News - Friday, June 19, 2026

Ford has tapped two technology platforms created by Vehlo, a Knoxville-based producer of software and financial tools for auto dealers’ service departments and independent repair shops, for use in its Preferred Partner program.

The fixed-operations software and communications solutions, Total Customer Connect and Dealerlogix, will be integrated into the Ford Commitment Program to support Video Multi-Point Inspections, or MPI. As such, they will be used to facilitate digital inspections, text-based communications and service-lane efficiency for Ford dealers. This is the second major OEM deal in a year for Dealerlogix was approved as a certified provider in Volkswagen’s eConnect Program in June 2025.

Tennessee’s auto industry sector currently employs more than 144,700 Tennesseans across 900+ automotive companies in 88 of the state’s 95 counties. These are composed of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) assembly plants, EV/battery campuses, a network of Tier 1 and 2 parts suppliers and mobility/logistics hubs.

• Approved Platforms: Total Customer Connect and Dealerlogix are officially recognized for Ford’s video MPI requirements.

• Service Tools: Provides Ford dealers with digital inspections, mobile/contactless payments, automated SMS status updates, and e-approvals.

Capitalization and investment milestones

• 2019: Launched by Knoxville-based Greater Sum Ventures (GSV) via the acquisitions of ShopBoss and Text2Drive.

• 2022: Secured a strategic growth investment (totaling approximately $289 million in historical funding) led by Lightyear Capital and existing investors, including Greater Sum Ventures and PSG. 

The rain fell slowly at first, tapping the surface of South Chickamauga Creek in widening circles.

N’nako Kande sat alone on Resurrection Rock at Audubon Acres, watching the ripples spread through the water. She’d come to the preserve on an October morning in 2023 carrying more than she could explain.

At one end of Gunbarrel Road is one of Chattanooga’s most recognizable markers of growth.

What once was a quiet rural route has become the city’s premier commercial corridor, lined with shopping centers, restaurants, hotels and the sprawling Hamilton Place district. Cars stream through the area at all hours and new development seems perpetually underway.

The Chattanooga Audubon Society has announced the remaining schedule for its 2026 Little Owl Lecture Series, held at Little Owl Village. Each event includes a guided history hike 2-4 p.m., followed by a 4:30-6 p.m. lecture.

The series continues June 20 with historian Watson Harlan presenting “Centering the Nation: Establishing Autonomous Narratives in 18th Century Cherokee History.”

June is National Homeownership Month, making this a good time to discuss what it takes to help more people become homeowners.

For many families, the biggest barrier isn’t desire, it’s supply. Limited inventory keeps prices high and choices tight. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has outlined several federal policy solutions aimed at increasing housing supply, supporting first-time buyers, strengthening communities, and expanding fair access to homeownership.

Saving for retirement is important, but it’s only part of the picture. If you’re within five to 10 years of your target retirement date, it’s time to start thinking about what you actually want your retirement to look like. After all, getting to retirement isn’t the end goal – it’s what you want to do once you’re there that matters.

Amazon plans to build a new delivery station in Chattanooga that is expected to create more than 300 jobs and expand the company’s logistics network across Southeast Tennessee.

The company announced plans to develop a 200,000-square-foot facility at 3400 Cummings Road. The delivery station is expected to begin operations in 2028 and will support local package processing and last-mile delivery services throughout the region.

An exhibit celebrating both the nation’s natural landscapes and the ideals of freedom and democracy is on display at the Jewish Cultural Center through Aug. 14.

“America the Beautiful” features works by 23 artists from across the United States. The exhibit includes paintings, photographs and mixed-media pieces that explore the country’s physical beauty while also examining contemporary themes related to freedom of expression and democratic values.

If you like the idea of owning a car that’s fun to drive but can’t afford a new one, this summer is an ideal time to consider buying used, as several performance cars that might have been out of your reach when new can be had for less than $25,000 on the used market.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill that top lawmakers and athletic leaders have described as the best chance to stabilize college sports cleared a key vote in the Senate on Thursday with bipartisan support after weeks of input from schools, conferences and athletes.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Trump administration can replace a slavery exhibit at George Washington's home in Philadelphia, a federal appeals court panel said Thursday, striking down a lower court's injunction that required the National Park Service to reinstall the interpretive panels.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new kind of flu vaccine moved a step closer to the U.S. market Thursday as federal health advisers recommended approval of the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Food and Drug Administration is evaluating Moderna's new shot, dubbed mFlusiva, for older Americans ahead of the winter flu season. Moderna is seeking full approval for the vaccine's use in people ages 50 to 64 — along with authorization for use in those 65 and older while it conducts additional testing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday ordered regional grid operators to help large energy users connect more quickly to the nation's inefficient and aging electric transmission system, a step they said is needed to accommodate surging demand from power-hungry artificial intelligence data centers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, and oil tankers began freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz after months of being unable to use the critical channel, as the tentative agreement to end the war took effect.

WASHINGTON (AP) — JD Vance was supposed to be spending the week promoting his new book, the kind of event a potential presidential candidate like the vice president typically uses to speak to a wide audience about his life and values ahead of a campaign.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $350 million from President Donald Trump's " big, beautiful bill " has been quietly directed to White House security, an allotment that Democrats warn appears to be helping fund his new ballroom project — despite the president's insistence that no taxpayer dollars would be used.