News - Friday, February 20, 2026

Her hand shook as she signed her name.

The lawsuit before her would challenge the way Chattanooga governed itself. At issue was a commissioner system built on at-large voting – a structure that diluted minority representation and concentrated power.

By David Laprad

On the 10th floor of the Volunteer Building, Evan Sharber studies dirt for a living.

Not the red clay that stains a pair of running shoes during a long stretch on a Chattanooga trail or the soil packed beneath a construction site, but the dirt that exists on paper – in boundary lines, legal descriptions, survey notations and title commitments.

On a 2019 evening at a Berkshire Hathaway event in Chattanooga, Chris Scott was doing what he’d done for years – slinging drinks.

At the time, Scott was juggling shifts at nine different Chattanooga establishments. He’d poured cocktails at Songbirds, Memorial Auditorium and Tivoli Theatre events, worked gatherings at The Tennessee Aquarium and The Signal and helped set up bars at State of Confusion and Stir. He was as plugged into the city’s hospitality scene as anyone.

Cameron Sexton has appointed State Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, as chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee. The nine-member panel oversees legislation related to energy, forestry, conservation, game and fish, mines and minerals, environmental matters, parks and recreation and watershed districts.

Abby Clark, a junior elementary education major at UTC, has been selected as the first preservice teacher to receive a fellowship from the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

Clark and other fellows will spend the next year visiting historic landmarks such as Gettysburg National Military Park, meeting Medal of Honor recipients and studying history from a teaching perspective, with the goal of better incorporating it into the classroom.

By Herald staff

Seven students from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Gary W. Rollins College of Business have been recognized for their academic excellence, leadership and service as recipients of the 2025-2026 John C. Stophel Distinguished Student Award.

Crisis happens every day in our community. And it doesn’t always look the way you’d expect.

For neighbors living paycheck to paycheck, a flat tire, a sick child or an unexpected bill can be the tipping point. A missed shift at work can quickly spiral into an eviction notice, an empty pantry or the heat being shut off during the coldest weeks of winter.

Erlanger welcomed physicians, community leaders and supporters to its 22nd Annual Dinner of Distinction Feb. 6 at The Westin Chattanooga, honoring four individuals whose careers and service have left a lasting imprint on health care across the region.

NASHVILLE — A bill cosponsored by a Johnson City state representative would eliminate the public’s right to free inspection of public records.

These records can include detailed spending records; police bodycam footage; or internal communications between government employees.

If you trust the Tennessee Conservative website as your primary source of news and information, you probably agree with it that state officials are insufficiently hostile to undocumented immigrants. A bunch of dang RINOs.

As a result, those immigrants flock to Tennessee to flout the laws and generally foment havoc. A bunch of dang criminals.

Your credit score can play a surprisingly big role in your financial life. From renting an apartment to getting a cellphone plan, your credit score can open doors or close them.

Your credit score predicts how likely you are to pay bills on time. Lenders, landlords and even some employers use this number to evaluate how responsible you appear to be. A higher score signals that you’re reliable with money, which can lead to lower interest rates on loans, better insurance premiums and easier access to credit. Some service providers might even waive security deposits if you have a strong score.

Even if Valentine’s Day didn’t go as planned, you can still find love in the form of the perfect car for you.

Love, after all, isn’t about roses and candlelight. It’s about chemistry, the kind you feel instantly, irrationally and sometimes against your better judgment. 

KNOXVILLE (AP) — Ny'Ceara Pryor scored 22 points and dished 10 assists, Fatmata Janneh added 17 and Lemyah Hylton put up 12 in Texas A&M's 82-74 win over No. 21 Tennessee on Thursday night.

The Aggies (11-11, 4-9 Southeastern Conference) jumped ahead early with a 10-0 run to start the game, with half the points coming from Pryor. She scored 13 in the first quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a significant loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.

The 6-3 decision centers on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions in North America kicked off 2026 with bitterly cold temperatures, with many saying it's been years since they've experienced such frigid winter weather.

"Pipes that never froze on me for 15 years froze," said Chris Ferro, 58, from Brooklyn, New York, about the abnormally cold temperatures he experienced in January and February. Ferro owns several residential properties in Albany and said multiple days of below-freezing temperatures prevented him from doing repairs and renovations. He said he was thankful that none of the pipes burst and that this winter had the same bitter cold he remembers from when he was young, which contrasts with the relatively warmer winters he experienced in recent years.

For years, social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children's mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. Now, these tech giants are getting a chance to make their case in courtrooms around the country, including before a jury for the first time.

LONDON (AP) — Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas set the stage for this year's redistricting battle by drawing a new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in the midterm elections. Now, with primaries underway, the party's hopes hinge on a key question — whether voters who helped elect President Donald Trump two years ago will show up for other Republican candidates when he's not on the ballot.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."

Trump made the announcement in a social media post hours after he accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing "classified information" when Obama recently suggested in a podcast interview that aliens were real.

ROME, Ga. (AP) — The White House insisted that President Donald Trump was visiting Georgia to promote the economy.

But in the opening minutes of his first stop at a local restaurant before touring a steel company, the president raised debunked claims of voter fraud, talked up his plan to require voters to show identification before casting ballots, and discussed the recent FBI raid of election offices in the state's most populous county.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. economic growth slowed in the final three months of last year, dragged down by the six-week shutdown of the federal government and a pullback in consumer spending.

The nation's gross domestic product — the output of goods and services — increased at a 1.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday, down from 4.4% in the July-September quarter and 3.8% in the quarter before that.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key inflation gauge accelerated in December to the fastest pace in nearly a year, showing how prices are still rising more quickly than most Americans would prefer — and faster than the Federal Reserve's target of 2% a year.

Prices rose 0.4% in December from the previous month, up from 0.2% in November, the Commerce Department said Friday in a report that was delayed by the six-week government shutdown last fall. The monthly increase was the highest since last February. Compared with a year ago, inflation rose 2.9% in December, up from 2.8% in November. That is the largest yearly increase since March 2024.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a stinging loss on an issue crucial to his economic agenda.

Furious about the defeat, Trump said he will impose a global 10% tariff as an alternative while pressing his trade policies by other means. The new tariffs would come under a law that restricts them to 150 days.

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's highest court struck down some of U.S. President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs on Friday, in a 6-3 decision ruling that he overstepped his authority when using an emergency powers law to justify new taxes on goods from nearly every country in the world.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Supreme Court dealt President Donald Trump a bruising loss on a cornerstone of his economic policy, striking down sweeping tariffs he imposed on nearly every country.

In its 6-3 opinion on Friday, the court ruled Trump's attempt to use an emergency powers law to enact the levies was not valid.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump paid a price for going it alone on tariffs — with the Supreme Court on Friday delivering a rare rebuke by ruling he lacked the power to declare an economic emergency and launch sweeping new taxes on imports.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump still has options to keep taxing imports aggressively even after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs he imposed last year on nearly every country on earth.

The Justices didn't buy the president's sweeping claims of authority to impose tariffs as he sees fit. But Trump can re-use tariff powers he deployed in his first term and can reach for others, including one that dates back to the Great Depression.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday weakened limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants, the Trump administration's latest effort to boost the fossil fuel industry by paring back clean air and water rules.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country's top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The late Rev. Jesse Jackson will not lie in honor in the United States Capitol Rotunda after a request for the commemoration was denied by the House Speaker Mike Johnson's office due to past precedent.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Mikayla Blakes scored 35 points and Justine Pissott came up with a big defensive play late to help No. 5 Vanderbilt edge 16th-ranked Kentucky 81-79 on Sunday.

Trailing by one, Kentucky's Clara Strack had the ball with 4 seconds left and made a move to the basket from the wing when Pissott deflected it out of Strack's hand. Blakes gained possession and then was fouled with less than a second left. She hit the first of two free throws and then the Wildcats couldn't get off a shot.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers, who averages a double-double, had 18 points and 18 rebounds in No. 11 Oklahoma's foul-filled 100-93 win over No. 21 Tennessee on Sunday.

Sahara Williams had 22 points and Aaliyah Chavez scored 19 points for the Sooners (21-6, 9-5 SEC). Payton Verhulst scored 17 points and Zya Vann added 15 as Oklahoma's starters all scored in double figures and totaled 93 points.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday permanently barred the release of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into President Donald Trump's hoarding of classified documents that led to charges once seen as the most perilous of the four criminal cases the Republican faced.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change.

The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, one of multiple lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in difficult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for specific information online, seeking "reverse keyword" warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Monday laid out a proposal to spur development of customized treatments for patients with hard-to-treat diseases, including for rare genetic conditions that the pharmaceutical industry has long considered unprofitable.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Interested in starting a business, learning about artificial intelligence or exploring a new hobby? There's a class for that.

Millions of U.S. adults enroll in credit and non-credit college courses to earn professional certificates, learn new skills or to pursue academic degrees. Some older students are seeking career advancement, higher pay and job security, while others want to explore their personal interests or try new things.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller said Monday that solid job gains in January could mean the central bank can skip a rate cut at its next meeting in March, a decision that would likely spur further attacks by President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A trio of Senate Democrats is calling for the government to start refunding roughly $175 billion in tariff revenues that the Supreme Court ruled were collected because of an illegal set of orders by President Donald Trump.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are unveiling a bill on Monday that would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds over the course of 180 days and pay interest on the refunded amount.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's executive arm requested "full clarity" from the United States and asked its trade partner to fulfill its commitments after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court decision striking down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs has added a wrinkle to already complicated U.S.-China relations, with both countries navigating shifting ground to avoid an all-out trade war that would disrupt the global economy while still jostling for a position of strength in negotiations.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For years, retail investors were dismissed by some on Wall Street as "dumb money."

That typically referred to those prone to trading on hype, or chasing trends rather than company or industry fundamentals, or responding late to big market moves.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has ordered nonessential diplomats and their family members at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, a State Department official said Monday, as tensions over Iran rise with the threat of a potentially imminent military strike.

PANAMA CITY (AP) — The Panamanian government on Monday issued a decree ordering the occupation of two ports at the entrances of the Panama Canal, a move triggered by a final Supreme Court ruling that declared the operating concession held by Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison unconstitutional.

TORONTO (AP) — The leader of Canada's most populous province said Monday "the walls are closing in" on President Donald Trump after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of Trump's tariffs and said he's also looking forward to the U.S. midterm elections in November which could further constrain Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will stand before Congress on Tuesday to deliver the annual State of the Union address to a suddenly transformed nation.

One year back in office, Trump has emerged as a president defying conventional expectations. He has executed a head-spinning agenda, upending priorities at home, shattering alliances abroad and challenging the nation's foundational system of checks and balances. Two Americans were killed by federal agents while protesting the Trump administration's immigration raids and mass deportations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November's elections for control of the House and the Senate.

The president and his party appear vulnerable, with polls showing much of America distrusts how Trump has managed the government in his first year back in office. In addition, the Supreme Court last week struck down one of the chief levers of his economic and foreign policy by ruling he lacked the power to impose many of his sweeping tariffs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Kash Patel joined the American men's hockey players in the locker room Sunday for a rowdy celebration of winning the gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

While he was in Milan, the U.S. Secret Service shot and killed an armed man who had driven into Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Florida. Hours later, around the time the game against Canada was headed into overtime, Patel posted on X that the FBI was "dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation."

WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred around 1:30 a.m.

Duke's win against Michigan has propelled the Blue Devils to a familiar perch: No. 1 in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll.

The Blue Devils climbed two spots to top Monday's poll, marking the 148th appearance at No. 1 to add to what was already the record for any program. Duke (25-2) claimed 56 of 61 first-place votes to supplant Michigan (25-2) after Saturday's 68-63 win against the Wolverines in Washington.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An estimated 31,000 registered nurses and other front-line Kaiser Permanente health care workers will return to work on Tuesday after a four-week strike in California and Hawaii to demand better wages and staffing.

The United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals said in a statement Monday that "significant movement at the bargaining table" prompted an end to the walkout. There were no details about what progress was made during negotiations or what a potential deal might look like.

When sifting through the seemingly endless collection of documents in the Epstein files gets to be too much and Ellie Leonard needs a break, she takes a walk outside. Then it's back to the computer.

The New Jersey mother of four is among hundreds of citizen-journalists, or sleuths, absorbed by the material connected to the late Jeffrey Epstein. She's determined to learn the stories behind his illicit sex ring and relationships with some of the world's most powerful people, and publish what she finds on Substack.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Frustrated European officials pushed Monday for clarification on how U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a 15% global tax on imports would affect the trade deal they struck with Trump this summer as EU legislators hit pause on the deal's ratification until they get clarity.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slumped Monday after President Donald Trump ramped up his newest tariffs, while investors continued to punish companies that could be losers in the artificial-intelligence revolution.

The S&P 500 fell 1% after Trump said on Saturday that he would place temporary 15% tariffs on other countries. That's up from the 10% rate he announced Friday following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down his sweeping "reciprocal" taxes on imports from around the world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the American men's hockey team retreated to their locker room to celebrate their Winter Olympics gold medal win, they were joined by a special guest from the United States: FBI Director Kash Patel.

For some supporters of the embattled law enforcement official, it was a patriotic, good-natured show of support for a team bringing home the first gold in the sport since 1980. But for Patel's critics, it was yet another questionable use of government resources by an FBI chief already facing scrutiny over his personal travels aboard a government plane.

It's been a month to forget for Tennessee as the Lady Vols are in the midst of the worst stretch in program history.

Tennessee has dropped four straight games and six of eight in February, including the worst loss in team history — a 43-point rout by South Carolina — to fall out of the AP Top 25 on Monday. The Lady Vols had appeared in 31 straight polls.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Americans can't sue the U.S. Postal Service, even when employees deliberately refuse to deliver mail.

By a 5-4 vote, the justices ruled against a Texas landlord, Lebene Konan, who alleges her mail was intentionally withheld for two years. Konan, who is Black, claims racial prejudice played a role in postal employees' actions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department is handing over more of its programs and grants to other federal agencies, announcing a pair of new agreements Monday that move the Trump administration closer to its goal of shutting down the department.

NEW YORK (AP) — For years as an environmental lawyer, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. crusaded against a controversial herbicide ingredient known as glyphosate, even winning a landmark case against chemical giant Monsanto by arguing that its Roundup weedkiller contributed to his client's cancer.

LONDON (AP) — Britain's data privacy watchdog slapped online forum Reddit on Tuesday with a fine worth nearly $20 million for failures involving children's personal information.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it issued the penalty worth 14.5 million pounds ($19.5 million) because the failures resulted in the platform using children's data "unlawfully."

NEW YORK (AP) — Last October, 35 major donor families, calling their collaborative The Audacious Project, gathered in California and committed $1.03 billion to more than a dozen nonprofits whose proposed projects span multiple years and take on major challenges.

MIAMI (AP) — For nearly 10 years running, Lesley VanNess never missed the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a beachfront bacchanal of celebrities, booze and bites that tens of thousands of attendees pay hundreds to thousands of dollars to join.

It was about access, the chance to nosh and gab with the likes of Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay, people she otherwise could experience only via the hands-in-pans purview of the Food Network.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to meet Tuesday with the CEO of Anthropic, with the artificial intelligence company the only one of its peers to not supply its technology to a new U.S. military internal network.

Anthropic, maker of the chatbot Claude, declined to comment on the meeting but CEO Dario Amodei has made clear his ethical concerns about unchecked government use of AI, including the dangers of fully autonomous armed drones and of AI-assisted mass surveillance that could track dissent.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Financing for electric vehicle transport is ramping up in Africa as confidence rises in the potential for battery swapping, fast charging and other technologies.

Spiro, Africa's largest electric mobility operator, has secured $50 million in debt financing from African Export-Import Bank, or Afreximbank, U.S.-based climate fintech platform Nithio and the Africa Go Green Fund to expand its battery-swapping network.

BANGKOK (AP) — Hong Kong is protesting Panama's seizure of two ports on a canal vital for global trade that were operated by a Hong Kong-based company for decades, the city's government said Tuesday.

Hong Kong's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a statement it had lodged "stern protests" with Panama's consulate, adding that it had expressed strong opposition and dissatisfaction and would "staunchly support the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong corporations overseas."

LONDON (AP) — Britain's House of Commons on Tuesday approved the release of papers related to former Prince Andrew's appointment as a trade envoy, a position he held for about a decade during which he is suspected of improperly passing government information to disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The passenger in the car when Texas driver Ruben Ray Martinez was fatally shot last year by a federal immigration agent gave a lengthy statement to lawyers for the slain man's family disputing the government's version of events.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The American consumer's confidence in the U.S. economy improved slightly in February after cratering a month earlier.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 91.2 in February from an upwardly revised 89 last month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's stunning rebuke of President Donald Trump's most sweeping tariffs means he can't conjure up new import taxes on a whim anymore.

But the justices' ruling on Friday is nonetheless unlikely to ease the uncertainty over Trump's trade policy that has paralyzed businesses over the past year. "It's only gotten more complicated for everybody,'' said trade lawyer Ryan Majerus, partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official.

MONTREAL (AP) — Canadian regulators have approved Gulfstream G700 and G800 business jets in a move that comes weeks, after new tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump over the planes' status in Canada.

A Transport Canada database shows that it certified the American company's latest private planes on Monday, roughly a week after green-lighting two older Gulfstream models.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will use Tuesday's State of the Union address to champion his immigration crackdowns, his slashing of the federal government, his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he has a lot to talk about tonight.

He's returning to Congress to deliver a State of the Union address at a consequential moment in his presidency, with his approval ratings near an all-time low and restive supporters waiting for him to deliver more tangibly on their struggles with the cost of living.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's State of the Union address is expected to tilt heavily on domestic issues, but it's also a chance for the Republican to make the case for his foreign policy efforts to Americans who are increasingly demonstrating uneasiness about his priorities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are betting that Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's affordability-focused message, which helped her flip a Republican-held office last November, will resonate with the country when she delivers their party's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday that he would deploy a hospital ship to Greenland, alleging many people there are sick and not receiving care, even though both of the U.S. Navy's hospital ships are undergoing maintenance at a shipyard in Alabama.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military forces boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

An organization that tracks ship movements said the vessel was the only tanker left to pursue after more than a dozen fled the coast of Venezuela following the capture of the South American country's authoritarian then-president, Nicolás Maduro.

WASHINGTON (AP) — They typically start the day as low-profile Cabinet secretaries. They end it that way, too, God willing.

But when the rest of the government is gathered together for a big event, like President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night, a designated survivor is kept away to ensure someone in the line of leadership succession stays alive.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. women's hockey gold medal-winning team has politely declined an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

"We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women's Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement," the U.S. women's team said in a statement released Monday. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."