News - Friday, June 26, 2026

On July 1, future doctors and other professionals will no longer have access to the federal Graduate PLUS loan program, a popular borrowing vehicle heavily utilized by medical and other professional students.

Current borrowers will see their access to funds curtailed, and likely will see shortfalls in what they can borrow vs. their school-related and living expenses. In response, separate programs launched by a Tennessee lender and physician’s association are aimed at helping ease costs at two different stages of a young doctor’s career.

The elimination of the federal Graduate PLUS loan program for future borrowers, as well as a more costly academic landscape, merge to create a difficult pathway for students pursuing a medical or other healthcare degree. Colleges try to make up the gap where and when they can, but they are there primarily to provide an education, not finance one, says Dr. Jeannette South-Paul, executive vice president and provost at Meharry Medical College.

Increased reliance on credit-based private markets: Medical students will now be more likely to bridge the remaining annual balance through private student lenders. Unlike federal loans, private lending relies heavily on credit scores and debt-to-income ratios. Many incoming medical students will lack the robust credit history or immediate income to qualify for favorable terms independently, meaning they’ll need a co-signer or take out loans with variable, higher-risk interest rates.

President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) is fundamentally shifting the federal medical school borrowing landscape, eliminating long-standing safety nets for incoming students.

Historically, medical students leveraged the Federal Graduate PLUS Program to borrow up to their school’s full cost of attendance (COA), effectively insulating them from high-risk private markets.

The phone call came from Houston.

The woman on the other end of the line was a widow. She had no children. She was paralyzed and afraid she was about to be forced out of her care facility.

For most people, it would have been an overwhelming conversation. For Misty Bolt, it was another reminder of why she’s spent the last 21 years helping people navigate Medicare.

Judge Thomas Wyatt retires from the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims at the end of this month, after 12 years of distinguished service as a trial judge and decades as an accomplished attorney in Chattanooga.

When I first met Tom 22 years ago, he was in private practice and I was a staff attorney for the Division of Workers’ Compensation (now called the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation). Tom and I were cordial, but I never thought that I’d one day work with him and consider him a close friend.

In our last two installments, in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we discussed how that document laid the foundation for the rule of law and the right to trial by jury. In this article – our last before the anniversary – we’ll discuss how the Declaration also laid the foundation for an independent judiciary.

Financial security doesn’t have to come from a big salary, a lucky investment or some dramatic turning point. For most people, wealth is built more simply, through small habits repeated many times over. 

If you’re like many young people, you may feel you don’t have enough money to start investing. The reality is that you’re in a great position to build the small habits that will help you create lasting wealth. Here are five tips to help you get started.

May gave us a market with more room to breathe. More homes came on the market, inventory continued to grow and pending sales showed that buyers were still active.

That combination matters. It means the Chattanooga region continues to grow and change, but at a more measured pace than many people remember from a few years ago.

Hamilton offers free property fraud alerts

Hamilton County property owners can now sign up for a free Property Fraud Alert System through the Hamilton County Register of Deeds Office. 

The service sends instant email notifications whenever a document matching a property owner’s name or address is recorded, helping residents quickly identify and respond to potentially suspicious activity.

A new endowed scholarship at Tennessee Technological University will honor the legacy of late educator, counselor and public servant Charles F. Douglas. The North Chattanooga resident and Tennessee Tech alumnus established the scholarship through a substantial gift before his death earlier this year at age 88, with additional support expected from his estate.

After 25 seasons, 824 victories and a championship-filled career that transformed Chattanooga softball into one of the Southern Conference’s premier programs, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head softball coach Frank Reed has announced his retirement.

Visitors attending events at Finley Stadium now have access to a complimentary shuttle service designed to improve mobility and accessibility across the stadium campus, thanks to support from Tennessee State Rep. Greg Vital and Morning Pointe Senior Living.

Chattanooga Zoo is celebrating the arrival of a new black crested mangabey after Suzy, a 22-year-old female, gave birth to a healthy son on May 20. The zoo is one of only 11 Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facilities in the United States that currently houses the vulnerable primate species.