Chattanooga police colleagues honor slain officer Sgt. Tim Chapin

Somber anniversary: Chattanooga police colleagues honor slain officer Sgt. Tim Chapin

Exactly one year to the date, a group in blue uniforms approaches the spot where Chattanooga Police Department Sgt. Tim Chapin was slain.

Many stared ahead as they held a moment of silence Monday morning, saying prayers for the fallen officer.

Chapin, 51, was a 26-year veteran of the department. He was killed on April 2, 2011, during a botched robbery attempt at the U.S. Money Shops on Brainerd Road.

On Monday, family members of officers involved in the robbery call stepped forward to place sprays of flowers on a grassy patch on the side of Old Birds Mill Road in remembrance of Chapin. The ceremony took place at 10:24 a.m., the time the call went out a year ago.

"It definitely solidifies the department when we have events like this," said Officer Mark Bender, one of five officers who responded to the robbery call. "You have 400 personalities in our department and this basically brings them to the same point."

Bender's wife, Dianna, and his 22-month old daughter, Katie, placed a spray of red carnations on the grass.

Officer Lorin Johnston, who was shot and wounded in the incident, and Officer David Ashley were the first two officers on the scene. Chapin responded to provide backup, and Officer Jonathan Brock, who was off duty and working a private security job at the time, came toward the end.

Chapin's family did not attend the informal service. A lunch was planned for Monday with other officers as well as members of his family.

Only minutes after Chapin's death, Jesse Mathews, 26, was arrested in connection with the shooting. He faces charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder and robbery. His case is set to go trial in January 2013.

Joining city police officers and several Hamilton County Sheriff's Office deputies at the service were cadets in the police training academy.

"They need to see this. It's definitely a reality. That's why they bring them out here," Bender said shortly after the academy class left.

Some officers planned to visit Chapin's grave at Hamilton Memorial Gardens, where a replica of his badge adorns the grave marker. All officers involved in the shooting were given the anniversary date off.

At Monday's informal ceremony, some of the officers involved shed tears and hugged each other.

Among the officers who responded, three of the five were fathers and two went home to their children that day.

"I just wanted to see my daughter," said Bender, who said he got home as quickly as he could to spend time with his daughter, an infant at the time.

Since the shooting, the Benders always say goodbye every day because they know anything can happen when Bender, a 13-year veteran of the department, goes off to work.

"I always kiss the significant other goodbye and tell him to have a good day," Dianna Bender said. "You know. Don't stress over the small things."

A week to the asparagus

proximity of Lüneburg. The first asparagus is in the region this week have already been harvested, the actual marriage of the precious vegetables but is yet to come. And the white bars are the focus of a week of events: The Marketing GmbH invites along with the weekly market feeders for a week of 5 asparagus Lüneburg to 12 May First details of the premiere program have been announced.

The basic idea of ??the week is to move to the region for the typical vegetable in all its facets to the attention of Lüneburg, Svenja Heuer explained, and Dirk Annika Rüger Hartkopf from marketing team. To kick off on Saturday, 5th May be incurred before the district court an asparagus mile. Six to eight local asparagus farmers there to present the refined vegetable dishes around and invite you to taste. The weekly market in front of City Hall on this day is specially extended to offer exceptional levels of up to 17 clock their fresh produce.

Before the Karstadt store will be a stage, where it should be 10 clock show kitchen with chefs from restaurants in the city and county and a prominent chef. Who will be the celebrity at the stove is still a mystery. The audience will not just remain in the sidelines, but try these dishes can and will be actively involved into the action with, announces Hartkopf: "We are also planning a betting peeling and other activities to join in the dealership Havemann, for example, present with a vehicle. where people will appreciate how much asparagus fits in the trunk. " There is also live music.

"On Sunday, the building hosts Schr?derstra?e a long table in front of their premises where they want to pamper guests in the period 18-21 clock with delicacies around the asparagus," says Annika Rüger. Later this week, then offer a variety of restaurants in the city and county, as well as special promotions to supermarkets around the tasty vegetables. For the finale on the market on 12 May there will again be the long asparagus miles before the court.

"Stories about the royal vegetable" to tell the Lüneburg city guide for special tours. You start on market days 5, 9 and 12 May from 11.30 clock at the tourist information center and take about 90 minutes. Including catering costs: 10 €. Registrations are now accepted in the tourist information at the street level.

Just in time for the first week will appear Lüneburg asparagus and a brochure with the program and the individual offers of the parties. If you still want to participate must be no later than Monday, 2 April, on Tel: 66 30 2 07 report to the Marketing GmbH.

Fine Jewelry Retailer Ross-Simons to Open Store in The Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, MA

Ross-Simons, the country's leading fine jewelry retailer, will open a new store in The Mall at Chestnut Hill. The store opens on Friday, March 30, and replaces the former location in the Atrium Mall.

“We are excited about this move,” said Darrell Ross, President /CEO of Ross-Simons. “We opened the store in the Atrium Mall in 1998 to great success, but the timing just felt right to make the change. I think our loyal customers, as well as the shoppers in The Mall at Chestnut Hill; will love the layout and feel of this new store.”

The first Ross-Simons retail store opened in historic Providence, Rhode Island in 1952 with a mission to provide exceptional quality jewelry and luxury items at the most affordable prices possible. Today the company operates 15 retail and outlet stores in eight states. The Ross-Simons website (www.ross-simons.com) features thousands of fine jewelry items; the company mails more than 20 million catalogs annually across the United States.

Ed Gelman, store manager, looks forward to the next chapter in Newton. “Customers new and old will appreciate the new features of this store. The Estate Salon is stunning; we will offer an extensive selection of one-of-a-kind vintage pieces from all over the globe.“ There is also the Rolex corner, an exclusive area that showcases a wide selection of luxury watches from the world's pre-eminent symbol of performance and prestige.

Ross-Simons is renowned for its exceptional values, fabulous jewelry, and impeccable service. The array of merchandise includes gorgeous certified diamonds, colorful gemstones, breathtaking engagement rings, as well as fine gold and silver jewelry. The Chestnut Hill location will still feature celebrated jewelry and watch designers including Andrea Candela, Charriol, DiModolo, Michele and Simon G Bridal, but will now also of fer Mikimoto, Gregg Ruth, Breitling and Tag Heuer. Other amenities in clude the popular “Design Your Own Ring” program and extremely knowledgeable in-store jewelry specialists.

Spend Luxury Time With Patek Philippe Replica Watches

If you are abuser of Europe wrist timepieces then you must be familiar with the name of Patek Philippe. These timepieces are very much well-known nowadays because of its best legendary look. No question that there are some individuals who are investing plenty of cash behind these Patel Philippe watches which provides top components, best performance and life time longevity. Use such watches to have their own individuality in community and it improves your public position. But not everyone is so that wealthy who can invest so much cash behind such magnificent and costly watches. There are still greater part individuals out there who seem to have such magnificent timepieces but cannot manage it because of its high price. Well, for them the most affordable choice would be Patek Philippe Replica watch.

If you are abuser of Patek Philippe timepieces but cannot manage the unique observe from firm’s store then you should go with replica of Patek Philippe timepieces. After listening to the phrase ‘replica’ you may think that these watches will not provide you with finish fulfillment as it is not unique observe from the organization itself. So maybe it happens that you prevent it but if you are doing so then it’s going to be error done by you. Nowadays there are many individuals out there who are purchasing and using these replica watches of Patek Philippe wherever they go. These Patek Philippe replicas are the same and ideal copies of unique timepieces of Patek Philippe. You will not discover any individual change between both replica and unique timepieces of Patek Philippe.

These replica watches of Patek Philippe are inexpensive evaluating to the unique wrist timepieces of Patek Philippe. Still you will discover the same content and styles in its replica because the best experts are being employed to produce these replica timepieces so that replica entrepreneurs get best fulfillment and design. So it’s better to buy Patek Philippe Replica instead of purchasing unique watch of Patek Philippe.

Tim Tebow: Taking Care of Business

The Tim Tebow/Jets trade may have hit more than the usual number of contractual speed bumps, but that didn't stop the NFL from putting No. 15's Jets jerseys on sale -- and advertising it on the nfl.com home page. As of Thursday, you could purchase your very own "Reebok New York Jets Tim Tebow Replica Team Color Jersey." For $84.99. Plus tax. I mean, the new Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning jersey is sharing space at nflshop.com -- and he's a Super Bowl-winning certain Hall of Fame QB.

Maybe I'm just cheap, but doesn't that seem like a lot of money for the jersey of a backup quarterback who isn't officially part of the team until next Tuesday? Not to mention the fact that, as of April 1, Nike is taking over as the NFL's official costumer and that the jersey design will certainly change. So, your almost-$90 shirt is going to be obsolete less than one week after you buy it. And many, many fans are still buying.

Tebowmania was certainly at full throttle in Florida, the Rocky Mountains and the Bible Belt, but the object of this football fan obsession has just hit the Great White Way in the media capital of the world. I can see Woody Johnson, the NFL brass and every licensed merchandiser grinning from here. I did a Yahoo! search for "Tim Tebow jersey." I stopped counting links after 10 pages.

The New York Jets are already proud owners of the league's highest-priced tickets -- to watch a team that hasn't won a Super Bowl since Broadway Joe. And J-E-T-S fans have generally been paying those prices. The only area for improvement is among the higher-priced seats and the NFL expects Mr. Tebow's arrival in The Big Apple to boost those sales. Not to mention the fact that the Jets will now instantly command a national audience with the result that sponsorship and advertising revenue should soar. And if you own a B&B in Cortland, New York (home of the Jets training camp), get your reservation book ready.

Tebow's appeal is certainly not based solely on his football performance. In 2011, the signal caller completed an anemic 46.5 percent of his passes. In a league of 32 teams, Tebow ranked...34th. He'll go down in history as throwing the first game-winning touchdown pass under the new overtime rules. It was the first snap of OT, went 80 yards for the score and won the game in 11 seconds. "Wow," you say. Yeah, but it was a short play-action pass that WR Demaryius Thomas took to the house, executing an impressive stiff-arm along the way. Oh.

No, the young quarterback has captured the hearts of America with his spirit and his off-the-field, well, goodness. We're bombarded with news of war, murder and greed on an hourly basis. Tim Tebow is the human embodiment of home, hearth and apple pie. And generosity. He is rumored to have spent his $2.5 million signing bonus on various charities around the world. Not a car, not a house, not a diamond medallion -- charity. Who does that? His foundation's logline is "Creating a Brighter Day." Seriously?

I admit it; I was starting to get diabetes from the mere idea of this guy. Nobody could be that perfect. And then I watched him handle himself on national television for two years. He's either the greatest actor since Paul Newman -- or he's a genuinely decent and kind young man who lives the way he talks and spends his money for the benefit of others. I can't even get too worked up over his blatant Christianity and constant invocation of Jesus' name. It's not in my belief system to be so public about private spiritual matters, but it is in his. And, as usual, he is following his beliefs. How upset can you get?

Then there is Tebow's seemingly bulletproof optimism. He has led six professional fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives. He told Demaryius Thomas after a ball sailed right between his hands that Thomas would catch the game-winning pass. "You're going to be the hero of the game." And that's exactly how it came to pass.

Between the political back-biting, the economic slump and social divides that sometimes feel unbridgeable, Americans can use a solid dose of someone who almost convinces us that trying hard enough and believing that winning is possible no matter what, will actually result in a victory. I don't know about you, but my faith in the power of positive thinking has taken a beating recently.

So I'm glad that Tebow is a rock star. I'm glad that he has the courage, or naiveté or even ego to put himself out there as a moral role model. I hope he has enough gridiron success that Americans will continue to spend money on his jerseys and take their kids to the stadium. Every dollar reinforces the oft-ignored premise that "good sells." Every dollar reminds businesses that we might want entertainers with more substance than Snookie. That "wholesome" and "decent" aren't deal-killers.