News - Friday, October 23, 2026

Chattanooga has a problem that’s been growing in reverse.

In one decade, the Scenic City lost nearly 3,000 acres of its tree canopy, an expanse equivalent to 218 Coolidge Parks, research conducted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found. And while the disappearance of a single tree might not attract much attention, the cumulative losses are changing the landscape of a city known for its natural beauty.

On a drive through Promised Land Ranch, Kelly and Ali Meeks point out a landscape that requires a little imagination. Brush and young trees fill places they envision as pasture. Rocks pulled from a waterline trench lie beside the road. Gaps in the trees offer glimpses toward the Tennessee River Gorge.

Promised Land Ranch will introduce itself to the Chattanooga community with a free leadership and growth seminar Thursday, Oct. 29, at Liberty Tower in downtown Chattanooga.

The half-day event, titled “Built to Last,” will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and feature speakers from law enforcement, media and business discussing leadership, communication and the challenges of organizational growth.

Dennis Hart has spent 18 years exaggerating people’s features for a living, but the biggest character at Hartsyfartsy’s Caricature Couch might be the man holding the marker.

With rectangular glasses perched on a prominent nose, a salt-and-pepper beard and a broad grin that seems perpetually on the verge of laughter, Hart looks at home among the outrageous faces covering the bright orange walls of his tiny studio at the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

One number rarely tells the whole story of a housing market – and September is a good example.

The National Association of Realtors reported another decline in existing home sales nationally, while here in the Chattanooga region we saw more new listings and a larger supply of homes than a year ago. At the same time, pending sales softened, homes took longer to sell and the median sales price held steady.

The second annual festival will bring a day of free live music to the Chattanooga Choo Choo Gardens Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The family-friendly festival will showcase more than 10 local jazz, blues and funk artists, including Zowie Boyd, Jim Crumble, Karen Collins, the Monday Night Big Band and the UTC Jazz Band. An all-day market will feature local arts, crafts, clothing, food and beverages, along with family activities hosted by St. Elmo Stroll. The festival will conclude with the Jared White and Friends Open Jam 7:30-9 p.m. at Wanderlinger Brewing Company, where musicians are invited to bring their instruments and join the free community jam session. Drums, amplifiers, keyboard and microphones will be provided. Information

Renovations are underway on Provident Place, a new 134-bed facility that will more than double the capacity of Chattanooga’s Maclellan Shelter for Families when it opens in late summer 2027.

Located at the former Airport Inn on Old Lee Highway, Provident Place will replace the existing 52-bed shelter at 727 E. 11th St. and offer expanded services to help families experiencing homelessness achieve long-term stability.

Margaret had saved diligently for decades with a portion of every paycheck going into her retirement account. Then, the day finally came: She retired. Suddenly, the hardest part wasn’t the saving. It was learning to spend.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many retirees find the shift from building savings to living off them emotionally difficult, even when they’ve planned carefully. Here are five smart strategies that can help you feel more confident about what’s ahead.

A high school football team in Eugene, Oregon, recently beat its archrival 63-0, which got the coach fired. Not the losing coach. The winner.

Good riddance.

Some context here: The winning team, Marist Catholic High, had just scored to go ahead 56-0 in the closing minutes of the first half. It then tried an onside kick in an effort to get the ball back quickly and score again. This approach is known by various terms, including “piling on” and “rubbing it in.” And others that I can’t print here.

As the fans rushed onto the field after Tennessee’s 26-10 victory over Alabama last weekend at Neyland Stadium, UT defensive coordinator Jim Knowles could be seen dancing on the grass. The normally stoic Knowles then continued showcasing his dance moves once he entered the locker room and was surrounded by players.

No one could really blame Jeffery Simmons if he wanted to exit stage left from Tennessee and find greener pastures the way past teammates like Derrick Henry and Kevin Byard have.

But Simmons stays and perseveres.

And it appears a big reason for that is moments like Sunday’s when the Titans could have just disintegrated and mailed in another loss in a season where hope has been few and far between.

With prices ballooning everywhere, finding a large family vehicle that fits your budget has become harder than ever. That’s why the Hyundai Santa Fe and Smyrna-built Nissan Pathfinder are appealing. 

These two three-row SUVs are priced to undercut most competitors by thousands of dollars, at both the top and bottom ends of their lineups. The Santa Fe and Pathfinder are considerably different, however, and those differences result in advantages for both. The auto experts at Edmunds tested them to find out which one is the better buy.

Pull yourself up by the bootstraps. That’s often the advice given to someone who’s down and out and left with nothing. Get a hold of yourself, find your spine and just do it. Take that first step, be brave and don’t accept “no” for an answer. 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg made a deal with Meta's board to help him pay a proposed California tax on billionaires without losing his ownership stake in the company he founded, according to regulatory filings published this week.

The wealth tax is before California voters in the election that concludes Nov. 3. If passed, the measure would levy a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of Californians whose net worth exceeds $1 billion. Zuckerberg is the sixth-richest person in the world with a net worth estimated at more than $220 billion, according to Forbes. That would put his tax liability at more than $11 billion.

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest shudder for AI stocks pulled markets sharply lower around the world.

The S&P 500 fell 1.2% Thursday for its worst day since July, while the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.6%.

The weakness for tech stocks was so overwhelming that it masked strength for the rest of the market, where the majority of U.S. stocks actually rose.

It's been a rough start for some high-profile offensive coordinators with new teams.

Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was supposed to help elevate Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, bringing his innovative ideas to the West Coast. Instead, the Chargers are 0-6 because the offense has been terrible and Herbert has regressed significantly.

BOSTON (AP) — Michael DiPietro made 28 saves for his first career shutout, David Pastrnak had two goals and two assists, and the Boston Bruins cruised to a 6-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Charlie McAvoy had a career-high four assists for Boston, and Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm, JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic also scored.

NEW YORK (AP) — For Harry Styles' dedicated audience, it is the can't-miss event of the year: Tens of thousands have descended on New York City's Madison Square Garden each night of his 30-date residency, rushing to catch the show before it concludes Halloween weekend.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged Friday with making false statements about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden's laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for New Hampshire to fully ban the use of student IDs for voting during the midterm elections.

The justices granted a Republican-backed emergency appeal and blocked the use of student IDs as a backup method of identification. The Supreme Court cited a longstanding legal principle that judges shouldn't change voting rules too close to Election Day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to stop the Trump administration from building a triumphal arch along the Potomac River asked a federal judge on Thursday to halt all construction plans, one day after the National Park Service signaled it would begin work Nov. 5.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A first-of-its-kind cancer vaccine is significantly reducing the chances that melanoma patients' tumors come back, according to results of a major study released Thursday by drugmakers Moderna and Merck.

The vaccine was custom-brewed for each patient to match their tumor. Adding it to a standard post-surgery treatment reduced by 42% the risk of melanoma returning two years after surgery, according to the most advanced study to date of this new strategy for fighting cancer.

The U.S. designated helium as a critical material on Friday because it's indispensable for making semiconductors that are essential to energy generation, and the global supply is at risk of disruption, according to the Energy Department.

The designation by the Energy Department means that more federal financing will be available for helium producers and that the government will monitor it more closely. Helium is primarily produced as a byproduct of natural gas processing. The United States is the world's largest producer of natural gas and of helium. Qatar and Russia are the other top helium producers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Blistering record heat in Europe this summer helped kill more than 50,000 people, with nearly two-thirds of that death toll blamed on human-caused climate change, a new study found.

Researchers modeled heat-related deaths for different age groups in 854 European cities during repeated heat waves in June, July and August and found that 50,391 people died from warmer temperatures, and of those, 32,619 died because of the extra heat caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Nature Health.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has issued a new directive telling troops they cannot use "nonpublic information" to make bets on prediction markets.

"Our enemies watch movements in these markets," Hegseth wrote in a memo dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press. "When an American Service member, intelligence professional, or other Department civilian engages in a financial transaction on a military outcome, they create a signal."

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday there is "no merit" to U.S. allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in next month's U.S. midterm elections, expressing disappointment with Washington's ambassador over the accusations.

NEW YORK (AP) — American Express profits rose sharply in the third quarter as it transitioned the vast majority of its members to a new, higher-fee Platinum Card while its well-to-do customers continued to spend aggressively.

The company also announced its first major job cuts in roughly a decade, telling investors it plans to cut its workforce by 5%, or about 3,500 employees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Citi said on Friday it has received approval from Chinese regulators to set up a wholly owned securities company in the world's second largest economy, just about one month after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met President Donald Trump in Washington to keep U.S.-China ties stable.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department proposed a rule Thursday to crack down on American high-tech investments such as supercomputing and artificial intelligence in China, Russia, North Korea and other "countries of concern."

The U.S. government has been working for years to deny China and other adversaries investments that could help them boost their military power.

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump told reporters that he had "heard something about" the Department of Justice investigating allegations that Corey Lewandowski profited off his past role as an adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, after media reports of an investigation surfaced Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Calley Means, a top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a chief advocate for the Make America Healthy Again movement, resigned from his position with the Trump administration Thursday.

In a statement, Means did not say why he was leaving. His departure comes as leading voices in the MAHA movement have expressed discontent with what they say is the Trump administration's lack of progress on a variety of issues, including food security and regulating the weed killer glyphosate.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — More than a dozen people in Southern California were charged with allegedly siphoning nearly $2 billion in fraudulent healthcare costs, the Department of Justice and state prosecutors announced Thursday, as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up efforts to end the abuse of federal aid programs.