News - Friday, November 21, 2025

Realtor Patti Cole doesn’t just claim Signal Mountain as home; Signal Mountain claims her.

“I was born and raised on this mountain,” she says. “My mom and aunt both worked for the Town of Signal Mountain for 40 years. My roots on this mountain go so deep, I couldn’t pull ‘em up if I wanted to.”

Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett says the public will likely never see the place where some of the county’s most sensitive evidence is stored – and that’s by design. But on a brisk November morning, he steps inside the new 9,100-square-foot space and explains why the unseen work carried out here matters to every resident.

In a year Executive Director Melody Shekari describes as marked by “shifting elements” and escalating pressure on women, the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga is highlighting key wins, new community insights and an urgent call for expanded advocacy in its 2025 Annual Report.

One day earlier this year, Southern Adventist University students were working at a health fair booth at the Samaritan Center in Ooltewah when they were able to help a local senior citizen gain a second chance at life.

Barbara Smith, a retired university employee, had stopped by the thrift store and social services center to shop but became lightheaded and weak. Senior nursing majors Yuna Kim and Somee An noticed she seemed unsteady on her feet and rushed her to the booth to check her vital signs.

With mortgage rates easing from last year’s highs, we’re seeing signs of renewed buyer activity alongside continued growth in available homes.

Nationally

National figures point to a steadier pace of sales. Locally, we’re experiencing a market that offers more choice for shoppers and a bit more time to make decisions. 

Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, will headline the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s 2026 Burkett Miller Distinguished Lecture Series Thursday, Feb. 26. His talk, “How Free Enterprise, Not Government, Made America Great,” will take place 5-6 p.m. in the Hayes Concert Hall at the UTC Fine Arts Center. The event is free and open to the public.

CHI Memorial Medical Group has welcomed Dr. Andrew Harper to CHI Memorial Surgical Associates – Parkway.

Harper earned his medical degree from Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed an internship and general surgery residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. A U.S. Army Reserve veteran, he served nine years including active duty during the Persian Gulf War. He brings more than 30 years of surgical experience to the practice.

Fear of fraud is universal. Today, 77% of Americans are concerned about fraud and identity theft when managing finances online, 2025 research from Edward Jones and Morning Consult finds. Even more striking: 26% of Americans have personally experienced financial fraud.

Our server, Luis, was excited by the culinary treat he had in store for us and perhaps a bit proud to show off his English. “We have, for this moment, a special,” he said, pausing briefly for dramatic effect: “Stomach of cow.”

Colton Hood never doubted his potential. Although he transferred to the University of Tennessee with just one college start under his belt, the redshirt sophomore defensive back thought he could play a big role if given the chance.

Hood has been a bright spot on the defensive side of the ball this season for the Vols. The McDonough, Georgia, native is widely projected as a first-round NFL draft pick and was recently named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which recognizes college football’s top defensive back.

SUVs deliver many attributes that car shoppers love in a vehicle. Thanks to their elevated height, they provide a commanding view of the road. They also deliver lots of passenger space, roomy cargo holds and often have strong safety ratings.

Less appealing are higher fuel bills and the expense of buying an SUV that’s showroom-fresh. The experts at Edmunds have found five solutions on the used market to keep costs in line. Choosing a used hybrid SUV saves money at the point of purchase, and the hybrid engine helps lower the cost of refueling for many miles down the road.

LONDON (AP) — The world's biggest music labels have struck AI licensing deals with a little-known startup named Klay Vision, the companies said Thursday, the latest in a series of deals that underlines how the technology is shaking up the music industry 's business model.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is once more targeting former President Barack Obama's signature health care law, picking a political fight before next year's elections that is reminiscent of one he lost in his first term.

Back then, Trump and fellow Republicans tried but failed to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a stinging defeat viewed as contributing to the party's losses in 2018.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism, spurring outrage among a number of public health and autism experts.

The CDC "vaccine safety" webpage was updated Wednesday, saying "the statement 'Vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim."

NEW YORK (AP) — It's a tough time to be looking for a job.

Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a "no-hire, no fire" standstill. That's caused many to limit new work to only a few specific roles, if not pause openings entirely. At the same time, sizeable layoffs have continued to pile up — raising worker anxieties across sectors.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington National Cathedral on Thursday hosted a bipartisan show of respect and remembrance for Dick Cheney, the consequential and polarizing vice president who in later years became an acidic scold of fellow Republican President Donald Trump.

While competition heats up in the final weeks of the college football season, a handful of SEC teams are getting their annual gift: a late-season cupcake before rivalry week and the postseason.

Undefeated and No. 3 Texas A&M hosts Samford (1-10), No. 4 Georgia welcomes Charlotte (1-9), No. 10 Alabama welcomes Eastern Illinois (3-8) and LSU hosts Western Kentucky (8-2).

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The former interim U.S. attorney who quit rather than drop the criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams defended her integrity during testimony in Manhattan federal court. Danielle Sassoon testified for more than an hour Thursday as a defense lawyer tried to convince a judge that she had suggested she would not criminally charge a woman in the FTX cryptocurrency scandal if the woman's boyfriend pleaded guilty. Sassoon was adamant that she never suggested such a deal and went to great lengths to insist to the woman's lawyers that no deal like that was possible.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to end its monthslong deployment of National Guard troops to help police the nation's capital.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded that President Donald Trump's military takeover in Washington, D.C., illegally intrudes on local officials' authority to direct law enforcement in the district. She put her order on hold for 21 days to allow for an appeal, however.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced on Thursday new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, advancing a project that critics say could harm coastal communities and ecosystems, as President Donald Trump seeks to expand U.S. oil production.

NEW YORK (AP) — The clock is ticking for the U.S. government to open up its files on Jeffrey Epstein.

After months of rancor and recriminations, Congress has passed and President Donald Trump has signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to give the public everything it has on Epstein — and it has to be done before Christmas.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is examining the handling of the mortgage fraud investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff, including the potential involvement of people who claimed to be acting at the behest or direction of two Trump administration officials who have been pushing the probe of the California Democrat, according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press.

WASHINGTON (AP) — While President Donald Trump has struggled to settle on a way to address Americans' concerns about high costs, Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered a more direct and empathetic message, saying, "We hear you" and "there's a lot more work to do."

WASHINGTON (AP) — They gathered at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday — former presidents, vice presidents, sworn political foes and newfound friends — in a show of respect and remembrance for Dick Cheney, the consequential and polarizing vice president who became an acidic scold of President Donald Trump.