,” a 2021 Netflix documentary that was produced with the family’s consent, his wife, Corinna, emphasizes that she’s not a widow. “Michael is still here. Different, but here.” Although the league doesn’t make tributes to Schumacher
Michael Schumacher was the greatest Formula One driver of all time, with an income that competed with Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. He’s also a longtime resident of Gland, Switzerland — yet, if you visit, you won’t find anything that bears his name. There are no pictures hanging on the walls, statues or plaques, and no evidence of him anywhere in town. Why? It’s actually out of respect. Locals believe that Schumacher hasn’t left his residence in Gland in over a decade. In 2013, he suffered a traumatic brain injury in a skiing accident, and has never fully recovered. Schumacher has not been seen in public since, and the family is highly secretive about the F1 driver’s condition. Although Schumacher’s fame never reached pinnacle heights in the U.S., he has a fascinating story — and there’s a happy ending, we promise!
out of respect for the family’s wishes, there’s one exception — his 23-year-old son, Mick, is now a fledgling F1 driver. Of his father, Mick said that they “understand each other in a different way now, simply because we speak a similar language, the language of motorsport.”
Because of his limited resources, Schumacher knew cars inside and out. Although he became an F1 superstar, he didn’t particularly care for his fame. Fans adored Schumacher’s ability as a technician and tactician, because he hacked the car and track for every tiny
advantage. By the time he retired in 2012, he held the record for most wins (91), pole positions (68), and podium finishes (155), while he maintains the record for the highest total of fastest laps (77).
We’re thrilled to see Mick on the track! In a way, Schumacher has fulfilled his father’s role for his own son — by giving Mick the opportunity to do what he loves.
4 • DouglassRunger.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator