News - Friday, July 26, 2024

Tennessee’s two highest-profile pro sports franchises have never been what one might call “big spenders.” But time, circumstance and opportunity have loosened the purse strings this year.

The Tennessee Titans exited the 2023-24 season almost $68 million below the salary cap, thanks largely to letting quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry walk away as the new coaching staff walked in. And they spent it well, filling gaping holes in the roster with known commodities.

As the Titans open training camp this week, 2024 promises to be unlike nearly any season we have seen from this franchise – certainly in its time in Tennessee.

The offseason brought a plethora of changes and an entirely new approach to business as the Titans fired Mike Vrabel and brought in first-time head coach Brian Callahan to not only overhaul the way the franchise operates, but also its entire way of playing the game.

We might never know what a top hat looks like on Predators general manager Barry Trotz, but he spent money like Milburn Pennybags – better known as the Monopoly Man – during the 2024 offseason.

Wearing a blue Predators polo shirt, not a tuxedo, to his July 1 media conference, Trotz happily discussed the new additions he made to a roster that was good, but not great in the 2023-24 season.

Training camp opened Wednesday for the Tennessee Titans, and it will be interesting to see how a number of things unfold.

Here are the four biggest storylines as the Titans go through training camp and preseason.

Levis and the new offense

All eyes will be on the development of quarterback Will Levis and how he acclimates to Brian Callahan’s offense and the new weapons around him.

Abigail Jansen Sutton finds special meaning in estate planning. Inspired by her parents, Jansen Sutton brings both drive and compassion to handling people’s legacies.

An estate planner and administrator, Jansen Sutton drafts estate planning documents, finds the right will or trust plan for a client and handles pre- and post-death estate administration.

The real estate market in the Chattanooga region is displaying a dynamic shift as we analyze the latest data from the National Association of Realtors for June 2024.

Understanding these trends is crucial for navigating the current landscape. Traditionally, the summer months witness a surge in housing activity, and it looks to be staying on this trend for this year. From increased inventory levels to median sales prices, the data reveals significant activity impacting buyers and sellers.

About 41% of the respondents to a survey conducted by Statista say they enjoy cooking and baking and consider it a hobby. But what’s more important than the meals cooked in a kitchen is the people many of these home cooks share the space with.

The Hamilton County Herald has won top honors in two categories in the annual Tennessee Press Association’s annual statewide competition.

The Herald won for local features and single feature in its circulation category on entries written by David Laprad. Best single feature was a profile of 76-year-old attorney Pamela O’Dwyer (“This gun is still for hire,” www.hamiltoncountyherald.com/Story.aspx?id=14422&date=12%2f8%2f2023).

As temperatures in the Tennessee Valley consistently reach the mid to upper 90s, with heat indexes soaring over 100 degrees, The Salvation Army of Chattanooga announces the continuation of their box fan drive, initially launched with the Beat the Heat campaign this spring.

Like most Americans, you will probably take on debt at some point in your life. And by managing debt wisely, you can potentially improve your saving and spending habits – and even your ability to invest for the future.

Let’s look at some of the common options available for borrowing and using credit:

Nearly six in 10 adults in the United States are uncomfortable with their emergency savings, the latest Bankrate survey reveals, a slight increase from 57% in 2023. This follows the same trend – 37% in 2018, 44% in 2020, 48% in 2021 and 58% in 2022.

Manifestation is a big part of Cierra Burdick’s regular routine. But her vision didn’t come close to reality when she imagined being named to the USA Basketball 3x3 Women’s Olympic team.

Burdick was supposed to meet a friend for dinner at Angeline’s, a restaurant inside the Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina. The former Lady Vols forward approached the host stand and provided the information about her reservation.

The average transaction price for a new vehicle was $46,992 in the first quarter of this year, Edmunds transaction data reveals. That’s out of reach of many car shoppers.

While buying a used vehicle can be a more affordable alternative, there’s understandable of appeal to buying new and getting a full factory warranty.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Thursday that she's "ready to debate Donald Trump."

She accused him of "backpedaling" away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10.

"I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage," she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street's split widened Thursday, as smaller stocks and other formerly downtrodden areas of the market rose up while superstar Big Tech stocks gave back more of their stellar gains.

A swirling day of trading left the S&P 500 with a loss of 0.5% following its slide from the day before, which was its worst since 2022 and led to a wipeout for financial markets around the world.

NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are urging a judge to uphold Donald Trump's historic hush money conviction, arguing in court papers made public Thursday that the verdict should stand despite the Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity.

The Manhattan district attorney's office said in a court filing that the high court's opinion "has no bearing" on the hush money case because it involves unofficial acts for which the former president is not immune.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York judge who ordered Donald Trump to pay a nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment said Thursday he won't step aside from the case, rebuffing concerns that the verdict was influenced by a brief conversation he had with another lawyer as a "nothingburger."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key question is looming for Vice President Kamala Harris as she edges closer to gaining the Democratic presidential nomination: Can she turn the Biden-Harris economic record into a political advantage in a way that President Joe Biden failed to do?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, is attempting to bridge divides within the party over the war in Gaza, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself while also focusing on alleviating Palestinian suffering.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve's favored inflation measure remained low last month, bolstering evidence that price pressures are steadily cooling and setting the stage for the Fed to begin cutting interest rates this fall.

Prices rose just 0.1% from May to June, the Commerce Department said Friday, up from the previous month's unchanged reading. Compared with a year earlier, inflation declined to 2.5% from 2.6%.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Finance ministers from leading rich and developing nations gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday for a two-day meeting to discuss a global tax on the super-rich, a top priority for Brazil, which holds the presidency.

According to the proposal before the Group of 20, individuals with over $1 billion in total assets would be required to pay the equivalent of 2% of their wealth in income tax.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top wishes from the United States. Yet by the time Trump left the White House, relations between the two had broken down after Netanyahu rapidly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory.

GLOSTER, Miss. (AP) — This southern Mississippi town's expansive wood pellet plant was so close to Shelia Mae Dobbins' home that she sometimes heard company loudspeakers. She says industrial residues coated her truck and she no longer enjoys spending time in the air outdoors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The day after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race for the White House, Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee's Michigan campaign office saw 650 people sign up to volunteer.

The next night in Nevada, Rep. Steven Horsford had another 600 volunteers register in his Las Vegas-area district. Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean's constituents were "fired up." New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster felt "palpable" enthusiasm. And by week's end, Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky's team had 400 volunteers ready to "get on the bus" to campaign for Democrats in neighboring Michigan and Wisconsin.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street rallied following encouraging reports on inflation and on profits at 3M and other big U.S. companies.

The S&P 500 rose 1.1% for its best day in seven weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A beaming Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to their first face-to-face meeting in nearly four years on Friday, patching up a political alliance important to both men that had broken down when the Israeli leader offended Trump by being one of the first to congratulate Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory.