With its rotting boards and rusting screws, the 21-year-old playground next to Rossville Civic Center was no longer safe and recently had to be torn down.

Two years after Catoosa County, Georgia, residents handily voted down a new tax that would have raised money to help pay for roads, bridges and other infrastructure, county government officials are steering clear of bringing it back up after a proposal to do so was included in a 10-year development plan.

With a rise in job loss and financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Walker County and Chickamauga school districts have seen increasing food insecurity in students, officials say.

Seven months into her new role as the city manager of Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, Molly Huhn is looking to prioritize the revitalization of the historic area, but above all, she said she wants to tackle the needs of the community. And she realizes she doesn't understand them all just yet.

Despite a slew of community comments against a proposal to allow developers to build multi-family townhomes off of South Wooten Road, the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on March 16 to approve rezoning four parcels that make up about 22 acres of land.

A little more than half a century since schools were integrated in Walker County, Georgia, most Black students in the county graduate without ever having a Black teacher.

The Mars Theatre District in LaFayette, Georgia, will soon see renovations and aesthetic improvements as new owner Robert Wardlaw hopes to make the old movie theater and surrounding row of storefronts a local and possibly regional destination.

LIFT Youth Center Inc. plans to host a soft opening of the new Claudia Nance Rollins Youth Center in Ringgold sometime next month following the building's remodel.

Some areas of Walker County may soon have access to public water for the first time.

Residents of Chickamauga, Georgia, are getting a say in how upcoming capital projects are initially funded.

After 14 years working as a pharmacist for a chain retailer, Ringgold resident Dustin Beard is opening his own independent pharmacy.

A Chattanooga florist is joining a nationwide effort to give anyone touched by the pandemic a place to grieve.

Last February, the 6th Cavalry Museum partnered with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to host a screening of "The Six Triple Eight," a documentary about the only all-Black, all-female unit to deploy overseas during World War II.

After the approval of funding, Catoosa County Economic Development Authority Director Keith Barclift is preparing to tackle one of his preliminary goals from when he started his job around two years ago — developing a strategic plan for the county's economic future.

When Jaylah Hardy steps on the basketball court the senior supplies more than what's seen on a stat sheet. Besides points, rebounds, assists and even defensive pressure, the Signal Mountain playmaking point guard brings an energy that her teammates feed off of.

Catoosa County commissioners have approved a resolution requesting the Georgia General Assembly to consider repealing two county-specific acts that currently restrict the board's purchasing powers.

Gardening has become so popular during the forced downtime of the pandemic that many sources are reporting shortages on some seed varieties.

With just a little over a month left before Catoosa County's Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax vote, Catoosa County Schools Superintendent Denia Reese is doing all she can to make sure people cast their ballot to provide the district with the funds to continue supporting area students.

According to research published in the American Medical Association's journal, JAMA, hospital stays often leave older adults worse off than when they went in.

Among various improvements to school buildings and technology countywide, the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) proposed for Walker County could also fund a new high school.

At the request of the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners, Catoosa County Chief Financial Officer Carol Roberts worked with County Manager Alicia Vaughn and Commission Chairman Steven Henry to develop a fund reserve policy for the county that was approved by the board last month.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is providing Catoosa County with funds to pave 6.79 miles of road this year through the Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Program.

As the newly seated Walker County Board of Commissioners embarks on a new trajectory for the county, one of its major priorities will be continuing the process of ridding the county of millions of dollars in debt accumulated over the years.