News - Friday, May 23, 2025

Like a photograph capturing a cold-blooded murder, Baker 3 offered a freeze-frame of relentless violence. Year after year, the streets of East Chattanooga, Avondale and Bushtown recorded the highest number of homicides in the city – many victims meeting their fates in the very neighborhoods they called home.

Early in her public relations career, when Robin Derryberry and her team orchestrated the grand opening celebration at the new Krispy Kreme store in Franklin, Tennessee, a few lucky drive-thru customers got an extra treat: a surprise serenade from country superstar Vince Gill.

Dr. Lori Mann Bruce has been appointed the next chancellor of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), following approval by the University of Tennessee board of trustees during a special session held May 16. Her appointment, recommended by UT System President Randy Boyd, will officially begin June 30.

April Furth has been appointed as the new administrator for the city’s Parks & Outdoors Department by Mayor Tim Kelly. She will begin her role June 13.

Furth comes to Chattanooga from Vancouver, Washington, where she most recently served as director of community development for Clark County. Her background includes leadership roles in operational management and customer service in the retail sector.

In a direct appeal to local elected leaders, the Hamilton County Principal Association is urging the Hamilton County Commission and Chattanooga City Council to increase local funding for public schools, warning that current budget constraints are forcing cuts that will directly affect students and educators.

Curbed Construction has broken ground on a new residential development in the Belvoir neighborhood of Chattanooga, marking the latest step in MiKen Development’s expansion into the city’s growing housing market.

The project, located at 3629 Fountain Avenue, will bring 14 single-family, cottage-style homes to the area, each of which will feature three bedrooms and range from 1,400 to 1,750 square feet.

A new memory care community in East Hamilton is preparing to welcome its first residents as Morning Pointe Senior Living completes the second phase of its senior living campus.

The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence – East Hamilton, located at 1775 Generations Way, will provide care for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The facility is adjacent to Morning Pointe of East Hamilton, which already houses a memory care wing.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) reports a 4% overall decrease in crime across the county in its 2024 annual statistical review, with significant fluctuations in key categories such as burglary, assault and drug-related offenses.

The report outlines the agency’s performance in its core operational areas: law enforcement services, corrections services and administrative services. According to the data, HCSO deputies responded to 78,929 calls for service and deputy-initiated activities across the county in 2024.

The market never stays still. Looking at the latest numbers from April, both across the country and here in Greater Chattanooga, we’re seeing a mix of challenges and opportunities emerge.

Shifts in inventory, pricing and buyer activity continue to shape the conversations we’re having every day with our clients. Now more than ever, understanding these patterns is critical to navigating a market that’s adjusting to new realities.

Whether your children are in grade school or high school, they’ll be leaving for college or trade school before you know it. With the cost of education rising, now is the time to prepare for that day.

Starting to invest when your child is born is often a great way to build a strong financial future. Even if your children are older, you can still make progress and potentially reap tax benefits by contributing to a 529 education savings plan. Contributions are made with after-tax dollars, accumulate with no federal income tax and can be withdrawn for qualified education expenses federally tax free.

Business is complicated these days, isn’t it?

You wear a lot of hats, no matter where you sit in the company hierarchy or where you want to be, and you have a lot of people you need to keep happy. That includes yourself, so take a look at these great books to make your work life a little easier…

Word on the street (actually, word in an air-conditioned business set a few hundred feet back from East Main Street) is that Michelin Guide inspectors recently passed through Chattanooga and might soon have something to say.

My top-secret source (actually, a Realtor and local foodie) and I were chewing over the hearsay when I suggested Michelin probably didn’t visit the kinds of places I enjoy the most: the “mom and pops” that lack the fancy trimmings but know how to put together an incredible meal.

The Tesla Model Y and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 are two of the hottest electric SUVs on the market. Adding to their appeal, both SUVs were recently updated. The 2026 Model Y has new styling, higher-quality interior materials and a smoother ride quality. Changes to the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 aren’t as dramatic, but you do get more range, easier-to-use controls and new ways to charge. Which recently updated electric SUV is the better buy? Edmunds’ experts compare them to find out.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee inmate Oscar Smith was executed by lethal injection on Thursday morning for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife, Judith Smith, and her teenage sons, Jason and Chad Burnett.

Smith was pronounced dead at 10:47 a.m. after a lethal injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital. The 75-year-old had maintained his innocence. In a lengthy final statement, he railed against the justice system, saying it "doesn't work," echoing sentiments expressed in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

The Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country. The Department of Homeland Security said the university allowed "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators" to assault Jewish students on campus and claimed without evidence that Harvard is coordinating with the Chinese communist party.

HONG KONG (AP) — World shares were mixed on Friday as U.S. Treasury yields eased after a rocky week due to worries in the bond market over mounting U.S. government debt.

The yield of the 10-year Treasury shed 0.8% to 4.52% while the two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for action by the Federal Reserve, slipped 0.3% to 3.99%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to put a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are manufactured in the United States.

The threat delivered over social media could dramatically increase the price of iPhones, potentially hurting sales and the profits of one of America's leading technology companies. The company now joins Amazon, Walmart and other major companies as being in the White House's crosshairs as they try to respond to the uncertainty and inflationary pressures unleashed by the import taxes being imposed by Trump.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that he held telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and agreed to hold "productive" discussions at an upcoming tariff talks between the two sides.

"Investment, not tariffs," Ishiba told reporters after the talks. He said Japan's position to keep pushing Washington to drop all recent tariff measures is unchanged and that he stands by plans to push for Japanese investment to create more jobs in the U.S. in exchange.

ROME (AP) — Iran and the United States began a fifth round of negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program Friday in Rome, with enrichment emerging as the key issue.

U.S. officials up to President Donald Trump insist Iran cannot continue to enrich uranium at all in any deal that could see sanctions lifted on Tehran's struggling economy. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi early Friday insisted online that no enrichment would mean "we do NOT have a deal."

CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — An exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine from their 3-year-old war was underway Friday, a senior Ukrainian official said, in one of the few signs of progress in international efforts to halt the fighting.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. homeowners are spending more on home renovation projects, bucking a broader pullback by consumers amid diminished confidence in the economy.

Sales at building materials and garden supply retailers rose 0.8% last month from March, the biggest gain since 2022, and were up 3.2% from April last year. At the same time, U.S. retail sales overall rose 0.1%, a sharp slowdown from March.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell Friday after President Donald Trump threatened 50% tariffs on the European Union that could begin in a little more than a week.

The S&P 500 lost 0.7% to close out its worst week in the last seven. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 256 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikely to reach.

To speed up the development of nuclear power, the orders grant the U.S. energy secretary authority to approve advanced reactor designs and projects, taking authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.

DALLAS (AP) — Freeways and airports across the U.S. filled up on Friday as more people made their getaways for the long Memorial Day weekend. Even as politics and the nation's aging air traffic infrastructure rattle the U.S. travel industry, Americans were expected to travel in record numbers.