At times when stress levels rise in our daily lives, there is an undeniable allure to the notion of escaping — even if only digitally — to another place. A 2015 study by researchers at Plymouth University in the U.K. found links between watching aquariums and mental health benefits, including improved mood and noticeably lower blood pressure and heart rate. For 28 years, ... (click for more)

Wilderness at the Smokies officials announced on Thursday that their resort will be reopening on Thursday, May 28. “We recognize that the last eight weeks have been challenging for everyone, especially families with small children, and we want to provide a fun and safe place for them to escape to when they are ready,” said Joe Eck, COO of Wilderness Resorts and Waterparks. ... (click for more)

Governor Bill Lee’s administration Thursday outlined new spending plans for state government that reflect significant revenue reductions due to the economic impact of COVID-19. Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley presented state lawmakers with the revised budget plans for the current fiscal year, as well as FY 2020-21, which begins July 1, and ... (click for more)

Friends of the Festival, the nonprofit organization behind Chattanooga’s premier music festival Riverbend, has made the decision to cancel this year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Friends of the Festival is unveiling new plans to continue to deliver music to the city’s riverfront in light of the new realities brought on by the pandemic. In what would have ... (click for more)

Since its inception, Friends of the Festival seemed bound and determined to make Riverbend a national event, ignoring the opinions of many Chattanoogans. Riverbend started as a local event drawing on the tastes and desires of local citizens yet has devolved into an outrageously expensive, super-crowded two-week-long free-for-all. Riverbend has drastically deviated from its original ... (click for more)

By ordinary standards it might be best described as one of life’s worst 1-2 punches, a pair of hard, personal blows that drop you to your knees. True, each devastating blow was uncommonly back to back. But, no, when I learned Wednesday morning that college football icon Johnny Majors had died just some 48 hours after another legend, Auburn’s Pat Dye, it was as though I’d been hit ... (click for more)