News - Friday, March 13, 2026

On any given evening, the glow of a smartphone is hard to miss – on sidewalks, in coffee shops, on college campuses and at kitchen tables across Chattanooga. 

Messages arrive in quick bursts: a meme, a GIF from a favorite comedy sketch, a reminder about dinner plans, a photo of someone’s dog wearing sunglasses. 

A postcard from New Orleans arrived one day in the mailbox of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman James Hill. 

He’d never met the sender. 

On the front was a picture of Jackson Square. On the back, written in tight cursive, was a single sentence: “Running late to the train, but greetings from the Gulf Coast!” 

On a table at Chattanooga’s Arts Friends Market on Feb. 28, Mary Price arranged a small but carefully composed display: rows of handmade greeting cards layered with textured papers, vintage postcards and delicate embellishments. Each one had been assembled piece by piece at her worktable, the result of a creative journey that began with a wedding scrapbook. 

Cindy Mathis has assumed ownership of Aladdin Printing & Copying following the recent passing of founder Ginger Weeks. 

Weeks founded the locally owned print shop in November 1996 after acquiring Bee Line Printing & Copying on Chestnut Street. 

J&J Contractors has been awarded a $29 million construction and renovation project for Soddy Daisy Middle School, a multiyear effort aimed at easing overcrowding and modernizing the school’s facilities. 

Located about 20 minutes north of Chattanooga, the school opened in 1960 to serve students in grades seven through nine. The comprehensive project will include upgrades to existing spaces and construction of a new gymnasium. Work is expected to take nearly three years to complete. Pre-construction activities are underway, with full-scale construction scheduled to begin in October. 

District 3 City Councilmember Jeff Davis is inviting residents to attend and take part in a discussion 2-4 p.m. at the Greenway Farm Conference Center, 4960 Gann Store Road in Hixson, about ongoing and upcoming city projects affecting the Hixson area and development of the city’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. A question-and-answer session will follow, giving attendees an opportunity to ask about these or any other topics related to city government. 

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has launched a new Nanoengineering Center within the UTC Research Institute, expanding the university’s research work in advanced materials and emerging technologies. 

The center evolved from a Center for Excellence in Applied Computational Science and Engineering Convergent Research Initiative that met key milestones in research growth, collaboration and external funding. 

The Chattanooga Police Department honored more than 50 employees, volunteers and community partners during its annual awards ceremony March 5 recognizing exceptional service and lifesaving actions during the 2025 calendar year. 

Police Chief John Chambers opened the ceremony by praising officers and reminding them of the responsibility they carry in serving the public. 

An award-winning craft brewery with a growing footprint in the Southeast is expanding its presence in Chattanooga. 

Creature Comforts Brewing Company will open the Creature Comforts Beer Garden in the city’s Foundries District, creating a large gathering space inside the historic foundry building known as The Shed, adjacent to the Chattanooga Lookouts’ new home at Erlanger Park. 

It’s never a good thing when a team has more controversy and drama than wins over the final month of the season. That’s been the case for the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team.

From the head coach saying the team ‘quit’ to former players criticizing the program to current players getting benched or leaving, the Lady Vols have been on a downward spiral as Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament approaches.

An outfit calling itself the Christian Employers Alliance says its study of legislation across the U.S. shows that Tennessee lawmakers lead the nation in their support of measures that align “with principles rooted in Scripture.”

“The study found that 100 of the 132 members of the Tennessee General Assembly voted with the biblically based position at least 80% of the time,” the group said in a press release announcing its findings.

When you open a retirement account or buy a life insurance policy, you’re asked to name a beneficiary. It might seem like just another form to fill out, but this simple step can affect your family’s future. 

Many people don’t give beneficiary designations much thought after signing the initial paperwork. It may have been years ago, and life has moved on. But this might surprise you: These designations can override what’s in your will or living trust. That means your retirement accounts and insurance proceeds could end up going to someone you didn’t intend, creating what professionals call an accidental inheritance. 

After years of experimentation and early adoption, automakers are rolling out the next generation of electric vehicles that better align with people’s needs and expectations. This year, you can expect to see new EVs that have more range, easier charging, lower pricing and distinctive designs. 

NEW YORK (AP) — With no clear end in sight, the war with Iran sent oil prices back to $100 per barrel on Thursday, and stocks sank worldwide.

The S&P 500 fell 1.4% and resumed its sharp swings following a couple days of relative calm. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 674 points, or 1.3%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.6% lower.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a broad bill on Thursday to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable, a rare bipartisan effort in Congress to address a growing national problem.

The bill, which passed 89-10, would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It will now head back to the House, which passed a similar bill earlier this year.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have a new coach in Robert Saleh for the upcoming season and are opening a new enclosed stadium in 2027.

So, no reason to wait to update their uniforms and logos.

The Titans unveiled their new look Thursday night at a party featuring current and past players. The new uniforms lean heavily on the history of the franchise, which started in 1960 as the AFL's Houston Oilers. The team celebrates its 30th season in Tennessee this year.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks scored a pair of third-period goals to erase a two-goal deficit then got a shootout goal from Jake DeBrusk to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Thursday night.

The Canucks trailed 3-1 after two periods, but Marco Rossi scored with 4:05 to play to make it 3-2 and Filip Hronek tied it at 3-all with 1:01 left in regulation.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Nate Ament warmed up and started for No. 25 Tennessee on Thursday after missing two games and about two weeks of practice, sidelined by a sprained right ankle.

Nobody watched the clock on how many minutes Ament played.

Coach Rick Barnes never asked.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State has hired Casey Alexander away from Belmont to take over the men's basketball program, athletic director Gene Taylor announced Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Incendiary internal messages in which a Live Nation employee mocks customers as "so stupid" and says the company is "robbing them blind, baby" have been made public as over two dozen states weigh whether to continue their antitrust trial against the entertainment giant and its subsidiary Ticketmaster.

NEW YORK (AP) — Live Nation and the U.S. government announced a deal this week that they say would give artists and venues more choice when it comes to selling concert tickets to music fans. But critics say meaningful changes are far from guaranteed.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus is due back in court Friday as a state judge weighs whether certain documents and proceedings should be open to the public.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration's top drug regulator, Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, is working to hire a researcher and friend who wants the agency to add new warnings to antidepressants about unproven pregnancy risks, The Associated Press has learned.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Trump administration ramped up a battle with California over the state's nation-leading vehicle-emission standards Thursday, suing air regulators over rules aimed at curbing pollution from cars.

President Donald Trump has long fought California's efforts to curb tailpipe emissions and spur electric vehicle adoption, and last summer he blocked the state's first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. He's also routinely criticized California's highest-in-the-nation gas prices, which are largely due to taxes and environmental regulations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, U.S. Central Command said Thursday.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. A U.S. official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve moved higher in January in the latest sign that prices were persistently elevated even before the Iran war caused spikes in oil and gas costs.

Prices rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Friday, slightly below December's increase in a report that was delayed by last fall's six-week government shutdown. The shutdown created a backlog of data that is nearly cleared.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings rose to nearly 7 million in January, better than expected at a time when the American labor market has looked sluggish.

The 6.95 million job postings in January were up from 6.55 million in December, the Labor Department said Friday. That was higher than economists had forecast.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy, hobbled by last fall's 43-day government shutdown, advanced at an unexpectedly sluggish 0.7% annual rate from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Friday in a big downgrade of its initial estimate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is scrambling to replace the revenue the federal government lost when the Supreme Court struck down his biggest and boldest tariffs last month.

If the effort succeeds, congressional Democrats warn in a study out Friday, the administration's import taxes will cost American households an average of $2,512 in 2026, up 44% from $1,745 in tariff costs last year. And this at a time when U.S. consumers are already angry over the high cost of living and the war with Iran is pushing up energy prices.

PARIS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the U.S. 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war is "not the right decision" and won't help bring a stop to Russia's more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

"This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war," Zelenskyy said. "This certainly does not help peace."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have filed legislation that would prevent the U.S. from attacking Cuba without congressional approval as they seek to force a vote on President Donald Trump's stated goal of a "takeover" of the Caribbean country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday and Monday in Paris for a new round of trade talks, the Treasury Department said, paving the way for President Donald Trump's state visit to Beijing starting March 31.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Under pressure from President Donald Trump, Senate Republicans plan to launch a "full and robust debate" next week on legislation to impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements, an effort to show Trump that they are serious about the bill even though it doesn't have enough support to pass.