News - Friday, June 12, 2026

Twenty-seven years ago, Chattanooga police Sgt. Tim Carroll stood beside a creek off Cannon Avenue as investigators recovered the body of a woman.

She’d been dead for months.

Partially clothed and found near Interstate 24, she wore red shorts, a red ponytail holder and a rubber band around her left wrist. A ligature – the instrument of her death – remained around her neck.

Is the best-kept secret in town really a secret if everyone else seems to know about it?

The discovery of a new dining – or rather, sipping – destination is the focus of this installment of Food FAQ, as we dive into the sparkling depths of The Spritzeria.

On a warm evening in Chattanooga, a concert, festival or fireworks display can still draw thousands of people to the Tennessee River. Yet for all the success of the city’s celebrated waterfront, River City Company president and CEO Emily Mack says one of Chattanooga’s greatest civic assets has reached an important crossroads.

Occasionally, a national ranking grabs attention and creates the impression that it tells the full story of our housing market. A recent online report labeled Chattanooga as having “overpriced homes” – and it quickly made the rounds.

Getting married is a major decision that comes with a financial to-do list that’s arguably more important than choosing a venue or a cake. Talking openly about money can help set you and your partner up for a stronger future.

What financial conversations should I have with my fiancé?

Head into your marriage with honest conversations about money, including these four topics: 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has appointed Lee Williams Weldon as its next vice chancellor for advancement and executive director of the UC Foundation, effective July 16.

Weldon brings more than 15 years of higher education advancement experience and most recently served as senior associate vice president of development for Miami University and chief development officer for the Miami University Foundation.

Hoar Construction has broken ground on a new 54,000-square-foot rehabilitation hospital in Ooltewah that is expected to open in spring 2027.

The inpatient facility is being developed by The Sanders Trust, with Lifepoint Health as owner in partnership with CommonSpirit Health. Hoar is serving as general contractor for the project.

The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County will present their annual tour on Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The self-guided outing will feature five private gardens and the arboretum at Southern Adventist University’s Hickman Science Center, 4836 Colcord Drive, Collegedale. Additional stops include 7902 and 7903 Bear Stone Drive, Ooltewah; 6508 White Oak Valley Circle, McDonald; 8920 Finney Point Drive, Ooltewah; 10984 Prairie Lake Drive, Apison; and 1864 Holden Farm Place, Ooltewah. Highlights include annuals, perennials, native plants, pollinator gardens, water features, stone pathways and an arboretum with an audio guide. Admission is $20 and is good for both days. Proceeds will benefit the organization’s horticulture scholarship and community garden grant programs. Tickets

The U.S. General Services Administration has unveiled the design concept for a new federal courthouse in downtown Chattanooga, presenting plans for a classical-style building that officials say will serve as the region’s primary center for federal judicial operations for generations.

Competition is robust for the title of Tennessee’s Most Embarrassing Public Official, a contest I hereby create. The legislature alone is deep with worthy contenders, each seemingly intent on out-dumbing the other on any given day.

To name but a few I’ve written about before: Sen. Janice Bowling, with her belief that Tennessee schools are providing litter boxes for students identifying as cats; Rep. Gino Bulso, with his opposition to barring first cousins from marrying each other; Rep. Todd Warner, for his bill to rename Nashville’s airport for Donald Trump.

Karlyn Pickens wore her University of Tennessee softball uniform for nearly as long as a senior possibly can. The generational ace helped the Lady Vols reach the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series for the second consecutive year.

By Bradley Iger | Edmunds 

Once you’ve decided to buy an electric vehicle, the exciting but tricky part is choosing which one to get. 

For a growing number of car shoppers, an electric SUV makes the most sense for everyday life. The latest models have enough range to handle everyday driving and the occasional trek out of town without much of an issue. They’re also roomy for your family and have some innovative technology features. 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Anthropic will donate $150 million to launch a fellowship program that places people early in their careers with nonprofits around the country to help them use artificial intelligence more effectively in their work.

Claude Corps, named for the company's popular AI chatbot, will hire and embed 1,000 fellows trained in the use of Claude at a wide range of organizations for a year. Anthropic President Daniela Amodei told The Associated Press the company hopes the program will expand and become a pillar of its strategy to help humankind realize the benefits of AI while also managing its risks.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he had called off new military strikes on Iran, suggesting progress had been made in talks to end the war just hours after the American leader threatened to escalate the conflict by seizing control of Iran's oil industry.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied to their best day in two months, and oil prices fell Thursday after President Donald Trump called off his threat to bomb Iran in the evening. That raised hopes for a potential deal that could get the global flow of oil going again.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as director of national intelligence.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government on Thursday announced sanctions against Cuba's state-owned oil and gas company in a move expected to increase tensions between the two countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that key assets of the company, known as Cupet, were "unlawfully expropriated from American owners years ago."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key surveillance tool that allows the United States to collect intelligence abroad appears certain to expire after Congress on Thursday failed to temporarily extend the program, in a protest of President Donald Trump 's temporary pick to head the nation's intelligence agencies.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Mitch Trubisky had so much fun working with Brian Daboll in Buffalo that his decision on where to go this offseason in free agency was a "no-brainer."

Yes, the quarterback could stay in Buffalo backing up Josh Allen with the Bills. Or, Trubisky could reunite with Daboll in his role as the Titans' new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Shea Tierney in Tennessee and help mentor another young quarterback in Cam Ward.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Former NFL linebacker Darron Lee has been indicted on a murder charge in the death of his partner.

A grand jury in Hamilton County returned an indictment Tuesday. Prosecutors dismissed a tampering with evidence charge to focus solely on the more serious allegation, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift became the youngest woman ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night at age 36.

"It was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it," she said of songwriting through a raspy voice she attributed to screaming along to the night's performances and Wednesday night's historic NBA game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal judge agreed on Friday to extend a court-ordered block on the Trump administration's creation and operation of a $1.8 billion settlement fund for compensating people who claim to be victims of a weaponized government.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of cryptocurrency entrepreneur and FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, finding that the 2023 trial that led to his 25-year prison sentence was not unfair.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Friday the government's evidence against the once high-profile player in the cryptocurrency industry was "conservatively stated, robust."

Renewable energy groups are suing the U.S. military because they say national security reviews for new wind farms on private land have been effectively frozen for months. The groups say this logjam jeopardizes $47 billion in investments and thousands of jobs in 21 states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's handpicked board at the Kennedy Center is mounting a last-minute effort to keep his name on the facade of the iconic performing arts facility before a court-ordered deadline to remove it by Friday.

The board voted Thursday to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper's May 29 ruling that said Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The formal request was filed late Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government can continue collecting the 10% worldwide tariff it imposed in February while legal challenges to the levies continue to work their way through the courts, a federal court ruled Thursday.

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington decision handed a procedural win to the Trump administration, concluding that its case was "likely to succeed on the merits.''

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran 's stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz may be easing — and its own oil problems now seem to be mounting.

The crucial strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies once passed, has been effectively shut by Iran's attacks on shipping since the start of the war in February. Even with much of its navy sunk, just Iran's threat to attack made shippers and insurers hesitant to send vessels through the strait. The resulting energy crunch has fueled global inflation, including in the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has long been looking for this weekend to be a big one for his presidency.

The World Cup returns to the U.S. on Friday for the first time in 32 years after Trump threw himself into winning the bid to co-host the soccer tourney during his first term. He'll be feted Sunday, his 80th birthday, during a UFC fight night that's expected to draw thousands to the White House grounds. Hours after the final bout, he's scheduled to jet off to the G7 summit in the French Alps for talks with several world leaders he's been beefing with over war and tariffs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of SpaceX soared 23% in their Wall Street debut on Friday, making the rocket maker's CEO Elon Musk the first-ever trillionaire.

The shares opened at $150 and kept rising, reaching $166.90 around 12:.20 p.m. ET. That price gave the company a market value of $2.18 trillion. Forbes is now estimating Musk's net worth at $1.1 trillion.

NEW YORK (AP) — Catapulted by the market debut of his rocket company SpaceX, Elon Musk could become the world's first trillionaire by the end of the day.

That level of wealth, all owned by just one person, was once unfathomable. Before Friday, the trillion dollar mark was reserved for measures like the GDP (or staggering debt ) of a handful of major economies — and, in the last decade alone, the value of some of the biggest companies to ever trade on the stock market.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO's top military officer is weighing alternative plans to defend Europe should it come under attack from Russia, after the United States announced that it is cutting the number of aircraft and warships that it would provide in a security crisis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Independents have grown increasingly unhappy with President Donald Trump during his second term, a new AP-NORC polling analysis finds, particularly those without a college degree.

The analysis from researchers at The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that while about half of independents without a college education had a positive view of Trump around the 2024 election, his approval with that group fell to about one-quarter this spring. That shift has erased the large education gap that existed among independents in the months before Trump took office for his second term, with independents now holding similarly negative views of the president regardless of their level of education.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key surveillance tool seen as vital in preventing terror attacks and catching foreign spies is set to expire Friday after congressional efforts to temporarily extend it failed in bipartisan fashion.

It's a significant lapse for the program known as Section 702, and even as President Donald Trump nominates a new national intelligence director more palatable to both Republicans and Democrats than his initial pick, it's unclear how soon lawmakers — set for recess — would be able to revive the spy program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron started simply enough, with a handshake, nearly a decade ago.

But even then, there were signs of strain in their relationship — tensions that could be on full display during next week's G7 summit in France.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is nominating Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as director of national intelligence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It looks from afar more UFO than UFC.

Maybe it's the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America's leader.

But come closer and you'll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and shaped, with careful precision, like the MMA league's signature Octagon.