Clint Cooper is the Free Press editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, representing the conservative side of the newspaper's opinion section. Previously he worked as a lifestyles reporter, and has been an assistant sports editor and Metro staff writer for the newspaper. Prior to the merger between the Chattanooga Free Press and Chattanooga Times in 1999, he was sports news editor for the Chattanooga Free Press, where he was in charge of the day-to-day content of the section and the section's design. Before becoming sports news editor, he was a staff writer. In the Life section, he is responsible for the content of the weekly religion page but also contributes entertainment stories to the current section; health, home and profile stories for the daily Life pages; and general news articles to the news columns. In the past, he has written on technology and baby boomers for the section. Clint has received honors over the years for his writing and design in both individual work and work as part of a team or section. Among those are several best overall team coverage awards from the Southern League (when he was either lead writer or content/design editor), a best section award by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (when he was content/design editor) and several first-place awards in the community lifestyles category of the Tennessee Press Association contest (as part of a staff). The Chattanooga native is a cum laude graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in mass communications and did postgraduate work there in secondary education. Clint and his wife of 21 years, Donna, have one son, Patrick, 18. He enjoys acting, reading and running. Contact Clint at 423-757-6497 or ccooper@timesfreepress.com. You may friend him on Facebook.
The fix may have been in for Ford's planned $5.6 billion manufacturing plant in West Tennessee, but some Republican legislators are planning to make sure it can't happen again.
by Clint CooperIf the potential intrigue of a new 11-member Hamilton County Commission in 2022 wasn't enough, now the job of county mayor also will be up for grabs.
by Clint CooperIf you thought masks and mandates would be the only issues Tennessee legislators will discuss in their special session next week, think again.
by Clint CooperIn his campaign for mayor of Chattanooga earlier this year, then-candidate Tim Kelly included nine areas of action in which he wanted to make strides in his first 100 days in office.
by Clint CooperWhen UnifiEd formed locally in 2014, its founders said they wanted to make Chattanoogans more aware of and more involved in their public schools.
by Clint CooperState Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, posted on Facebook Sunday that she was asked while in Nashville last week if she planned to vote for the state's record incentive package for Ford Motor Co. during this week's special session of the General Assembly.
by Clint CooperA Virginia property once owned by George Washington and in 1971 the subject of a purchasing scheme hatched by a Chattanooga state legislator is still a political football 50 years later.
by Clint CooperWe'd like to say Hamilton County Board of Education member Rhonda Thurman was right on the mark in complaining about the coarseness found in some books in classrooms and libraries of local public schools. We can't. But she wasn't wrong, either.
by Clint CooperRedrawing boundaries of Hamilton County's political districts may continue for several more weeks, but most commissioners have at least made positive remarks about a potential 11-district map.
by Clint CooperU.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Winchester, who represents all the counties that surround Hamilton County, is one of more than 60 Republican House signatories on a recent letter to the U.S. Department of Justice asking why the department appears to be targeting parents who oppose "hot-button social issues" being taught in public schools and what safety protocols their children are to follow in schools.
by Clint CooperWe were intrigued by the record-holding, long-distance driver who showed up at Chattanooga's Volkswagen plant Friday after driving 32,000-plus miles around the country in one of the company's electric vehicles.
by Clint CooperWhen the Tennessee Department of Education released district scores from 2021 TCAP tests last month, Hamilton County education officials quickly acknowledged an across-the-board drop in student learning.
by Clint CooperA Chattanooga man's request for information about all 46,000-plus students in Hamilton County public schools Thursday spread faster than gossip.
by Clint CooperThe Hamilton County Commission is likely to grow by two members in 2022.
by Clint CooperWhether it emanated from administration, the COVID-19 pandemic or some other reason, Hamilton County public school teachers largely found their school climate more challenging during the 2020-2021 year than the 2019-2020 year, according to a state teacher survey released Monday.
by Clint CooperTennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called for a special session of the General Assembly beginning two weeks from yesterday to consider an incentive package for Ford Motor Co.'s announced massive investment in West Tennessee.
by Clint CooperRedistricting is not for the faint of heart.
by Clint CooperAn email brings us news that 2022 Tennessee Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jason Martin has plans to visit each of the state's 95 counties to win his party's nomination.
by Clint CooperOne of the most difficult aspects of COVID-19, we have maintained since the name first came into our vocabulary more than 18 months ago, is sorting through the torrent of information about the virus and choosing what to keep and what to reject.
by Clint CooperRemember 9/11, yes. Make it a holiday, no.
by Clint Cooper