News - Friday, July 17, 2026

Humble and not the least bit flamboyant, Todd Witcher lights up when he starts talking about all the insects, including his favorite – fireflies – that live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The same goes for a giant earthworm uncovered along the Appalachian Trail. “That’s a new species to science, about 18 inches long,” he points out, as if he has just won the lottery.

“The pictures weren’t even close to what it really looked like.” Those words, and similar rants, have been the stuff of one-star destination reviews for decades. Now, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence platforms, are destinations stretching the gap between what they have and what they sell?

To get info about the intersection of AI, artwork and tourism, the Tennessee Department of Tourism contracted Talker Research to survey 2,000 American travelers. Some of their findings included:

• 70% rely on photos and videos when choosing a destination

For nearly a decade, the Tennessee Aquarium’s original IMAX 70 mm film projector sat silent in the projection booth, a relic of an earlier era of giant-screen filmmaking.

This week, it’s back where it belongs.

The massive projector, which introduced moviegoers to six-story IMAX presentations after opening in 1996, has been reinstalled to screen director Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” – the first feature film shot entirely on IMAX 70 mm film.

Growth for many small businesses often depends on borrowing money. For this year’s recipients of Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union’s Idea Leap grants, expansion will come without adding debt to the balance sheet.

TVFCU recently awarded $225,000 to 15 businesses across Chattanooga, Northwest Georgia and the Ocoee region through its annual Idea Leap Grant Pitch Competition, continuing a program that has invested more than $1 million in entrepreneurs since its inception nine years ago.

Tennessee entrepreneurs launched businesses at a record pace during the first three months of 2026, with Hamilton County ranking fourth in the state for new business filings as overall business creation reached its highest first-quarter level in more than three decades.

The International Bluegrass Music Association has announced the lineup for its 2026 IBMA Bluegrass Live! festival, featuring Grammy-winning Sierra Ferrell, Leftover Salmon, Larry Sparks and Michael Cleveland & Friends.

The two-day festival will be held Oct. 23-24 at The Signal, the Chattanooga Convention Center and Barrelhouse Ballroom as part of IBMA World of Bluegrass.

HHM talent adds Donahue as recruiter

HHM Talent has hired Erin Donahue as a senior recruiter in its Chattanooga office.

Donahue brings eight years of experience in full-cycle recruiting, executive search and talent acquisition. She previously served as a senior recruiter and program manager at a regional law firm and has recruited for a multinational technology company and national talent firms.

One of the most significant risks investors face isn’t losing money in a market dip; it’s failing to reach their long-term financial goals. 

Many people focus heavily on short-term losses in the stock market and try to protect their savings by investing conservatively or avoiding stocks altogether. But that runs the risk that their savings won’t grow enough to keep up with inflation or support future needs. 

Contemplating your own death or disability isn’t particularly pleasant, but estate planning can bring peace of mind for you and your family.

Here are the key steps to take.

Step 1: Find a qualified attorney

Because your estate plan will likely need to be updated as the years go by, it makes sense to find an attorney who practices in the community where you live.

From setting goals to scoring them, Jayla Blue was right on target for her senior season at Bearden High in Knoxville.

Blue writes down specific goals she wants to accomplish before every season, and being named Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the state of Tennessee was high on her list. Blue made her case by scoring 33 goals and dishing out 17 assists to help Bearden win the Class AAA title for the third time in her career.

The average transaction price of a 3-year-old used vehicle is more than $30,000, Edmunds reports. This is a big discount compared with buying new, but it’s still potentially out of reach financially for a lot of people.

Fortunately, spending about half that can still get you a car with a compelling combination of comfort, reliability, fuel economy and modern technology.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to address the nation on Thursday night on topics he said will include elections and voting machines, suggesting he is likely to revisit some of the unproven claims he has previously made about Republican losses, particularly his own in 2020.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A ghost gun company has been ordered to pay more than $100 million in the death of a Kentucky teenager who had purchased the company's pistol-building kit online.

The verdict — believed to be the largest-ever against a gun dealer — was awarded by a jury Wednesday following a trial focused on whether the vendor, Husky Armory LLC, skirted federal regulations barring the sale of the gun-assembly kits to those under 21.

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump's teleprompter operator is on unpaid leave after reports that he used his inside knowledge to make bets about the president's speeches on the online prediction market Kalshi, the White House said Thursday.

The firm's enforcement chief said Kalshi contacted federal regulators about bets allegedly made about what the president would say in public addresses.

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal safety investigators looking into a runaway Tesla that killed a grandmother in her home say the driver had pressed the accelerator to full speed, suggesting the vehicle's self-driving software was not to blame.

The driver had told police that he had the self-driving software turned on, but a report from the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday concluded that he had actually overridden that feature when he pushed hard on the pedal. Moments later the Tesla Model 3 raced down a residential street in Katy, Texas, at highway speeds, slammed into a brick home and killed a 76-year-old woman standing in the front room.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a first-of-its-kind pill that can drastically reduce cholesterol in a way that's previously only been available with expensive, injectable drugs.

The drug from Merck was OK'd on Thursday for patients with artery-clogging cholesterol that persists even after taking statins, the standard medications for cutting heart attack risk. Merck will market its pill under the brand name Lipfendra.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump's media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own affecting national security and financial markets.

The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they could profit off subsequent moves in stocks, bonds and interest rates. Called Truth PSI, it would mimic paid access at other platforms with one key difference: The most popular Truth Social poster is the president himself and, as the biggest shareholder of the public traded parent company, would directly benefit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has finalized a rule that will prevent international students from staying in the U.S. for more than four years unless they obtain the federal government's approval, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday, announcing a departure from long-standing practice.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Markwayne Mullin took over as Homeland Security secretary from fired Kristi Noem, he pledged to get the department responsible for carrying out the Trump administration's mass deportations policy out of the headlines.

But just months into Mullin's time in office, the department is squarely in the center of controversy again after three people were killed in encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the span of less than a week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has intensified over control of the Strait of Hormuz, but hopes for a possible diplomatic solution have shown stubborn signs of life.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected suggestions that Islamabad had abandoned efforts to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table after brokering an initial ceasefire agreement last month that has now collapsed.

President Donald Trump's administration has worked to stop offshore wind development on the grounds that it's a national security risk since late last year.

It halted work on major projects, and it's buying back leases, citing national security concerns. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says a classified report from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proves offshore wind is a national security threat.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury last year swelled with revenue from President Donald Trump's double-digit taxes on imports from almost every country on earth.

But the money dried up after the Supreme Court struck down the biggest and boldest of Trump's tariffs in February.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil has described the latest U.S. tariffs on certain Brazilian imports as unjustifiable and politically motivated and threatened on Thursday to impose reciprocal tariffs against U.S. products. The country's top diplomat criticized U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the move.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's nominee to run the Department of Labor emphasized a steady grounding in labor law built on years of experience in private practice, academia and the federal government as he looked to win over senators in a confirmation hearing Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican senator whose support will be necessary to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general said Thursday that Blanche must meet with accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to earn his vote.

Sen. Thom Tillis' had indicated during Blanche's confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he was leaning toward backing the acting attorney general's nomination. But after an Epstein accuser testified a day later, Tillis said he expects a meeting to occur before he's "willing to vote out of this committee."

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal panel on Thursday gave preliminary approval to an updated design for an underground facility to screen visitors to the White House, but took no action on a separate Trump administration proposal to put a fence around nearby Lafayette Park.