News - Saturday, October 25, 2025

Inside a sleek new arena on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus, the pulse of competition beats strong.

Two squads enter, charged with tension – every movement calculated, every decision carrying the weight of victory or defeat. As they collide, bursts of chaos give way to brief silence. Precision, instinct and trust converge as teammates call out coordinates, cover angles and fight to seize even the smallest advantage.

Inside a sleek new arena on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus, the pulse of competition beats strong.

Two squads enter, charged with tension – every movement calculated, every decision carrying the weight of victory or defeat. As they collide, bursts of chaos give way to brief silence. Precision, instinct and trust converge as teammates call out coordinates, cover angles and fight to seize even the smallest advantage.

When University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Nate Bayes sat down at his computer as a freshman to broadcast his friends’ esports matches “just for fun,” he couldn’t have imagined that four years later he’d be running livestream productions for an entire university program – or getting paid to call professional tournaments.

The latest housing data for September shows a market that remains steady overall, with year-over-year gains in inventory and home prices continuing across the Chattanooga region.

Most national transactions last month reflect contracts signed earlier in the summer when mortgage rates were slightly higher, the National Association of Realtors reports. Locally, we saw a slight dip in closed and pending sales, along with a slightly longer time of homes on the market – signs of a market adjusting to seasonal trends. Still, strong price growth and rising inventory suggest continued opportunities for both buyers and sellers this fall.

Two closely related words that animated the call for independence from Great Britian were liberty and freedom. Those two words called not only for independence from the then-governing power but also for individual liberty and freedom for the colonists. And by that, they meant the liberty and freedom to live their lives without undue government intrusion or interference.

The Chattanooga City Council has confirmed Cedric Henson as administrator of the Department of Community Development. Henson has served as interim administrator since July and previously worked as deputy administrator for the Department of Public Works. 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Library’s Special Collections has received a $1,900 State Board Programming Regrant from the Tennessee Historical Records Advisory Board to digitize materials from the United Hosiery Mills records – a project powered by student research. The funding is provided through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

The Chattanooga Zoo’s annual event returns Oct. 24-25 and 31 with trick-or-treating, character meet-and-greets, a bounce house, a scavenger hunt and festive decorations. Popular characters like Elsa, Spider-Man and Moana will be on hand for photos, courtesy of Magic Lamp Entertainment. Boo in the Zoo runs 4-8 p.m. each night. Tickets

The latest statistics on gun fatalities in Tennessee are in, and the adjectives that come to mind include alarming, depressing and frustrating. What they are not is surprising.

Without diving too deep into the figures, the results show:

• From 2013 to 2023, the last year for which full figures are available, the rate of overall firearm fatalities increased 41%, and the rate of overall firearm fatalities for children through age 17 increased 128%.

More than 7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2025 report from the Alzheimer’s Association. The emotional toll of watching a loved one struggle with the memory loss, depression, anxiety and cognitive decline is already overwhelming — but the financial burden can be significant too. Hopefully this disease will never touch your family, but it’s important to be financially prepared just in case. By planning to cover long-term care costs and creating a financial strategy for caregivers, you can help protect your family’s financial well-being.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell remarked recently that NFL organizations fail young quarterbacks more than young quarterbacks fail organizations.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Exhibit A of that statement, the Tennessee Titans.

What does the Mike McCoy era seem to hold for the Titans?

Sunday’s early returns were promising as McCoy centered the offense on the strengths of Cam Ward, with some play-action, some rollouts and even one play that looked like a run-pass option.

Welcome back to Flick Picks, your twice-monthly movie fix. From a true-crime oddity to a nostalgic throwback, this week’s lineup serves up a mix of fresh releases, streaming gems and one delicious fall treat.

Now playing

“Roofman,” starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst, opens with a title card that declares, “This is a true story.” Not “Based on a true story” or “Inspired by a true story,” but “This IS a true story.”

The calendar is running out and you want to make the best of what’s left of the year. 

You have a small to-do list, and one thing on it is to grow. So why not check out these new business books about growth, knowing your strengths, finding your best spot, and knowing history…

If you’re considering buying a new small SUV, there’s a good chance you’ll consider the Honda CR-V. The CR-V is among the most popular-selling models in the United States, and there are good reasons why. It’s practical, comfortable and quite good at getting you where you need to go with minimal fuss. 

NEW YORK (AP) — If someone left a government job with a black eye, literally, ran a company with shrinking profits, and suddenly had federal investigators crawling over their business, you might say they're having a bad year.

But most people are not Elon Musk.

NEW YORK (AP) — Some politicians carry threats to their livelihood in the palms of their hands.

News stories in recent weeks about offensive or ill-advised text messages have blown up the careers of several young Republicans in a chat group, led a nominee for a White House job to drop out, threatened the campaign of a Democrat running for Virginia attorney general and embarrassed a federal prosecutor.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The calm following the Sept. 19 phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had barely ended when strong undercurrents surged, threatening to rock the entire ship.

First, the U.S. government widened sanction rules on Chinese companies. Beijing retaliated by expanding permitting requirements on rare earth materials needed in everything from smartphones to fighter jets. Trump hit back with threats to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods, clouding any prospect for a trade deal ahead of a possible summit in South Korea between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The entire White House East Wing has been demolished as President Donald Trump moves forward with construction of a ballroom, Associated Press photos on Thursday showed.

The East Wing, where first ladies created history, planned state dinners and promoted causes, is now history itself. The two-story structure of drawing rooms and offices, including workspace for first ladies and their staffs, has been turned into rubble, demolished as part of the Republican president's plan to build what he said is now a $300 million ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans placed cornerback L'Jarius Sneed on injured reserve Thursday with a quadricep injury.

This is the second straight season the Titans have put Sneed on injured reserve. He played only five games in 2024 after Tennessee traded with Kansas City for the two-time Super Bowl champ and gave him a contract that made Sneed the NFL's fifth-highest paid cornerback at the time.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Cole Smith scored at 5:09 of the third period to lead the Nashville Predators to a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

Ryan O'Reilly also scored and Juuse Saros made 21 saves for the Predators, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Authorities plan to give an update Friday on the massive blast at a Tennessee explosives plant that killed 16 people.

The delicate investigation at the Accurate Energetic Systems plant hasn't determined the cause of the Oct. 10 explosion, which killed people ages 21 to 60. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has positively identified 14 of the 16 victims using rapid DNA testing, authorities said.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges accusing her of lying on mortgage papers to secure favorable loan terms in a case pushed by President Donald Trump.

James' first court appearance in Virginia sets the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between the Republican administration and a Democratic longtime Trump adversary who angered him with a major civil fraud case she brought against him.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal jury found a private company running a Louisiana jail liable for the 2015 death of a man who died of head injuries he received while in custody, and awarded the family more than $40 million in damages.

Attorneys representing Erie Moore Sr.'s family say they believe the verdict handed down this week in the Western District of Louisiana is among the highest ever jury awards for an in-custody death in the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who says he was detained by police for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader's theme song from "Star Wars" on his phone sued the District of Columbia on Thursday, claiming the officers violated his constitutional rights.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration's annual cost-of-living adjustment will go up by 2.8% in 2026, translating to an average increase of more than $56 for retirees every month, agency officials said Friday.

The benefits increase for nearly 71 million Social Security recipients will go into effect beginning in January. And increased payments to nearly 7.5 million people receiving Supplemental Security Income will begin on Dec. 31.

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government is limiting how many vehicles Stellantis and GM can import tariff free after the automakers ended some production in Canada, a government official said Thursday.

The official said the companies will no longer be eligible to get the full break on Canadian countertariff duties on autos and auto parts. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had breached their transparency obligations after an investigation that could result in billions of dollars in fines.

The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act, the EU's trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep internet users safe online, including making it easier to report counterfeit or unsafe goods or flag harmful or illegal content like hate speech, as well as a ban on ads targeted at children.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A 2018 Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates to legalized sports-betting industry, now worth billions of dollars a year, even as it recognized that the decision was controversial.

That high-court ruling is back in the spotlight after the arrests on Thursday of more than 30 people, including an NBA player and coach, in two cases alleging sprawling criminal schemes to rake in millions by rigging sports bets and poker games involving Mafia families.

NEW YORK (AP) — The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures, on charges of illegal sports betting has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of professional sports gambling across the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation remained elevated last month as gas prices jumped while the cost of rents cooled, painting a mixed picture of the expenses consumers are facing in a murky economy where growth appears steady but hiring slow.

Consumer prices increased 3% in September from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Friday, the highest since January and up from 2.9% in August. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices also rose 3%, down from 3.1% in the previous month.

TORONTO (AP) — The leader of Canada's most populous province posted remarks by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan on social media on Friday showing Reagan opposed tariffs, hours after President Donald Trump announced he's ending "all trade negotiations" with Canada because of a television ad that Trump said misstates Reagan's opposition to tariffs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced he's ending "all trade negotiations" with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called "egregious behavior" aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions.

HONG KONG (AP) — China's leaders are vowing to reduce its reliance on foreign advanced technology and spur stronger domestic demand as it weathers "high winds" amid elevated trade tensions with the U.S.

An outline of the ruling Communist Party's blueprint for the next five years was laid out in a 5,000-word communique released Thursday after a four-day top level meeting in Beijing, just days ahead of planned talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has signed a multibillion-dollar deal with Google to acquire more of the computing power needed for the startup's chatbot, Claude.

Anthropic said Thursday the deal will give it access to up to 1 million of Google's AI computer chips and is "worth tens of billions of dollars and is expected to bring well over a gigawatt of capacity online in 2026."

NEW YORK (AP) — Intel has posted a profit in its first quarterly report since the U.S. government became a major shareholder in the struggling chipmaker.

The one-time American tech icon reported a net income of $4.1 billion, or 90 cents per share, in the three months ending in September, up from a loss of $17 billion, or $3.88 per share, a year earlier. Revenue climbed 3% from last year to $13.7 billion.

President Donald Trump's favorability has fallen among Hispanic adults since the beginning of the year, a new AP-NORC poll shows, a potential warning sign from a key constituency that helped secure his victory in the 2024 election.

The October survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 25% of Hispanic adults have a "somewhat" or "very" favorable view of Trump, down from 44% in an AP-NORC poll conducted just before the Republican took office for the second time. The percentage of Hispanic adults who say the country is going in the wrong direction has also increased slightly over the past few months, from 63% in March to 73% now.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Donald Trump was geared up for a show of federal force in San Francisco, a city he's blasted as everything wrong with liberal governance. Then conversations with some of the Bay Area's most prominent tech leaders and the mayor changed his mind.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is going to Japan and South Korea next week to promote an epic financial windfall — at least $900 billion in investments for U.S. factories, a natural gas pipeline and other projects.

Japan and South Korea made those financial commitments in August to try to get Trump to ratchet down his planned tariff rates from 25% to 15%. But as the U.S. president is set to depart Friday night for Asia, the pledges are more of a loose end than money in the bank for American industry.

NASHVILLE (AP) — An electrocardiogram monitoring the heart of a Tennessee inmate executed by lethal injection in August showed "sustained cardiac activity" nearly two minutes after Byron Black was pronounced dead, his attorney told a judge on Friday.

McEWEN (AP) — A massive blast at a Tennessee explosives plant that killed 16 people, leveled the building and was felt more than 20 miles away began in an area where workers used kettles to produce a mixture of explosives and set off other explosives stored nearby, authorities said Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced he's ending "all trade negotiations" with Canada because of a television ad sponsored by one of its provinces that used the words of former President Ronald Reagan to criticize U.S. tariffs — prompting the province's leader to later pull the ad.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pulled out of trade talks with Canada Thursday night, furious over what he called a "fake'' television ad from Ontario's provincial government that quoted former U.S. President Ronald Reagan from 38 years ago criticizing tariffs -- Trump's favorite economic tool.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's barrage of tariffs has quickly strained the United States' longstanding relationship with Canada over the last year.

Since taking office in January, Trump has threatened Canada's economy and sovereignty with steep import taxes on its goods. He's even claimed that America's neighbor to the north could be "the 51st state." That rhetoric — paired with volleys of on-again, off-again new tariffs — has outraged Canadians, and created wider uncertainty for businesses and consumers across both countries.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown now in its fourth week likely means there won't be an inflation report next month for the first time in more than seven decades, the White House said Friday, leaving Wall Street and the Federal Reserve without crucial information about consumer prices.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon confirmed Friday that it has accepted an anonymous $130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown, raising ethical questions after President Donald Trump had announced that a friend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration imposed sanctions Friday on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade, sharply escalating tensions with the leftist leader of one of the closest U.S. allies in South America.