www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-05 13:44:00
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee highlighted Chattanooga’s transformation since his childhood, fueled by a $15 million state investment in Riverfront Park. The $54 million project will feature a signature playground, pier café, event lawns, and new food options, enhancing the city’s riverfront. Former Mayor Bob Corker recalled the area’s past as rundown before redevelopment began with the Tennessee Aquarium in 1992. Chattanooga, now North America’s first National Park City, has seen significant downtown growth. The nonprofit River City Company will launch a private capital campaign. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2026, promising economic growth and community benefits.
(The Center Square) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Chattanooga has changed since he began visiting as a 10-year-old and more change is coming thanks in part to a $15 million investment from the state.
The governor was joined by city and state leaders at a ceremony touting the project which will include a new signature playground, food and beverage options, a pier cafe and lawn spaces for events to the city’s Riverfront Park.
“There will be economic activity simply because of the investment in this park that will transform the riverfront of Chattanooga,” Lee told reporters after the ceremony. “When there’s economic activity, the tax base is increased, the services to the community are increased and frankly, Chattanoogans benefit whenever there is economic activity. So this is an investment in the people of Chattanooga, the people of this community and the surrounding counties, this is an investment in their future and we think it is money well-spent.”
Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2007-19, said the riverfront was nothing but a “craggly walkway down to nothing” and parking lots with litter blowing across them when the Tennessee Aquarium was built in 1992.
The conversion of Riverfront Parkway to a pedestrian-friendly roadway paved the way for more development downtown, including the expansion of the Tennessee Aquarium, the Hunter Museum, and the Creative Discovery Museum.
Chattanooga was named the first National Park City in North America and only third in the world. The designation is not tied to the U.S. National Park Service but is a recognition from the National Park City Foundation.
Lee told the large crowd gathered he has noticed the changes over the years.
“This is a remarkable city,” Lee said. “It’s been wonderful for me from a kid to a governor to watch the transformation of Chattanooga to be a city that people from all across America know about and are understanding in greater ways than ever before. This is a really cool place to be.”
The projected cost is $54 million. River City Company, the nonprofit known as the “economic development engine” of the city that works with government and the private sector, said a capital campaign seeking private partners will begin in the near future.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article reports on a local economic development project in Chattanooga, Tennessee, focusing on a $15 million state investment in the city’s Riverfront Park. The tone is factual and positive, emphasizing community benefits, economic activity, and urban renewal without attaching ideological framing or partisan commentary. The content quotes public officials from various backgrounds, including the governor and former mayor, highlighting their shared support for the project. There is no language suggesting a political agenda or critique, and the coverage sticks to reporting actions and statements without editorializing. Overall, the article maintains neutral, straightforward reporting on local government initiatives.
The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility dismissed an ethics complaint against attorney Cynthia Sherwood, who represents former House staffer Cade Cothren. The complaint, filed by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, involved a private investigator’s visit to the home of registry director Bill Young. The registry deemed it unethical, but the board found no wrongdoing. Cothren and ex-House Speaker Glen Casada were convicted in a bribery scheme involving Phoenix Solutions. A related PAC, linked to Cothren via testimony, ran attack ads in 2020. Registry officials are seeking to renew investigations after the federal trial concluded in May 2025.
The Tennessee panel that handles attorney disciplinary cases has cleared a lawyer accused of an ethics violation involving an encounter between a private eye and the state’s campaign finance chief.
The state Board of Professional Responsibility notified Nashville attorney Cynthia Sherwood in early July that it dismissed a complaint against her filed by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, the state body in charge of regulating campaign finance disclosures.
Sherwood provided a copy of the confidential letter to the Lookout.
“The decision speaks for itself,” Sherwood said in an email statement. “The frivolous complaint was dismissed outright. I cannot speculate about why the Registry and AG’s Office don’t want to admit the complaint against me was dismissed outright.”
Sherwood represents Cade Cothren, the former chief of staff to Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada. Cothren and Casada were convicted on multiple counts of federal bribery and kickback charges involving state-funded constituent mailers run by a secretive vendor called Phoenix Solutions.
Cothren and Casada are seeking new trials after being convicted in May.
Registry board members voted unanimously in September 2024 to notify the disciplinary board that a private investigator for Sherwood went to the home of registry executive director Bill Young last August and tried to talk to him about a case. Young said last year he declined to speak to the private investigator because the Registry has pending litigation involving Cothren in Chancery Court. Young is represented by a staff attorney and the state Attorney General’s Office in the case.
The Registry’s members were upset about the incident and sought disciplinary action, saying it is unethical for an attorney to try to talk to a person known to be represented by a lawyer in a pending case.
After the Board of Professional Responsibility rendered its decision this July, the board two weeks ago asked the Attorney General’s Office for a legal opinion on whether the disciplinary board’s letter should be a public record.
Registry officials declined to release the letter until receiving clarification from the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office refused to release it, citing attorney-client privilege.
Registry board members also declined to divulge the Board of Professional Responsibility’s decision.
Three years ago, the Registry board subpoenaed Cothren to question him about the Faith Family Freedom Fund political action committee as part of a fraud probe. Cothren refused to comply, but Casada showed up at a later meeting and denied any connection to the PAC or knowledge of its actions.
Yet Sydney Friedopfer, a former girlfriend of Cothren, testified to the board that Cothren had her register the political action in her name and then turn operations over to him during the 2020 election year.
The PAC used a $7,500 campaign donation from a North Carolina restaurant owner named Brandon Crawford, who was never found, to run attack ads against now-former state Republican Rep. Rick Tillis in his campaign with Republican Rep. Todd Warner of Chapel Hill.
Tillis was critical of Casada during his short stint as House speaker, using an anonymous Twitter account to highlight the Republican leader’s excesses. Tillis resigned his seat in August 2019 amid a sexist and racist texting scandal involving Cothren.
Registry board members turned the case over to the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office, and once the trial for Casada and Cothren wrapped up, Registry Chairman Tom Lawless urged Young to have the investigation renewed.
Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article from the *Tennessee Lookout* presents detailed coverage of legal and ethical proceedings involving Republican political figures in Tennessee. While the reporting is fact-based and includes direct quotes, the focus on Republican misconduct and use of terms like “frivolous complaint” and references to scandals may contribute to a perception of scrutiny toward conservative actors. The outlet provides transparency on sources and legal developments but frames the story in a way that may resonate more with a left-leaning audience, consistent with the *Lookout*’s broader editorial orientation toward government accountability and transparency.
SUMMARY: A Shelby County woman defended herself after three intruders kicked in her door and entered her home without permission. Armed, she fired a single shot, hitting 21-year-old Kamari Burnham, who was hospitalized and later stabilized. Burnham, along with Nala Kelly, faces aggravated burglary and vandalism charges; Dewan Payne also faces aggravated burglary charges. Tennessee law permits deadly force to protect one’s home once intruders cross inside, even if unarmed. Defense experts say the woman’s response was justified self-defense since she used minimal force to stop the threat. The reason for the intruders’ presence remains unclear.
Video obtained by FOX13 shows the moment a Shelby County woman shot an intruder in her home. Since she is not facing any …
SUMMARY: Corey Adams, an 18-year-old freshman football player for the University of Mississippi, was fatally shot outside a home in Cordova, Tennessee, late on July 19. The shooting, involving five victims, occurred around 10 p.m. outside a party; Adams died at the scene, while four others were hospitalized with non-critical wounds. Witnesses described a chaotic scene with gunfire and multiple cars fleeing. Authorities continue investigating and seeking suspects. Adams was a top defensive lineman recruit expected to join Ole Miss’s football team. Ole Miss and Adams’ former high school team expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss.
