News - Friday, March 14, 2025

As the dust settled at the end of Chattanooga Burger Week in 2024, a hamburger packed with Crab Rangoon filling, wonton strips and sweet chili sauce emerged as the people’s choice for the best hamburger in the city.

It seemed like a definitive statement: The classic burger is a relic, and the future belongs to gourmet chefs and nouveau foodies who value invention above convention.

“My Favorite Thing” is a regular feature in which Chattanoogans from all walks of life write about the one thing they enjoy the most in the Scenic City. Installments unearth hidden gems, offer fresh perspectives of local mainstays and reveal the rich diversity of Chattanooga.

The sounds of spring are heralding the end of winter in Chattanooga. The singing of birds in parks, the growl of lawn mowers in the suburbs and the crack of a bat connecting with a softball at Frost Stadium, where the Lady Mocs are putting together another winning season.

This event for the deaf and hearing-impaired community will take place March 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and feature American Sign Language interpreters for keeper chats and animal meet and greets, educational booths, opportunities to learn ASL and giveaways. Zookeepers will host presentations with snow leopards, chimpanzees, sloths and other species and bring out a variety of ambassador animals for up-close encounters. Knoxville Center of the Deaf, Disability Rights TN, Sorenson Communications, Family Voices of Tennessee, Sign Language Studios and Tennessee Schools for the Deaf will be present. Purchase of general admission required.

The Morning Pointe Foundation has launched three new scholarships for TCAT students at Chattanooga State Community College: a culinary scholarship of $1,000 each year for three years, a physical therapist assistant scholarship of $1,500 each year for three years, and a practical nursing scholarship of $1,500 each year for three years.

With spring storms and unpredictable weather ahead, now is the time for Chattanooga homeowners to focus on weatherproofing. Whether it’s heavy rains, strong winds or fluctuating temperatures, protecting your home can help to prevent costly repairs and improve energy efficiency.

The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center will host a grand opening of the “Captain Larry L. Taylor Exhibit” at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The exhibit honors Taylor, a Chattanooga native and Vietnam War hero who received the Medal of Honor in 2023 for his heroic actions in a helicopter rescue mission during the Battle of Khe Sanh.

If you’re just beginning your career, what are your financial priorities?

 You might have student loans to deal with. And you may even be thinking about saving for a down payment on a house. These are certainly significant issues, and yet, you shouldn’t ignore your long-term goals, such as retirement, which is why you might want to get started as an investor.

Dear Speaker Johnson: I would like to apply for a job as a professional protester, and am asking for your assistance in securing such employment in the near future.

Your recent comments advising Republican members of Congress to avoid public meetings with their constituents inspired this request. Some members who have attended such events have faced harsh criticism for various budget slashings proposed in furtherance of King Donald’s scorched-earth agenda. Slashings that they are finding uncomfortable to defend.

Car shoppers considering buying an electric vehicle in 2025 will have more factors to consider than buyers in previous years. Most of it is good news.

For example, automakers are continuing to introduce new EVs and improve their current models. Expanded charging options and very attractive used EV prices are also hot topics for this year.

Peek-a-boo. Yep, somebody sees you there. You can’t hide, you’re too big to slink away unnoticed, and there’s no boy wizard to make you invisible.

For your entire life, you’ve left trails behind wherever you go, footprints and evidence of your presence and behavior. Just thinking about that might feel weird, but once you’ve read “On Privacy” by Lawrence Cappello it might seem exactly right.

The Federal Trade Commission has walked back comments that a lack of resources is interfering with the agency's ability to be ready for a September trial over Amazon's Prime program.

Jonathan Cohen, a lawyer for the FTC, had asked a federal judge during a hearing on Wednesday to delay the trail and relax deadlines in the case, citing budgetary and staffing shortfalls.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials are asking retailers to pull a small number of acne creams from their store shelves after government testing found they contain slightly elevated levels of a chemical associated with cancer.

The Food and Drug Administration said several lots of six products containing benzoyl peroxide are being recalled, including Walgreens Acne Control Cleanser, Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment. The full list and lot numbers was posted online Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.

The European import tax, which was unveiled in response to steel and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go into effect on April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to place on the EU.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale inflation decelerated last month, suggesting that price pressures are easing for now. But the progress may not last as President Trump intensifies his trade wars.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it reaches consumers — was unchanged from January after rising 0.6% the month before. Compared to a year earlier, producer prices were up 3.2%, down from a year-over-year gain of 3.7% in January.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day before a shutdown deadline, Senate Democrats are mounting a last-ditch protest over a Republican-led government funding bill that already passed the House but failed to slap any limits on President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to gut federal operations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out.

In emergency applications filed at the high court on Thursday, the administration asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington that blocked the order President Donald Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There sat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation's top health official, at a Steak 'n Shake with Fox News host Sean Hannity, raving about the fries.

"Steak 'n Shake has been great, we're very grateful for them," Kennedy said, in between nibbles of fries that the Midwestern franchise recently announced would be cooked in beef tallow instead of common cooking oils that Kennedy says are bad for Americans' diet.

WASHINGTON (AP) — State officials are warning Americans not to respond to a surge of scam road toll collection texts.

The texts impersonating state road toll collection agencies attempt to get phone users to reveal financial information, such as credit or debit cards or bank accounts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.

The European import tax, which was unveiled in response to steel and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go into effect on April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans to place on the EU.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's sell-off hit a new low Thursday after President Donald Trump's escalating trade war dragged the S&P 500 more than 10% below its record, which was set just last month.

A 10% drop is a big enough deal that professional investors have a name for it — a "correction" — and the S&P 500's 1.4% slide on Thursday sent the index to its first since 2023. The losses came after Trump upped the stakes in his trade war by threatening huge taxes on European wines and alcohol. Not even a double-shot of good news on the U.S. economy could stop the bleeding.

NEW YORK (AP) — Discount carrier Spirit Airlines has emerged from bankruptcy protection.

The budget airline — known for its no-frills, low-cost flights on a fleet of yellow planes — said Wednesday that its parent, Spirit Aviation Holdings, exited Chapter 11 after finalizing debt restructuring. The reorganization plan, which received the court greenlight last month, aims to bring the carrier back to profitability and boost resources to compete with rivals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte laid on the praise for President Donald Trump on Thursday as the two met in the Oval Office at a time when the president's comments have raised doubts about his commitment to the transatlantic alliance and its mutual defense treaty.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service's acting chief counsel, William Paul, has been removed from his role at the agency and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsel's office who is deemed supportive of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, according to two people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to speak publicly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. authorities have removed immigrants from detention facilities at the Guantanamo Bay naval base as a federal court in Washington weighs a challenge by civil rights advocates to holding immigrants at the offshore military station.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government's steward of funding for public broadcasting stations sued the Trump administration on Thursday over its pause in grant payments for upgrading the nation's emergency alert system.

The nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting's federal lawsuit says a recent hold on grant funds for modernizing the alert system hampers the ability of federal, state and local authorities to issue real-time emergency alerts.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration's recent changes to student loans are causing frustration and confusion for some borrowers.

In response to a February court ruling that blocked some Biden-era programs, the Education Department has taken down online and paper applications for income-driven repayment plans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump's campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's volatile tariff threats are unleashing historic jumps in public anxiety, with the potential to undermine his pledges to strengthen a U.S. economy that is increasingly weakened.

The University of Michigan's index of consumer sentiment tumbled 10.5% on a monthly basis in March and plunged 27.1% over the past year. The preliminary report released Friday shows that consumers' expectations of annual inflation climbed to 3.9% from 3.5%, the largest monthly jump since 1993.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump's blunt-force use of tariffs has forged a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky's top leaders — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul — in lamenting brewing trade wars that could stagger the bourbon sector.

NEW YORK (AP) — Trade war turmoil is weighing heavily on financial markets in Canada.

Canada's main stock index has been tumbling along with U.S. indexes since President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with his North American neighbors. Mexico's main stock index has remained relatively steady following measures from the Mexican government to stabilize financial markets.

LONDON (AP) — The British economy unexpectedly shrank during January, piling pressure on Treasury chief Rachel Reeves before a key statement about the state of the public finances later this month.

The United States is suddenly looking less bubbly for European wines.

President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned 50% tariff on American whiskey. Wine sellers and importers said a tariff of that size would essentially shut down the European wine business in the U.S.

LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad's 20-acre (8-hectare) grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk met this week with the leader of the National Security Agency, suggesting the nation's spy services won't escape the billionaire's scrutiny as he looks to slash spending and personnel across the federal government.

Musk met Wednesday with Gen. Timothy Haugh, who directs the NSA as well as U.S. Cyber Command, which coordinates the Pentagon's cybersecurity work, the NSA said Friday. In a statement, the NSA said the meeting was intended to ensure both organizations are "aligned" with the new administration's priorities.

LA MALBAIE, Quebec (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies on Friday were wrapping up their final day of talks that have been overshadowed by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade and foreign policies as well as his repeated taunts toward host Canada.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate finds itself on Friday in a familiar position, working to avoid a partial government shutdown with just hours to spare as Democrats confront two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer relented Thursday rather than risk a government shutdown, announcing he's ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill that has fiercely divided Democrats under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate was preparing Friday to give final approval to a bill that could result in harsher prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers as both Republicans and Democrats seek to show they can act to rein in distribution of the deadly drug.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to visit the Justice Department on Friday to rally support for his administration's tough-on-crime agenda, an appearance expected to double as a victory lap after he emerged legally and politically unscathed from two federal prosecutions that were dismissed after his election win last fall.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services presents a "monumental opportunity" to make the country healthier, Dr. Mehmet Oz told senators Friday at his confirmation hearing.

President Donald Trump's pick for CMS administrator told the Senate Finance Committee that America is struggling with soaring health care costs and higher obesity rates than other countries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, a champion of environmental protections and progressive ideals who took on principled but often futile causes during a two-decade career in Congress, died Thursday.

Grijalva, who was 77, had risen to chair the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee during his 12 terms representing southern Arizona, a powerful perch he used to shape the nation's environmental policies. He was known for reliably going to bat for immigrants and Native American tribes, and for the bolo tie he wore at home in Tucson and in the Capitol in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to cut 10,000 workers and billions of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service budget and he'll do that working with Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency, according to a letter sent to members of Congress on Thursday.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and all signs point toward the team using that selection on a quarterback.

The Titans announced Friday that they had agreed to a contract with 32-year-old journeyman Brandon Allen, who spent last season backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco. The quarterback, a sixth-round pick in 2016 out of Arkansas, has played for Denver, Cincinnati and the 49ers. Terms were not announced.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge refused Friday to block the destruction of classified documents as part of the building cleanout at the U.S. Agency for International Development, finding that records slated for shredding or burning are old or no longer needed.

The government agency that runs the Voice of America has moved to terminate contracts with The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and told its journalists Friday to stop using material from the wire services.

Kari Lake, the former broadcaster turned Republican politician who was selected by President Donald Trump to run VOA, estimated the move would save $53 million.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rallied to their best day since the election, but not by enough to keep Wall Street from a fourth straight losing week. The S&P 500 rose 2.1% Friday, a day after closing more than 10% below its record for its first "correction" since 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2.6%. Ulta Beauty helped lead the market after the beauty products retailer reported stronger profit for its latest quarter than analysts expected. Worries have been rising that U.S. consumers may cut back on their spending because of uncertainty around tariffs.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid widespread economic turmoil, the price of gold has soared to levels never seen before.

Gold futures surpassed the $3,000 per troy ounce for the first time this week. The price to buy gold on the spot market in New York is following closely behind.

LAKE WALES, Fla. (AP) — As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad's 20-acre (8-hectare) grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic Party was fracturing Friday as a torrent of frustration and anger was unleashed at Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, who faced what they saw as an awful choice: shut the government down or consent to a Republican funding bill that allows President Donald Trump to continue slashing the federal government.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approached a key test vote Friday afternoon as lawmakers worked to avoid a partial government shutdown, with Democrats confronting two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue.

LA MALBAIE, Quebec (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies agreed Friday on a joint statement expressing support for Ukraine and a U.S. ceasefire proposal in the three-year-old war even as President Donald Trump's trade policies and taunts toward host Canada overshadowed the talks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Friday passed a bill that would result in more prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers as both Republicans and Democrats seek to show they can act to rein in distribution of the deadly drug.

The bill passed the Senate on an 84-16 vote, with all the nay votes from Democrats. It next heads to the House, where a similar version of the bill has already passed with significant Democratic support, showing many in the party are eager to clamp down on fentanyl distribution following an election in which Republican Donald Trump harped on the problem. House Republicans passed a similar bill in 2023 with dozens of Democrats joining in support, but it languished in the Democratic-held Senate.