News - Friday, February 20, 2026

Her hand shook as she signed her name.

The lawsuit before her would challenge the way Chattanooga governed itself. At issue was a commissioner system built on at-large voting – a structure that diluted minority representation and concentrated power.

By David Laprad

On the 10th floor of the Volunteer Building, Evan Sharber studies dirt for a living.

Not the red clay that stains a pair of running shoes during a long stretch on a Chattanooga trail or the soil packed beneath a construction site, but the dirt that exists on paper – in boundary lines, legal descriptions, survey notations and title commitments.

On a 2019 evening at a Berkshire Hathaway event in Chattanooga, Chris Scott was doing what he’d done for years – slinging drinks.

At the time, Scott was juggling shifts at nine different Chattanooga establishments. He’d poured cocktails at Songbirds, Memorial Auditorium and Tivoli Theatre events, worked gatherings at The Tennessee Aquarium and The Signal and helped set up bars at State of Confusion and Stir. He was as plugged into the city’s hospitality scene as anyone.

Cameron Sexton has appointed State Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, as chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee. The nine-member panel oversees legislation related to energy, forestry, conservation, game and fish, mines and minerals, environmental matters, parks and recreation and watershed districts.

Abby Clark, a junior elementary education major at UTC, has been selected as the first preservice teacher to receive a fellowship from the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Clark and other fellows will spend the next year visiting historic landmarks such as Gettysburg National Military Park, meeting Medal of Honor recipients and studying history from a teaching perspective, with the goal of better incorporating it into the classroom.

By Herald staff

Seven students from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Gary W. Rollins College of Business have been recognized for their academic excellence, leadership and service as recipients of the 2025-2026 John C. Stophel Distinguished Student Award.

Crisis happens every day in our community. And it doesn’t always look the way you’d expect.

For neighbors living paycheck to paycheck, a flat tire, a sick child or an unexpected bill can be the tipping point. A missed shift at work can quickly spiral into an eviction notice, an empty pantry or the heat being shut off during the coldest weeks of winter.

Erlanger welcomed physicians, community leaders and supporters to its 22nd Annual Dinner of Distinction Feb. 6 at The Westin Chattanooga, honoring four individuals whose careers and service have left a lasting imprint on health care across the region.

NASHVILLE — A bill cosponsored by a Johnson City state representative would eliminate the public’s right to free inspection of public records.

These records can include detailed spending records; police bodycam footage; or internal communications between government employees.

If you trust the Tennessee Conservative website as your primary source of news and information, you probably agree with it that state officials are insufficiently hostile to undocumented immigrants. A bunch of dang RINOs.

As a result, those immigrants flock to Tennessee to flout the laws and generally foment havoc. A bunch of dang criminals.

Your credit score can play a surprisingly big role in your financial life. From renting an apartment to getting a cellphone plan, your credit score can open doors or close them.

Your credit score predicts how likely you are to pay bills on time. Lenders, landlords and even some employers use this number to evaluate how responsible you appear to be. A higher score signals that you’re reliable with money, which can lead to lower interest rates on loans, better insurance premiums and easier access to credit. Some service providers might even waive security deposits if you have a strong score.

Even if Valentine’s Day didn’t go as planned, you can still find love in the form of the perfect car for you.

Love, after all, isn’t about roses and candlelight. It’s about chemistry, the kind you feel instantly, irrationally and sometimes against your better judgment. 

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Ny'Ceara Pryor scored 22 points and dished 10 assists, Fatmata Janneh added 17 and Lemyah Hylton put up 12 in Texas A&M's 82-74 win over No. 21 Tennessee on Thursday night.

The Aggies (11-11, 4-9 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 10-0 run to start the game, with half the points coming from Pryor. She scored 13 in the first quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.

The 6-3 decision centers on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions in North America kicked off 2026 with bitterly cold temperatures, with many saying it's been years since they've experienced such frigid winter weather.

"Pipes that never froze on me for 15 years froze," said Chris Ferro, 58, from Brooklyn, New York, about the abnormally cold temperatures he experienced in January and February. Ferro owns several residential properties in Albany and said multiple days of below-freezing temperatures prevented him from doing repairs and renovations. He said he was thankful that none of the pipes burst and that this winter had the same bitter cold he remembers from when he was young, which contrasts with the relatively warmer winters he experienced in recent years.

For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children's mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. Now, these tech giants are getting a chance to make their case in courtrooms around the country, including before a jury for the first time.

LONDON (AP) — Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas set the stage for this year's redistricting battle by drawing a new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in the midterm elections. Now, with primaries underway, the party's hopes hinge on a key question — whether voters who helped elect President Donald Trump two years ago will show up for other Republican candidates when he's not on the ballot.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."

Trump made the announcement in a social media post hours after he accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing "classified information" when Obama recently suggested in a podcast interview that aliens were real.

ROME, Ga. (AP) — The White House insisted that President Donald Trump was visiting Georgia to promote the economy.

But in the opening minutes of his first stop at a local restaurant before touring a steel company, the president raised debunked claims of voter fraud, talked up his plan to require voters to show identification before casting ballots, and discussed the recent FBI raid of election offices in the state's most populous county.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. economic growth slowed in the final three months of last year, dragged down by the six-week shutdown of the federal government and a pullback in consumer spending.

The nation's gross domestic product — the output of goods and services — increased at a 1.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday, down from 4.4% in the July-September quarter and 3.8% in the quarter before that.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key inflation gauge accelerated in December to the fastest pace in nearly a year, showing how prices are still rising more quickly than most Americans would prefer — and faster than the Federal Reserve's target of 2% a year.

Prices rose 0.4% in December from the previous month, up from 0.2% in November, the Commerce Department said Friday in a report that was delayed by the six-week government shutdown last fall. The monthly increase was the highest since last February. Compared with a year ago, inflation rose 2.9% in December, up from 2.8% in November. That is the largest yearly increase since March 2024.