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.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans released cornerback L'Jarius Sneed after two disappointing seasons in a move that frees up more salary cap space, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.

Sneed played only 12 games combined in 2024 and 2025 without a single interception and was placed on injured reserve in October.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Friday quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve in January, a severe blow to an investigation that has already attracted strong criticism on Capitol Hill.

Judge James Boasberg said that a "mountain of evidence suggests" that the purpose of the subpoenas was simply to pressure the Fed to cut its key interest rate, as President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed a pair of executive orders aimed at showing his commitment to improving home affordability — a key issue for many voters going into November's election for control of the House and Senate.

Under the first order, the federal government would reduce its own housing regulatory burdens and create incentives for best practices by state and local governments, with the goal of making it easier for builders to construct more homes. The second order would reduce the regulatory burdens tied to mortgages and make it easier for smaller community banks to provide home loans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — All six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed while supporting operations against Iran are dead, the U.S. military said Friday.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash in western Iraq on Thursday followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in "friendly airspace" and that the other plane landed safely.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The highly resilient U.S. economy was already showing signs of strain even before the launch of the Iran war, data released Friday showed, underscoring the risks that rising gasoline and energy prices may pose.

The economy barely grew in the final three months of last year, the Commerce Department said, as it cut its estimate of fourth-quarter growth in half. Consumer spending, after adjusting for inflation, was anemic in January, as inflation remained sticky-high. Hiring has also ground largely to a standstill. And Americans' outlook for the economy tumbled after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, according to a survey of consumer sentiment also released Friday.

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba has held talks with the U.S. government, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday, marking the first time that the Caribbean country has confirmed such speculation as it grapples with a severe energy crisis.

Díaz-Canel said the talks "were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated these exchanges." He did not elaborate on those factors, or provide any details about the talks.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The No. 1 seeds had a clear separation over the rest of the field when last year's NCAA Tournamentbracket was revealed and it played out that way with all those teams reaching the Final Four.

This year's top seeds — Duke, Arizona, Michigan and defending national champion Florida — are the favorites at BetMGM Sportsbook to win the national title.

UConn edged UCLA as the No. 1 overall seed in women's NCAA Tournament when the bracket was announced Sunday night,

Having the top spot in March Madness didn't really matter to Huskies coach Geno Auriemma as he looks to lead the team to another undefeated season with the school's 13th national championship.

NASHVILLE (AP) — John Calipari told his 17th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks to use the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game to measure where they are before the NCAA Tournament.

Nick Pringle disagreed, saying a league championship was on the line Sunday.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey called NCAA language covering tampering rules "archaic," but stopped short of urging the oversight body to halt tampering investigations, the way the Big Ten did earlier this week.

Speaking to reporters Saturday at the SEC basketball tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, the commissioner said the new landscape in college sports, which includes name-image-likeness payments to players, shifting and liberal transfer rules along with the increased influence of agents, calls for the language surrounding the rules to be changed.

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had three assists, linemate Leon Draisaitl scored, but was injured soon after and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Nashville Predators 3-1 on Sunday to end a two-game losing streak.

Draisaitl took a hard early hit from Ozzy Wiesblatt. The Edmonton star came back for a couple of shifts, but didn't return for the start of the second period.

NEW YORK (AP) — Robocalls, texts, and phishing emails from scammers are up this tax season compared to previous years, with artificial intelligence likely increasing fraud attempts, according to the consumer protection bureau of the Federal Trade Commission. Consumer advocates and government officials urge the public to stay wary, to stop and think before engaging with phone or text messages, and to remember the IRS will not contact you directly by text or phone.

DETROIT (AP) — When gas prices spike, filling up gets more painful. But consumers can do something to stretch their fuel just a little farther: Change the way they drive.

"It's a hard one to swallow, right? You gotta put gas in to go about your day and get to work and pick the kids up from school," said Michael Crossen, Consumer Reports' manager of auto testing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed a Texas-based oil and gas company Friday to restore operations in waters off southern California that were damaged by a 2015 oil spill, invoking the Defense Production Act.

NEW YORK (AP) — The CEOs of the nation's top airline companies, including American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, are imploring Congress to restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security and embrace a bipartisan solution to pay federal aviation workers including airport security officers during the partial government shutdown.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida says it's deactivating the campus College Republicans as a registered student group after being notified that some members engaged in antisemitism.

The deactivation effort at the University of Florida campus marks the second time this month that a public university in Florida has taken action against a Republican group accused of being involved in racist or antisemitic behavior.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security will soon be under new management, an opportunity to reset President Donald Trump's immigration agenda or to double down on his signature campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European countries on Monday demanded to know more about U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for the war on Iran and when the conflict might end as they weighed whether to agree to his call to send warships to help shore up security in the Persian Gulf.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States' war with Iran is entering its third week, but Congress has yet to publicly test the Trump administration's case for the conflict.

Republicans in Congress have so far side-stepped public debate over the war, even as Senate Democrats reach for every tool at their disposal to demand hearings with Trump administration officials. Increasingly frustrated, Democrats are threatening this week to force a series of votes on the war, hoping that the effort to gum up the Senate's voting schedule will prod Republicans to action.

PARIS (AP) — China warned Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff moves could harm the countries' trade relationship, at the end of high-level talks in Paris.

Li Chenggang, China's international trade representative, said the Chinese side had expressed serious concern about trade investigations into manufacturing in foreign countries that the Trump administration launched after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its earlier tariffs.

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — About 3,800 workers at one of the nation's largest meatpacking plants went on strike Monday in Colorado in what union representatives said was the first walkout at a U.S. beef slaughterhouse in four decades.

Hundreds of strikers picketed in front of the Swift Beef Co. plant in Greeley, owned by JBS USA, as the sun rose Monday. They walked back in forth in the morning cold, bundled in blankets as some yelled "huelga!" — Spanish for "strike." Others carried signs saying "please don't patronize JBS," written in both English and Spanish.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump may delay his China trip due to the Iran war, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday it's not to pressure Beijing on the Strait of Hormuz.

Bessent said any delay to Trump's trip to Beijing would not be because of disagreements over the Iran war or efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Every day more than $4 billion worth of goods cross the United States' borders with Canada and Mexico – U.S. auto parts headed for car factories in northern Mexico, cartons of Mexican avocados bound for California supermarkets, Canadian aluminum destined to become cans of Campbell Soup.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments over the Trump administration's push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria.

The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally for now.

NEW YORK (AP) — A bipartisan group of 13 attorneys general sued the financial company OneMain Financial on Monday, alleging the company placed unwanted additional products and other hidden costs on its loans that led to higher costs for its borrowers.

HOUSTON (AP) — An Afghan immigrant whose family said had worked with U.S. forces in his home country died at a Texas hospital after having been detained by immigration authorities, according to officials.

Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, 41, died at Parkland Hospital in Dallas on Saturday, a day after having been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump relied on his gut and largely side-stepped diplomatic coordination as he made the decision to launch strikes on Iran with Israel. But now with the war's economic and geopolitical consequences unfurling rapidly, he's cajoling allies and other global powers to help mop up the mess.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center's board of directors voted on Monday to shut down operations for two years following this summer's July 4 celebrations. The widely expected decision comes in the wake of numerous resignations and cancellations during President Donald Trump's second term, although Trump himself has cited the need for repairs as a reason for the closure.