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.