The Cleveland State Community College Foundation’s Fifth Annual Community First Awards will premier Thursday at 4 p.m. Each year, the college recognizes leaders, young and old, across its five county service area who have made their lives about service to others and their communities. The Community First Awards Gala, brought to you in part by Premier Sponsor SouthEast Bank, ... (click for more)

This week, the Tennessee Department of Education released the graduation rate for the 2019-20 school year. Of the 2019-20 cohort, over a third of districts improved their graduation rates and 89.6 percent graduated on time with a regular diploma, a slight dip (0.1 percent) compared to last year. Access the 2019-20 graduation rate data here: https://www.tn.gov/education/data/data-downloads.html ... (click for more)

A fatal fire is under investigation in East Chattanooga. The call came in as a residential fire at 2:50 a.m. on Sunday in the 2700 block of Taylor Street. Neighbors reported that a camper was on fire behind a home and responding firefighters found a large bus fully involved. Engine 4 was first on scene. Bystanders notified the crew that a possible victim was inside ... (click for more)

The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the conviction of Randall Reed in a retrial for the murder of an East Ridge woman. A jury in July 2018 convicted Reed of first-degree murder in the 2011 death of 70-year-old Jane Stokes. An earlier conviction by a prior jury had been thrown out by an appeals court. Reed testified in his own behalf. The victim was murdered ... (click for more)

Executive Summary: A New Chattanooga Way The Chattanooga renaissance that local leaders brag about took almost 40 years to reach fruition. It took risk. It took vision. It took billions of dollars. The physical renaissance is a farce if it fails to lift all Chattanoogans. The evidence in this report suggests the renaissance is incomplete. A New Chattanooga Way would include ... (click for more)

I have found my instincts for measuring up people have served me well. This isn’t to say I pass judgement on anyone, but I’m pretty good about knowing which ones not to make any eye contact with. I’ve learned people who act strange usually turn out to be strange. A kook on Monday is still a kook on Sunday, and there simply ain’t no cure for stupid. I also avoid braggarts and those ... (click for more)