Scenic Roots

For an Atlanta couple, an Afrocentric photo showcase in Chattanooga. On the big screen trail of blue whales - and the value of our oceans. “The A List” returns on WTCI PBS - and “Prelude to a Kiss” at CTC. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Roy Nik and Yarden Toussia-Cohen in “Home,” part of this year’s Chattanooga Jewish Film Series. (Ofer Aldobi / Go2Films) This month and next, films produced in Israel, Italy and the United States will be screened in person and virtually at this year’s Chattanooga Jewish Film Series. The first in-person screening for the series of Jewish-themed films is Monday, June 10th, starting at 7 PM at the Je...

(La Paz Chattanooga) Let the sangria flow this month for La Paz Chattanooga. The nonprofit is celebrating twenty years of serving the Hispanic and Latino community in this area - and that includes a comeback for its once-annual sangria event after a five-year hiatus. Sangria on the Southside is Friday, June 14th at First Horizon Pavilion starting at 7 PM. Lily Sanchez is with La Paz Chattanooga. (...

Jay Bailey, President and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs in Atlanta. (RICE) In Atlanta, the H.J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs - or RICE - develops, grows and scales Black entrepreneurs. Jay Bailey, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, is next week’s keynote speaker here in Chattanooga for the annual DIVERSIFY Summit, presented by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of...

A traffic display from Terminus Technologies. (Terminus Technologies) Terminus Technologies is a startup in Britain that describes itself as an “urban data mining company” whose expertise aims to help cities be “smarter, safer and more efficient.” It is involved in several projects in this country, including here in Chattanooga as a participant in the Sustainable Mobility Accelerator program - a c...

Joshua Ward of Terminus Technologies on urban data mining. Atlanta’s Jay Bailey at this year’s DIVERSIFY in Chattanooga. Sangria on the Southside; The Chattanooga Jewish Film Series. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Hamilton County Schools) The Hamilton County Schools is looking to finalize its budget for the upcoming school year. Both the school board and the county commission have to approve the 674-million dollar budget. If they do, a larger share of county property taxes would be directed to raises for teachers and staff.

The Tolar Petroglyph site in Wyoming. (Stephen Alvarez) In this month’s issue of “National Geographic,” you’ll find “Storied Rock”: images of ancient artwork, above and below ground - including petroglyphs and pictographs - etchings and paintings created by Indigenous people centuries, even millennia, ago in what is now the United States from Northeast Alabama to Washington State. Stephen Alvarez...

Photos of “Storied Rock” by NatGeo’s Stephen Alvarez. Chattamatters: Budget time for Hamilton County Schools. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Michael Lim (Growfers) How can A.I. and algorithms improve traffic flow - safely and efficiently - within a city? Xtelligent - a startup in L.A. - may hold the key. Founded by Michael Lim, Xtelligent participated in the Sustainable Mobility Accelerator program - a collaboration with The Company Lab here in Chattanooga and gener8tor, a startup accelerator. I spoke with Michael last month - before t...

A home in Chattanooga’s St. Elmo neighborhood. (NOOGAtoday) St. Elmo is one of Chattanooga’s oldest neighborhoods, founded in the late 1800’s. Today, it is one of four Local Historic Districts in the City of Chattanooga. Haley Bartlett - city editor at NOOGAtoday - recently profiled the Community Association of Historic St. Elmo as part of a series on neighborhood associations in Chattanooga.

A graduate of Hamilton County Schools. (Hamilton County Schools) Last week, students and teachers concluded the latest academic year for Hamilton County Schools. Looking ahead, more money is in the pipeline for career and technical education - and in the coming months, expect to hear more about the funding for the school facilities plan. Tucker McClendon is Hamilton County’s Deputy Mayor for Educa...

From the classroom to the workforce in Hamilton County. NOOGAtoday: The Community Association of Historic St. Elmo. Xtelligent’s Michael Lim on reshaping how our traffic flows. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Tommy Stinson (Vivian Wang) The Replacements. Bash & Pop. Perfect. Soul Asylum Guns N’ Roses. These bands - from alt rock to hard rock - share someone in common: Tommy Stinson - guitarist, singer / songwriter, producer. Tommy and his band - Cowboys in the Campfire, featuring Chip Roberts and Chops LaConte - perform this evening here in Chattanooga at Lo Main, 2315 East Main St. - starting at 6...

Kanika Jones (mysavorysoul.com) Chattanooga’s newest Sister City is Accra, Ghana - its first on the continent of Africa. The Sister Cities program fosters commercial and cultural ties between communities around the world. Kanika Jones saw the opportunity for a Sister City relationship between Chattanooga and Accra, in West Africa - and her first steps helped facilitate what is now official. She is...

Kanika Jones on Chattanooga’s newest Sister City in Ghana. “I had a dream…” Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

A CARTA bus in Chattanooga. (CARTA) CARTA is the public transit system for the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County and surrounding areas. A few months ago, Charles Frazier came on board as its new CEO. Last week, he stopped by our studio here at WUTC to talk about his background in public transit before Chattanooga - and a few of the challenges and opportunities ahead for CARTA. Charles Frazier (...

The crowd at a Riverfront Nights concert at Ross’ Landing in downtown Chattanooga with the Tennessee Aquarium in the background. (Riverfront Nights) This Memorial Day weekend, Riverfront Nights returns to downtown Chattanooga. This year, the free summer concert series of local and area music has been expanded to 14 weeks - aimed at filling in a few gaps since there is no Riverbend Festival in 2024...

At the pop-up space for the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts in Chattanooga’s Bluff View Art District. (Houston Museum of Decorative Arts) The home of the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts at 201 High Street in downtown Chattanooga is closed for an extensive renovation. But in the meantime, the Museum lives on - open to visitors at a new pop-up location a few blocks away, at 412 E. 2nd St. Pam Re...

A rendering of one of the micro-homes that will be part of a gated, private community in Chattanooga’s Eastdale neighborhood. (River Street Architecture via Post Pro Capital and NOOGAtoday) A micro-home residential development project is in the works for Chattanooga’s Eastdale neighborhood. Kristen Templeton is senior city editor at NOOGAtoday.

A sign for Chattanoogaplatz in Hamm, Germany. (A sign for Chattanoogaplatz in Hamm, Germany. / Chattanooga Sister Cities) Cultural Cross Ties connects people here in Chattanooga through art and conversation with people in our sister cities around the world. This Friday, starting at 6 PM, Barking Legs Theater will host a free community event - highlighting the connections made between librarians, f...

Eric Ries (Julie Bushell Associates) As an entrepreneur and author, Eric Ries pioneered the Lean Startup movement. On Tuesday, he was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s CO.MOBILITY Summit - hosted by The Company Lab - here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. _____ For more about the Lean Startup, visit leanstartup.com . For more about The Company Lab here in Chattano...

Eric Ries of “The Lean Startup” at the CO.MOBILITY Summit. Cultural Cross Ties connects Chattanooga and Hamm, Germany. A pop-up space for the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Eric Kronberg (Kronberg Urbanists + Architects) Eric Kronberg strives to demystify and harmonize urban design, architecture and development into better places for all. Known as a “zoning whisperer,” he is a principal at Kronberg Urbanists + Architects in Atlanta - and he is quite familiar with Chattanooga. On Thursday, Eric will be the speaker at the next CIVIQ, presented by Chattanooga Design Stu...

(Chattanooga Festivals of Black Arts and Ideas) Next month is Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans after the end of the Civil War. In 2018, the first Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts and Ideas coincided with Juneteenth - before it became an official holiday at the Federal, state or local level. Now, the Festival has grown into an ongoing, year-...