Lee University will formally inaugurate Dr. Phil Cook as its 18th president this Friday morning at 10:30 in the Conn Center.Cook, a 1988 Lee graduate and longtime staff member, took office July 1. He previously served as vice president for enrollment before becoming president and CEO of a national coalition for Christian admissions professionals.Events begin Thursday with a special chapel service ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) fired a professor on Monday over a controversial social media post related to Charlie Kirk.UTK made this statement to Facebook:"The university has taken swift action against a faculty member who has failed to meet our expectations for civil engagement. Her actions endorsing violence and murder do not represent the university or our ...  Read More

The Bradley County Commission met yesterday.Commissioners approved Mayor Gary Davis’ list of committee appointments and reappointments by a unanimous vote.A resolution was passed to allow the county mayor to negotiate an agreement with Journey Mental Health to provide services for Bradley County first responders.Another resolution extended the county’s telephone services contract for three more ye...  Read More

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press: As we reported last week, Cleveland officials are finalizing the second phase of environmental studies at the two former Whirlpool plant sites in downtown Cleveland. The nearly 50-acre property was purchased for $1 million. The city is using a state grant to fund environmental assessments and cleanup of the site, which is planned for long-term redevelopment. ...  Read More

From the Chattanoogan: Lee University’s Presidential Concert Series will open its 33rd season on Tuesday, September 30, with violinist Andrés Cárdenes and pianist Ian Hobson performing in Squires Recital Hall.The program will include works by Schumann and Beethoven. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students, seniors, and children.The series will also feature performances by the Glenn Miller O...  Read More

From Local 3 News (AP News): Memphis Mayor Paul Young says President Trump’s TV announcement Friday was the first hard confirmation he received that the National Guard will be deployed to the city.Young told CNN he had been in conversations with Gov. Bill Lee’s office and federal agencies earlier in the week, but the official word came during Trump’s Fox News appearance. The mayor says details rem...  Read More

From Local 3 News: McCaysville police say Captain Brantley Worley was responding to a suspicious person call shortly after 11:00 on First Street. Just moments later, gunshots rang."I heard banging and it sounded like it was right in my backyard or up against my house, and I'm wondering what the heck is going on?,” says McCaysville resident Sue Richardson. “I looked out the window and didn't see an...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A home in Harrison was destroyed by a house fire Thursday night, the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management reports.When crews arrived around 6:51pm, they found a home in the 9100 block of Yvonne Lane fully engulfed and collapsing, with flames spreading into nearby woods. The property owner confirmed the house was vacant.Firefighters contained the blaze despite difficult...  Read More

From News Channel 9: Bradley County is receiving over $43,000 in state funding to support educational and outreach efforts.State Rep. Kevin Raper, R-Cleveland, made the announcement Thursday.The Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points will receive three grants totaling $34,820 and Lee University will receive two grants totaling $9,010.“These grants are an investment in the people and culture of ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: An employee at Murfreesboro's Middle Tennessee State University has been fired for comments made after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.Kirk was killed Wednesday by an unidentified gunman, who shot Kirk during an event on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, UT.NBC Nashville affiliate WSMV identified the fired employee as Laura Sosh-Lightsy, the now-former A...  Read More

From Local 3 News: JROTC cadets at Cleveland High School honored the brave 9/11 first responders Thursday, step by step. They walked 2,200 steps; the same number it would've taken to reach the top of the 110-story World Trade Center.As the cadets completed 11 laps up and down the stadium bleachers, they reflected on a dark day in the nation's history 24 years ago, before they were even born.“None ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A man was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison for repeatedly leaving death threats on U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's official voicemail.Garry Lebron Hayes, 45, pleaded guilty to transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure Greene, R-Rome, Ga.Hayes also left a death threat on South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott's official voicemai...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Americans are marking 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with solemn ceremonies, volunteer work and other tributes honoring the victims.Many loved ones of the nearly 3,000 people killed will join dignitaries and politicians at commemorations Thursday in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.Others choose to mark the day at more intimate gatherings.Ja...  Read More

From WATE: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee says he is in constant communication with the Trump administration to develop a strategy to combat crime in Memphis.Lee announced Wednesday he is sending 50 more Highway Patrol troopers to support Memphis police. He also said a joint task force, including the FBI, is targeting the city’s most violent offenders.The governor did not confirm whether the National...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Reaction across the United States continues to pour out following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, including the Volunteer State. Govenor Bill Lee urged everyone to pray for Kirk's family following the shooting, he took to X saying in part: "@MariaLeeTN & I ask Tennesseans to join us in lifting up Charlie’s wife Erika, two children & entire f...  Read More

From News Channel 9: A 26-year-old Florida man with ties to China faces charges of running a scam in McMinn County, according to the sheriff.Deputies arrested Ziyi Lu of Coral Springs on Tuesday after an Englewood resident reported that his wife was being pressured by a caller posing as a federal agent. The scammer demanded $12,000 to resolve a supposed investigation.Sheriff Joe Guy said officers ...  Read More

Responding to reports of ongoing animal abuse, Athens police seized several dogs and charged a man with animal cruelty at a West Bank Street property on September 9.Officers arrived to find numerous aggressive dogs running loose. The owner was unable to control them, prompting assistance from the Athens Animal Shelter, McMinn County Humane Society, and local fire crews. Three dogs were captured ou...  Read More

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press: Allegiant Airlines is adding new nonstop service between Chattanooga and Fort Lauderdale beginning February 12.The flights will operate out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, with one-way fares starting at $49. Tickets are now available on Allegiant’s website....  Read More

The Cleveland City Council recently dedicated the new futsal field at Blythe-Oldfield Park. The project was funded in part by an $80,000 Healthy Built Environment Grant from the Tennessee Department of Health. The field is 125 feet by 65 feet with artificial turf and fencing to provide a safe space for play. Mayor Kevin Brooks said the new facility reflects the city’s commitment to expanding recre...  Read More

 The Bradley County Board of Education met last night. The Board moved through a full agenda at its meeting, approving extended teacher contracts, green-lighting campus and facilities projects, aligning multiple policies with new state laws, and electing board officers for the 2025–26 year.2nd District Board member Vicki Beaty was unanimously reelected chairman. 3rd District Board member, Ted Brys...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A school bus crashed in Walker County Tuesday morning, according to Sheriff Steve Wilson. Five students have been taken to area hospitals. Their conditions are unclear at this time. Walker County Superintendent Damon Raines says the bus transported students from three schools: Naomi Elementary SchoolLafayette Middle SchoolLafayette High SchoolIt happened around 7:15am on Septemb...  Read More

From Fox 17 (WZTV Nashville): Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton greeted Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and presented the pontiff with a personalized Tennessee Volunteers football jersey.Sexton shared the moment on X, writing it was “an honor to meet and speak with Pope Leo XIV."The Vols are set for a big rival match this Saturday against Georgia....  Read More

The Cleveland City Council met yesterday.The meeting began with a proclamation recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Vice Mayor Ken Webb and Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis presented the proclamation alongside local advocate Aaron Weatherford, who lost his own daughter, Olivia, to cancer. The Council then heard results from a citywide compensation and classification study cond...  Read More

The Bradley County Commission met yesterday for a work session.Mayor Gary Davis presented several resolutions that will be placed on the commission’s next voting agenda. These include a contract with a second company to provide mental health services for first responders, a three-year phone service contract for the courthouse and juvenile center, and a three-year contract for cardiac monitors for ...  Read More