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.

Democratic senators grill Trump TVA nominee in hearing

by Daniel Dassow ·December 3, 2025

Beaman’s GOP donations, abuse allegations entered into record

Government livestream screenshot
Nashville businessman Lee Beaman appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Dec. 3, 2025, to face questions about his nomination by President Donald Trump to the TVA board of directors.

TVA wins $400M federal grant for small modular nuclear reactor

by Daniel Dassow ·December 2, 2025

The Tennessee Valley Authority will get a $400 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support development of small modular nuclear reactors at its Clinch River Nuclear Site in Oak Ridge.

TVA / Staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission cited its small environmental impact in recommending commissioners approve a construction permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority's small modular reactor in Oak Ridge, Tenn., depicted in this artist's rendering.

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TVA opens Chattanooga jobs again after federal hiring freeze

by Daniel Dassow ·December 1, 2025

The Tennessee Valley Authority posted a batch of job openings Monday, including six in the Chattanooga area, after spending months in a hiring freeze.

Staff File Photo / A cybersecurity employee works inside the Cybersecurity Operations Center at the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA, the nation's largest government-owned utility, ended a hiring freeze Dec. 1, 2025. The freeze had been a response to an executive order from President Donald Trump.

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Atlanta’s master of fresh starts stages the next Chattanooga revival

by Daniel Dassow ·November 29, 2025

From what used to be a parking lot where Georgia Power stored electrical equipment at the heart of America's eighth-largest metro area, a stylish hotel, office tower and apartment complex rise in a semicircle like members of a giant orchestra.

Staff photo by Seth Carpenter / New City Properties President Jim Irwin talks about the development process of the Fourth Ward in Atlanta. Irwin is leading as the master developer for the foundries district surrounding Chattanooga's new Lookouts stadium, Erlanger Park.

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New Chattanooga hotels adding 1,200 rooms. Here are 5 main projects

by Daniel Dassow ·November 29, 2025

Diverse developments include renovated 1927 bank, dual-branded Hilton

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Chattanooga Football Club will move players into new headquarters in January

by Daniel Dassow ·November 26, 2025

Six-story building on Riverfront Parkway includes retail, apartments

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Construction is seen Nov. 24, 2025, during a tour of the new Chattanooga Football Club headquarters on Riverfront Parkway.

Senate sets hearing for Trump TVA nominee, donor Lee Beaman

by Daniel Dassow ·November 25, 2025

Lee Beaman, a Nashville businessman who once owned a chain of car dealerships, will appear before a U.S. Senate committee for a hearing as one of President Donald Trump's nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors.

Secretary of State's Office / Electors for Donald Trump, then president-elect, gather at the Tennessee State Capitol in December 2024. At center is Lee Beaman, nominated to the Tennessee Valley Authority board by Trump. Beaman will appear at a confirmation hearing on Dec. 3, 2025.

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CARTA to rethink ‘underutilized’ Incline Railway in $195k study

by Daniel Dassow ·November 21, 2025

Rock City exiting as concessions, ticketing contractor for attraction

Staff file Photo by Matt Hamilton / A new Incline Railway car returns to waiting riders in 2021. CARTA will spend $195,000 to study how to maximize use of the Incline Railway in a measure approved by the board on Nov. 20, 2025.

Quantum will push EPB innovation to $10B impact by 2035, study finds

by Daniel Dassow ·November 21, 2025

Fiber optics and smart grid worth $5.3 billion since 2010

EPB / Quantum computing company IonQ provided a specialized quantum computing chip to EPB called an ion trap, which fixes an ion in space as the physical unit of information in the computer.

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Erlanger gets $4.5M for rural hospitals in bill ending government shutdown

by Daniel Dassow ·November 20, 2025

A bill signed by President Donald Trump that ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history included $1.5 million for upgrades to Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital in Pikeville.