House of Vamp is the debut novel of Jesse McDowell. He is a native of Chattanooga and currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. where he works as an actor, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and now, writer. "My original concept was to write the story of the Vamp family as a 30 minute mock-reality television series," said Mr. McDowell.  "Once I had written the pilot, I couldn't put these ... (click for more)

The Salvation Army is on the ground in Moore, Ok. with multiple canteens and personnel coordinating with Local and State Emergency Management to serve first responders and those affected by the tornado. They continue to provide service to hard hit areas from Monday's storms which include Shawnee – multiple sites, Carney area, and Cleveland County. Meals and hydration are being ... (click for more)

An indirect lightning strike caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damages to Collegedale City Hall during storms last weekend. City Manager Ted Rogers told commissioners during Monday night’s city commission meeting officials still don’t know the physical nor financial extent of the damage. Losses include a copier, four computers, the electric door lock system, more ... (click for more)

A 20-year-old man was shot twice while standing on his porch on Monday night. At approximately 8:44 p.m., Chattanooga Police responded to a shooting that occurred in the 1900 block of Walker Street. The victim, Ricky Rogers Jr., was located at 800 N Hawthorne St. suffering from two gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital for the non-life-threatening injuries. ... (click for more)

The Delta Queen is a magnificent part of history and in many ways I'm pleased she is in town. Having the boat where she is is the problem. The boat blocks the view of and from the prettiest park in our town. The crew take many of the parking spots around the park leaving families to park across Frazier and schlep their kids, strollers and picnics to the park. You don't get fireworks ... (click for more)

It has been about 25 years or so since I had the opportunity to visit every county in the state of Tennessee and, as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society at the time, I met cancer survivors and listened to their incredible stories. I remember one man in particular who had bone cancer and one night he said he rolled over in bed and literally broke his arm in a very simple ... (click for more)