A bill that would have required a ballot measure for counties and cities to raise property taxes above a certain threshold died in committee Wednesday evening.

The town of Signal Mountain plans to start charging fees for short-term vacation rental permit applications and renewals, as well as increasing the penalties for operating without a permit.

The First Amendment provides protections for religious liberty and free speech, but what happens when those rights come into conflict? The Georgia legislature is attempting to answer that question with a bill banning protests outside religious services.

The U.S. Treasury Department plans to put President Donald Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, the agency announced on Thursday.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggled to reach a deal.

Donna Christian-Lowe's son died of a fentanyl overdose in the spring of 2025. That's when she decided to run for the Hamilton County Commission, she said.

The bipartisan bills, cosponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., target financial pressure on rural hospitals, access to urgent health care services and workforce shortages.

The city hosted a walking tour of Chattanooga's iconic pedestrian bridge Thursday for local media to see the progress made since the bridge closed in March 2025 for major renovations.

One year into its 18-month closure, the Walnut Street Bridge is on track to reopen in late September, officials say. Read Sam Still's full story by clicking the link in our bio. Video by Brynn Meisse #chattanooga #construction #walking #bridge #walnutstreetbridge #pedestrian

Pressure is mounting on Congress to end the funding shutdown that's resulted in travel disruptions, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures.

Collin Mulholland, who has spent his entire college basketball career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when the 15-day window opens April 7.

Tennessee House Republicans are seeking to lower the governor's private school tuition subsidy plan by 5,000 in an effort to cut expenses.

Residents in Washington County, Tennessee, will see an expansion from a nearby depleted uranium facility in rural Northeast Tennessee.

The air quality index for Chattanooga is in the unhealthy zone due to a high concentration of fine particles, according to the Chattanooga Hamilton County Air Pollution Control Bureau.

A bill that would prohibit the state of Tennessee from using the name West Bank in any official government material to refer to the occupied land that makes up part of the Palestinian territories passed a Senate committee.

Through the first few weeks of the TSSAA's 2026 baseball season, the first four hitters in Hixson's lineup have been having a lot of fun.

A GoFundMe started to help an older adult from Manchester, Tennessee, return to retirement after he was seen delivering a Starbucks DoorDash order has raised over $900,000.

Brad Wardlaw says he's running for a seat on the Hamilton County Commission to bring in a more proactive perspective, rather than a reactive one.

The Blue Hole at North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park will be closed for the summer for construction work.

More than $1.5 million in federal funds have been cut from a program designed to alleviate the shortage of mental health professionals in rural Tennessee schools.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga edge rusher Jestin Gilmore has embraced the adversity that comes with being a college athlete.

"It's been good," Tennessee senior forward Felix Okpara said Wednesday in a press conference. "With me being an older guy, I can help all the younger guys with what it takes to keep advancing."

Tennessee may soon relax state testing requirements for its Education Savings Account program under new legislation that advanced in the House on Tuesday.

A state Board of Education committee recommended a corrective action plan Wednesday for Hamilton County public schools that received an F under the formula Tennessee uses to assign letter grades to every public school.

The trial for the Chattanooga man accused of murder in connection with the fatal fentanyl overdose of his 2-year-old toddler will include evidence collected by child protective services, a judge ruled.

In celebration of the first week of spring, Walker County gave away hundreds of bales of straw at the county landfill as part of Strawapalooza.

As beekeeping has become a suburban hobby, Carmen Joyce has become an eager mentor to those new to apiculture. She said it costs about $750 to fully equip a single hive, and she encourages new hobbyists to use bees native to the region. Video by Brynn Meisse

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn cruised to Senate reelection in 2024, spending over $10 million in the effort, but unlike in previous years, the money didn't stop flowing after the votes were counted.

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn cruised to Senate reelection in 2024, spending over $10 million in the effort, but unlike in previous years, the money didn't stop flowing after the votes were counted.

The division's chief, has travelled to 68 counties to encourage more local law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE and to apply for the grant, the report noted.

The Georgia Senate unanimously passed a measure that would ban cell phone use on campus for high school students from the morning bell until the dismissal bell, known as a "bell-to-bell" ban.

President Donald Trump and multiple members of his administration gathered in Memphis on Monday to praise the efforts of the federal agents and National Guard members who have patrolled the city's streets on Trump's orders since September.

FOOD SCENE: There is something deeply calming about walking into Understory Tea House. Maybe it's the reminder on the door, "Inhale. Exhale. Enter."

Keys signed with the Volunteers this past December as the No. 1 receiver nationally on the 247Sports.com?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky_  composite rankings.

Here's what's happening this week in the Chattanooga area:

RESTAURANT REPORT CARD: The Hamilton County, Catoosa County and Walker County health departments inspect food service establishments twice a year, grading them on a 100-point scale. Here are this week's scores:

Chattanooga City Council members for the first time Tuesday saw CARTA's proposed legislation for enhanced parking enforcement downtown, as well as a plan to get private lot operators to lower prices.

Chattanooga Lookouts president Rich Mozingo provides the latest update on Erlanger Park ahead of the home schedule opener against the Montgomery Biscuits on April 14.

Chattanooga officials reaffirmed that they have no plans for a piece of land they want to buy near Enterprise South Nature Park.

Tennessee won its first six midweek baseball games this season by at least five runs. Tuesday night was different.

About 50 local Hamilton County educators, politicians, students and union leaders stood in front of the Red Bank Community Center on Tuesday chanting, "Let them learn."

A Hamilton County judge reduced the bond for two men accused of fatally shooting an 18-year-old on Jackson Avenue in December after a witness's credibility was questioned.

A former reserve deputy with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office alleges he was wrongfully fired from his job at Volkswagen after he voluntarily disclosed to company security that he had a firearm in his car, according to a lawsuit in federal court.

The 2026 lineup includes tribute bands playing the songs of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Elton John, Van Halen, Alabama, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac and others. Read the full lineup on our website.

Total Wine & More, the largest independent liquor store chain in the U.S., plans to open a Chattanooga store at Hamilton Place mall, according to public documents.

The nonprofit Lookout Mountain Conservancy intends to purchase a 22-acre, undeveloped property atop Hawkins Ridge for $875,000, adding more protected green space in South Chattanooga. Read the full story by clicking the link in our bio. Video by Brynn Meisse

EPB power bills spiked in March following a late winter period with multiple stretches of cold weather and higher fuel costs. The increase in monthly charges took some customers by surprise.

Silverdale Baptist Academy junior Bita Cox has firmly cemented herself as one of the state's top high school softball pitchers the last four years, and yet she is only a junior.

A family spokesperson said Webb died Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee, following a “tragic accident.” https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/mar/24/charlie-kirks-mentor-and-cheerleading-pioneer-jeff-webb-dies-at-76-after-a-tragic-accident-tfp/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky_ 

Georgians who want to buy an anti-parasitic drug may soon be able to pick it up from their local pharmacist without a prescription. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/mar/21/ivermectin-could-become-available-over-the/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky_