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Unum Group and its subsidiaries, including Starmount Life Insurance Co., on Thursday provided notice about a security incident that may have involved certain personal information about some of its customers, primarily related to its U.S. dental and vision businesses.

The data that may have been accessed varies by individual and includes name, date of birth, address, Social Security number or individual tax identification number, medical, health insurance claim and policy information, the Chattanooga-based company said in a release. Financial information and other government-issued identification numbers were involved for a limited number of individuals, the release said.

The insurer said the incident involved Moveit Transfer, a file transfer application made available by Progress Software Corp. that Unum and many other organizations in the U.S. and globally used to handle certain data transfers.

According to Unum, a U.S. government advisory last month said there has been widespread exploitation of a security vulnerability in Moveit Transfer, which has reportedly affected hundreds of organizations.

On June 1, Unum detected suspicious activity involving an instance of its Moveit Transfer application, the company said, and it promptly launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts.

Unum took several steps to respond, including taking Moveit Transfer offline; implementing vendor-recommended actions, including application of patches as Progress made them available; notifying law enforcement; and monitoring publicly available information regarding this vulnerability, the release said.

On June 4, the investigation identified evidence that between May 31 and June 1, an unauthorized party had exploited the Moveit security vulnerability to copy a subset of data. Beginning July 22, Unum was able to ascertain the nature of the personal information that was affected, the company said.

According to Unum, individuals identified as affected will receive notice where a valid mailing address is available. The notice will include specific information about how to enroll in free credit monitoring and identity protection services. The company said affected individuals are advised to remain vigilant by reviewing their account statements and monitoring their free credit reports for signs of suspicious activity.

The company said Unum takes its responsibility to safeguard personal information seriously and continues to enhance its security controls to protect from cyber threats.

Individuals with questions can visit www.starmountlife.com, Unum said.

— Compiled by Mike Pare

Sensing the measure didn't have support from his colleagues, Hamilton County Commissioner Steve Highlander, R-Ooltewah, has pulled a resolution that would have temporarily paused rezoning requests along Hunter Road.

Instead, Highlander has talked with Mayor Weston Wamp about developing a working group that would evaluate county roads in places where growth is outpacing infrastructure.

"There's no question that you raised ... a reasonable concern about traffic that roads like Hunter Road and Snow Hill Road face — and they were never designed to," Wamp told Highlander during a commission meeting Wednesday. "They were designed more for wagons than they were for the kind of traffic that you get these days."

The pause would have affected properties that front or have access to Hunter Road between Highway 58 and Mountain View Road, allowing for a comprehensive study by the Regional Planning Agency on infrastructure needs and zoning recommendations. It would have lasted at most 18 months, although Highlander said he expected the pause would have been shorter.

Highlander said in an interview he anticipates the mayor's working group will be primarily concentrated on unincorporated parts of Hamilton County where building has become rampant. He's hopeful he won't have to bring his resolution back for consideration by the commission.

Commissioner Ken Smith, R-Hixson, said last week it would be difficult to avoid setting a precedent if the commission approved the moratorium. There's more than one road in the county where constituents would want to see less traffic.

"I'm a little concerned," Smith told commissioners. "I support Commissioner Highlander 110% with the concerns we have in that district, and we have processes in place."

Wamp said in a phone call Wednesday the eastern and northern parts of the county are in particular need of attention. Hamilton County has been investing in basic road safety features, including a new reflector program, but officials may need to start thinking about more intensive capital projects beyond just paving.

The mayor noted the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Authority has the consulting firm RaganSmith Associates on a retainer as part of a larger planning effort in unincorporated areas. Those efforts would align with the mission of this new working group, Wamp said, and the company could play a role in the process.

Photo Gallery

Cars drive down Hunter Road at the intersection with Bell Mill Road

Wamp sees the task force operating in a manner similar to the county's facilities working group, which will be delivering a set of recommendations later this month on addressing a pressing backlog of school building needs. It has met more than a dozen times over the past year.

Wamp also hopes to form a working group that would focus on sustainably delivering fire service in unincorporated areas, which he noted are the fastest growing parts of Hamilton County. All of those rely on volunteer fire departments.

Gary Boles, who lives on Mountain Pass Drive, said Hunter Road is not built to handle the amount of traffic it receives on a daily basis. Boles also has concerns about a nearly 300-house subdivision proposed at 8209 Bell Mill Road, which sits near his property. Neighbors have argued the subdivision would worsen driving conditions in that area.

"You take your own life in your hands when you drive down Hunter Road because of the blind curves," Boles said in an interview. "I've learned to be very careful when I approach those curves because you can't see what's going on. There are frequent wrecks, and when somebody has a wreck there, they generally go off the road and into a ditch because there are no shoulders."

Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

For nearly a decade, Chattanooga has offered gigabit-per-second internet service to every household, promoted by EPB for making Chattanooga the Gig City.

But for all its fiber-optic backbone and internet speed, such broadband coverage still requires individuals to have the equipment and know how to take advantage of the advanced digital connections, which many still lack.

To help bridge the digital divide between users of the high-speed internet and those left out of the gig economy, the Enterprise Center has offered both training and equipment on how to use computers and the internet for the past five years through its Tech Goes Home program, which has graduated more than 10,000 people.

"This is an example of how Chattanooga works at its best," Mayor Tim Kelly said during a celebration among graduates of the Tech Goes Home program. "This started under Mayor (Andy) Berke, and we continue to support it because it changes people's lives. It's great to have the world's fastest internet, but that isn't of much use to you if you don't have a computer or you don't know how to use the internet."

Through partnerships with schools, public libraries, churches, nonprofits and other organizations, the program offers free courses designed to help residents develop skills and habits required for technology and internet use.

The 15-hour Tech Goes Home course helps participants learn how to navigate the internet and gives them basic computer skills to take advantage of Chattanooga's digital assets. Graduates also are eligible to receive a portable Chromebook upon graduation.

Digital skills

Norma Chapman, a retired parole officer who lives in Brainerd, recently completed the Tech Goes Home course, which she said has helped her gain important skills.

"It was a tremendous help for me," she said.

Caprice Wofford, an East Lake resident, has participated in three different Tech Goes Home training programs, including Tech Goes Home for the Arts, which helped Wofford to go to the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute.

Navigating the web and other digital skills are increasingly vital in the workplace. The 2023 National Skills Coalition assessment found that workers that qualify for jobs that require even one digital skill can earn an average of 23% more than in a job requiring no digital skills. Moving from a job requiring no digital skills to one requiring at least three can increase pay by an average of 45%.

An estimated 92% of jobs require digital literacy, according to the Skills Coalition assessment.

But even retirees or those not in the workplace say they have benefited from the training in learning how to use Google Maps, search the internet for purchases and make medical appointments.

Gracelia Moore was one of the early graduates in Chattanooga of the program. Although she said she had worked with computers at work, Tech Goes Home helped her to gain the knowledge to better use the new computer she got through the program to make her own doctor appointments and learn about her community. She now helps others at the Senior Center.

"I know with the age group that we have at the Senior Center, it's very important that they learn how to maneuver on the web on their computer," she said.

From Boston

Deb Socia, the president of the Enterprise Center, brought the program to Chattanooga five years ago after pioneering a version of the digital literacy training initiative while working as a school principal in Boston. Socia later headed a national fight for expanded broadband coverage at Next Century Cities in Washington, D.C., which expanded on her Tech Goes Home efforts in Boston designed to expand access to broadband technology to more communities.

Socia came to Chattanooga to head the city-backed Enterprise Center in 2019 and has since taken Tech Goes Home statewide.

"Celebrating 10,000 participants is about so much more than just a number," Socia said during a celebration of the 10,000 graduates Saturday. "For every graduate, there is a story and an impact that goes far beyond our classes.

Tech Goes Home Director Sammy Lowdermilk said the growth of the program "continues to show how much of a need exists for this type of resource, whether it's for parents, teachers, older adults, entrepreneurs, artists or anyone who needs accessibility accommodations."

Last year, Tech Goes Home began tech training for early childhood educators with a $1.3 million state grant.

Class sizes are limited and registration is required for any Tech Goes Home class. For more information or to apply for the free classes, call 423-521-2071 or visit techgoeshomecha.org.

Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.

Martels Carter Jr., an all-state defensive back for Brainerd High School as a sophomore last football season, has transferred to Kentucky's Paducah Tilghman.

The program competes in Class 4A, the third-largest classification in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, and reached the third round of the playoffs last season.

Carter’s father, Martels Sr., stepped down as Brainerd’s head coach last week due to health concerns. The family has moved to Kentucky to be closer to his cardiologist as well as his wife’s family as he prepares to undergo a medical procedure.

“I’ve been dealing with health problems ever since I had COVID a couple of years ago,” said Carter, who in his lone season as coach of the Panthers led them to a 5-6 record and a return to the TSSAA Class 3A playoffs last fall after a one-year absence.

“I was on a ventilator for several days when I had COVID, and since then I’ve had heart problems and then a stroke a few weeks ago because of a blood clot, so I need to be closer to the doctors who are going to treat me. This was a tough decision for all of us, but we decided as a family that we all wanted to stay together. Plus, my wife has family there, so that will help to be closer to her support system.”

Sammy Seamster, who coached Brainerd's defensive backs the past two years, has taken over as head coach of the Region 3-3A team. Seamster was a high school star at Ooltewah before going on to Middle Tennessee State University and later played for five years in the NFL.

Martels Carter Jr. was listed as the starting quarterback for the Panthers, and the 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior also would have been counted on as a leader on the other side of the ball again. A consensus four-star defensive back, he was one of Tennessee’s highest-rated prospects for the class of 2025, with more than 30 scholarship offers — 10 from Southeastern Conference schools, including Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas A&M, as well as Clemson, Colorado, Florida State and Michigan among other Power Five programs.

Rated as high as the No. 153 overall prospect nationally and sixth in Tennessee as a football recruit, he was the second-fastest qualifier in the 100-meter dash at the state track and field meet this past spring (10.95 seconds) and helped the school’s 4x100 relay team qualify for state. On the football field last season, he had 47 tackles, three interceptions — returning two for touchdowns — seven pass breakups and four forced fumbles to go with 1,806 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns.

Sophomore offensive lineman Jarvis Strickland (6-5, 285), who already has offers from Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan State and Ole Miss, will also transfer from Brainerd to Tilghman with the Carter family.

Martels Jr. is Hamilton County’s second highly rated junior prospect to transfer outside the area after former Red Bank star Daune Morris transferred to Murfreesboro's Oakland two weeks ago.

Asked if the family might return to Chattanooga for his son’s senior season, Coach Carter said, “I need to take care of my health concerns, but coming back home is always a possibility.”

Though much of the responsibility over Erlanger Health now lies with a private board, oversight of Erlanger's three community health centers and employee pension plan are among the duties that remain for board members of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority, a government entity formerly known as Erlanger Health System.

Erlanger Community Health Centers CEO Angel Moore briefed trustees on the restructured hospital authority board, which is comprised of six members, on the history and importance of the clinics during the public board's first meeting since the bulk of Erlanger's business and operations transferred July 1 to a newly formed nonproft private entity.

The three clinics — on Dodson Avenue, Tennessee Avenue and Lyerly Street — have federally qualified health center designations, a model that emerged in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. The clinics are partially funded by the federal government and provide primary care services regardless of a patient's ability to pay.

The idea behind the model is that by offering a broad range of primary care services under one roof in underserved areas, health care will become more accessible to vulnerable populations, the overall health of those communities will improve, and the burden on hospital emergency rooms will be lessened.

While the services aren't free, patients pay on a sliding scale based on their income level and are connected to resources that can help them better afford their care.

Moore said Erlanger's hospital data supports that the model works.

"If we're able to place them (patients) in primary care medical homes, we take them out of the system," she said during the board meeting last week, noting "it really does save the hospital a lot of money."

In 2022, the clinics conducted more than 37,400 in-person patient visits and treated nearly 14,800 patients — with the vast majority of them being at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Services include general adult primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and dental and behavioral health care.

To remain eligible for the federal grant that supports the centers, ultimate oversight of the centers must stay under the authority board, but Erlanger Health will provide administration and support services to the centers. That support includes funding, personnel, administrative services, office and clinical space, technology services, equipment, records and supplies needed to operate the centers.

Authority board Chair Ken Conner said during the meeting that trustees will dive into the status of the employee pension plan during the authority board's August meeting.

Similar to the health centers, Erlanger Health will provide administrative support and funding for the pension, including an annual contribution of $11.45 million or greater to the plan.

Conner said the pension plan is now 60% funded, which is an improvement in the three years since the Erlanger board of trustees voted to suspend lump-sum payments from the plan until it was brought to an 80% funding level. At that time, the pension was 36% funded.

(READ MORE: Erlanger pension funding dips slightly in 2022)

Conner and Erlanger CEO Jim Coleman, who was then an Erlanger board member, spearheaded the board's plan to begin stabilizing the pension in 2020.

While the authority board is now primarily comprised of new members, Conner is the lone trustee from that era to remain on the authority board rather than transfer to the new Erlanger Health board.

With the exception of Dr. Chris Poole, chief of Erlanger's medical staff, the four other members of the authority board were appointed to their roles in the past two months.

Those members include Cory Gearrin, deputy mayor of Hamilton County; Jeff Hollingsworth, an attorney and recently retired Circuit Court judge; and Rebecca Hunter, who previously served as commissioner of the state Department of Human Resources.

Hamilton County's legislative delegation also recently appointed David Queen, a CPA from Hixson, to the authority board.

Contact Elizabeth Fite at efite@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.