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Home | Staff Reporter List | Cliff Hightower | Story Archive

Cliff Hightower Stories

Posted: Sunday - Nov. 8, 2009
1 Comment
Who pays local stormwater fees? It depends
In Hamilton County, churches, schools and government agencies don’t pay the stormwater fee on their buildings and parking lots.
Posted: Sunday - Nov. 8, 2009
Stormwater fees bring flood of objections
Chattanoogans will have to pay more than $100 million in extra fees over the next five years to fix decades-old problems with clogged ditches, broken pipes and polluted runoff.
Posted: Sunday - Nov. 8, 2009
10% of WWTA work may go to contractors
Mike Carter, attorney for the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority, told county commissioners Wednesday that the authority may have to hire a contractor to do some work for them.
Posted: Friday - Nov. 6, 2009
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Annexation foes file more lawsuits
An anti-annexation group filed its second round of lawsuits Thursday to stop Chattanooga from taking in more territory.
Posted: Friday - Nov. 6, 2009
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Residents frustrated by flood problems
A group of frustrated residents met Thursday night at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Brainerd and voiced concerns about constant flooding along the banks of South Chickamauga Creek.
Posted: Thursday - Nov. 5, 2009
5 Comments - Audio - Photo
City wants to speed up M.L. King traffic
A change to speed limits on M.L. King Boulevard might mean posting signs that reflect how fast people actually are driving, the city's traffic engineer said Wednesday.
Posted: Thursday - Nov. 5, 2009
Chattanooga: Second round of anti-annexation lawsuits filed
Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation filed its second round of lawsuits today in its effort to stop the city of Chattanooga from taking more areas.
Posted: Wednesday - Nov. 4, 2009
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Work at VW site drives capital budget increase
A proposed capital improvement budget jumped almost $25 million over a year because of spending for the Enterprise South industrial park and the building of fire departments and sewers in annexed areas, records show.
Posted: Tuesday - Nov. 3, 2009
Chattanooga: New budget includes $58.4 million in project money
The Chattanooga City Council received the 2009-2010 capital budget today, which includes more than $58.4 million in project expenditures, city records show.
Posted: Tuesday - Nov. 3, 2009
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Some on council balk at green certification
Mayor Ron Littlefield said last week that Chattanooga needs to continue moving forward to get some buildings certified as “green” or it could mean being left behind.
Posted: Sunday - Nov. 1, 2009
Reporters Notebook: Commission defers vote on donation
Hamilton County commissioners were all set to vote Thursday on accepting a $5.9 million building from Life Care Centers of America, but decided to hold off a week because a guarantee title wasn't available.
Posted: Saturday - Oct. 31, 2009
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Blacks caution on erosion of their voting power
If Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield's plans for a combined city-county government or annexation are successful, gains that blacks have made in government representation over the past 20 years will be lost, several black Chattanoogans say.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 29, 2009
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Group moves to stop annexations
In what anti-annexation leaders say are the first of many lawsuits, Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation filed two Wednesday to stop annexation of the Ramsgate community and an area off Big Ridge Road.
Posted: Wednesday - Oct. 28, 2009
Chattanooga: Group files lawsuit to stop annexation
A local group filed a lawsuit today to stop Chattanooga's annexations from taking place.
Posted: Wednesday - Oct. 28, 2009
4 Comments
Council talks money for public art
City Councilman Peter Murphy said Tuesday the council should find a revenue stream that could help fund public art initiatives across Chattanooga.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 27, 2009
Chattanooga: City Council discusses public art
Councilman Peter Murphy said today the City Council should find a revenue stream that could help fund public art initiatives across the city.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 27, 2009
2 Comments - Audio
Funding for public art still up in air
City Councilman Andraé McGary questioned Monday whether the city is providing its annual $100,000 allocation for public art this year.
Posted: Sunday - Oct. 25, 2009
1 Comment - Audio
Littlefield’s big ambitions
Mayor Ron Littlefield has proposed building a services center for the homeless, making the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library a nationally recognized facility, seeing a high-speed rail line to Atlanta become a reality and expanding the city’s boundaries.
Posted: Saturday - Oct. 24, 2009
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Brainerd group begins vision process
A group of city officials and Brainerd residents on Friday unveiled a neighborhood plan they hope could ride on the success of downtown development.
Posted: Friday - Oct. 23, 2009
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Hearing turns to talk of metro government
Hamilton County Commissioner Larry Henry said Thursday night that any talks about consolidated government should mean the county taking the lead.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 22, 2009
1 Comment - Audio - Photo
The Passage attraction nears reopening
Fresh concrete is being poured. Workers soon will remove plastic tarpaulins and put in artistic medallions representing Indian history.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 22, 2009
1 Comment - Audio
County distances itself from city fee
Hamilton County commissioners were quick to say Wednesday that they didn't have anything to do with an increase in the city of Chattanooga's stormwater fee.
Posted: Wednesday - Oct. 21, 2009
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City drops residential area from annexation
The City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday night on first reading to annex a small area on the side of Lookout Mountain and areas on Hixson Pike.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 20, 2009
Chattanooga: City Council moves to annex commercial areas
The City Council voted 8-1 tonight to annex an area on Lookout Mountain and commercial areas along Hixson Pike.
Posted: Sunday - Oct. 18, 2009
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Annex fighters get new attorney
An attorney now taking up residents’ annexation fight against Chattanooga has a long history of such battles, losing some but winning most, records show.
Posted: Sunday - Oct. 18, 2009
County commissioners seen in new light
Audience members at Thursday’s Hamilton County Commission saw commissioners in a whole different light. That’s because the lights that usually illuminate the dais where commissioners sit were out.
Posted: Friday - Oct. 16, 2009
CARTA flush with grant money
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority has seen a large spike in federal money because of the stimulus package, CARTA's executive director said Thursday.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 15, 2009
Chattanooga: CARTA sees spike from stimulus money
CARTA has $5 million in federal stimulus money, officials say
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 15, 2009
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Art ordinance causes confusion
An ordinance in Chattanooga's City Code may mean that public art has been shortchanged by almost $1.7 million since 2004, records show.
Posted: Wednesday - Oct. 14, 2009
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City Council approves annexing 2 more sites
The City Council voted Tuesday night to annex two more areas off Old Lee Highway as the city continues to take in commercial property.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 13, 2009
Chattanooga: Council moves toward alcohol sales in Tivoli, Memorial
The Chattanooga City Council took a step today toward allowing the sale of alcohol in Memorial Auditorium and Tivoli Theatre.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 13, 2009
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Agencies feel pinch of city's budget crunch
A local agency must find a way to cut 12 percent of its funding to 14 art groups.
Posted: Monday - Oct. 12, 2009
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Fees rise to pay for water quality
An unfunded mandate by the federal government has forced stormwater fees in Chattanooga to more than triple and is going out on homeowners' property tax bills right now, officials said.
Posted: Sunday - Oct. 11, 2009
County leaders recognize Bennett’s honor
Hamilton County commissioners spent about a third of their Tuesday meeting congratulating Assessor Bill Bennett on his lifetime achievement award from the Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers.
Posted: Saturday - Oct. 10, 2009
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Annexation excursion
The Chattanooga City Council toured several proposed annexation areas Friday that included residential, commercial and industrial areas.
Posted: Friday - Oct. 9, 2009
Chattanooga: City Council tours proposed annexation areas
The Chattanooga City Council toured several proposed annexation areas today, including Hurricane Creek, Stonewall Farms and Windstone.
Posted: Friday - Oct. 9, 2009
Group will file lawsuit against annexation
Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation will file a lawsuit against the city before an Oct. 29 deadline to stop annexation of Cummings Cove and Ramsgate, the president of the group said Thursday.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 8, 2009
Anti-annexation group changes lawyers
Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation has changed attorneys as it fights against city annexation efforts.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 8, 2009
3 Comments - Photo
Metro: A dirty word?
Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield wants to marry the city’s government to that of Hamilton County.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 8, 2009
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Municipalities’ reactions to consolidation mixed
The mayors of some of the Hamilton County cities outside Chattanooga say they might have an interest in combining services with the city and the county, but others are adamantly against it.
Posted: Wednesday - Oct. 7, 2009
18 Comments - Audio
Mayor proposes consolidated city, county government
Mayor Ron Littlefield said Tuesday he would suspend annexation of residential areas if the county "comes to the table" to talk about consolidation of city and Hamilton County government.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 6, 2009
2 Comments
Chattanooga: Mayor proposes “consolidation of government”
Mayor Ron Littlefield said tonight he would suspend annexations of residential areas if the city and Hamilton County can “come to the table” and start talks of consolidation of city and county government.
Posted: Tuesday - Oct. 6, 2009
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City backs away from Summit annex plan
City officials said Monday they plan to redraw their annexation maps around the Summit landfill, not taking in so much residential area as once planned.
Posted: Sunday - Oct. 4, 2009
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City working on next budget: Capital expenses
Chattanooga officials say they're working on the next step of their budgeting process, putting together a capital improvements plan to help pay for projects such as road construction and park enhancements.
Posted: Sunday - Oct. 4, 2009
Commissioners split 5-4 on hiring
Just before a 5-4 vote Thursday to fill a recently vacated spot in the Hamilton County Commission office, Commissioner Jim Coppinger asked Chairman Curtis Adams whether he had gotten approval for the position from the county Human Resources Department.
Posted: Saturday - Oct. 3, 2009
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Greenway's new barn opens
A new barn at Greenway Farm has arisen from the ashes of a fire that happened more than a year ago.
Posted: Thursday - Oct. 1, 2009
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Council will see annexation area again
A proposed annexation area off Old Lee Highway voted down by the City Council will come back for another vote, Mayor Ron Littlefield said.
Posted: Wednesday - Sept. 30, 2009
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Council delivers mayor first defeat on annexation
The Chattanooga City Council handed Mayor Ron Littlefield his first defeat on annexation Tuesday night, voting 5-4 against bringing in more than 50 households along Old Lee Highway.
Posted: Wednesday - Sept. 30, 2009
Report: More city firefighters, stations needed
The Chattanooga Fire Department lacks the personnel and fire stations to meet national standards now, let alone if the city annexes new property, according to a report by the International Association of Firefighters.
Posted: Tuesday - Sept. 29, 2009
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Traffic study to resume on Barton Avenue
The city will conduct one more traffic study on Barton Avenue to determine whether to permanently take down the reversible-lane signals, an official says.
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