Scenic Roots

Sue Carol Elvin on her new book “The Memory Guardians.” A few stories from students here on our campus at UTC. On with the countdown for Chattanooga’s New Year’s Eve. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly - in October 2023. (City of Chattanooga) On Wednesday afternoon, live here on WUTC, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly joined us for our monthly conversation. Among the topics: passenger rail, pedestrian safety, Chattanooga’s airport, affordable housing, A.I., looking back on 2023 - and ahead to 2024.

Dame Dash, keynote speaker for this year’s Chattanooga Hip-Hop Summit. (Dame Dash / Facebook) In just a few years, the Chattanooga Hip-Hop Summit has offered business and entrepreneurial skills to hip-hop artists in this area. This fall, the summit was part of Chattanooga Hip-Hop Week. Deyna Jacobo - a student in communication who interned for Scenic Roots this past semester - checked it out.

Jennifer Whitlock, swimming the English Channel. (Jennifer Whitlock / Facebook) And now, a few stories from students here on our campus: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Blair Godwin - a student in communication who interned for Scenic Roots this past semester - tells us about swimmer Jennifer Whitlock.

The entrance to the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. (Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga) Throughout the year, we bring you conversations in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga. As we near the end of this year, the Foundation is supporting other nonprofits in our area through its Caring and Inclusive Communities grants. Robin Posey is the Foundatio...

Caring and inclusive communities in the Chattanooga area. A few stories from students on our campus here at UTC. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Ulysses S. Grant - writing his memoirs at his home in Mount McGregor, NY in 1885. (Library of Congress) In the last year of his life, Ulysses S. Grant wrote his Memoirs. The former President - dying from throat cancer and bankrupt after a Ponzi scheme - penned his account of his military experiences from the Mexican-American War through his role as the commanding Union general during the Civil War...

(Nessa Parrish / WUTC) On this special edition of "Scenic Roots," listen to the student storytellers of Rising Rock from the Fall 2023 semester here on our campus, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Swayyvo (Swayyvo / Facebook) Over the summer, TEDxChattanooga hosted its inaugural “Sessions” - a showcase of local musicians and their ideas worth sharing - at Barking Legs Theater. On recent episodes of “Scenic Roots,” we’ve shared performances from Luke Simmons, Sunny War and In the Company of Wolves. For this episode, we bring you one more from “Sessions”: Swayyvo, in conversation with Cody Ra...

(Cluster Funk Studio) Life shapes art as art shapes lives. Brooke Brown is an artist and designer here in Chattanooga. She is the creator and owner of Cluster Funk Studio - where her works mix illustration, design and printmaking with contemporary twists. Brooke Brown (Cluster Funk Studio) On Saturday, the Studio at 413 Spears Ave. holds a Holiday Open House, from 11 AM to 6 PM. I spoke with Brook...

(Chattanooga Civics) Overflowing sewers are much rarer today than they were 10 years ago in Chattanooga. In 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency took legal action against the City of Chattanooga, so that the City would make improvements to keep wastewater out of the Tennessee River. Since then, the City has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into sewer improvements. Nathan Bird from Cha...

Aaron “Coach Cherokee” Ellison. (Coach Cherokee / Facebook) Aaron “Coach Cherokee” Ellison was born and raised here in Chattanooga. Among his talents: dance, the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira and teaching those disciplines. On Saturday, December 23rd, he brings his original play - “My Last Christmas on Da Plantation” - to Barking Legs Theater here in Chattanooga with two shows: Noon and 7...

Coach Cherokee’s “Last Christmas” at Barking Legs Theater. From Chattanooga Civics: Solving the city’s sewer problems. A holiday open house at Cluster Funk Studio in Chattanooga. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Cory Gearrin (Contributed photo) Cory Gearrin spent more than fourteen years as a pitcher in professional baseball - including ten seasons for Major League teams across the country such as the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants. After baseball, he turned to business - and today, he is Hamilton County’s Deputy Mayor for Economic and Community Development under County...

Sydney and Brayden Geurrette - In the Company of Wolves. (Be the Change Youth Initiative) Sydney and Brayden Guerrette are the young singer-songwriters who perform as the indie group In the Company of Wolves. The sister-and-brother duo from Portland, Maine performed on the road in 2019 and 2020 - and then the pandemic hit, grounding their family here in Chattanooga. In the past few years on “Sceni...

(Velvet Poetry) “The Jonesing” is a poetic exploration for mature audiences only that flows from corners of the Black experience. The immersive performance by an all-male ensemble of four poetic “messengers” is Saturday, starting at 10 PM, at Wanderlinger Brewing Company in downtown Chattanooga. Erika Roberts of Velvet Poetry and Mike Laarry are presenting “The Jonesing." I spoke with them - and N...

Sunny War (Sunny War) Sunny War is a blues, folk and punk guitarist from Nashville. Over the summer, she was one of the musicians on stage at Barking Legs Theater here in Chattanooga for the inaugural “Sessions,” a showcase for local musicians and their ideas worth sharing from TEDxChattanooga. _____ Stay tuned for more from “Sessions” - and the annual TEDxChattanooga talks last month - here on “S...

At the first “Sessions” from TEDxChattanooga: Sunny War. Passion through poetry in “The Jonesing” at Wanderlinger. These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

Luke Simmons (TEDxChattanooga) Last month, TEDxChattanooga presented its annual series of talks by community speakers - under the TED program’s global initiative of “ideas worth spreading.” Over the summer, the nonprofit hosted its inaugural “Sessions” - a showcase of local musicians and their ideas worth sharing - at Barking Legs Theater. Among the musicians: Luke Simmons. ______ Stay tuned for m...

(Rhyme N Chatt) For nearly 25 years, Rhyme N Chatt has provided a space for poetry from the community for the community here in Chattanooga. It hosts open mic sessions free for the public to participate and enjoy, encouraging creativity without judgment - and challenging poets to express themselves without offensive language. This weekend, Rhyme N Chatt hosts a book launch for its annual poetry an...

(Hamilton County EMS) Each day, up to 2,500 people call 911 here in Hamilton County. The moment a call is answered, a rapid - and often unseen - response is triggered. Our partners at Chattamatters visited Hamilton County’s 911 Call Center on Amnicola Highway to meet the operators and dispatchers working around the clock to help people in crisis. The story from William Newlin. _____ Chattamatters...

Cempa Community Care providing free health screenings at La Paz Chattanooga in June. (Cempa Community Care) This year, Cempa Community Care has expanded its services here in Chattanooga. It opened a walk-in health clinic at Metropolitan Ministries’ Impact Hub on Rossville Boulevard - and a few months later, a new community dental clinic at East Third Street and Central Avenue in the same building...

Shannon Burger, CEO of Cempa Community Care in Chattanooga. “Why We Write” - this year’s poetry anthology from Rhyme N Chatt. Chattamatters: When you call 911, what happens behind the scenes? These voices - and more - on this edition of “Scenic Roots.”

(Chattanooga Symphony & Opera) ‘Tis the season for Home for the Holidays here in Chattanooga. This year, the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera presents the Christmas concert on Saturday, December 16th and Sunday, December 17th at Memorial Auditorium. The conductor for the concert: Ismael Sandoval, the CSO’s assistant conductor.

Dr. Ruth Liu and Dr. Chung Liu (Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga) Dr. Ruth Liu moved to Chattanooga from Chicago in 1976 - after her husband Chung completed his residency. Together, they opened his OBGYN practice. Ruth taught for years at Southern Adventist University - and then she went back to school, earning a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy studies at the Univers...