In Alaska, rides to a hospital can cost a small fortune. “Our uniqueness comes from the fact that 82% of our communities are not connected by roads,” Alaska Governor Bill Walker told NPR in a recent interview. “So we don't take a $300 ambulance ride to the hospital. We take a $50,000 to $150,000 Medevac. Our costs of health care are certainly the highest in the nation.” But the state’s new Alaska Reinsurance Program is expected to lower premium costs by 20% for Alaska residents who buy insurance

Three years ago, Jennifer Holder and Shawanda Mason Moore had $100 and a dream of bringing people together across the city. They started The Chattery , a nonprofit that offers classes in practically any subject someone is willing to teach. (Recently, Sean Phipps gave a short course on how to smoke a pipe properly. Starting July 24, The Chattery will offer classes in "adulting." Other upcoming classes focus on subjects as diverse as astronomy, voting, and phonolgy.) The idea of The Chattery was

A Chattanooga physician says the Affordable Care Act saved her life, and she’s challenging claims that the Senate can replace Obamacare with something better. She’s the founder of the Chattanooga Sports Institute Center for Health, and an athlete who has finished seven Ironman competitions. But a sudden diagnosis slowed her down. "Two and a half years ago," she says, "I was diagnosed with a very devastating, incurable, chronic vascular disease. I lost, almost lost my entire right leg to that.

This summer the Signal Mountain Playhouse is mounting a production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Many community theater groups may have found just building the sets for this show to be more than they wanted to handle, but the Signal Mountain Playhouse has a group of set designers who relish a challenge. Last summer they built a flying car for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This year they’ve built Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Richard Winham talked to Zachary Huseman who plays Charlie

“Are we really done with windows?” asks one of the characters in Courtney Maum’s new novel Touch. He’s not talking about the operating system. “I mean the architectural component that lets in light,” he says. “I mean, if I have a window, then—and this is really modern—I can just look through it and decide all by myself how to dress. I don’t need my home automation system to send me a text.” Touch takes place at a tech giant named Mammoth, where employees strive to devise the newest, hottest

For the past decade green|spaces , a non-profit company formed in 2007, has been trying to change the way Chattanoogans think about energy and energy consumption. Richard Winham talked to Dawn Hjelseth about the evolution of the company from its original role as a cheerleader to its current role as a developer of energy efficient housing in Chattanooga.

Mimi Kennedy was destined for fame; as a child, she wanted to be an actress, and throughout her career, Broadway, the big screen and TV have served her well, making her face familiar to almost everyone. She's also an author and activist, and she's chatting with WUTC about her on- and off-stage roles in life, starting with her portrayal of Jan in both the original Broadway and National Touring productions of Grease. Today, as an actress over 50, she's living a new stage in her life. Her role as

Ashley Evans, Executive Director of the free health clinic Volunteers In Medicine, joins us to talk about a CVS Health Foundation Grant the clinic recently received to tackle a significant local health problem: diabetes. Also, we talk about the clinic's 2nd Annual Run for Health at Camp Jordan on June 3rd. FROM A MEDIA RELEASE: – Volunteers in Medicine Chattanooga (VIM) announces the organization has been awarded a CVS Health Foundation Grant. The $35,000 grant will be used to create a nutrition

The song “Change” explains why people around the nation are leaving coins at the graves of soldiers, sailors, and other military service members. "A penny, love and respect," the song says. "A nickel, boot camp together. A dime, you served together. A quarter, you were there when they gave their life for their country." Tracy Smith is one of the songwriters, and he first noticed such coins after his son’s funeral. Randall Smith had served in the Navy, mortally wounded during a 2015 domestic

Why don't people sing together anymore? During the Civil Rights movement, marchers used songs to bond with each other, but modern protest movements don't necessarily unite the same way. Dr. Ysaye Barnwell encourages people to put down their phones and make real-world connections through the power of group singing. Dr. Barnwell has led Building a Vocal Community and Community Singing workshops around the country, and spoken about it at TEDx Beacon Street. On Thursday, May 18, Dr. Barnwell will