News - Friday, August 21, 2026

Courtenay Cholovich carries two or three small notebooks in her bag.

When an idea strikes her – a funny line, an observation, the beginnings of a premise – the Chattanooga-area comedian writes it down by hand. Sometimes she’ll sit with the idea and work out where it might fit into a performance. Other times, she’ll take it to an open mic in its raw, unfinished form and see what happens in front of an audience.

Lookout Comedy has performed in bars, restaurants, a public library and even a cat cafe.

The Chattanooga nonprofit doesn’t have a permanent venue, and Courtenay Cholovich, one of the local comedians behind the organization, sees that as an advantage.

For a time, Shan Jones thought owning a home had slipped beyond her reach.

“Life happened, and I reached a point where I thought I’d never be able to own a home,” she says.

Then she reached out to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.

People passing the new Shallowford Hites development might do a double take when they see the name.

Is “Hites” a typo?

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga CEO Jens Christensen says it’s not.

The name is a tribute to the late Chattanooga Realtor Mark Hite, a longtime Habitat board member and active advocate for the organization who died unexpectedly on Jan. 1, 2024.

Although Shallowford Hites marks Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga’s first effort to develop an entire neighborhood from beginning to end, larger-scale developments are not new to Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat began in 1976 with a model centered on building affordable homes in partnership with individual families. Over the decades, however, affiliates have undertaken clusters of homes, subdivisions and planned communities.

July’s housing report shows why local context matters.

Existing-home sales slowed from the previous month, but year-over-year activity was still higher, the National Association of Realtors found.

Here in the Chattanooga region, the picture looked steady in a different way. New listings were nearly even with last year, pending sales climbed, inventory continued to build and homes spent slightly less time on the market.

By David Laprad

In April, I drove past the Taco Bell on Dayton Boulevard and did a double take: The building had been reduced to rubble, as if a tornado had touched down on the lot while somehow leaving the surrounding buildings untouched.

A quick hop onto my trusted source of local news – the Chattanooga subreddit – revealed that the Taco Bell had been demolished and was destined for a rebuild.

The Hamilton County Election Commission is calling this month’s election one of its smoothest August elections in decades, citing strong turnout, election safeguards and the efforts of poll workers.

Administrator of Elections Scott Allen, who has worked in elections for nearly 30 years, says the county reported no major Election Day issues.

The city of East Ridge will celebrate the grand reopening of the newly renovated East Ridge Community Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Saturday, Aug. 22. The ribbon cutting begins at 11 a.m., followed by tours, family-friendly activities, raffles and a light lunch (while supplies last) through 4 p.m. The $2.6 million renovation includes an expanded gym with a regulation basketball court and pickleball courts, improved accessibility, upgraded building systems and remodeled community spaces. The East Ridge Community Center is located at 1517 Tombras Ave. Information

When you think about investing, you probably want your money to grow. But maybe you also want it to make a positive difference in the world while you continue pursuing your financial goals. That’s the foundation of sustainable investing – an approach that considers environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors alongside traditional financial analysis.

By Herald staff

After years of serving – or, in one case, deciding police work wasn’t for him – two members of the Chattanooga Police Department’s K-9 Unit are settling into retirement.

K-9 Burt, an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois, retired following a decade-long career that included helping apprehend hundreds of violent offenders, recovering illegal firearms and detecting millions of dollars in illegal drugs and currency.

UTC LIVE! is getting a new home for much of its 2026-27 season, giving audiences a more intimate setting to experience music from around the world.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga performing arts series will move most of its upcoming performances to Cadek Hall, where the building’s 217-seat recital hall offers a setting organizers say is well suited to the artists and programs UTC LIVE! brings to campus.

“Cam Ward wants to be great.” So says pretty much every Tennessee Titans coach who has guided him and every front office person who has had a hand in drafting or developing him.

While Ward is still learning the rigors of being an NFL quarterback and has been plagued by inconsistent performances, the narrative of Ward wanting to be great persists. And he puts in the time both in season and out of season to try and perfect his craft.

A small number of vehicles are discontinued every year, and their exits rarely make news. But if you know where to look, there’s an opportunity to get a good deal on a vehicle that’s at the end of its life cycle.

There’s a good chance dealers will be looking to off-load their remaining inventory of a discontinued vehicle, which can present an opportunity for you to negotiate on price. It’s also possible that a discounted vehicle might become a high-value classic many years from now. 

CHICAGO (AP) — Meta insists it has a long history of protecting its youngest customers as it defends itself against a swath of lawsuits alleging its social media empire harms children.

In the latest such instance, the social media giant is fighting allegations in a California federal court that it contributes to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately and stealthily designing features to get children hooked on its platforms Instagram and Facebook. Four states are seeking billions of dollars in damages as well as fundamental changes to how Meta runs those apps.

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart reported its slowest growth in U.S. comparable sales in six years during its most recent quarter, and the retailer's guidance for the rest of the year was seen as cautious by Wall Street.

Walmart's second quarter fanned anxiety about the financial well-being of low-income shoppers who are spending cautiously as prices rise at the gas pump and everywhere else.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection faced scrutiny Thursday after a watchdog group warned that forced labor persists on sugarcane fields in the Dominican Republic, which exports large amounts of sugar and other products to the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — University of Louisville athletic director Josh Heird says there is no "silver bullet" that will help his department's current revenue race.

To compete in the increasingly commercialized world of college sports, programs of its size might spend more than $40 million a year on talent acquisition, revenue sharing and other costs, according to experts. But just five of Louisville's 23 sports generate any revenue, according to the athletic department. Only football and men's basketball turn profits.

KNOXVILLE (AP) — You've heard about the patches coming soon to a college football jersey near you. You've seen the corporate logos cropping up on football fields from South Carolina to the University of Washington. Talent fees on season tickets, league-level deals with the likes of PayPal, naming rights revenue not just for a stadium but for the playing field within the stadium.

SAO PAULO (AP) — In the global race to secure rare earths that are key for everything from mobile phones to green technologies, Brazil is emerging as an alternative to China's dominance, particularly for the United States and Australia, according to an analysis of mining permits by The Associated Press and Reporter Brasil.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Asia-based USS George Washington aircraft carrier is now operating in the Middle East, the U.S. military said Thursday, relieving a long-deployed carrier following reports of mental health challenges and supply shortages aboard while it was supporting the Iran war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Interest rates rebounded Thursday despite efforts by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to put a lid on longer-term borrowing costs, a sign Wall Street investors remain worried about burgeoning government debt, heavy borrowing by tech firms, and the Federal Reserve's commitment to fighting inflation.

TORONTO (AP) — Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney had answered many of her questions about an emerging Canada-U.S. trade agreement, but she stopped short of endorsing the deal while the province assesses its potential impact.

NEW YORK (AP) — The relief that swept the bond market just a day earlier disappeared as oil prices, worries about high inflation and the U.S. government's debt kept rising.

That helped knock the U.S. stock market to its worst loss in three weeks on Thursday, and Walmart led the way on concerns about its upcoming profits.

HONG KONG (AP) — China's technology giant Alibaba on Thursday reported a 75% drop in profit for the latest quarter as it invested big in artificial intelligence infrastructure, even as revenue coming from its AI-related services gained 45%.

The Hong Kong- and U.S.-listed company, which started out in e-commerce and online retail but is increasingly focused on AI technologies, said that its profit for April-June was at 10.5 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), down from 43.1 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) the same quarter last year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump, speaking alongside cryptocurrency leaders at the White House this week, made a statement that Republican and Democratic candidates alike wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.

"If I were the mayor of a town or the governor of a state, and I had a chance to get a big plant in, an AI plant or a data center," Trump said, "I would absolutely want it because the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration is increasing pressure on Cuba by imposing more economic penalties on industries in the heavily sanctioned socialist country and broadening enforcement of laws that bar Americans who visit the island from dealings with government-owned or -affiliated businesses.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Rep. Eric Swalwell and searched his Washington home as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by the ex-Democratic congressman from California, according to a person familiar with the matter.

DENVER (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a court order that would have granted thousands of athletes who left college after last season an extra year of eligibility.

The lawsuit was filed by players who graduated high school in 2022, whose college eligibility ended last season and who were not included in the NCAA's new rule that grants most players five years of eligibilty, beginning next season.

NEW YORK (AP) — The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is mentally competent to stand trial as he faces sex trafficking charges after being hospitalized for months for dementia and Alzheimer's symptoms, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury, in her Thursday decision, concluded that Michael Jeffries "clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings" and is a "reasonably intelligent person and skilled communicator" following his stay at a federal prison hospital in Butner, North Carolina.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas court has slashed the $50 million judgment to $1.5 million against Infowars founder Alex Jones over falsely calling 2012 school shooting a hoax.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Joyce Beatty made an emergency request on Thursday that a federal court block the Kennedy Center from returning President Donald Trump's name to the building.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Artificial intelligence chatbots have become the bane of teachers everywhere, but to prepare for the new school year, a group of educators in Charleston, South Carolina, packed into a high school auditorium and talked about inviting AI into the classroom.

NEW YORK (AP) — Black nonprofit fundraisers are turning to their own communities for support this month, stressing everyday donors' power at a time when philanthropy is growing more concentrated among the affluent and some major funders have de-prioritized diversity in their grantmaking.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Army unit based in Europe that was specializing in drone warfare has been directed to end its efforts to learn and use the battlefield technology and return to being a traditional infantry battalion, officials said Thursday.

For more nearly a year, soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade have been experimenting and building their own drones, as well as participating in drills on waging unmanned warfare after Ukraine pioneered such tactics in its yearslong conflict with Russia. Last November, 600 soldiers formed a battalion that specialized in drone warfare and was set up to be used as a dedicated unit that could deploy anywhere drones were required.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Tehran's grocery stores are well-stocked, but many families can barely afford the basics. Unemployment is soaring and those with jobs are working more hours for money worth half as much as a year ago, putting food, medicine and everything else — except for heavily subsidized gasoline — further out of reach.

PHOENIX (AP) — Enrollment in the biggest federally funded food aid program in the U.S. dropped by more than 13% in a 12-month span — a decline far steeper than the government estimated as work requirements and other provisions of President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" take hold.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Top ministers for Indonesia and China agreed during meetings in Jakarta on Friday to increase their defense cooperation and strengthen food and energy security.

The meetings come as Jakarta deepens military ties with China while trying to maintain its long-standing non-aligned foreign policy and balance relations with other major powers.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has demanded that Cuba open up to private investment, and Cuba has passed sweeping reforms to encourage just that. So Cuba's U.N. ambassador says he wants to know why Washington keeps piling on sanctions that stymie the very economic opening it has sought for decades.

TORONTO (AP) — The premier of a Canadian province launched a blistering attack on U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, calling him a "bad person" and "not to be trusted" and urging Canada to keep fighting rather than rush to make concessions in trade talks with Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump appeared Thursday on his former fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen's radio show, holding a stunning public reunion with the man who once called him a "Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain" and testified against him both in court and before Congress.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department investigators have sought to interview law enforcement officials related to the FBI search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of a Florida-based inquiry aiming to establish a conspiracy against the Republican president, multiple people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

DENVER (AP) — The NCAA notched an important win in federal court Friday over its much-disputed five-year eligibility rule, though it fell short of shutting down the last-minute shuffling threatening to upend college sports rosters with football season fast approaching.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday allowed the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's $400 million ballroom project for now, as the Supreme Court considers the Trump administration's emergency request to intervene in lawsuits over the project.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas court on Friday slashed a $50 million judgment to about $6 million against Infowars founder Alex Jones after he falsely claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting was a hoax.

The ruling does not affect a $1.25 billion judgment against Jones in Connecticut, but is a legal victory for him after he and his company, Free Speech Systems, were found liable for damages for claiming the mass shooting didn't happen.

HONG KONG (AP) — Tesla and other Chinese carmakers are making a major recall of more than 4 million vehicles over safety concerns mostly related to their door handles, according to Chinese authorities on Friday.

The U.S. carmaker is recalling about 2.98 million China-made and imported EVs including Model 3, Model Y, Model X and Model S over door handle safety risks, according to China's State Administration for Market Regulation.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say a food-poisoning outbreak tied to alfalfa sprouts and involving multiple germs has sickened people in 15 states.

State officials announced the outbreak earlier this week, saying they documented more than three dozen cases in Minnesota and Wisconsin. On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency is aware of 55 cases nationally, including four people who have been hospitalized.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will allow more beef to be temporarily imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs, which drew swift pushback from cattle producers and conservative rural-state Republicans.

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 200 activists in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" movement are criticizing President Donald Trump's promotion of coal to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, according to a letter sent Friday.

The Pentagon on Friday fired the editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes, as well as its publisher and a reporter, the editor said. He said he was dismissed for insubordination after an interview he gave that objected to potential censorship by the U.S. military.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose and trimmed their losses from a shaky week. That's even though the bond market, which has been the center of Wall Street's action, remained jumpy and added more pressure Friday.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% for just its second gain in the six days since setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.4%.