Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly last week unveiled the city’s first-ever brand, which was cocreated by local talent with input from residents across the community.
The city realized the need for a unifying visual identity as part of the redesign of the city website, which is expected to be finished next month. The city’s new brand is a comprehensive toolbox that will flex and grow across city departments, initiatives and agencies in the years to come, unifying what in the past has been a fragmented and discordant public presence.
The city seal, which is part of Chattanooga’s city charter, will not change but will begin to return to its proper use as an authenticator in official documents.
“One of the things I learned in 30 years of business is the power of good branding,” Kelly says. “Our lack of branding has caused confusion for Chattanoogans about what is and isn’t a city service, and our upcoming website redesign gave us the perfect opportunity to solve this problem. We received a lot of community input, and I think this new branding honors our history while celebrating the progress we’ve made and looking forward to our bright future.”
The city solicited feedback from a diverse group of residents and partners about what a future city logo could look like. Those conversations, happening over many months, painted a picture of a community that aspires to be the best in the world, but is still growing from its complicated history of pollution, economic disparity and segregation.
The brand will be phased in over time. Chattanoogans will start to see it soon on city uniforms, vehicles, signs, in parks, on buildings and across the city’s digital footprint.
Literacy tutoring expanded to 12 schools
Now that Hamilton County students have returned to the classroom from summer break, an estimated 500 kindergarten and first grade students across 12 local public schools will receive free, daily, one-on-one literacy tutoring at the precise age when research shows the impact of tutoring is most effective.
The Literacy First tutoring program demonstrated significant positive results when Chattanooga 2.0 piloted it at East Side Elementary School during the 2023-24 school year. First grade students receiving the Literacy First tutoring intervention saw tremendous growth from the fall to spring.
Tutored students had larger overall average growth than both the comparison group and all first grade students combined. In addition, Literacy First students had the largest overall average growth in phonics – the main focus of the tutoring program.
Twelve schools across Hamilton County have hired tutors to benefit even more students after funding was secured by the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and United Way of Greater Chattanooga from the Tennessee Department of Education. The Howard Fund, the Benwood Foundation, the Maclellan Foundation, and the Grandview Foundation are also funding the effort to amplify its impact through public-private partnerships.
In consultation with teachers, students who are just below grade level are selected for tutoring at the beginning of the year. Tutors can serve 8-10 students at a time, and over the course of a school year they graduate students who meet grade level expectations in literacy and begin to serve new children. On average, a Literacy First tutor can support 15 to 18 students each year.
The 12 local elementary schools who will have Literacy First tutors this year are Barger, Bess T. Shepherd, Calvin Donaldson, Clifton Hills, East Lake, East Ridge, East Side, Hardy, Harrison, Orchard Knob, Spring Creek and Woodmore.
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Redfin: Many factors cause homebuyer pause
Pending home sales fell 6.9% during the four weeks ending Aug. 25, the biggest annual decline in nearly a year according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.
That’s despite the median monthly U.S. housing payment falling to its lowest level since February as weekly average mortgage rates drop to their lowest level in 15 months.
Sales aren’t yet improving because many would-be homebuyers are playing the waiting game. Redfin agents report that house hunters are touring homes, but some of them are hesitant to buy right now. Would-be buyers are waiting for one or all of the following:
• Clarity on the NAR settlement. The new rules for how agents, buyers and sellers negotiate agent fees went into effect Aug. 17. Some would-be buyers and sellers are waiting to see how these rules play out before getting into the market.
• Lower home prices. Even though monthly payments are declining, home-sale prices are just a few thousand dollars shy of early July’s record high. That’s partly because inventory is losing momentum; the total number of homes for sale posted its smallest year-over-year increase in five months.
• Lower mortgage rates. Some homebuyers are hoping mortgage rates will decline more than they already have after the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates in September. (It’s worth noting that if mortgage rates do drop significantly, it could lead to more competition and higher home prices.)
• The outcome of the presidential election. Some house hunters are hesitant to make a big purchase amid this year’s political uncertainty, and believe the outcome of the presidential election could change the course of economic, housing and other policies that affect their decision to move.
“I expect more buyers and sellers to jump into the market in a few months, once everyone has a better understanding of how the new NAR rules will play out in actual real estate deals,” says Fernanda Kriese, a Redfin Premier agent in Las Vegas. “The election and the drop in mortgage rates are also delaying buyers; a lot of them are waiting on the sidelines until November, hoping to get a lower rate and maybe more homes to choose from.”
State Parks creates ‘How To’ for newcomers
Tennessee State Parks is launching a program to teach fundamental skills to new parks visitors who are interested in getting outdoors and participating in recreational activities.
The program, Tennessee State Parks “How To” series, is geared toward people who are unfamiliar with Tennessee’s state parks or new to engaging in outdoor recreation. The introductory-level programs allow newcomers to learn from scratch about such experiences as camping, hiking, kayaking and fishing.
Pickwick Landing State Park will be the first site of the recreation skill building sessions beginning Sept. 7. The sessions will be free of charge to participants, and all necessary equipment will be provided.
“While many of our visitors are well-versed in various recreations in the parks, we recognize that many Tennesseans want to learn the basics of some outdoor recreational activities in order to fully engage and have a great experience,” says Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner for conservation at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
“We want to make our parks welcoming for everyone, so we hope this program will give more people the ability to enjoy our parks in ways they might not have before.”
One program involved is named Tennessee State Parks “How To Explore” and teaches people how to navigate the parks, pick the best park for them, pick the best trail for them, whom to contact in an emergency, how to use a map and other steps.
The other seven programs are for hiking, camping, stargazing, backpacking, kayaking, fishing and bird watching. There will be two programs per month from September through December, and there is a 20-person limit for each session.
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GIVE grants aid rural workforce development
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has announced the latest round of Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) grants to help prioritize learning opportunities in rural counties and enhance career and technical education statewide.
These grants will allocate $41 million to foster regional partnerships between Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology, community colleges and local industries.
The GIVE program is designed to address skills gaps in Tennessee’s workforce by supporting the development of career pathways that connect secondary education, postsecondary institutions and local employers.
Grants of up to $2 million are awarded to collaborative efforts that create or expand academic programs, develop work-based learning experiences or provide industry-recognized certifications in areas of high demand. This initiative not only aims to meet the current needs of employers but also to stimulate economic growth by ensuring that Tennessee’s education system is aligned with workforce requirements.
“The GIVE grants represent a significant step forward in our mission to bridge the skills gap in Tennessee’s workforce,” says Steven Gentile, THEC executive director. “By fostering collaboration between educational institutions and local industries, we are not only creating pathways for students in rural and at-risk counties but also ensuring that our state remains competitive in a rapidly evolving job market.”
The third round of GIVE grants will fund 23 projects statewide. The 23 funded projects will impact 47 counties, including 6 economically distressed and 13 at-risk counties.