Organizers of the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival organizers have announced the event will take a year off in 2025 “due to continuing restructuring and expansion of the Chattanooga community, and the Festival’s ongoing re-evaluation of the dynamic family-friendly activities it can offer.”
The Festival’s inaugural event was held in 2019 and has grown to include on-track competition, concerts, outstanding displays of significant automobiles, and a world-class Concours d’Elegance attracting global entries.
“We are proud of what we have accomplished in just six short years,” said event founder Byron DeFoor. “We’ve been able to raise funds for a number of local charities, including the NeuroScience Innovation Foundation (https://neurofdn.com/). At the same time, the Festival has helped bring awareness to the diversity, beauty and style that this city has to offer.
“As we regroup as an organization and work closely with the city of Chattanooga as it continues to expand, we thank all our sponsors, car collectors, volunteers, judges and the Chattanooga community for all their support since the beginning.”
Women’s Fund launches survey
The Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing policies that support women and girls, has launched a community input survey to help shape its policy priorities for the next three to five years.
The survey, open through the end of June, invites individuals to share their perspectives on which issues most affect the lives of Tennessee women today.
WFGC has played an active role in policy advocacy since its founding in 2008, from partnering with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to promote the Anti-Human Trafficking hotline, to securing local funding for ovarian and cervical cancer screenings. More recently, the organization has supported efforts to make period products more accessible in schools and promoted collective philanthropy.
The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete and is open to all community members. It can be accessed at tinyurl.com/wfgcsurvey.
City upgrades 311 app, website
The city of Chattanooga has added a mobile app and an online portal to its CHA 311 service. The enhanced system allows residents to report concerns ranging from potholes and sewer backups to graffiti and garbage collection using digital tools available on both smartphones and desktop browsers.
The revamped CHA 311 system allows users to “drop a pin” on a map or let their phone’s GPS automatically set the service request location. Residents can also snap and submit photos to help city staff better understand the issue.
A wider range of request categories allows for more accurate and specific reporting, while notifications via email or the app will keep users informed as their request is reviewed, assigned and resolved.
CHA 311 is accessible via a web portal (chattanooga.gov/request-and-report/311-help-info) and dedicated apps for Apple and Android devices.
The 311 service covers a broad range of non-emergency concerns, including road maintenance, waste management, graffiti, zoning violations and more.
Lakesite adopts traffic calming program
In response to ongoing concerns about speeding and traffic safety in residential neighborhoods, the Lakesite City Commission has adopted the policies and procedures for its Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP).
The NTCP is designed to improve safety and enhance the overall livability of Lakesite’s neighborhoods by offering a structured process through which residents can request traffic calming measures. These may include speed cushions and other tools to reduce vehicle speeds on local roads.
Under the new policy, neighborhood groups interested in traffic calming installations must first petition their neighbors and demonstrate community support before the city takes action.
In recent years, Lakesite has responded to citizen concerns by installing speed reduction devices; however, some were later removed – either by residents or at their request. The NTCP aims to prevent such outcomes by involving the community from the outset and creating a standardized process for evaluating and implementing solutions.
City Manager Kirsten Ert Acuff said city staff will regularly review and recommend updates to the program and explore additional traffic-calming strategies as new methods become available.
State lawmakers expand food cottage law
Tennessee’s small farmers and home-based food producers might soon have more freedom to sell homemade goods thanks to newly approved legislation expanding the state’s food cottage law. The Tennessee General Assembly has passed House Bill 130, sponsored by State Rep. Michele Reneau, R-Signal Mountain, which allows the sale of certain poultry and pasteurized dairy products in homemade food items. The bill, which now awaits Gov. Bill Lee’s signature, is set to take effect July 1.
The measure builds on the 2022 Tennessee Food Freedom Act, which permitted homemade food producers to sell items such as bread, jams, honey and pastries directly to consumers. House Bill 130 broadens the scope by including poultry and pasteurized dairy.
The bill maintains specific safety guidelines and excludes the sale of unpasteurized milk, alcoholic beverages, fish, shellfish, meat, meat by-products and meat food products.
Legislature passes local sober-living homes bill
The Tennessee General Assembly has passed House Bill 783, which will allow governments within Hamilton County to create ordinances and resolutions to oversee the location and operation of sober-living homes. Sponsored by State Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, the legislation was crafted out of concerns raised by a mother from Martin’s district who witnessed a violent shooting near a sober living home while her children were walking to school.
Measures aimed at improving the oversight of sober living homes include new certification requirements. Sober living homes located within 1,000 feet of schools, preschools, or day care centers must be certified by a nationally recognized recovery residence organization, for example, and local governments are permitted to ensure that sober living homes comply with zoning laws as well as health, safety, fire and building codes.
House Bill 783 now heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
EPB, IonQ to establish EPB Quantum Center
EPB and IonQ are working together to establish the EPB Quantum Center, a new initiative that will make Chattanooga the first U.S. city to provide commercial access to both quantum computing and quantum networking resources, according to a press release from EPB.
The initiative was approved by the EPB Board and will involve the installation of the IonQ Forte Enterprise Quantum Computer at EPB’s existing quantum technology facility. Through this partnership, IonQ will establish a presence in Chattanooga to provide resources for quantum computing, networking and application development, as well as support training for local talent.
Set to open by early 2026, the EPB Quantum Center will focus on developing quantum applications aimed at enhancing the security, reliability and optimization of local infrastructure.
Local industries are expected to see significant benefits from quantum technology. For instance, quantum computers can help refine complex manufacturing processes, optimize logistics routes and enhance cybersecurity protocols.
UTC gets $5M for Innovation Center
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has received a $5 million gift from alumnus and trucking industry leader Max Fuller to rename its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in his honor. The center, housed within the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, will now be known as the Max Fuller Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Fuller, a 1975 UTC graduate and native of Athens, Tennessee, co-founded U.S. Xpress in 1985. The company grew from a 45-truck operation into the nation’s fourth-largest truckload carrier with over 10,000 employees. In addition to his trucking empire, Fuller has launched 14 other businesses throughout his career.