News - Friday, March 6, 2026

On a February evening at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Fine Arts Center filled with students, business leaders and community members who had come to hear a familiar name deliver a familiar argument – and to explain how it still applies in an unfamiliar world.

Along Rossville Boulevard, where aging storefronts still hint at another era, a sandstone bank building crowned with a brass clock has begun a new life.

The former Rossville Branch Bank, with its tall ceilings, large front windows and original vault, is now home to Tile Gallery, a new specialty showroom opened by Jordan and Florina Parker. The store sits directly across the street from Direct Flooring, the Parkers’ flagship business, which has operated on the Boulevard for more than 15 years.

One year ago, this newspaper posed a simple question: “Where are musicians playing jazz in Chattanooga?”

Today, the answer is equally simple: “Everywhere.”

Jazz has settled comfortably into the city’s restaurants, bars, lounges, speakeasies, breweries, small performing venues and anywhere else with a corner large enough for a drum kit and a couple of amplifiers.

By David Laprad

Welcome to Food FAQ, a new feature serving up capsule reviews of independent, locally owned restaurants in the Chattanooga area. This week, we head to North Shore and zero in on Keystone Breakfast & Lunch, a Philly-rooted sandwich shop with serious swagger and ambition.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has graduated the first seven inmates from its new Medication-Assisted Treatment program at the Hamilton County Jail & Detention Center, marking a milestone just months after the initiative launched in December.

The Chattanooga chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women will host “Civic Conversations: Power, Policy and Our Collective Voice,” a community dialogue on leadership and accountability, March 12, 6-8 p.m. at Orchard Knob Missionary Baptist Church. Invited public officials include representatives from County Commission District 4 and the county mayor’s, sheriff’s and trustee’s offices. Residents are encouraged to attend and join the conversation.

Erlanger Health announced the retirement of Lynn DeJaco, executive vice president and chief financial officer, who stepped down Feb. 28 after nearly five years with the organization and a 35-year career in health care leadership.

During her tenure, DeJaco provided financial oversight and strategic leadership, serving as a mentor and advocate for Erlanger’s mission and for the health care industry in Tennessee and nationally.

The Chattanooga Police Department has graduated 32 cadets from its 22-week police academy, marking the largest class in more than a decade.

By operating its own academy, CPD tailors portions of its training to meet the needs of the Chattanooga community while ensuring recruits are prepared to uphold Tennessee law. The program exceeds Tennessee Police Officer Standards and Training requirements and meets Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies standards.

This past October at Southern Adventist University, the Student Managed Asset Risk and Return Training (SMARRT) Fund surpassed a major milestone of $1 million in stocks.

The initial $500,000 investment, entrusted to a group of School of Business students in 2019, is part of the university’s endowment. Earnings are used to continually support scholarships and student programs across the campus.

The Collegedale Police Department held its annual awards banquet Feb. 19, recognizing officers whose service over the past year exemplified professionalism, compassion and a commitment to public safety.

The event was attended by local and state elected officials.

The Senate recently took up what seemed to me like one of its exceedingly rare common-sense bills, the barring of anyone from holding more than one elected office at a time. Double-dipping, as it were.

“There’s an inherent conflict when people hold multiple offices,” as state Sen. Richard Briggs (R-Knoxville), the sponsor, told the body. I fully agree. And yet Democrats – every last one of the measly six in the 33-member body – voted against it.

March 8 is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate everything women have achieved and to honor their strength and resilience. It’s also a chance to have honest conversations about real-life challenges many women face.

One of these is the growing trend of divorce among those ages 50 and older, often called “gray divorce.” While being in this situation can feel overwhelming, it also can be an opportunity to reclaim independence and create a life that reflects dreams and values.

There are seemingly countless options for a new SUV these days, but less so if you’re looking for one that’s comfortable, roomy, and able to tackle snowy roads in the winter and outdoor adventures in the summer. Thankfully, a pair of SUVs are up for the challenge: the 2026 Honda Passport and 2026 Subaru Outback.

Maybe it’s luck, maybe it’s fate. Maybe it’s nothing. But for those with even the mildest case of Triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13 – keep watchful eyes on the March 11-15 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration's immigration crackdown and disaster response.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans invoked the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they made another unsuccessful effort Thursday to pass a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Democrats are insisting on changes to immigration enforcement operations as part of the measure and blocked it from advancing. The procedural vote was 51-45, falling well short of the 60 that Republicans needed to proceed with the measure. While the House will also take up the bill Thursday, that outcome will be more about putting lawmakers on the record about where they stand.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said this week that it is investigating "suspicious activities" on an internal system that contains sensitive information related to surveillance operations and investigations.

The bureau is working to determine the scope and impact of the problem, according to a notification sent to members of Congress that says the unnamed culprit is using sophisticated techniques to exploit FBI network security controls.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The NCAA has filed an appeal in the eligibility case of Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

In the appeal, filed Thursday with the Mississippi Supreme Court, the NCAA argues that Chambliss has "exhausted his eligibility" to play Division I football because he has already played four seasons in a five-year period, the maximum allowed under NCAA rules.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Tennessee has never failed to qualify for the women's NCAA Tournament.

Whether the Lady Vols make a 43rd consecutive appearance remains to be seen.

The program that coach Pat Summitt built into a national powerhouse has fallen on tough times, culminating in Thursday night's 76-64 loss to Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Tournament — Tennessee's seventh straight defeat.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Matthew Wood scored twice to lead the Nashville Predators to a 6-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.

Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists, Nicolas Hague, Erik Haula and Luke Evangelista also scored for the Predators. Juuse Saros made 20 saves for Nashville, which snapped a three-game losing streak. The Predators trail the Seattle Kraken for the Western Conference's second wild card by three points.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Bernard LaFayette, the advance man who did the risky groundwork for the voter registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, that culminated in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, has died.

Bernard LaFayette, III, said his father died Thursday morning of a heart attack. He was 85.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide for President Donald Trump who as a top federal prosecutor in Virginia pursued cases against the president's opponents but ultimately left the job after her appointment was deemed unlawful, is facing an investigation by the Florida Bar.

LONDON (AP) — German media group Axel Springer has agreed to buy the owner of Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper for 575 million pounds ($766 million), the companies announced Friday.

The agreement ends a long saga over ownership of the Telegraph Media Group, which publishes the 171-year-old, conservative-leaning Daily Telegraph, its Sunday sister paper and the Telegraph news website.

KUNSHAN, China (AP) — A glimpse of what the future of flying taxis might look like can be seen in this southeastern Chinese city.

In a hangar in Kunshan, more than 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) west of the port of Shanghai, a sort of gigantic drone was preparing for a demonstration. Called the Matrix, it's a 5-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, considered the largest electric aircraft built so far, at least in China.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's campaign to end "wokeness" in the military is reshaping its relationship with U.S. higher education, breaking off longstanding ties with prestigious universities that have trained generals and admirals while building new bonds with Christian schools and public universities.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The calls to 911 poured in from staff at Camp East Montana in Texas, the nation's largest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, at a rate of nearly one a day for five months, each its own tale of pain and despair.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday released additional Jeffrey Epstein files involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against President Donald Trump that the department said had been mistakenly withheld during an earlier review.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to rule out talks with Iran absent its "unconditional surrender." Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut and Tehran as Iran launched more retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries on the seventh day of the war.

PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — Midway through Ramadan, Muslims across the United States are striving to maintain the holy month's traditional mix of prayers and festive spirit under a cloud of worrisome events.

The federal government's immigration crackdown has affected many of their communities. Virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric is surging. And now the Middle East — where many have loved ones — is buffeted by the Iran war.

Remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the American press emphasizes U.S. casualties in the Iran war because it "wants to make the president look bad" are a reminder of something that has endured across many decades and conflicts: the tension and trepidation about news that reminds Americans of the human cost of war.

CAIRO (AP) — The Trump administration is confronting mounting discontent from allies in the Persian Gulf who have complained they were not given adequate time to prepare for the torrent of Iranian drones and missiles bombarding their countries in retaliation for strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House narrowly rejected a resolution Thursday to curb President Donald Trump's powers in the Iran war, an early sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering U.S. priorities at home and abroad.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American employers unexpectedly cut 92,000 jobs last month, a sign that the labor market remains under strain. The unemployment rate blipped up to 4.4%.

Hiring deteriorated from January, when companies, nonprofits and government agencies added a healthy 126,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists had expected 60,000 new jobs in February.

CHICAGO (AP) — Political printing presses at their busiest in decades. Debate organizers limiting participation due to so many candidates. Constant political ads on television and social media.

The signs that Illinois is having one of its most frenzied primary elections in years are everywhere.

MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida university has launched an investigation into a group chat started by an official with the Miami-Dade chapter of the Republican Party that included violently racist slurs, antisemitic comments and misogynistic language.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed travel bans on three Chilean officials over the possible construction of a submarine fiber optic cable with China, while warning Peru against ceding control over a Chinese-built mega port.

Under pressure from President Donald Trump, who had threatened to take the Panama Canal back under U.S. control, the Panamanian government seized two ports at either end of the canal that had been run by a Hong Kong company.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's proposed White House ballroom is "ugly," "grossly out of scale" and a "gold gilded edifice to one man's ego," according to members of the public who oppose the project and got a chance to speak their minds Thursday to a federal panel that's reviewing it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said late Thursday he was withdrawing from his reelection race, after having admitted an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, but he vowed to finish out his term in Congress.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — President Donald Trump's plan to nominate U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as Homeland Security secretary will leave an unexpected Senate vacancy in deep-red Oklahoma.

Under a new Oklahoma law, Gov. Kevin Stitt will get to pick Mullin's replacement if he does indeed leave his Senate seat. Stitt said in a statement Thursday he will look to appoint "a strong, small government conservative voice to support President Trump."