Times Editorials - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Opinion: TennCare revamp: Three years in, expansion remains the solution

In the three years since federal officials approved Tennessee's waiver to revamp the state's Medicaid program, the lives of thousands Tennesseans have improved.

By LeBron Hill January 22, 2024

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Mackenzie Keith, chief executive officer of St. Elmo Dental, fills out paperwork at her office on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.

Opinion: Empower hemp industry by legalizing cannabis

A set of proposed rules will have a negative impact on the sale of hemp, a growing industry that has potential to be a significant economic driver in Tennessee.

By LeBron Hill January 20, 2024

Cannabis plants growing at an indoor True North Collective facility are shown in Jackson, Mich., Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Over the past few years, Jonny Griffis has invested millions of dollars in his legal marijuana farm in northern Michigan, which produces extracts to be used in things like gummy bears and vape oils. But now that farm — like many other licensed grows in states that have legalized marijuana — faces an existential threat: high-inducing cannabis compounds derived not from the heavily regulated and taxed legal marijuana industry, but from a chemical process involving little-regulated, cheaply grown hemp. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

LeBron’s Looks: Pearson and Jones didn’t cause a rift, they exposed a toxic status quo

Rift in Tennessee Democrats?

By LeBron Hill January 19, 2024

FILE - Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, left, and Justin Jones, D-Nashville, speak to reporters outside the West Wing after meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, April 24, 2023. Pearson and Jones, who became Democratic heroes as members of the so-called “Tennessee Three,” are hoping to once again reclaim their legislative seats Thursday, Aug. 3, after being expelled for their involvement in a gun control protest on the House floor. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Opinion: Hate and the cost of silence

Many quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. were posted online this week. A Chattanooga colleague got my attention with, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Then I got an email from a synagogue friend asking me why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was being silenced and suggested that I write about issue.

By Deborah Levine January 18, 2024

File photo/The Associated Press / Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses marchers during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington.

Opinion: Turning down food aid for children is shockingly callous

Last week I read something that shocked me, even if it really shouldn't have: Fifteen states — all but one run by Republican governors — skipped the deadline to apply for a new federally funded program that will provide $120 per child for groceries during the summer months to families of children who already qualify for free or reduced-price lunch at school.

By Charles M. Blow / The New York Times January 18, 2024

Photo/James Estrin/The New York Times / A lunch for students is displayed on a table at a public school in the Bronx on Jan. 30, 2006. “I was a child who benefited from a summer lunch program. In fact, I didn't know of a child who went to my school who didn't eat free or reduced-price lunches during the school year or participate in the free summer lunch program,” writes New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow.

Opinion: The delusions that won the Iowa caucuses

Does anyone believe that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley truly stands a chance of becoming the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nominee? It's a scenario that is increasingly hard to imagine.

By Robin Abcarian / The Los Angeles Times January 18, 2024

Photo/Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press / Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump appears at a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Also pictured is Eric Trump, left.

Opinion: Airport gun seizures trigger concern

Days after a door panel blew off the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines aircraft, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, questions about air travel safety took off.

By LeBron Hill January 16, 2024

Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Mark Howell with Transportation Security Administration demonstrates how to correctly pack guns for air travel. All firearms must be unloaded, stored in a locked container, and declared.

Opinion: Haley ignores GOP reality

Before Monday's Iowa caucus, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley's campaign was on fire, in a good way. Polls had her ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, taking second-place behind front-runner Donald Trump.

By LeBron Hill January 16, 2024

Photo/Robert F. Bukaty/The Associated Press / Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley greets voters at a town hall campaign event on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Rye, N.H.

Opinion: Is equitable development a priority with new Lookouts stadium? There are more questions

The proposed Chattanooga Lookouts stadium has been characterized over the past couple of weeks as a boon for the south side of the city as elected officials sift through new cost estimates of the project and whether they will give their go-ahead.

By LeBron Hill January 15, 2024

Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / With Finley Stadium and Lookout Mountain for a backdrop work continues continues at a site along Broad Street were a new Food City. The $15 million project will also include townhouses, offices and other retail shops. The Southside area of Chattanooga was alive with construction on April 18, 2023.

Opinion: How watching ‘Iron Claw’ reminded me it’s OK to cry

My love for pro wrestling started when I was a young boy.

By LeBron Hill January 13, 2024

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