Tag: UTC

art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, History, Religion, Uncategorized

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, Environment, Philanthropy, Photography, Uncategorized

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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Chattanooga, community, donate, Entertainment, Music

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

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, Environment, Health, outdoors, Regenerative, Sustainability, UTC

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

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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Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, donate, Environment, Family, Food, Food Banks, Healing, Health, outdoors, Philanthropy, Sustainability

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

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

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, Family, Healing, Love, Music, women

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.