Daniel Dassow

Daniel Dassow is a business reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He earned degrees in English and religious studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2023, where he served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Beacon. He previously worked as a tech and energy reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He is the youngest of six siblings. Contact him at 423-757-6318 or ddassow@timesfreepress.com.

Contact business reporter Daniel Dassow at ddassow@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.

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TVA invited country singer John Rich to landowner task force. He declined

by Daniel Dassow ·February 19, 2026

Country singer John Rich, who has launched online campaigns and written a song to protest the Tennessee Valley Authority, declined an invitation from the federal utility's CEO to cochair a new task force to engage landowners on power projects.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Country music singer and songwriter John Rich talks with members of the media before the start of the Patriot Awards Gala at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025.

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Vacant downtown Chattanooga retail space doubles as rents rise, report shows

by Daniel Dassow ·February 18, 2026

Vacant retail and commercial space in downtown Chattanooga has more than doubled in the past six months as rents rose more than 10%, according to a new report.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sticky Fingers is seen on July 18, 2025, the day it closed. The longtime downtown Chattanooga restaurant closed its doors, opening a space for a new retailer or restaurant.

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Jimmy White confident in The Bend as city’s attorney seeks documents

by Daniel Dassow ·February 17, 2026

Jimmy White, a local developer working to build a new riverfront district in Chattanooga called The Bend, said he's confident in the future of the 7-year-old project as the city asks for updates it said were overdue.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The site where The Bend will be on Riverfront Parkway is pictured. The Bend is a 120-acre site along the Tennessee River that will feature housing, shops and other amenities as part of the development's adaptive reuse project.

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North Chattanooga grocery store, apartments cleared for five stories

by Daniel Dassow ·February 17, 2026

An Atlanta developer got approval from the city of Chattanooga's downtown zoning panel to build a five-story mixed-use project on Cherokee Boulevard in the North Shore neighborhood.

City of Chattanooga / Materials submitted in an application to a city of Chattanooga panel show plans for a five-story, mixed-use development at 424 Cherokee Blvd. Atlanta-based Southeast Capital Partners said the project will be anchored by a grocery store on the first floor.

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Five things to watch as TVA follows Trump ‘energy dominance’ agenda

by Daniel Dassow ·February 15, 2026

Republican elected officials in Tennessee have encouraged President Donald Trump to use the Tennessee Valley Authority as an instrument to achieve his energy goals, and the possibility is greater with a new board of mostly Trump nominees.

President Donald Trump is presented a trophy by Jim Grech, president and CEO of Peabody Energy and chair of the National Coal Council, during an event on coal power in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Why Raccoon Mountain in Chattanooga is ‘Swiss Army knife’ power plant for TVA

by Daniel Dassow ·February 14, 2026

There's a certain "Star Trek" quality to the human-made cave inside Raccoon Mountain where the Tennessee Valley Authority generates electricity for as many as 1 million homes.

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Siskin Children’s Institute pioneers early autism diagnosis tech in Chattanooga

by Daniel Dassow ·February 13, 2026

Siskin Children's Institute in Chattanooga has begun a pilot program for a technology that can diagnose autism in children as young as 16 months old, enabling providers to intervene earlier than the common diagnosis test.

Contributed Photo / The EarliPoint device being piloted in Chattanooga by Siskin Children's Institute uses eye movement tracking to diagnose autism earlier in children.

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TVA CEO weathers Trump’s promise to ‘make his life miserable’

by Daniel Dassow ·February 12, 2026

Don Moul, CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, traveled to Washington on Wednesday moments after the board of the federally owned utility fulfilled a wish of President Donald Trump by voting to keep two coal-fired power plants open.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order after speaking during an event on coal power in the East Room at the White House in Washington. Looking on at right is EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, House Speaker Mike Johnson, center, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

City panel narrowly approves Cupcake Kitchen expansion on third try

by Daniel Dassow ·February 12, 2026

Cupcake Kitchen can expand its Chattanooga bakery after the city's downtown zoning panel approved the business's plans on the third try.

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Cupcake Kitchen at 500 Broad St. can add a storage expansion to the rear of the building if the entire facade is 25% windows, a city panel voted on Feb. 12, 2026.

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Trump: TVA has gone in ‘stupid’ direction, was right to keep coal plants

by Daniel Dassow ·February 11, 2026

President Donald Trump criticized the Tennessee Valley Authority at a White House event to support the coal industry on Wednesday, saying the utility has gone in a "very stupid, very bad direction," even as he praised its board for extending the lives of coal plants.