The Chattanooga Police Department has launched a pilot program that uses drones to respond to 911 and police-generated calls, giving officers live video of incidents before they arrive on scene.
The Drone First Responder program uses two drones stationed at Chattanooga Fire Department stations at 2181 Curtis St. and 3250 Eighth Ave. Police said the locations were selected based on data showing where violent crime most frequently occurs.
When an eligible call comes in, a police officer at CPD’s Real Time Intelligence Center on Amnicola Highway can launch a drone and fly it to the scene. The drone transmits live video to responding officers, operators and incident commanders.
If officers are needed at the scene, the drone can remain overhead until the incident is stabilized before returning to its dock. The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the drones to operate within a 3-mile radius of their docking stations, according to CPD.
Police said the drones will not be used for routine patrols or general surveillance. Department policy also prohibits their use to harass individuals or groups or for activities unrelated to law enforcement.
Police Chief John Chambers said the drones could also be used to assess critical incidents, search for missing people and assist with disaster response and other situations in which lives are at risk.
Four City Council districts fall within a 2-mile flight radius of the two fire stations. Council members Dennis Clark, Raquetta Dotley, Ron Elliott and Marvene Noel have been informed about the program, according to CPD.
The department said it has also conducted outreach through community groups, neighborhood associations and other programs.
Hamilton among leaders in business filings
Hamilton County recorded one of Tennessee’s highest numbers of new business filings during the second quarter of 2026, a period in which business creation statewide approached a record high.
Hamilton joined Davidson, Knox and Shelby counties as the four counties with the most new-entity filings during the quarter, according to the latest Quarterly Business and Economic Indicators report from the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office.
Together, the four counties accounted for 43.7% of new business filings statewide and recorded a 24.4% increase from the same quarter last year.
Statewide, 24,733 new entities filed during the second quarter, up 23.1% year over year. It was the second-highest quarterly total in the 33-year history of the data, trailing only the first quarter of 2026.
Tennessee recorded 89,532 new entity filings over the 12 months ending with the second quarter. The state’s other 91 counties collectively posted a 21% year-over-year increase in filings.
The quarterly report is produced by the Secretary of State’s office in partnership with the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research.
Revive Dental expanding Chattanooga facility
Revive Dental has broken ground on a new facility on Dodds Avenue that will triple its capacity as Chattanooga faces the loss of a longtime source of affordable dental care.
The nonprofit community dental center is building the facility at 915 Dodds Ave., with completion expected in May 2027. The expansion will increase Revive Dental from six treatment chairs to 12 and from two volunteer dentists to six doctors, giving it the capacity to serve as many as 15,000 patients annually.
The project comes after the Hamilton County Health Department permanently closed its dental clinic this summer following more than 40 years of service. The clinic served nearly 2,000 individual patients during its final fiscal year.
Revive Dental is a faith-based, self-funded nonprofit that provides affordable dental care to uninsured and underserved patients, people in addiction recovery and families who have delayed treatment because of cost. Its services range from preventive care and extractions to dentures and implants.
The organization, which draws patients from Hamilton County and elsewhere in the Southeast, has operated for five years.
The expansion will also allow Revive Dental to increase its focus on workforce development. The organization offers a 12-week vocational training program for registered dental assistants that provides students with hands-on experience in a working dental practice.
As a self-funded nonprofit, Revive Dental relies on revenue and community support to sustain its operations.
North River Elementary begins construction
Hamilton County officials have broken ground on a new North River elementary school that will serve students currently zoned for Alpine Crest, DuPont and Rivermont elementary schools.
The school will be built alongside the North River Family YMCA, with the two facilities sharing a gymnasium as part of what officials say is a first-of-its-kind partnership in Tennessee.
Construction is expected to begin in September, with the school scheduled to open in fall 2028.
The joint campus is designed to serve students and families beyond the school day. Through the partnership, they will have access to YMCA programs including swim lessons, after-school activities and summer camps.
The project is being funded through Hamilton County’s $260 million bond issue approved in 2024 to modernize aging schools and improve facilities across the district.
North River is the second project to break ground under the district’s long-term facilities improvement plan. Work on an expansion and renovation of Soddy Daisy Middle School began in June.
YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga President and CEO Baron Herdelin-Doherty said the project will also help the organization work toward its goal of serving 75,000 people by 2028.
McNabb Center expands Chattanooga services
The McNabb Center has expanded its Chattanooga services with the opening of a renovated facility near the airport that will provide mental health support and help justice-involved men transition back into the community.
The nonprofit recently held a ribbon-cutting for the former Greyhound bus station on Airport Road, which has been transformed into a trauma-informed center housing two programs: Peer Support Services and Jail to Work.
Funding for both programs was provided through a grant from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
The free, peer-led Peer Support Center serves adults with mental health diagnoses, providing mentoring, socialization, education and volunteer opportunities as part of individualized wellness recovery plans.
The renovated space includes a kitchen, laundry and shower facilities and shared therapeutic space.
The facility also brings the McNabb Center’s Jail to Work program to Hamilton County for the first time. The 12-week residential program provides recovery services, reentry assistance, life-skills training, employment support and housing for justice-involved men referred through the judicial system.