Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Entertainment, Malcolm Key Audio, outdoors, Photography, Sports April 8, 2026

Skatepark Flattened

Written by John Talley

^{Jackson Gammon soars above a wooden half-pipe outside of Cassette Skate Shop. The business held its grand opening of a temporary skatepark in February. Friday, February 20th, 2026. (Photo by Andromeda Stewart)}

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is home to a vibrant skate community currently undergoing immense changes. What was once a cultural hub, practice grounds, and the only legal spot designated for skating, ChattTown Skatepark is currently reduced to being a dirt lot. While only a temporary inconvenience, skaters from far and wide are searching for a gathering place while the $4.4 million skate park renovation is underway.

The dilapidated wooden structures hadn’t satisfied local skaters for decades. A need for a new park was brought to light by local skaters who spoke up about how the previous wooden ramps just weren’t cutting it anymore. The Chattown Skatepark officially closed for reconstruction on November 10, 2025, and is set to reopen in late 2026.

^{Gene Haman, the owner of VW Clubhouse, shares how Thursday nights have welcomed a community of displaced skateboarders in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A backyard car shop turned haven with a simple half pipe, these skateboarders stay resilient amidst the current renovation of ChattTown skatepark.}

Despite not having a main skate park for the next few months, the Chattanooga skate scene is still thriving and finding any and every opportunity to go out and skate together. It’s community players that work behind-the-scenes, offering their own business parking lots and backyard shops to Chattanooga skateboarders that act as the glue for skate culture while ChattTown is closed.

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Broadcast, Chattanooga, UTC March 25, 2026

UTC Turning Point

By Kayelyn McCaslin

^{University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Student Government weighs in on the committee decision to recognize Turning Point USA as a student organization. This follows the university’s recent decision to dissolve DEI programs to align with Tennessee state law.}

art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, History, Religion, Uncategorized March 12, 2026March 25, 2026

Glass Guardians

Written by Zoie Denton

^{St. Peters and Paul Basilica located in Chattanooga, Tennessee has been an influential part of the community since its construction dating back to 1888-1890 in bringing the community together in worship. Holding recognition for being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the potential development of a 12 story building nearby sparked conversations of the risk of shading the beautiful ambiance of the hand painted, stained glass windows. The church and community came together to protect their sacred foundations in harmony with local construction developers.}

In the heart of downtown Chattanooga, TN, where brick and modern storefronts stand shoulder to shoulder, the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul rises with a quiet glory. For more than a century, its twin spires and complex stonework have anchored East Eighth Street, drawing worshippers, visitors, and observers into a space defined by reverence and light. It is a church known not only for its architectural beauty, but for its roots in the civic and spiritual life of the city.

In December 2025, word reached Father David Carter, pastor and rector of the basilica, that a zoning change had been proposed for the property directly behind and beside the church. Initially, plans indicated that an existing three-story building on Lindsay Street would be replaced by a six-story structure. Development is not uncommon in a growing city, and at first, the proposal seemed manageable.

^{Jackie Sims and Maggie Clark in the Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul. The pair go to different churches as they travel, and this is the first time they see the Basilica, with its stained-glass windows. Thursday, February 12, 2026. Photo By Cj Copeland}

Suddenly, the plan changed, and the six-story concept became a 12-story apartment building.

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Chattanooga, community, History, Music, Photography March 11, 2026March 14, 2026

Thank You, Thank You Very Much

Written by Sydney Banks

^{Buck ‘Elvis’ Gouger performs gospel at Bojangles. He performed alongside the Georgia Gospel and Bluegrass Association. Friday, February 6, 2026. (Photo by Hannah Godel)}

In a quiet home in Whiteside, Tennessee, a tapestry of Elvis Presley watches over Buck Gouger’s living room.

The walls are crowded with photos and posters of the King, boasting Presley’s handsome smirk. Among them hang pictures of Gouger’s children and grandchildren from years gone by. A photo of a soft-smiling young woman, with the handwritten caption “My Mom,” rests beside his chair. Across the room, his guitar leans not far beyond reach. It is never dusty.

For nearly sixty years, Gouger–known affectionately as Buck “Elvis”– has carried both country music and southern gospel to unlikely stages. Most recently, he performs with the Georgia Gospel and Bluegrass Association at Bojangles in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Friday evening, Bojangles customers might expect fried chicken and sweet tea, not Elvis Presley singing gospel in a white jumpsuit next to the soda fountain. But for the past month, that’s exactly what they’ve gotten.

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Entertainment, Family, Music, Photography March 2, 2026March 2, 2026

Carrying the Tune

Written by Delaney Holman

^{Steve Grubb, president of the Chattanooga Chapter of the Barbershop Society, speaks about the Choo Choo Chorus. This is a male chorus that sings barbershop harmonies and performs melodies for the Chattanooga community by breaking out into quartets. He highlights how they are not just a barbershop harmony, but also a brotherhood.}

There is a quiet, elderly community living in the alcove-like rooms at the Martin Boyd Assisted Living facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, on Thursday nights at 7 p.m., the sound of brotherhood and song begins to float through the hall. The bellowing of harmonies comes from a group of men just down the hall in a community room. A sweater-vested, white-haired, sensible-sneaker ensemble is keeping an old art form alive in Chattanooga: Barbershop Quartets.

As a collective, this group practices and gathers as “The Choo Choo Chorus,” an all-male chorus born from the Barbershop Harmony Society in Nashville, TN. Officially, the chorus performs in breakout barbershop quartets, a grouping of four men who blend a cappella singing to create a sound unique to this configuration. Each person is responsible for their own part. There is no standout lead singer; it is every member building a song together.

^{The Choo-Choo Chorus rehearses in the Martin-Boyd Christian Home Thursday at 7:00. They are available to anyone who wants to listen to them sing in a beautifully decorated environment. Thursday, February 5, 2026 (Photo by Conner Coady).}

Jimmy Tompkins, the chorus’s charming and at times stern director, keeps the men’s pace with snaps and a wistful bounce in his step. During these practices, one of the men most on beat and best developed in his singing is Paul Blazek, a tall, jolly man who has settled into the risers after serving as director for 33 years and passing the torch to Tompkins.

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Chattanooga, community, Environment, Philanthropy, Photography, Uncategorized February 5, 2026

Street Smiles

Written by Kayelyn McCaslin

^{The anonymous artist behind Potholes of Chattanooga cleans up her street installation. The 70s-classic smiley face is accompanied by morse code that reads “S-M-I-L-E” (Photo by Kayleyn McCaslin).}

A dip of the steering wheel. An unexpected two-inch drop down. A sudden slosh of hot coffee. Another Chattanooga pothole deep enough to drown a tire, and wide enough to ruin a morning. While any street in the city has its own inconvenient imperfections, some gaps are filled by something unexpected: bright yellow mosaic smiley faces, grinning up from the asphalt.

They appear subtly, often overnight, on side streets that usually don’t warrant second thought. Evenly spread throughout town, there is no rhyme or reason to the installations other than the fact that they each take the place of a pothole. But this is not the city healing broken pavement.

Instead, it is the work of a faceless mosaic artist who has sought both personal revenge and silly enjoyment by filling potholes in secret.

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Broadcast, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Health, Malcolm Key Audio, Safety, teachers, Uncategorized, UTC January 19, 2026March 30, 2026

A Promise to Defend

^{Defend Systems’ active shooter training arrived at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga following a fake active-shooter 9-1-1 call on August 21, 2025. All UTC faculty and staff were required to attend a three-hour Defend Systems training designed to improve preparedness and response to armed violence threats. (Video by Kayelyn McCaslin).}

Written by Malcolm Key

^{Malcolm Key speaks with Sean O’Brien and Brink Fidler about the false-flag shooting alert at UTC in August 2025. The pair discuss their hope to arm people with education in order to confront questions of public safety within higher education.}

Run. Hide. Fight. A message of few words, but of massive impact for students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on August 21, 2025. Just one full week into the first semester, students had to act on instinct: barricading into closets and running to the closest outgoing car. Within minutes, city law enforcement redirected to UTC to join campus police in sweeping every inch of campus, prepared to find the threat and establish safety. After the dust settled, and no signs of injury or gunfire were found, UTC Police debriefed, with an emphasis on the question, “How can we do better?”

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Dance, Entertainment, Music, Photography, Uncategorized January 7, 2026

Setting the Stage

Written by Sydney Banks

^{Kendra Norwood and her hula students hit the final pose of a dance combination. The free dance class was hosted at Studio 34 in Chattanooga by The Pop-Up Project. Monday, November 23, 2025. (Photo by Sydney Banks)}

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a blooming, bustling city in every sense of the words. Beyond its iconic natural landscapes, it thrives with a vibrant arts culture. Theater companies, music clubs, dance classes, the ballet, the symphony, and many other groups are among the most pivotal organizations in the community.

In January 2025, ArtsBuild, a private non-profit arts organization, announced a feasibility study to evaluate the need for a new performing arts center (PAC) in Chattanooga. Despite its vibrant arts scene, the city is grappling with a major issue: a lack of appropriate, flexible, mid-sized performing arts facilities. Local artists are restricted to rehearsing and performing in spaces that are unable to accommodate each type of audience; an aspect of the performing arts that is extremely important to the viewer’s experience.

This study examined the disconnect between local art groups and their individual struggles with limited space. Project manager Blake Harris, an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee and the artistic director of the local theater company Obvious Dad, initiated the study after recognizing these issues.

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Chattanooga, community, donate, Entertainment, Music January 4, 2026January 4, 2026

Mountain Music

Written by Corbin Winters

^{Harold Jennings and Charles Breedlove play along in a jam session. Both musicians were tenured in their jam attendance by coming here for over 40 years. Monday, November 24, 2025 (Photo by Corbin Winters).}

Distant acoustic harmonies and smoky voices are the only things breathing life into an otherwise dilapidated building hidden away on Sand Mountain, Georgia. Inside, the dirt-camouflaged New Home Community Center, a circle of musicians sit playing bluegrass music, and singing to their hearts’ content. Everyone is encouraged to play or sing (even if you cannot sing well). Warm coffee and pastries are nestled in the corner by those who have come to listen to the jam.

Every Monday, bluegrass music echoes out of the Community Center. For over 30 years, local bluegrass enthusiasts have come together to share their love of the music. Many play music, and many just watch the jam sessions at the New Home Community Center.

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Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Love, UTC December 28, 2025December 28, 2025

Paws on Patrol

Written by Mackenzie Sweat

^{Corporal Aaron Bayer with UTCPD’s therapy dog, Sophie on UTC campus. Thursday, November 12th, 2025. (Photo By Mackenzie Sweat).}

As classes let out, crowds of students swarm UTC’s campus, their minds heavy with the weight of homework or homelife. A sight stops them in their tracks, a furry four-legged animal with a shiny gold badge on her chest. This is Sophie, the new University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Police Department K9 therapy dog. As students approach Sophie instantly, the energy shifts. What were anxious frowns, are now smiling faces and calm minds, just by petting her soft fur.

Sophie, a 13-month-old lab, started her role on Nov. 3 alongside UTC Police Corporal Aaron Bayer, who is responsible for community engagement. Sophie has been in her position for just under a month, and Bayer has already seen students react very positively to her.

“We went from being nobodies to… students calling and asking for us, and people stopping by the police department just to see her (Sophie). Students remember her name. They see us on campus now, and they’ll come running toward her,’’ said Bayer. He notices what kind of impact Sophie has had on campus.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Healing, Love, Philanthropy, Uncategorized December 23, 2025

A Fresh Start

By Moses Malone

^{Sylvie Lawrence, a ShowerUp Volunteer, speaks about how the non-profit organization ShowerUp serves those that are unhoused or anyone that is in need of a helping hand. They provide mobile showers, hygiene kits, laundry, and personal care items. Their main goal is to spread hope and love to the community of Chattanooga Tennessee.}

On a beautiful, chilly morning, amid the city sounds of traffic and train rumbles, laughter and cries of joy fill the streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee. These cheerful groups stand outside a mobile trailer that promises a hot, steamy shower for the unhoused and those who need a helping hand. On the side of the trailer, the word “ShowerUp” reads: a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope, love, and compassion to the Chattanooga community.

“ShowerUp, in my own words, is this non-profit that is there for other people…we want to evaluate the dignity that they [the unhoused] already have and let them know what they’re really worth,” said John Justin Lin, a ShowerUp Operational Manager.

ShowerUp’s journey began 10 years ago, when Paul and Rhonda Schmitz handed out sandwiches to the unhoused. They built relationships with people on the streets and realized that they could do more than provide meals. The couple asked themselves: What do people need most? The answer to that wasn’t money, food, or clothes; it was a regular shower. Since then, a mobile community built on compassion has expanded from Nashville, TN, to Chattanooga in June 2023.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Environment, Health, outdoors, Regenerative, Sustainability, UTC December 21, 2025

EDGE of Change

Written by Angelina Fraga

^{EDGE sets up this event on the stairs of Chamberlain Field. Students really enjoyed the event. Friday, November 2025. (Photo by Angelina Fraga).}

College students today will soon make up the front lines against Earth’s worsening environmental crisis. EDGE (Ecological Decisions for a Global Environment), a club at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), promotes sustainability and environmentally friendly practices on campus and in the broader Chattanooga area. According to Dr. Jodi Caskey, the main faculty advisor for EDGE, the average college student’s environmental awareness remains moldable. The mission is to shape that awareness for a better tomorrow.

EDGE was established as a crisis response. There was a time when smog filled the air of Chattanooga and the lungs of its population. The Tennessee River ran rancid, contaminated with untreated sewage and industrial waste. In 1969, a report released by the federal government’s Department of Health, Education, and Welfare officially named Chattanooga the “worst city in the nation for particulate air pollution.”

Those trying times led to an environmental revolution in Chattanooga and, subsequently, across the country. The founders of EDGE played a pivotal role in that revolution. In the late 70s, EDGE was established as UTC’s very first environmental club. The founders went on to help create UTC’s environmental science department, further strengthening the existing sustainability community.

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Chattanooga, community, Farm Life, farming, Food December 14, 2025December 14, 2025

Farewell Fairmount

Written By Clara Paulson

^{Jennifer Tamble rings up cider, apple butter, and a bag of apples for a Fairmount Orchard customer. Sunday, November 15, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson)}

A silver bell chimes as customers and an icy breeze slip through Fairmount Orchard’s wooden door. Pink and orange checkered curtains, a life-size scarecrow, and shelves lined with crimson, chartreuse, and golden apples greet them.

Adults pull off gloves to inspect jars of apple butter and burlap bags filled with spices. Children plead for one more gallon of cider, and their parents place chosen treats on the counter beside a sign that reads, “Farewell Season! Final Day: November 30—Thanks for all the memories.” As December draws near, so does the end of an era. On November 30, 2025, Signal Mountain, Tennessee’s beloved Fairmount Orchard, officially closes its doors.

Jennifer Tamble, now in her third season at Fairmount, rings up the shop’s final purchases, sending each customer off with a fresh treat and holiday wishes. Like many of her customers, she grew up visiting the orchard.

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Farm Life, farming, Healing, horse, Malcolm Key Audio, Music, Sports, Uncategorized, UTC December 10, 2025March 30, 2026

Rising Rock Radio Showcase 2025

^{Graphic by Kylee Boone}

Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories from this past semester in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots.

Check out the individual audio stories here or listen to the entire showcase on WUTC

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Chattanooga, community, Diversity, Entertainment, Food Banks, History, Sports December 3, 2025December 8, 2025

A Stadium’s Last Stand

Written By Kayelyn McCaslin

^{Engel Stadium, owned by UTC is locked from the outside and decaying on the inside. The stadium is set to be torn down and replaced by a women’s sports complex in 2026. Friday November 7, 2025 (Photo by Delaney Holman).}

Patterned ties knotted at the neck and bright dresses swished with each stride. Frilly hats, white gloves, and leather shoes stayed on despite the heat. A Sunday afternoon in 1950s Chattanooga, Tennessee, called for the best fashion. Only this crowd had already been to church, and they were headed for another kind of sanctuary: Engel Stadium. “I can picture my father with his tie on, sitting in the stands on a Sunday after church,” said Mickey McCamish, former President of The Engel Foundation. “Growing up, Engel Stadium and The Lookouts were a social fabric of Chattanooga. It was the center place.”

Now, those Sunday games are long gone. After decades of negligence and decay, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) has announced that Engel Stadium will be demolished in 2026 and replaced with a women’s sports center. This decision has stirred both nostalgia and frustration from the Chattanooga community, especially those like McCamish who knew the stadium as the hub of social life in town.

^{John Rawlston, during his time as staff photographer at the Chattanooga Times Press, documented the final season of Chattanooga, Tennessee’s minor league baseball team The Lookouts. This last season took place at the famous Engel Stadium, which is set to be demolished under UTC’s ownership to create a new women’s athletic center. Rawlston recounts what made that season special, and the historical significance of the Engel Stadium.}

McCamish first saw Engel as a ten-year-old selling Coca-Cola in the stands. Now a Navy veteran and Executive Director of Friends of the Festival, he watches as the fabric of Engel Stadium fades.

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Chattanooga, Photography, Racing, Sports, Uncategorized December 3, 2025December 3, 2025

A Race to the Finish Line

Written by Zoie Denton

^{Axel Robards looks at the camera as he prepares for testing at Atlanta Motorsports Park, Georgia. Friday November 21, 2025 (Photo by Zoie Denton)}

At just 14 years old, Axel Robards, a young driver from Chattanooga, Tennessee, is already setting his sights on one of the most exclusive dreams: a seat in Formula 1. What makes his journey so compelling isn’t just the speed or the ambition, it’s the unshakable belief that one day, he’ll race among the best. The one sport in which you can say, “You’re one of the best in the world.”

For Robards, racing was not something he discovered later in life; it coursed through his veins from the very beginning. Growing up in Chattanooga, he was immersed in a world where his two older brothers spent their weekends kart-racing. As a kid, he never got behind the wheel, but he had a front-row seat to his brothers’ battles, feeling every turn, every drift, and every slip.

“[Racing] made everything feel alive,” said Robards. He didn’t just like watching; he wanted to race. That longing matured fast. Around age 11, with no formal training, Robards got behind the wheel of a kart for the first time. What followed was less of a tentative drive and more of a revelation.

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Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, Healing, Health, Karate, Sports December 1, 2025December 3, 2025

The Seated Champion

Written by Zoie Denton

^{Joel Westbrook talks about his journey as a wheelchair athlete in martial arts and how his spina bifida doesn’t limit him. He is the first wheelchair athlete to join the U.S. Para-Karate National Team and became an inspiration for those with physical limitations to challenge themselves, so they can take the first steps towards greatness.}

Greatness wears many faces. For 18-year-old martial artist Joel Westbrook, greatness is carved into every determined push of his wheels. As the first ever male wheelchair athlete selected for the U.S. Para-Karate National Team, he has become a living symbol that limitations don’t define a person. His journey is proof that true strength is not bound by the body, but by the fire that drives it forward.

^{Joel Westbrook releases a sharp kiai, a forceful, exclamatory shout in karate. This practice supposedly connected the mind and body, as he executed the final move in his kata. Tuesday, November 11, 2025. (Photo by Angelina Fraga.)}

Westbrook was born with spina bifida, a condition that affects how the spine and nerves develop. He can walk short distances using braces and crutches, but his wheelchair is where he feels strongest and most comfortable. Despite the challenges he faces, he has never felt limited.

When Westbrook was around eight years old, he saw a television show with a character performing martial arts in a wheelchair. For most viewers, it was simply a character, but for Westbrook, he saw himself represented in a sport that had always seemed inaccessible. Under the guidance of his physical therapist, Westbrook and his family discovered Green’s Karate in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a dojo known for adapting karate for all students.

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Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Creative Discovery Museum, Daily Life, donate, Environment, farming, Food, outdoors, Sustainability November 30, 2025December 3, 2025

Where Hope Takes Root

Written by Sydney Banks

^{Lillian Moore, Director of Community Impact at the Bethlehem Center, speaks about the The Farm at The Beth and the role that pollinators play in supporting sustainable food systems. The organization manages an urban micro-farm and beehive on their property to serve the local community and educate their students in environmental stewardship.}

The rays of the October sun cast a soft, golden glow across the farm, warming the soil and illuminating every shade of leafy lettuce and kale green stretching through the rows. Nearby, children tumble about after a long day at school, unleashing the energy that has been bubbling inside them for hours. Their laughter blends with the hum of bees and insects, creating an easy harmony across the landscape. In many ways, the youthful energy mirrors the growth and vitality of the plants, pollinators, and people who make this land functional, thriving, and truly alive.

Nestled in the heart of Alton Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the Bethlehem Center, known affectionately as “The Beth.” A 105-year-old community-based education and resource access organization, its quarter-acre urban farm serves as one of its most vibrant programs, a small yet powerful plot dedicated to improving food access for individuals who live nearby.

^{Damon Bartos, Farm Coordinator & Education Specialist at The Bethlehem Center, holding a bee hive in Chattanooga, TN. Thursday, November 13th, 2025. (Photo By Mackenzie Sweat).}

“Here in Alton Park, we have limited access to healthy foods. That’s where the Bethlehem Center is really trying to step in and make sure that we’re a source of groceries for folks, but you see it all over the city. For us, having a source of fresh, nutritious food, and shelf-stable items right here in the community where folks can walk in, bike in, or take the bus with a little more ease, can take some of the burden off and also the cost barrier for people who may need groceries,” said Lillian Moore, the Bethlehem Center’s director of community impact.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Environment, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability November 25, 2025December 3, 2025

Urban Understory

Written by Ansley Barry

_{^{Chattanooga Tree Project is a local nonprofit in Chattanooga, Tennessee, dedicated to planting trees in neighborhoods with low canopy coverage. Chris Winters (Director of Workforce), discuses the the team’s efforts of planting over 900 trees in the last year with the help of volunteers and the community. In the next four years, they plan to plant an additional 4,000 trees in the surrounding area.}}

In the sweltering summer heat, sweat drips down the necks of residents as they walk along the bustling streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee in search of shade. While some are able to find reprieve amongst the tree-lined paths, there are many areas around the city that are noticeably lacking these resources.

To address this problem, the City of Chattanooga was awarded a $6 million dollar grant from the United States Forest Service in April 2024 to fund the Chattanooga Tree Project (CTP). This project is dedicated to planting thousands of native tree species to increase canopy coverage across the city in neighborhoods that need them the most.

^{Volunteers use pickaxes to break up the rocky soil in Ridgedale neighborhood. Saturday, November 8, 2025 (Photo by Corbin Winters).}

“From start to finish, I’ve spent a lot of my time mapping forest loss, and the data has shown that over the years, we’re losing forests in Chattanooga,” said Mimi White, graduate research assistant for the UTC Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technologies (IGT) lab. “A lot of the trees that we’re planting, we’re planting in neighborhoods that have lost their tree cover a long time ago,… so it’s really beautiful to walk through a neighborhood in Chattanooga and see the new trees that have been planted and know that the people who live in these neighborhoods are going to be able to enjoy the benefits that come with having a healthy urban forest years down the road.”

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art, Chattanooga, community, Diversity, Healing, Prison, Uncategorized November 10, 2025November 10, 2025

Barber’s Redemption

Written by Angelina Fraga

^{Bryan Slayton removes the barber cape after giving Malik a fresh cut. Malik was excited to look nice for his approaching birthday. Wednesday, April 9, 2025. photo by Angelina Fraga.}

There’s no striped pole or hydraulic kick leather chair. No sign posted on a door pertaining to hours of operation or holidays off. It’s just Bryan Slayton and his barber tools laid out on his mobile cart, plugged into the city’s power outlet. Slayton’s “clients” sit on a chair pulled from a park table. On a good day, you can see people lined up waiting for a new do, sometimes not so many. Regardless, he stays from 8 am until noon, waiting to make someone’s day.

Slayton is a Chattanooga barber making a difference for those less fortunate in the community. You can find Slayton at Miller Park every Wednesday with his clippers and barber tools set up at his side. He gives haircuts to anyone in need, they just walk up to his improvised office and ask.

Slayon grew up in Chattanooga’s West Side projects and got his first pair of second-hand clippers for Christmas from his uncle when he was just ten years old. He mastered his craft through trial and error, but in the beginning it was only a side hustle.

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Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, History, Love, Uncategorized October 29, 2025October 30, 2025

Chattanooga, the First National Park City in America

Written by Delaney Holman

^{Tim Kelly, Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee, speaks about the city becoming the first National Park City in the Americas. Chattanooga earned the title on April 3rd, 2025, after over two years of community effort. Also called the “Scenic City,” Chattanooga is acclaimed for its access to the outdoors and rich history.}

Deep in the Appalachian foothills, and along the Tennessee River, lies America’s only National Park City (NPC). A historically significant city tucked in the Tennessee Valley, home to over 100 parks and a community uniquely invested in outdoor culture, helped make Chattanooga, Tennessee, the third NPC in the world. Chattanooga earned the NPC title on April 3, 2025, just 55 years after being named the dirtiest city in the United States.

In 2019, Daniel Raven-Ellison founded the NPC movement by establishing London as the first city to adopt the vision of building a new collective understanding of what a city is and who it is for. The National Park City Foundation combines long-term and large-scale versions of National Parks within cities.

^{Abraham Mako rows by the Bluff View Art District on the Tennessee River during sunrise Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (Photo by Clara Paulson).}

“That’s the whole idea behind the NPC campaign – locals working hard to protect, cherish, enjoy, and celebrate nature all around,” said Scott Martin, Chattanooga’s former administrator for the Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors.

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Chattanooga, community, Diversity, donate, Environment, outdoors, Philanthropy, reflection riding, Uncategorized October 27, 2025October 29, 2025

Growing for Change

Written by Ella Sole

^{Cash Daniels, a 16-year-old conservationist, offers insight into his efforts to clean up plastic waste by focusing on fishing line. With his initiative now operating in six states, Daniels has garnered national attention and accolades for his projects and hopes to continue raising awareness about plastic waste clean-up.}

Walking along the shoreline, a small plastic straw reflects the sun’s rays and catches a child’s eye, sparking a life dedicated to making a change in the man-made, polluted environment. At the age of 7, this is precisely what happened to Cash Daniels.

“Before that, I had always loved getting out on the river: fishing, kayaking, swimming, things like that. When I found that plastic straw, I knew it would harm the animals in the environment that I loved, so I knew I had to do something to help defend it,” said Daniels. “Due to that, I have been able to remove 46,000 pounds of trash from the river so far.”

^{Cash Daniels shows off a jar of his collected fishing line. Throughout Cash Daniels’ conservation efforts, he collected over 2,200 miles of used fishing line. Thursday, October 15, 2025 (Photo by Corbin Winters).}

Plastic waste is ever-present on the banks of the Tennessee River and Chattanooga Creek, harming aesthetics and the biodiverse habitats. With these waterways so close to Daniels’ home, he felt a personal responsibility to do something to help sustain and improve them. Daniels, now a 16-year-old Chattanooga, Tennessee native, has shown his passion for cleaning up the environment around him by constructing and placing fishing line recycling bins in six states.

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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Environment, Farm Life, farming, Food, horse, outdoors, Sustainability, Uncategorized October 22, 2025October 29, 2025

Fertile Land

Written by Zoie Denton

^{Melissa Shepherd, Head of Operations at Quail Run Farm in Chattanooga, Tennessee, speaks about how the farm uses regenerative practices and gives back to the soil. The animals contribute to the farm’s practices by rotationally grazing and naturally fertilizing the soil.}

On the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee, nestled in the mountains and valleys, lies 80 acres of rolling green pastures and bustling farm life. Quail Run Farm, one of Lookout Valley’s most well-known farms, is a living example of regenerative agriculture. Bought in October of 2022 by Joe and Rachel Riley, Quail Run has turned this beautiful countryside from a quiet homestead to a community-driven ecosystem of animals and hospitality.

^{Melissa Shepherd, head of operations, sits at the on-site farmer’s market. Stored inside were products like farm-fresh honey, eggs, and meat. Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Photo by Angelina Fraga.}

“There weren’t any animals here at the beginning,” said Melissa Shepherd, Head of Operations. The land has transformed into a vibrant working community. It offers pasture-raised meats, locally grown produce, and honey—all cultivated with sustainable, regenerative practices.

Shepherd is originally from Yorkshire, England, and joined Quail Run through a program called Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) while traveling through the US.

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Animals, Aquarium, Chattanooga, community, Environment, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability October 15, 2025October 21, 2025

Saving the Laurel Dace

Written by Addison Middleton

^{Dr. Bernie Kuhajda, an Aquatic Conservation Biologist at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI), speaks about the critically endangered Laurel Dace. The small minnow is only found in three streams along Walden Ridge. TNACI rescued the last remaining population during a historical drought in the summer of 2024.}

50 miles North of Chattanooga, a thumb-sized anomaly swims between the rocks and moss of the small streams on Walden Ridge. To the unknown eye, these fish, known as the Laurel Dace, could easily be overlooked or mistaken for any other small freshwater fish that is found in East Tennessee. The rarity of the fish doesn’t come only from their size and characteristics, but the extremely specific area they are found. Since their discovery in the 1950s, the Laurel Dace have only been found in one location in the world, Walden Ridge.

The limited environment the Laurel Dace inhabit causes an extremely small population to begin with. In 2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially listed the Laurel Dace as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). From first discovery, this species was found in only nine streams at Walden Ridge, but over the past 25 years, that number has shrunk drastically. Over several decades, because of continued agriculture, dry seasons, and increased sedimentation, the Laurel Dace are now only seen having a healthy population in Bumbee Creek on Walden Ridge.

Once the fish were recognized as critically endangered, the Tennessee Aquarium and the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI) stepped in and began their preservation efforts. Over time, the TNACI continued to keep a close eye on the Laurel Dace by studying their environments and behaviors. Several rescues have been conducted where teams would go to Bumbee Creek and take several fish into their care for further monitoring and research. Through their ongoing observations in the wild, the TNACI was also able to take fast action to save the Laurel Dace when circumstances became drastic.

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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Entertainment, Family, History, horse, outdoors September 29, 2025November 1, 2025

Carriage Chronicles

Written by Emily Mitchell

^{David Faulkner, the lead driver for Chattanooga Horse Trams, speaks about his 26 years of experience driving carriages through downtown Chattanooga.}

The distinct clip-clop of hooves is a sound all too familiar to residents of downtown Chattanooga. Nearby drivers wait patiently as a spotted horse named Dewey steadily hauls an oldfangled carriage into the flow of traffic. Atop a black leather bench, David Faulkner takes one hand off the reins to pet his beloved Dalmatian, Indiana, seated proudly beside him. As the carriage rolls down Broad Street, he directs the passengers’ attention to an allegedly “haunted” parking lot coming up on their right. In the midst of rushing vehicles and busy pedestrians, the elderly coach has managed to make a career out of slowing things down.

Faulkner never applied to become a part-time carriage driver—he was recruited by the horses. While working for a nearby parking company, he took notice of Chattanooga Horse Trams, a 39-year-old carriage ride service stationed outside of the Tennessee Aquarium.

“After about three weekends of sneaking the horse treats, [the owner] asked me if I’d go to work for him,” Faulkner said. “I started the next weekend.”

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Environment, Family, Food, Food Banks, Healing, Health, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability April 30, 2025May 2, 2025

Table for All

Written by Alexis Carpenter

^{Katy Neusner steps in to help pack Sack Packs for children who may not have food at home to help sustain them through the weekend. Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Photo by Alexis Carpenter.}

The warehouse lights flicker on as volunteers walk through the door and make their way to rows of stacked pallets and assembly lines. The scent of produce and cardboard boxes mingle in the humid atmosphere, and the sound of pop music fills the large warehouse. Volunteers begin to sort canned goods, bag fresh vegetables, and prepare boxes for distribution.

Yet, beneath this effort lies a growing crisis. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank, a lifeline for residents across 20 counties in Tennessee and Georgia, is dealing with significant funding cuts. A nationwide halt of $500 million in federal food aid, including the suspension of USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation funding, has resulted in the cancellation of multiple truckloads of food. These shipments are now absent from the food bank’s inventory, leaving bare shelves within the warehouse.

In the midst of the working warehouse is Katy Neusner, the Advocacy and Communications Coordinator of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. As the organization works to bridge the gap left by the funding cuts, Neusner and her colleagues face a task of sustaining their mission amid dwindling resources.

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Animals, art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Dance, donate, Entertainment, Environment, Healing, Health, History, Immigration, K-Pop, Love, Music, outdoors, Philanthropy, Safety, Spelunking, Sports, Sustainability, teachers, UTC, women April 30, 2025December 14, 2025

Rising Rock Radio Showcase

Graphic by Kylee Boone

Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories from this past semester in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Environment, outdoors, Safety, Spelunking, Sports, Sustainability, teachers, UTC, women April 30, 2025April 30, 2025

Spelunking Shenanigans

Written by Emily Petitt Dwyer

_{Rachel Sakar talks about her experience in caving and how she is involved in the caving community as a mentor and a teacher.}

Beneath the rugged mountains of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, a region known as TAG, is a network that is somewhat unknown to most, boasting intricate passages, waterfalls, and hidden chambers that Blake Webber has devoted himself to exploring and preserving.

Webber, a civil engineering major at UTC and active member of the UTC Wind Ensemble and Men’s Ultimate Frisbee, first discovered caving in 2021 at a local festival.

“I was thrown off the deep end, completing a relatively challenging vertical trip my first time in a ‘real’ cave,” Webber said. “I was immersed in the challenge and felt like I had stepped into another world.”

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art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Dance, Entertainment, Fashion, Health, K-Pop, Music, Sports April 30, 2025April 30, 2025

K-Nooga

Written by Drew White

_{Sarah Thomas is the Co-Founder of 42E3, a K-pop dance cover group dedicated to bringing K-pop choreography’s energy, precision, and artistry to life in Chattanooga.}

K-pop has been a growing global phenomenon in the past ten years; even in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 42E3 is a K-pop dance cover group that semi-frequently releases dance covers on their YouTube and Instagram pages.

Many of these dancers have experienced the rise of K-pop firsthand, having been fans themselves for over ten years. They have watched the landscape of fan interactions and song promotions shift over the years due to the rise of social media and COVID-19.

“I became a fan of K-pop in 2013, but I didn’t start dancing to K-pop until 2015, because I was kind of embarrassed to be a K-pop fan at first.” said Sarah Thomas, one of the founders of 42E3.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Family, Healing, Love, Music, women April 23, 2025

A Window to the Soul

Video by Clara Paulson

_{Marcy Paulson, a Chattanooga-based musician, was born with Leber congenital amaurosis, a degenerative eye disorder. As a child, Marcy often encountered pity from peers and strangers; one friend even expressed her concerns that Marcy would never be able to fall in love. But Marcy proved she could hear the world more vividly than most could see it. Through music, she found true joy, her husband, and a lifelong passion.}

Meet the Storyteller

Clara Paulson is a Junior Communication major attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with minors in Brock Scholars and Creative Writing. Clara has experience writing stories and working as an assistant Photo editor for the Echo, co-hosting a podcast on the Perch, and writing poems for the Sequoya Review. After graduation, her goal is to continue storytelling. She hopes to write—whether it’s with ink or light—the unheard stories of Chattanooga and beyond. If you want her to write your story, you can reach out to her at tnq894@mocs.utc.edu.

Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, Healing, History, Immigration, Love, Philanthropy, Safety, UTC April 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Still Here

Written by Connor Spelta

^{Olympia Garcia Lopez talks about her experience as a Guatemalan immigrant in Chattanooga and how she came to find La Paz.}

For those building new lives in Chattanooga, the journey often begins with an organization like La Paz. Even at a time of rapidly shifting policy and funding changes, this organization isn’t going anywhere, and remains firmly committed to the people they serve.

La Paz is a Latino services non-profit organization with a stated goal of “empowering and engaging Chattanooga’s Latino population through advocacy, education, and inclusion.”

“From the very beginning we’ve encountered many Hispanic men coming to Chattanooga for work opportunities, and they started coming in with their families. The needs start changing from job opportunities or like documentation to other processes, more programs, more resources that they need for the whole family instead of just an individual” said Daniela Durán, the communication coordinator for La Paz.

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Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Family, Healing, Health, Hugs, Nurses, Safety April 16, 2025February 5, 2026

Medical Tails

Written by Addison Middleton

^{Elizabeth Olley, a VSCG Practice Manager, and Becky Howell, a VSCG Senior Nurse and Trainer, speak about their experience working for the Veterinary Care and Specialty Group in Chattanooga, Tennessee.}

As a worried owner walks through the doors holding her trembling and sick dog, the receptionist is already calling the emergency team. ICU veterinarians begin their specialized care, blood work is rushed to the lab, and a surgeon is looking at scans planning the next steps for the pet; all services being done under the same roof in seamless coordination.

This process is something very familiar to the Veterinary Care and Specialty Group (VCSG) in Chattanooga. With services such as emergency care, internal medicine, radiation oncology, surgery, rehabilitation and more, the mission of VCSG is to be a one stop shop for all pet needs no matter the time or lengths required. The treatments and equipment VCSG offer have allowed it to become one of the most advanced offices in America and a leading hub in the South Eastern area seeing around 10,000 – 12,000 pets every year, almost double compared to other vet offices.

“What we’ve always tried to do with VCSG is give the convenience to owners so that people don’t have to take all that time off of work or so owners aren’t making thousands of appointments at 10 different hospitals trying to get the best care for their patient,” Liz Olley says.

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Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Entertainment, Family, Health, Safety, Sports, UTC April 14, 2025April 14, 2025

Golden Age, Golden Hoops

Written by Guy DeWeese

^{76-year-old Ernest Harris speaks about playing pick-up basketball at his local YMCA and what being active and on his feet with friends means to him.}

Elbow pads are strapped on, knee pads are adjusted and you can hear neck braces being velcroed. This is just a typical day at the Hamilton Family YMCA basketball court. Most young hoopers don’t even bother playing against the seasoned vets.. For these senior hoopers, this is their lifestyle.

John Hendrickson recently moved to Chattanooga from Illinois and the 78-year-old man is one of the many seniors actively playing basketball every Monday at the YMCA.

“Many of us have a good background in basketball, just a group of guys wanting to do something together,” Hendrickson said.

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Entertainment, Environment, Family, Food, History, Hugs, Music, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability, Trains, UTC, women March 31, 2025

Rising Rock Media Podcast

By Megan Cooper

Megan Cooper hosts an episode of Rising Rock Media Podcast where listeners can get a glance at life in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She speaks with several very different people from interviews she hosted throughout the semester.

Meet The Storyteller

Megan Cooper is a senior communication student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, UTC, focusing on being an audio technician and editor. Megan has experience using Adobe programs to create audio content for broadcasting. Megan is a show host, promotions director, and station manager at UTC’s student-run radio station, the Perch. She is also currently working as a promotions tech at Summit Media Group in Knoxville, TN. This is Megan’s second semester in Rising Rock as an audio technician where she uses nothing but tone of voice to share people’s stories, and she built the Rising Rock radio showcase for 88.1 WUTC. When she isn’t working she is reading fantasy books and hunting down the next CD on her list. Cooper’s passion lies in music, books, radio, and using stories to bring people together. If you have a story you want to tell or want to contact Megan you can reach her at megancooper820@gmail.com.

Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Family, Healing, Hugs, Love, Religion, Safety, Uncategorized March 26, 2025

Revolution of Redirection

Written by Connor Spelta

^{StreetWorks is an organization based in Chattanooga, Tennessee that helps the sexually exploited women of the city who are unhoused. They offer a home for the women to go to two days a week to rest, wash their clothes, shower, and eat.}

A pair of thickly cushioned blue couches sit in the living room of a small house in Chattanooga. To the women who are familiar with the building and the organization it hosts, the couches are so much more than a comfy piece of furniture.

On the four cushions, they can rest with the knowledge that they are safe. They know, at least for the time being, that they are free of the dangers they face outside of the Streetworks property.

No men are allowed here, and no one enters the house without crossing paths with leadership team member Karen Brown.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Environment, Health, History, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability March 3, 2025

Breathe Easy Now

Written by Guy DeWeese

^{Morgan Holl talks about Overlooked Materials, his glass recycling startup. He wants to make a difference in Chattanooga through recycling in the community.}

The year is 1969, it has been 20 years since the All-Dixie Air Show, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was on the rise, Cedar Street Bridge just got finished. Businesses are being built, the city of Chattanooga is trending upward. It’s a crisp October day and Walter Cronkite, an anchorman for the CBS evening news known as the most trusted man in America, announces on national television that “Chattanooga, Tennessee is the dirtiest city in America.”

“It was so bad that people couldn’t stand it anymore, it was just gross,” says Karen Hundt, an urban designer who has been involved in the city’s turnaround since those dark days in the 1960s when headlights were sometimes required at noon.

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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Environment, outdoors, Sports February 24, 2025

Climbing Companions

Written by Addison Middleton

^{Emily Pinson, an avid climber, takes her cat Suki bouldering with her. She adopted her cat from the Humane Society with the intent of training her to climb.}

While breathing in the crisp air of the outdoors, Emily Pinson makes sure to grab her climbing shoes, hand chalk and crash pads before she and Suki, her loyal climbing partner, head out into the woods together. Pinson swings her bags over her shoulder, and tosses her companion up in the air to sit perched atop of the supplies because although Suki is an avid adventurer, she is also a cat.

Pinson’s love for the outdoors and the activity of bouldering began years ago. This subset of rock climbing has allowed her to build a community through the shared love of the sport. She began her climbing career in highschool at indoor climbing gyms, and decided to venture further by starting to climb at outside destinations a little over a year ago.

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Animals, Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, community, donate, Entertainment, Environment, Healing, History, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability, Uncategorized January 29, 2025

Healing Wings

Written by Alexis McMurtry

_{John Stokes transfers one of his two eagles, Yazta, from the pen to his enclosure at his and his wife’s house in Trenton, Georgia. Monday, November 11, 2024. Photo by Alexis McMurtry.}

At the end of a rugged, unpaved mountain road in Trenton, Georgia, John Stokes and Dale Kernahan’s home stands as a sanctuary surrounded by the wild beauty they work to protect. Outside, hand-built enclosures house majestic birds of prey, while bird feeders invite a chorus of smaller birds. Here, nature is more than a backdrop – it’s the heartbeat of their lives.

Wings to Soar, a nonprofit organization founded by the duo 11 years ago, serves as a sanctuary for birds of prey that can no longer survive in the wild alone. These raptors – many of whom are injured or have imprinted on humans – are given to them by various wildlife veterinarians and rehabilitation facilitators. This organization also focuses on education by offering programs that help the public understand the vital role these birds play in maintaining the balance of nature.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Fashion, Uncategorized, women January 29, 2025

More Than Just Hair

Written by Emily Petitt Dwyer

^{Meghan Landis folds clean towels as she prepares for clients. Wednesday, November 20, 2024. Photo by Emily Petitt Dwyer.}

With its signature orange and black vines winding across once-white walls, vintage furniture complementing the mix of wood and tile flooring, and plants nestled along the aged brick hearth at its center, Good Sister Studio redefines what a hair studio can be.

The studio offers clients an intimate and educational experience while using clean and sustainable products—products free of harmful chemicals and good for the environment.

In the Northshore-based studio, Meghan Landis, the studio’s co-owner, adjusts her red curly hair with a confident “zhuzh” as she embodies the values she and business partner, Alexa Kuper, have built their studio upon.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Entertainment, History, Love, Uncategorized, women January 29, 2025

In Search of Dolly

Written by Drew White

^{Dolly Parton was married to her forever husband, Carl Dean, in Ringgold in 1966, because of the legacy of the town, proximity, and the name, “Ringgold,” rings of gold, delighting Dolly.}

Ringgold, Georgia is a town known for love. Ringgold has been a popular spot for marrying since the 1800s because of its unique one-stop-shop quality. Blood work to test for sexually transmitted diseases was a required step of the marriage process until 2003. In Ringgold, couples were able to get their blood work completed and approved the day of the ceremony. The proximity to Fort Oglethorpe paired with simple blood work completion created a boom in the marriage market in Ringgold throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Food December 22, 2024December 21, 2024

Chattanooga Cuppa Joe

Written by Megan Cooper

_{The Hot Chocolatier in Saint Elmo serves a variety of sweet drinks and treats. This store opened in early 2023. November 21, 2024 (Photo by Megan Cooper)}

The rich scent of chocolate clings to the walls and the couple inside the Hot Chocolatier store in the early fall morning. Workers begin baking and cleaning the cases filled with chocolate treats from sweet moist flaky cake to dense rich truffles.

Bradon Buckner and his wife Wendy Buckner spend almost every morning at their Market Street or St. Elmo store. Brandon never could have imagined where he and his wife would have ended up.

The dream would become the Hot Chocolatier that Chattanooga has today started as a hobby.

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Chattanooga, community, Family, Healing, Health, Sports December 14, 2024December 21, 2024

Modern Gladiator

Written by Carter Graham

_{Gage Bell poses for an environmental portrait with MMA gloves. Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 (Photo by Carter Graham)}

As “Voodoo Child” blares from the arena speakers, Gage Bell’s mind isn’t on Jimi Hendrix’s famous guitar licks or the roaring crowd. Instead, he is mentally preparing for a fight against an opponent he’s never met or seen..

If someone had told Bell three years ago he would have been entering the cage of a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight, he would have called them crazy. His path to combat sports was different than most, he didn’t grow up wrestling or fighting, instead he focused on baseball and basketball.

It wasn’t until his junior year of high school that Bell had even considered a different sport.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, donate, Family, Sustainability December 13, 2024

Truly Priceless

Written by Koleby Gilbert

_{Koleby Gilbert interviews Liz Hutcherson and Nena Beckham about the Chattanooga Free Store, their involvement in it, and the positive impact it has on the community.}

On the corner of Dodson Ave. and Ocoee St. sits a quiet, unassuming building with little more than an open sign and organization logo on the storefront. Underneath reads a simple phrase: “Solidarity, not charity.” Take a closer look inside and you’ll be met with clothing racks, a variety of toys, shoes and hygiene products—all without a price tag.

The Chattanooga Free Store is a non-religious, completely volunteer-run organization that actively embraces mutual aid, serving a community of families and friends at least three times a week. Including items like toys, health products, sexual health items, and food from their community fridge, the Free Store is for everyone; no questions, judgment or payment.

Long-time manager and volunteer, Liz Hutcherson, has been a shining beacon of hope, collaboration and strength within the community fostered by the Free Store.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, Hugs, Sports, teachers December 12, 2024December 11, 2024

Role Making Chainbreakers

Written by Lexi Foley

_{Corey Craddock dribbles at Carver Community Center. Thursday, November 21, 2024. (Photo by: Lexi Foley).}

Echoes of squeaky shoes and the clap of a basketball compete with the shouts of Corey Craddock as he stops the game for the tenth time to “dispute a call”—in reality, the aging man just needed a break. His team laughed as they recorded an interview of how he’d been feeling about his game.

Because these courts are in the middle of a high-crime area, men walk through the doors of Carver Community Center and have their bags and coats checked. A security guard wands down their personnel to make sure no weapons are hidden. Chattanooga’s violent crime rate is 282% higher than the national average. One in 16 residents in Chattanooga is at risk of becoming a victim of violent crime. But despite the precautious entrance to the courts, Craddock found hope hooping with his brothers.

These are the 423 chain breakers.

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Animals, Anxiety, art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Entertainment, Environment, Family, Folklore, Healing, Health, History, Hugs, Love, Music, outdoors, Sports, teachers, Trains December 12, 2024December 9, 2024

Rising Rock Radio Showcase

Graphic by Kylee Boone

Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots.

Nature vs Nurture

Taryn Brooks sits with Taylor Reed, a member and volunteer of Forest Families of Chattanooga. Reed, along with her daughter, has grown alongside the organization and seen the benefits of nature firsthand.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Family, Health, History, Sports, teachers, women December 11, 2024

Friends Fight

Written by Silas Panktraz

_{Katelin Hickman and Heather Elmore fight during the Guns ‘n Hoses charity boxing event. Friday, November 1, 2024 (Photo by Silas Pankratz).}

A high-pitched beep cuts through the air, just as it does every three minutes during training sessions at the YMCA Y-CAP boxing gym in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This beep is soon followed by a clash of gloved fists and padded heads, as two opposing forces wish to refine their fighting skills in the ring.

For the past twenty-five years, this same beep has been heard by countless fighters, young and old, several of which would go on to become national and even international champions in their sport. Today, however, the gym hosts the final night of training before the 15^th annual Guns and Hoses charity boxing night.

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Chattanooga, community, Diversity, Healing, Health, History, Love, Prison, Religion December 10, 2024December 10, 2024

Get Out, Stay Out

Written by Miller Richardson

_{Mark Casson, Ministry Director, Mission to North America (PCA) at his office desk. Monday, November 20, 2024. (Photo by: Lexi Foley).}

From the outside Walker State Prison looks like any other state penitentiary. Brick walls, wire fences, and a hidden location away from the public eye. When driving past it one would never expect it to have the lowest recidivism rate in the state of Georgia. This is the result of Walker State being a faith and character-based prison. By running this prison with values and beliefs rooted in love for one another Georgia has seen incredible results out of Walker State.

Back in 2004, the Georgia Department of Corrections implemented the Faith and Character Based initiative to provide Georgia with a model for positive change. This program runs on a holistic approach and allows inmates to partner with volunteers to strengthen their minds, body, and spirit in a positive way.

Walker State is the only prison in the state of Georgia that is partnered with a faith and character-based initiative and subsequently the only prison in Georgia with a recidivism rate of less than 2%.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Diversity, Family, Folklore, History December 9, 2024December 9, 2024

River Culture

Written by Ava Nessell

_{Grand glass cases welcome museum-goers to the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points. Tuesday, November 12, 2024. (Photo by Ava Nessell)}

Rays of sunlight beam through onto the glass display cases illuminating the relics of history that lay just behind the glass. Laughter echoes down the hallway as members of the Rotary Club of Cleveland catch up before a meeting. It’s just a day at the office for Lucy K. Rhymer, executive director at the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points.

5ive Points is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. As a great cultural center, its goal is to engage young people in art and history. The museum aims to have something for every member of the community regardless of age, gender, or race.

“I would say we try to appeal to all ages of people and in all socioeconomic levels,” Rhymer said. “We don’t want to be just a place for upper class, highly educated people to come and be bougie together.”

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Environment, Family, Hugs, Love, outdoors, teachers December 4, 2024

Nature vs Nurture

Written by Taryn Brooks

_{Children of Forest Families play together at Greenway Farms. Friday, November 8th, 2024. (Photo by Taryn Brooks).}

Cheerful giggles and child-sized stomps harmonize with singing birds to fill the air of an otherwise quiet afternoon. In a world where trees are towers to be climbed, sticks are swords, and friendship can be made with no words at all, nature brings a new type of imagination to a young mind. Darana Campbell, executive director of Forest Families of Chattanooga, founded the organization as a branch between families and their connection to the outdoors.

Four years ago, in the midst of Covid confinement and a heartbreaking divorce, Campbell found herself overwhelmed with stress. To clear her mind and give her son a new way to channel his energy, the two began to adventure out together on frequent walks.

“I had so much stress that I just felt so much better when we went for a walk,” Campbell said.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Diversity, Environment, Health, Safety December 2, 2024December 9, 2024

Dirty Dirt

Written by Connor Spelta

_{Employees with CMC remediate a lawn. Friday, November 22, 2024. (Photo by Connor Spelta).}

An estimated 11,699,100 cubic feet of lead-contaminated soil has sat in the yards, gardens, playgrounds, parks, schools and churches of eight neighborhoods in Chattanooga’s southside for the better part of a century. This is the EPA superfund site in your backyard.

Jasmin Jeffries, the remedial project manager for the site, explained that five years in, there is still plenty of work to be done.

“It’s ongoing, Monday through Friday, sometimes Saturday,” Jeffries said.

There is a sense of urgency to the cleanup. Dawn Curley, the health program manager for Hamilton County’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, talks about the effects of elevated blood levels in children and the importance of early intervention.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, donate, Family, History, Philanthropy, Sustainability, Uncategorized, UTC, women November 25, 2024November 26, 2024

Home Sweet Home

Written by Connor Spelta

_{Trish King, the Construction Office Manager at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area talks about her experience working with volunteers and homeowners in the local community.}

A public park, a mountain view, colorful homes, and bustling construction sites: these are all things you wouldn’t typically expect to see in a community with subsidized housing, but thanks to the work of the city and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga, this is the scene at the Villages of Alton Park.

Construction Office Manager Trish King has seen firsthand the effect that they’ve had fostering a community in the neighborhood.

“We are not building one house for one person in isolation,” said King. “It’s that there are people around here who’ve been through the same process, it’s being part of something bigger.”

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Chattanooga, community, donate, Entertainment, Family, History, Trains, Uncategorized November 20, 2024January 29, 2025

Tennessee Tracks

Written by L’Nyah Mattress

_{Jason Fields, a trainman and railroad historian for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, talks about his love for trains and how he’s living out his childhood dreams.}

Racing through the pitch black of the tunnel, dense clouds of steam funnel out the chimney and coal residue fills passengers’ airways as the whistle blares; here comes Southern Railway 4501 charging down the track. The massive steam locomotive is one of many engines in the care of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM).

Jason Fields, a qualified trainman for the TVRM, works to share his lifelong passion for trains and preserve train history in Chattanooga and for anyone who passes through. His position entails working in passenger train service as a historian who gives train tours—from sharing interesting facts to occasionally aiding engineers, he has experienced it all.

“I’ve been going there even before I was in Rail Camp when I was 13, so any chance I could’ve gotten to go out and get involved there, I took it,” said Fields.

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Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Family, Health, outdoors, Sports, teachers November 18, 2024November 20, 2024

For the Girls

Written by Carter Graham

_{Ana Garcia (14) rushes past Valerie Huerta (18). Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (Photo by Mia Liu).}

Addi Dills receives her senior roses. Tuesday, October 29, 2024. (Photo by Mia Liu).

In the chaos of high school extracurriculars, where the color guard rehearses their routines with large bright flags sweeping back and forth, the marching band walks in unison with the distant sounds of football pads colliding from a practice field. It’s a typical Tuesday night at Heritage High School, and the Girls Varsity Flag Football team is about to kick off.

Led by Junior linebacker and wide receiver, captain Addi Dills’ face is painted with the familiar eye black spectators many see on Saturday or Sunday, reminiscent of Ray Lewis or John Randle. Dills, a three-sport athlete, also plays basketball and runs track.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life November 6, 2024November 6, 2024

2000 Degrees

Written by Olivia Smith

Chris Mosey cuts the excess glass to seal the ornament. Friday, April 12, 2024 (Photo by Olivia Smith).

If you ever walk down Broad Street on a weekend afternoon, you may be lucky to spot Chris Mosey blowing glass at his Downtown Chattanooga studio.

Mosey is the owner and artist of Ignis Glass Studio located at 401 Broad Street. Mosey’s open-concept studio allows tourists and locals passing by to witness a unique art form full of fire, color, and technique.

Mosey studied ceramics at the Appalachian Center for Crafts, an arts program through Tennessee Tech University, in Cookeville, Tennessee where he found his love for glass blowing during an elective he needed to graduate.

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art, Chattanooga, History, Music, Photography, Trains, Uncategorized, UTC October 31, 2024February 5, 2025

A Tin Type of Man

Written by Taryn Brooks

_{Bill Steber, a Mississippi Blues photographer and one of the Hoodoo Men musicians, speaks about the value in analog art forms and revisiting the past through historical and modern perspectives.}

The backdoor of a well-loved white van swings open with a squeak, revealing a fully functional darkroom that transforms tin plates into photographs. Upon closer look a collection of instruments inhabits the corners, mirroring how the two devotions appear in the life of photojournalist and musician Bill Steber.

Steber describes his job title as a “chief cook and bottle washer at preserving the old weird America,” a culinary term meaning his responsibilities in his field rank from high to low and everywhere in between, illustrating the journey his professional career has taken.

Along with strumming to an array of instruments and joining friend Sam Baker in the HooDoo men, Steber also spent 15 years as a photojournalist for the Tennessean and embarked on a documentary journey through the Mississippi’s Blues Trail. Photography and music have been life-long passions of Steber’s, both of which were born out of a love for illustrating modern times through a historical lens.

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art, community, Entertainment, Music October 23, 2024December 2, 2024

Where the Bluegrass Grows

Written by Carter Graham

Cindy Pinion introduces the New Dismembered Tennesseans at the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival. Photo by Mia Liu (Friday, October 4, 2024)

Street lights glow along the dark path of the St. Elmo Historic District when the twang of a banjo breaks the night’s silence; coming from The Woodshop Listening Room, bluegrass is in the air tonight.

Cindy Pinion and Laura Walker are the folks fighting to preserve, in their different ways, an art form that has been at the center of their lives for decades.

Pinion, the daughter of the iconic bassist Thomas “Boxcar” Pinion, has made it her mission to preserve traditional bluegrass through her organization Forever Bluegrass and its festivals. Walker is a singer and multipurpose musician who has been performing with the famous New Dismembered Tennesseans—as well as a few other bands she performs in—for the last 30 years.

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Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Environment, Family, Health, outdoors, Sports, UTC October 16, 2024December 4, 2024

Run Nooga Run

Written by Maya Spratley

_{The Chattanooga Run Club is a group of individuals who value community and welcome new runners with open arms. Drew White speaks with Lucas Gallon, founder of the club, about the club’s impact on the Chattanooga area and the people who attend.}

The low patter of footsteps and the occasional labored breath can be heard throughout downtown Chattanooga. A group of strangers gather due to their shared interest in running, but in the process, they gain community.

Those exploring North Chattanooga early Saturday morning might run into the Chattanooga Run Club.

The idea that someone actively chooses to push their body in a way that causes their heart to race, blood to pulse, and sweat to drip can seem daunting to some. The Chattanooga Run Club aims to change that perspective on running. According to the club’s founder, Lucas Gallon, the club prides itself on welcoming all speeds and experience levels.

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Entertainment, Music, Philanthropy October 9, 2024October 9, 2024

Rising Culture

Written by Connor Spelta

_{Alex Newton spoke with Shateria Smith and Shane Morrow about Responsive Initiatives for Social Empowerment (RISE)—a black-led nonprofit organization that has been serving the community with free programming, concerts, and communal events since 2011. They hosted the Levitt BLOC Music Series during the month of September, which consists of free concerts for the public every Sunday.}

For the most part, a drive down Taylor Street in East Chattanooga looks like any other street in the city’s poorer river-to-ridge region. The blur of closely packed industrial, commercial and residential lots aging into historic status is interrupted by a sprawling 14,000-square-foot complex adorned with stained glass windows and statues.

The over 100-year-old building, formerly the Solid Anchor Church, hosts Chattanooga non-profit Responsive Initiatives for Social Empowerment (RISE). The black-led non-profit was started in 2011 by current CEO Shane Morrow and his partner.

Known originally as Jazzanooga, the organization began with a single-day Jazz festival as a part of the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga (CFGC). After the initial success of the festival, the organization spun off from CFGC into the independent non-profit it is today.

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community, Daily Life, Diversity, outdoors, Uncategorized, women October 7, 2024October 7, 2024

Motorcycle Missus

Written by L’Nyah Mattress

^{Alexis McMurtry speaks with Donna Vann, Wild Ones president and founder. The Wild Ones is a women-only Chattanooga-based motorcycle club, that provide a home for wild spirits who enjoy being on two wheels.}

Flying down the highway, seven leather jackets fall in line for a monthly ride along. Patched on the front of the jackets are the words, “I am my sister’s keeper.” At the core of the group is Donna Vann, aka Honeybee, the founder and president of Wild Ones.

The women of Wild Ones, a Chattanooga-based women-only motorcycle riding club, create a space for women and sisterhood in a male dominated pastime. With each approaching second the thunder of engines grow and the painted nail emboldened on the back of their jackets comes into focus.

“The reason it’s called Wild Ones is because my mom used to say I was her wild child,” Donna Vann said.

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Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, donate, Sustainability, Uncategorized October 6, 2024

Second-Hand Help

Written by Sammy McKenzie

Customers shopping at the Northside Neighborhood House thrift store. Sunday, April 21, 2024. (Photo by Sammy McKenzie)

Next to the Northside Neighborhood House, a century-old community leader, lies their thriving thrift shop under the same name. This thrift store embodies more than just a place to find second-hand treasures. It is a hub where commerce, community, and compassion intertwine to create something truly special.

“We’ve helped over the years in many different ways, listening and responding to the needs of the community. We’re working, walking alongside our neighbors and helping them find that path to stability,” shared Jenny Stripling, Chief Development Officer.

For decades, the thrift store, guided by a mission of sustainability and support for those in need, has opened its doors to individuals seeking affordable goods who also value serving their local community.

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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Diversity, Environment, Family, Love, outdoors October 2, 2024

Ferret Ambassador

Written by Lexi Foley

Turbo stares at passersby in Coolidge Park. Sunday April 7, 2024. (Photo by: Lexi Foley)

It was an average Chattanooga afternoon for six-month-old Turbo as he scurried across the walking bridge, chasing each new scent. Rays of sunlight fought to peak out of the clouds as a hawk flew through the sky. Turbo flicked his black and white head forward and backward as he followed the hawk’s flight pattern. A group of bicycles came rolling across the bridge, stealing the young ferret’s attention for just long enough before a collection of teenagers strolled past him.

His noodle-like body winded like a river as he explored one of Chattanooga’s most popular attractions: the Walnut Street Bridge. The bridge is one of many spots Turbo will visit throughout the year, along with pop-up markets, Rock City, the Commons, etc. Since he was adopted in October of 2023, Turbo has become a beacon of light for anyone willing to stop and say “hi”. Although Turbo was adopted by owners Jonah and Kat Aberle to be a public service to the greater Chattanooga community, the Aberles originally got a ferret from their local PetSmart for their college home in Cookeville.

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Animals, art, Chattanooga, community, Daily Life, Dance, Diversity, Entertainment, Environment, Family, Health, Love, Music, outdoors, Sports, Uncategorized, UTC, women June 5, 2024

Rising Rock Radio Showcase

Graphic by Kylee Boone

Rising Rock is excited to showcase some of our best audio stories in a continued partnership with Scenic Roots. To listen to Scenic Roots, visit https://www.wutc.org/scenic-roots.

Tiny Bailarinas

Ava Nessell spoke with Wendy Reynoso, the student success and services coordinator at La Paz Chattanooga, about her experience finding a community in Chattanooga after immigrating from Guatemala.

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Animals, community, Diversity, Entertainment, Health, Sports May 30, 2024November 20, 2024

The Boys in Boaz

Written by Abby White

Brylan Miller supports a visiting bull rider in the chute. Sunday, December 3, 2023. (Photo by Abby White)

Gravel and dust kick up while passing through the iron gates branded “BZ” after a scenic ride through rural Alabama. Blue heelers circle cars as guests are welcomed by the roaring banter of bullfighters and riders. You’ve landed at Bioz Zoe, a home away from home for many.

Located in Boaz, Alabama, Bioz Zoe provides a community for beginner, intermediate, and professional riders and fighters attracting people from all walks of life, including bull rider and inspirational speaker, Brylan Miller.

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art, Chattanooga, community, Entertainment, Music May 29, 2024

Social Songs

Written by Meleah Holder

Dan Pinson performs as a headliner at Snap Fest 420 on April, 20, 2024 with a group of local Chattanooga musicians. (Photo by Maleah Holder).

The low hum of a bass guitar and drums echoes from behind the walls of the Comedy Catch in downtown Chattanooga. A small audience looks on at Dan Pinson—better known as Danimal—as he strums away, crafting a relaxing evening for his listeners.

Pinson’s music provides a one-of-a-kind experience for those downtown as he performs live, keeping local rather than seeking bigger opportunities. As a singer and bass guitarist for several local bands, he says he owes his experience and growth to the music scene in Chattanooga. When Pinson began developing his passion for music, he noted that the typical genre was rock, very different from his psychedelic tune.

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Chattanooga, Chattanooga Audubon Society, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Family, Healing, Health, Love, women May 15, 2024May 17, 2024

Homegrown Miracles

Written by Bethany Cothran

Scarlen Valderaz plays with her children in their family’s living room. Sunday, April 14, 2024.
(Photo by Bethany Cothran)

In a cold hospital room, Scarlen Valderaz gave birth to her first child in a room full of strangers, enduring the pain of childbirth while tackling every question thrown her way.

Finally seeing her baby boy, she was ecstatic, but she knew that she did not want to have another baby in a hospital.

“We actually didn’t know until my husband and I talked about our first born again that they kept offering me an epidural, and I had to say no because I didn’t want that,” Valderaz said. “…the last thing that you want to do when you’re pushing an entire baby out is having to make good decisions that are going to affect you.”

A couple years went by and Valderaz discovered she was pregnant once again, and this time, things would be different.

Valderaz and her husband researched and interviewed midwife after midwife, not stopping until they found the one they trusted best to deliver their baby.

Trading the cold hospital full of strangers and illnesses for the warmth and comfort of her own home, Valderaz could relax and give herself the space she needed to do what she felt would be best for her and the baby.

“We go with homebirth because now there’s so much that happens in the medical system, especially when it comes to the lady through it,” Valderaz said. “There is a lot of autonomy that gets stripped away from the woman when she’s birthing.”

For Valderaz, there would be no race to the hospital for an on-call OB to deliver the child, she would instead be in the safety of her bedroom surrounded by her husband and trusted midwife. Rather than staring at the foreign furniture of a delivery room for hours with her baby wheeled away to the nursery soon after, she would look to her familiar bedroom walls and know that her baby would always be close to her.

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Folklore, Music May 11, 2024May 12, 2024

The Frog Eats the Sun

Written by Olivia Smith

Joey Pierce, David A Dot, Bryan Barnes, and Daie Woodruff stand in line waiting to be judged in a dance competition at the Yellowhorse Native American Pow Wow. Saturday April 6, 2024 (Photo by Alex Newton)

As the moon covers the sun and the world goes dark and quiet for a few minutes, most people stand in awe. Silence overwhelmed the world as a partial solar eclipse on April, 8th 2024 lasted two hours in Chattanooga, TN.

All around the world cultures tell folklore stories from the beginning of times, before written words surround everyday life, storytellers were the way of knowing history.

“Nvdo walosi ugi” which translates to “the frog eats the sun” is a folk tale told throughout the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee people can be heard pounding drums, yelling, and even shooting guns into the sky to scare the mythical gigantic frog from eating the sun during the eclipse.

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community, Environment May 10, 2024May 10, 2024

Helping Henegar

Written by Maleah Holder

Jordan Guest stands among the rubble while helping clean up the Hughes family home. On the night of May 8th, tornadoes ravaged northeast Alabama causing catastrophic damage. Henegar, AL. Thursday, May 9th, 2024. Photograph by Caleb McCool.

Dark clouds roil over Henegar, Alabama as thunder shakes the homes below. For many, it was just like any other thunderstorm on a humid spring day, but for the Hughes family, it was one to remember.

A storm began to brew over the Southeast. Heavy rains and lightning were predicted along with flooding in several major municipalities. Tornado warnings sounded across Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, typical for thunderstorms in the area, but no one imagined how quickly those warnings would become a tornado emergency.

April Hughes had just hit her six-week mark on her journey to recovery after a crucial surgery on her neck to remove a cancerous mass. What began as a simple mass removal ended up being the first in a streak of unfortunate twists in her and her family’s lives. As April was recovering, her husband Nathaniel patiently waited for his own surgery on his shoulder following a recent injury.

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Chattanooga, Daily Life, Environment, Health, outdoors, Safety, Sustainability, Uncategorized May 7, 2024January 18, 2025

Cliffside Saviors

Written by Alexis McMurtry

Alexis McMurtry speaks with Bill Moore about his experiences volunteering with the Chattanooga Hamilton County cave/cliff/technical team and his chaotic day-to-day schedule.

Bill Moore, a volunteer rescuer, was surrounded by the faint glow of his and his teammates’ headlamps as they navigated through a cave’s twisting passages, squeezing through narrow crevices and scaling steep inclines.

On the surface, Cara Moore is developing and releasing information about the rescue to the public. Her mind is in two places: the state of the rescue and the well-being of her husband, Bill.

What seemed like an adrenaline-filled adventure was another day in the office for the Chattanooga Hamilton County Cave-Cliff-Technical Rescue Team.

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Chattanooga, community, Environment, outdoors April 22, 2024April 22, 2024

Sun Chasers

Written by Lexi Foley

Emily and Jacob Roberts describe their experience observing the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Heads and fingers pointed to a darkened sky as they waited for the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. A million pairs of eyes from across the nation watched as the moon danced in front of the sun for a brief four-and-a-half minutes.

White glimmering light encircled a group of strangers, including viewers Jacob Roberts and his family, united under the low glow of the covered sun. A path of totality drew in as the world experienced darkness at 2:00 p.m. together.

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