News - Friday, October 30, 2026

High above the Tennessee River, a man was playing a saxophone.

As my wife and I walked along the Walnut Street Bridge for the first time since its reopening earlier this month, the jazzy notes reached us from a distance, faint at first but growing fuller as we approached the middle of the bridge, where the musician had set up.

The battlefield is taking shape.

Four arenas, an assortment of weapons and characters preparing to face off in virtual combat. Before long, two young brothers will be able to hunt each other through the digital landscape, take aim and open fire.

By David Laprad

Lee Hope was so busy making sure everything went smoothly during a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Chattanooga Public Library that she barely noticed when library director Will O’Hearn began speaking.

The occasion was the opening of a new, fully accessible playground outside the downtown library, and Hope had been given an important assignment: Make sure the children holding the ribbon were in position and ready for Mayor Tim Kelly to cut it.

As discussed in our last article, there’s an inherent tension between two of our key democratic principles: the will of the people and the rule of law. Comments to recent news articles in national publications call attention to this tension.

This festival will take place Oct. 31 at Chattanooga Green at Ross’s Landing, 201 Riverfront Parkway. The free, family-friendly event will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a casual 2-mile walk and run and a bike ride. Food trucks and vendor tents will open at 11 a.m. Other activities will include free giveaways, a costume contest for all ages, children’s activities and live music featuring The Dexter Thomas Band. Costumes are encouraged. All donations and registration fees from the walk, run, bike ride, vendors and food trucks will benefit the Urban League.

Girls Preparatory School has named Mary Allison Raper its new chief development officer following a national search. Raper will join the Chattanooga school Jan. 4, 2027, and serve on its senior leadership team.

Raper is director of advancement at St. David’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she more than tripled annual philanthropic support and the school’s major gift pipeline through donor engagement and fundraising initiatives.

The U.S. General Services Administration has broken ground on a $282 million federal courthouse in downtown Chattanooga, marking the start of construction on a facility expected to be substantially completed in 2030.

The approximately 191,000-square-foot courthouse will house the U.S. District Court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, along with the Circuit Library. The facility will feature seven courtrooms, nine judges’ chambers, secure parking and space for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service.

Every fall, an email lands in Maya’s inbox announcing open enrollment. And every year, she quickly clicks “renew” and moves on. 

Open enrollment is when you choose your medical and other workplace benefits for the coming year. Most companies hold it in the fall. Once it closes, you usually can’t make changes unless there’s a major life event, like marriage, divorce or a new child. 

It’s getting more difficult to be encouraged about the play of Cam Ward.

Ward continues to struggle for the most part as the Titans stand at 1-6 on the year, and both his numbers and overall play are pedestrian compared to the majority of NFL quarterbacks.

The opportunity was right there, and the Tennessee Titans missed it.

They not only suffered their sixth loss in seven games when they allowed the Cleveland Browns to escape with a 27-24 win Sunday at Nissan Stadium, they also nudged the Brownies out and themselves into the record book in a way no one would want.

The Tennessee Titans have a tall order this week as they head back to the road to face the Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans are just 1-6 and now face one of the NFL’s elite offenses led by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.

First down

Control the pace. The Titans finally got their running game going against Cleveland, as Tony Pollard put up 127 yards and three touchdowns against the Browns. Never mind that it ultimately wasn’t enough to win the game, it was the right formula, and the Titans will need it just to control the clock and keep Burrow, Chase and Tee Higgins off the field.

An air of mystery surrounds the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team this season. After every player left the program, the Lady Vols were forced to undergo a complete rebuild. The roster no longer consists of flashy recruits. Instead, it’s filled with transfers seeking a fresh start.

The coming year will be filled with interesting opportunities if you’re planning to buy a new full-size truck. Two trucks are fully redesigned, and three others benefit from meaningful updates. To help you decide which truck might be best, Edmunds’ auto experts have compiled the essential information you need to know about the 2027 class of full-size light-duty trucks. The following prices include destination charges.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday acted to ease access to unproven peptide drugs favored by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Food and Drug Administration scientific staffers had little input on the decision and opposed the changes, according to six people familiar with its development.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its key rate unchanged Wednesday at about 3.9% despite stubbornly high inflation, as Chairman Kevin Warsh suggested its policies are already showing signs of having an impact.

"Inflation remains elevated," the Fed said in a statement released after its two-day policy meeting. Holding off on an increase will allow "the accumulation of more information" that will help determine what policy the Fed should pursue "to ensure a timely return of inflation" to the central bank's 2% inflation target, the statement said.

NEW YORK (AP) — The bond market swung, while U.S. stocks held relatively steady after the Federal Reserve decided not to raise its main interest rate to bring down high inflation.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate declined for the second straight week, falling to its lowest level in more than a month.

The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 7.24% from 7.32% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.17%.

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons in a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday.

The Bears sent their first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, along with a fourth-rounder in next year's draft, to the Titans for Simmons and a fifth-round selection in 2028.

NASHVILLE (AP) — The weekend escape of a Tennessee inmate who was convicted of murdering a co-worker was just the latest black eye for the state's troubled prison system, coming only weeks after the failed execution of Christa Pike.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday set a September 2027 trial date for a man charged with attempting to kill President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner earlier this year.

Cole Tomas Allen's trial is scheduled to start with jury selection on Sept. 7 in Washington, D.C., and is expected to last approximately three to four weeks. Prosecutors had recommended starting the trial in May 2027, but U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden set the later date after one of Allen's attorneys asked for more time to prepare.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Utah on Wednesday filed criminal charges against prediction market operator Kalshi and two of its executives, months after a federal judge rejected Kalshi's effort to prevent Utah from enforcing its strict anti-gambling laws against the activity.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Automaker Volkswagen posted a 5.8 billion euro ($6.5 billion) after-tax loss for the July-September quarter as large one-time charges piled on top of weak demand in China, U.S. tariffs and lower profits from electric vehicles.

BANGKOK (AP) — China is exporting a record amount of clean energy technology and equipment as the energy crisis from the Iran war drives surging demand for renewables, and that will help reduce global emissions, according to a report released Thursday.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — New York is enacting farther-reaching restrictions on companion chatbot behavior, as states increasingly move to protect children who use artificial intelligence, regulate how employers deploy AI systems and push developers to prevent an AI-caused catastrophe.

NEW YORK (AP) — Airbnb plans to dedicate $500 million to its philanthropic arm over the next five years to increase temporary housing support for medical travelers and disaster survivors.

The short-term rental platform will fund the expansion by donating 10 cents from every booking and make up any shortfall, according to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb.org, the independent nonprofit whose operating costs are already covered by the company, aims to scale up to eventually provide 1 million nights of free housing each year.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, a defense official said Wednesday, the latest in a series of generals to be ousted and one that comes even as President Donald Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon's watchdog is refusing a bipartisan request to investigate recent disruptions to Starlink and Starshield satellite internet service to Ukraine, raising concerns among lawmakers that the military and even its independent inspector general are reluctant to confront the influence that SpaceX chief Elon Musk has over defense communications.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week's midterm elections in the United States — as well as the possibility that Iran will attempt to retaliate against them, according to two diplomats briefed on the matter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a healthy 3.4% annual pace from July through September, accelerating from the second quarter on strong consumer spending and investment in artificial intelligence.

The expansion in third-quarter gross domestic product – the nation's output of goods and services – was faster than the 2.2% growth registered from April through June, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Consumer spending rose at a brisk 3.8% clip in the third quarter, and business investment was up sharply, reflecting the AI boom.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. economic growth was notably strong from July to September, yet inflation accelerated at the same time, new data showed Thursday, painting a mixed picture about the country's economy less than a week before midterm elections in which the uncomfortably high cost of living looms larger than perhaps any other issue.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment claims dipped last week to 194,000 — the lowest since mid-July — as layoffs remain low and most Americans enjoy job security.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial jobless claims were down last week from a revised 195,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week volatility, fell to 196,750.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it is ordering Delta Air Lines, Walmart and other companies to provide detailed information on how they use consumers' data when they're setting prices.

The commission said it is also studying how ride-sharing and delivery companies like Uber use their independent drivers' personal data when setting compensation rates.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will resign nine months before the end of her term, a move that opens the way for European leaders to choose a successor ahead of France's presidential election next year.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics said Thursday that its operating profit for the last quarter reached a record 107.4 trillion won ($80.5 billion), fueled by surging demand for its computer memory chips used in artificial intelligence systems.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Wednesday that it is blocking shipments by the Chinese biotech company BGI Group and its affiliates, alleging ties to forced labor in China's far-west ethnic region of Xinjiang.

Starting Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will bar goods by BGI Group, a major biotech company known for its genetic sequencing technologies, as well as BGI Genomics and MGI Tech. The Department of Homeland Security said the companies are either sourcing materials from Xinjiang or working with the regional government to "recruit, transport, transfer, harbor, or receive forced labor" of members of persecuted ethnic groups in Xinjiang, including Uyghurs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is unlikely to act before the end of the year on a House-passed bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, defying President Donald Trump and dashing the hopes of Americans who don't like having to change their clocks twice a year.

MONTREAL (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney called Canada "the most European of non-European countries" early in U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Now, he's hosting European leaders to pursue an unprecedented alliance, but the proposed EU "associate member" designation faces resistance even as the EU's top official champions it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed notice Wednesday night that President Donald Trump's announcements that there are plans for renovating the East Potomac Golf Course and there are plans to close the park beginning Nov. 15 are accurate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A crucial and contentious midterm election arrives next week, and President Donald Trump's Justice Department has been scrambling with a blitz of headline-making actions and cases that defense lawyers, Democrats and other critics say is no coincidence and reeks of politics — in both the timing and the targets.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chronically ill people on Medicaid won't be bound by new work requirement rules that the latest Trump administration guidance requires in order to qualify for "medically frail" exemptions, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston gave a partial victory to a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia, which sued the Trump administration in June over the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidance linked to the 2025 law known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

False and misleading claims about the voting process are being spread online as voters cast their ballots in the 2026 midterms, with Election Day less than a week away.

The posts often focus on alleged election rigging or voter fraud. However, closer scrutiny of the claim typically reveals a logical explanation.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has accused a newly ousted three-star general of leaking sensitive information to the media just hours after officials confirmed his removal from a top military planning post.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia as head of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a defense official said late Wednesday. Typically, the general in the position and their staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans for both the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the president.

NEW YORK (AP) — A historic drop for Alphabet's stock dragged the U.S. market lower Thursday after the company behind Google and YouTube reported weaker growth for the summer than analysts expected. The report underscored worries about whether all its huge investments in artificial-intelligence technology will pay off.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon offered a cautious sales outlook for the current fourth quarter that encompasses the critical holiday shopping period after delivering fiscal third-quarter results that came in below Wall Street analysts' expectations.

The Seattle-based tech giant, however, posted strong sales growth in its prominent cloud computing unit. Sales in its so-called Amazon Web Services rose 39.3% during the latest quarter ended Sept. 30, higher than the 37% clip in the previous quarter. It marked the fastest growth rate in nearly five years, the company said.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party on Thursday amplified unsubstantiated allegations that Arab-led parties had "stolen" the election, potentially with foreign assistance, as final results were expected to confirm Netanyahu's bloc had lost its majority in parliament.