Scenic Roots

For Chattanooga entrepreneurs, a brand new week of their own. NOOGAtoday: Customizable and sustainable modular homes. For The Book & Cover, time to celebrate at this year’s Ink Drink. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Mother and child photo on First Things First website. (First Things First) In this series, we explore the impact that workplace policies have on our local families and children - and how United Way of Greater Chattanooga is looking to close the gaps. For this episode, we talk about flexibility with Lauren Hall, President and CEO of First Things First - and Jessica Pilcher, Director of United for W...

Chris Daniels in Brown Hill Creek - a suburb of Adelaide, Australia. (Green Adelaide) Here in Chattanooga, this is Earth Week. As Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors presents a variety of events for our community, this City is also highlighting its push to join the National Park City movement. London became the first National Park City a few years ago - as we heard in our conversation with Daniel Raven...

Adelaide’s Chris Daniels on Chattanooga as a National Park City. United for Working Families, Episode 8: First Things First. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Daniel Raven-Ellison (danravenellison.com) For this Earth Day, what is a National Park City? London is one. So is Adelaide, Australia. The City of Chattanooga would like to join the National Park City movement. Daniel Raven-Ellison - who calls himself a “guerilla geographer” and he’s a National Geographic Explorer - campaigned for London to become a National Park City. _____ It’s Earth Week here i...

Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga celebrate as results from this month's union election at the auto plant come in. (Stephan Bisaha / Gulf States Newsroom) By a nearly three-to-one margin, workers at Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant have voted to join the United Auto Workers union. It’s a historic win for the UAW - and for unions - in the South after previous votes in 2019 and 2014. Stephan Bisaha is...

The vote to join the UAW at Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant. Lessons from London for Chattanooga’s National Park City quest. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly - in April 2024. (City of Chattanooga) On Thursday afternoon, live here on WUTC, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined us for our monthly conversation. Among the topics: groundbreaking at the Bend; the community benefits agreement for the South Broad District; the vote at Volkswagen; pedestrian safety; what’s next for Moccasin Bend - and more.

A map of Hamilton County, TN. (Koordinates) The cities and towns of Hamilton County vary in their local government, including how they choose their mayors and how much power they give them - as William Newlin of Chattamatters tells us. _____ Chattamatters is a civic storytelling project at the Enterprise Center, created in partnership with the City of Chattanooga. Visit Chattamatters at chattamatt...

(Walnut Street Publishing) At ClearStory Arts on Holtzclaw Ave. here in Chattanooga, nestled with fellow creatives, you’ll find Walnut Street Publishing. The independent book publisher plans to move into its own location later this year. On Saturday, it hosts Poetry Throwdown Night at Redbud - 2314 E. 13th St. - starting at 5 PM. Aaron Quinn is head publisher at Walnut Street Publishing.

A multicultural group of raised hands. (Tech Goes Home Chattanooga) Where are we now? How did we get here? Where do we go from here? Those are a few of the questions for a community conversation this weekend, hosted by the Chattanooga Racial Equity Collective - titled: “A Racial Reckoning in Retrospect.” The free event - open to the public - is Saturday, starting at 6 PM, at the Horton-Keller Cent...

The Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Chattanooga. (Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress) Where should a new Federal courthouse be located in downtown Chattanooga - to replace the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and Courthouse, which opened nearly a century ago? The General Services Administration - the agency which manages Federal properties nationwide - recently na...

(Hamilton County Government) Last year, Hamilton County Government launched a monthly dive into data across various indicators known as “Hamilton Counted.” Jennifer Baggett - for years, an analyst with the Chattanooga Police Department - is now the county data analyst who generates the report, now shifting to a quarterly basis after looking back on 2023. Jennifer Baggett (Olivia Ross / Chattanooga...

Digging into the data of Hamilton Counted with Jennifer Baggett. A Racial Reckoning in Retrospect: a community conversation. The lowdown on a poetry throwdown at Walnut Street Publishing. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Victoria Falls, between Zambia and Zimbabwe - one of the world’s longest waterfalls. (Journeys With Moshe) Travel can be transformational - and that is the goal of Journeys with Moshe. Based here in Chattanooga, the business provides international guided tours, tourism workshops, study abroad experiences, volunteer vacations, wellness coaching and more - with a particular emphasis on Southern and...

Children’s Advocacy Center’s Emmy Haney House in Chattanooga. (Children’s Advocacy Center) In this series, we explore the impact that workplace policies have on our local families and children - and how United Way of Greater Chattanooga is looking to close the gaps. For this episode, we talk about family assistance programs for employees with Kristen Pavlik McCallie, Executive Director of the Chil...

(chimpwithcan / Creative Commons) The Sequoya Review is the literary journal published by students here on our campus - the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. On Friday, a launch party for this year’s issue will be held in the Guerry Center. Hannah Ritter is managing editor for Sequoya Review. Colby Langley is the Review’s poetry editor. Emily Patten and Knia Robinson are writers for the Revi...

(TEDxChattanooga) Last summer, TEDxChattanooga presented its first-ever “Sessions” - a showcase of local musicians and their ideas worth sharing - at Barking Legs Theater. This year, “Sessions” returns to Barking Legs in the spring: on Thursday, April 25th, starting at 7 PM. The theme: “Carry On” - the theme for all of TEDxChattanooga’s events this year. Among the musicians: Nicholas Edward Willia...

“Carry On” … at TEDxChattanooga’s “Sessions” for 2024. In their own words: students of UTC’s Sequoya Review. United for Working Families; Journeys with Moise Baptiste. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones educates - and advocates for - biodiversity here in the Southeast. This Friday through Sunday, the Chapter hosts “Wild Wander: Native Plants Weekend 2024” at several locations here in Chattanooga. Beverly Inman-Ebel is president of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones. (Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones)

(Rhyme 'N Chatt) We’re talking about Rhyme ‘N Chatt, the interactive poetry collective here in Chattanooga now celebrating its 25th anniversary in our community during this National Poetry Month. Beyond “Poetry and Punchlines” at Wanderlinger this Friday, the celebration at Rhyme ‘N Chatt rolls on. I spoke with Marsha Mills, executive director of Rhyme ‘N Chatt - along with Ian Seaton and Vander L...

Verses abound in a milestone month for Rhyme ‘N Chatt. “Wild Wander” from Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(A Step Ahead Chattanooga) In this series, we explore the impact that workplace policies have on our local families and children - and how United Way of Greater Chattanooga is looking to close the gaps. For this episode, we speak with Mandy Cowley, executive director of A Step Ahead Chattanooga - and Cassie Nice, community investments manager at United Way of Greater Chattanooga.

The Master Your Garden Expo at Camp Jordan in 2022. (Master Gardeners of Hamilton County) Thirty years ago this month, the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County began. Ever since, the nonprofit has educated a few generations of gardeners in this area - including at its annual Master Your Garden Expo, which returns this weekend: Saturday, April 13th and Sunday, April 14th at Camp Jordan in East Ridge...

Flying a purple kite at Sculpture Fields at Montague Park. (Sculpture Fields at Montague Park) An eclipse is one sight in the sky that lures people from far and wide. Another is a flock of kites circling and hovering over a sculpture park. That’s what you’ll find at this year’s Sculptures in the Sky - the annual kite festival at Sculpture Fields in Montague Park here in Chattanooga - on Saturday,...