News - Friday, August 28, 2026

For most of her life, Kaitlyn Laczko imagined motherhood as something waiting for her in the future.

She remembers being in kindergarten when her teacher asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. Kaitlyn’s answer was simple: a mom.

Inside a sound-treated booth at Chattanooga’s Speech & Hearing Center, Dr. Hailey Long can determine not only how much hearing a person has lost but also when a hearing aid is no longer enough.

The testing is more involved than a standard hearing exam. Patients listen while wearing a hearing aid or another form of amplification and are asked to identify speech under increasingly difficult conditions. In effect, Long is trying to determine how much help the hearing aid still provides.

For years, a vacant building at the corner of Alton Park Boulevard and 38th Street offered a less-than-encouraging advertisement for investment in South Chattanooga.

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly says he remembers a large “free rent” sign posted outside the property – and the fact that even that offer wasn’t enough to fill it.

We’re all familiar with the phrase “freedom is not free.” This often-repeated phrase reminds us that the many freedoms we enjoy in the United States – the most individual freedoms possessed by any citizens in the world – only came about because generations before us paid a price, and in some instances the ultimate price.

Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80 years old.

Parton died peacefully Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee, her publicist said in a statement.

Aug. 29

CommonSpirit – Memorial Hospital will host a free stroke awareness event 9 a.m.-noon at the hospital, 2525 de Sales Ave. The event will feature lectures and Q&A sessions on stroke warning signs, risk factors and prevention, along with complimentary blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, a resource fair and light refreshments. No appointment is necessary. Attendees should enter through Entrance F (Outpatient Services) off Glenwood Drive.

Hamilton County EMS has promoted Capt. Devoria Johnson to assistant chief, making her the first woman to hold the rank in the department’s history.

Johnson began her emergency medical services career in 1993 as a first responder and EMT-IV at Hutcheson Medical Center in North Georgia. She earned her paramedic certification in 2001 and joined Hamilton County EMS in 2007.

Urban Story Ventures is planning a $350 million retail and residential district at the Bend, a major addition to the developer’s 120-plus-acre redevelopment of Chattanooga’s riverfront.

Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and could be completed by fall 2028, depending on the pace of preleasing, according to Urban Story Ventures.

In its simplest form, saving can mean putting money into a jar, adding to it and letting it grow slowly. A 401(k) or other workplace retirement plan is a step beyond that. It’s more like a garden than a jar. Once you understand the basics of your 401(k), it becomes easier to feel confident in your decisions.

What did you want to be when you grew up? You might have listed three or four possibilities: policeman, doctor, farmer or a soldier, ballerina, teacher or acrobat. 

You were sure they could all happen, simultaneously, happily. And then you grew up and where did that dreamer-you go? Read “How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up” by Julian Shapiro-Barnum and find that kid inside you again.

In their only primetime appearance this season, the entire country got to see the Tennessee Titans secondary get schooled in a blown communication between Kevin Winston and Alontae Taylor. The result: an easy 36-yard touchdown pass from Seattle Seahawks backup QB Drew Lock to Elijah Arroyo.

Buying a used car can be a smart money move. During a typical ownership cycle, the cost of a used vehicle is usually significantly lower than buying or leasing a new car. 

Choose one that’s only a few years old, and it will likely have relatively low miles and plenty of reliable years ahead at a nicer price than getting a new vehicle. You can save even more by selecting a fuel-efficient hybrid model known for reliability.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is experiencing a "beyond critical" shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump's war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump launched the war with Iran in late February, he initially forecast it would last four weeks to five weeks. Six months later, there still is no off-ramp in sight despite Trump's repeated assertions that the war has been won or a deal to resolve it was nearly complete.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is renaming Lake Ontario to be known as "Lake America" in the United States as he escalates his trade war with Canada.

The Republican president signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake's name in the U.S. geographic naming service. Trump cannot force Canada to follow his preferred naming convention, however.