Deborah Levine - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Deborah Levine: ‘Gimme a break’ and get along with music

by Deborah Levine ·April 16, 2026

Can we bring diverse folks together in these crazy times?

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Music fans dance to the sounds of the 3 Sisters bluegrass music festival at Ross' Landing on Saturday, October 4, 2025.

Deborah Levine: Using the power of interfaith

by Deborah Levine ·April 2, 2026

As we celebrate Passover and Easter in our Jewish and Christian homes here in Chattanooga, I recently had the opportunity to dialogue virtually with the Bermuda Christian Jewish Alliance (BCJA).

The Rev. Dr. Mandy Todd, left, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Lindsborg, Kan., and Rabbi Moti Rieber, right, executive director of Kansas Interfaith Action, protest a new Kansas law that will invalidate hundreds of driver's licenses and birth certificates for transgender people that reflect their gender identities, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, outside the Kansas Senate chamber in the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Deborah Levine: Telling local women’s stories for Women’s History Month

by Deborah Levine ·March 26, 2026

Folks often cite famous women in history as their inspiration during Women's History Month.

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Felicia Jackson with CPRWrap demonstrates how the product is used. Hamilton Place Mall hosted their third annual Black-Owned Business Expo on Saturday, February 24, 2024.

Deborah Levine: Chattanooga is now ‘official’ with Ukrainian sister city amid war

by Deborah Levine ·March 19, 2026

Much excitement at City Hall on March 6 when Mayor Tim Kelly announced that Chattanooga and the Ukrainian city of Trostyanets have solidified their friendship with an official sister cities agreement.

City of Chattanooga / Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly holds up the official Sister City International agreement with Trostyanets, Ukraine, along with local Sister City president Karen Claypool and Alina, a Ukrainian exchange student.

Subscriber Exclusive

Deborah Levine: Creative souls needed in war zones

by Deborah Levine ·March 12, 2026

When my hubby and I saw that Iran had bombed Bet Shemesh, a community outside of Jerusalem, we were horrified.

Contributed photo / Art by Aron Yosef Kahan, 15, created in Bet Shemesh, Israel.

Deborah Levine: Celebrating Goodwill Industries Day in East Ridge

by Deborah Levine ·March 5, 2026

The grand opening of the new East Ridge Goodwill facility on Feb. 26 was a reminder that despite the raging anger, grief and bloodshed in a world now at war, there is also kindness, generosity and courage.

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Store manager Ashleigh Roper, left, and Gena Weldon, president and CEO for Chattanooga Goodwill Industries, cut the ribbon during the opening of a new Goodwill store in East Ridge on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

Deborah Levine: To save our planet under Trump, no last straw

by Deborah Levine ·February 26, 2026

I had a meltdown over the Trump administration's revoking the 2009 "endangerment finding" that says climate change is a danger to public health. Trump is grasping at straws, claiming this would save Americans trillions of dollars.

AP Photo by Caleb Jones / Plastic and other debris sits on the beach on Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. According to a study released on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, more than a million tons a year of America's plastic trash isn't ending up where it should. The equivalent of as many as 1,300 plastic grocery bags per person is landing in places such as oceans and roadways.

Deborah Levine: Getting older — the eyes have it!

by Deborah Levine ·February 19, 2026

I remember as a kid telling my mom that I didn't want to ever get old and drop dead.

Photo by Scott Olson via Getty Images / William Weiser has his eyes examined at the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital November 5, 2009 in Hines, Illinois. Weiser, an Air Force veteran, began losing his eyesight about five years ago when he was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration.

Deborah Levine: Venue 1921 is a community gift of unity in East Ridge

by Deborah Levine ·February 12, 2026

When East Ridge was officially founded in 1921, I wonder if residents envisioned a gathering center like the one that just opened.

City of East Ridge / Residents attend the opening of Venue 1921, a city-owned gathering space, on Feb. 7.

Deborah Levine: Resilience in the face of violence

by Deborah Levine ·February 5, 2026

Gaining and maintaining resilience is a growing survival mechanism in today's scary world. Too many folks in America and beyond are being shaped to become Violent, Vengeful, Vicious and Vindictive. I call this "the 4 Vs," and we're all experiencing their ripple effects.