Your Thursday at a glance:
- Weather: High of 70, mostly sunny.
- What to eat: Hungry BlueCross Bowl fans won't have to go far for food and drink options near Finley Stadium. Here's where to grab a bite to eat in between games.
- What's helped: Our annual Neediest Cases fund donation drive. Here's how your donations last year helped a Chattanooga man avoid homelessness.
- What's impressive: A documentary about Chattanooga's Songbirds Guitar Museum has earned a regional Emmy nomination.
Good morning, Chattanooga!
Are you ready for this weekend?
With all nine state preps football championships being held at Finley Stadium starting Thursday, hundreds of visitors are expected to pour into the city.
In addition to some great games, the city is expecting large economic impacts from the increased tourism.
"We have three games a day for three days," said Barry White, CEO of the Chattanooga Tourism Co. "It's great for the community, and I know it's going to be great for the guests who visit town. We want people to leave and be talking about Chattanooga almost a much as they're talking about the competition itself."
Here read about just how much officials are expecting the games to impact the local economy. And here follow along with our in-depth coverage of the championship weekend, as we take you into every game.
Now for some recent stories:
NEW BONDS: Hamilton County has issued bonds at record low rates to help fund new area schools and an industrial park, among other projects.
ANOTHER CHANCE: Area employers held a job fair at the Silverdale Detention Center for inmates nearing their release to help transition them back into society.
TIME TO VOTE: Remember our wrapping paper contest? It's time to vote for your favorite elementary student's design to be printed on our presses. (Also today's photo of the day comes from one of our finalists, Davis.)
- Tierra Hayes, thayes@timesfreepress.com
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