Chattanooga Update - June 22, 2015

A 7-year-old was struck in a hit-and-run Sunday afternoon. Police say the child was struck by a green SUV on 17th Avenue. The boy was taken to a hospital. His condition is unknown. ______ A Volkswagen supplier is bringing 500 new jobs to the area. Gestamp, which already has a facility here, reportedly plans to open a pressing plant to service Volkswagen’s new SUV. Governor Haslam and Volkswagen officials are set to take part in an announcement on Tuesday. ____ A man was killed in an ATV accident in Marion County Saturday. The single-vehicle crash happened after dark on Aetna Mountain. Authorities have identified the victim as Steven P. Craig. ____ A new shopping center is going up on the North Shore next to Publix. The space will hold a GNC store and two other retailers. It’s expected to open in September. _____ A Polk County man died in a car crash Sunday morning. It happened after his Jeep struck two large trees on Highway 123. Authorities have identified the victim as 57-year-old Dennis K. Wilcox of Turtletown. _____ The owners of Easy Bistro are opening their second restaurant in Chattanooga. It’s a smaller venue under construction now inside Main Street Meats. The restaurant will offer lunch and dinner and eventually serve breakfast too. It’s slated to open in mid-July. ____ Two of Chattanooga’s oldest apartment buildings have been sold. The Hogshead building and Robinson Apartments are both located across from the courthouse. The 100-year-old buildings have been bought by CCB Real Estate Partners. _____ An East Ridge mom is charged with four counts of child neglect. Police found 4 children, ages 1 through 9, playing barefoot in a yard covered with trash and sharp cans. Inside the house, police say roaches and other insects were crawling through the children’s toys. And the kids had no beds. Authorities say 26-year-old Kimberly McClendon also tested positive for meth. The house will likely be condemned. _______ Sky Mims has been sentenced to life in prison. The 22-year-old was convicted of stabbing and suffocating a gas station clerk in Dalton last year. Police say 37-year-old Dahyabhai Chaudhuri was killed at a Kanku’s Express over lottery tickets. The district attorney says he chose not to pursue the death penalty because of Mims’ mental illness and her lack of a criminal record. She will not be eligible for parole. _______ Local civil rights leader James Mapp has died. He was a leader in the city and state NAACP. He also pursued and won a 26-year lawsuit to desegregate Chattanooga schools. He and his family endured hate calls, threats and even a bombing of their home. Mapp was 87 years old. A viewing will be Saturday at Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist from 10 to 11 a.m., followed by the funeral. _____ The Hunter Museum of American Art has appointed its first female executive director. Local attorney Virginia Anne Sharber has served as interim director since January. She’s been promoted to the job after a nationwide search. _____ Most of Chattanooga’s speed cameras will be gone by March 2017. State lawmakers passed a bill banning the use of unmanned speed cameras in most areas. Existing cameras will be taken down when contracts run out. However, cameras on the S-curves and in school zones will remain. _____ Finally, Adam Kinsey has taken over leadership of the Chattanooga Choo Choo. The principal owners have named Kinsey president of the hotel’s parent company. Kinsey has been involved with the attraction for years and is behind many of the newer additions, including Track 29.