Baylor's Ramsey Seagle, No. 10, tries for a shot on goal while being pressured by Father Ryan's John Bakewell, no. 4, during Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Thursday, May 24, 2012. MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- In the moments immediately following Baylor's soccer match against Father Ryan on Thursday, sophomore defender Rafael Gaglianone knelt down at midfield to say a little prayer. Goalkeeper Henrique Ribeiro came over and joined him, and after they were finished, Gaglianone put a finger to the sky and went to celebrate with his teammates. It was a fitting finish. Gaglianone scored the goal as the Red Raiders claimed their fourth state championship and first since 2007 with a 1-0 victory at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex. That gave Chattanooga a boys' ... Continue reading →

Georgia coach Mark Richt smiles during a news conference in Atlanta. Richt has agreed to a new five-year contract that will carry him through the 2016 season. The three-year contract extension for Georgia football coach Mark Richt will not include a salary increase but will contain larger performance-based bonuses. During Thursday's meeting of the Georgia Athletic Association board of directors in Greensboro, Ga., athletic director Greg McGarity said Richt's salary will remain at $2.81 million annually. The contract, which is expected to be finalized soon, will include bonuses doubling from the current $475,000 maximum to $950,000. Richt now will get $150,000 for reaching the Southeastern Conference championship game, $50,000 for winning the SEC title, $500,000 for a national championship and $200,000 for reaching a BCS ... Continue reading →

"Star Wars" helped launch the careers of its three leads: Mark Hamill, then 25, Carrie Fisher, then 20, and Harrison Ford, who was 34, from left. A LONG TIMELINE AGO ... 1973: After his first treatment is rejected as overly complicated, George Lucas writes a 13-page concept of "Star Wars" loosely based on Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film "The Hidden Fortress." 1974: Lucas finalizes a first draft of "Star Wars" that includes thematic elements such as the Death Star and a protagonist named Annikin Starkiller (replaced in a later draft with Luke Starkiller) and introduces concept of The Force. 1975: In preparation for filming "Star Wars," Lucas founds the visual-effects company Industrial Light & Magic. 1976: 20th Century Fox approves a preproduction script of ... Continue reading →

Passengers step off of the Lookout Mountain Incline at the St. Elmo Station. Summer travel by the numbers Among Florida, Georgia, Middle and West Tennessee travelers: • 79 percent plan to take a leisure trip of 50 miles or more • 78 percent plan to travel domestically • 67 percent plan to take a summer vacation of four days or more • 52 percent plan to drive to a vacation destination • 49 percent plan to spend $1,000 or less Source: AAA Auto Club survey of 616 residents Poll Will you take a vacation to another city this summer? Today is the official start to Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to the summer, inspiring 34.8 million Americans to hit the road for their ... Continue reading →

Lauren Alaina Suddeth, 17, speaks about her singing career while at her Rossville, Ga., residence. Lauren Alaina has been nominated for two Teen Choice Awards: Choice Female Country Artist and Choice TV: Female Reality Star. Lauren, daughter of JJ and Kristy Suddeth of Rossville, was runner-up on Season 10 of "American Idol." The country singer has signed with Mercury Nashville/19 Recordings/Interscope. The Teen Choice Awards honor the hottest teen icons in television, music, film, sports, fashion and other aspects of pop culture. The two-hour special airs live Sunday, July 22, at 8 p.m. on Fox. "I am a big fan of the Teen Choice Awards and try to watch it every year," Lauren said. "I love that this is a show where teenagers can rally ... Continue reading →

Kyle Holden, president of Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation Photo by Tim Barber /Chattanooga Times Free Press. A group dedicated to fighting annexation by Chattanooga will not disband, but instead will take a "wait-and-see" approach to efforts by the city to extend its boundaries, the group's leader said Thursday. Kyle Holden, president of Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation, said the city still could annex a handful of neighborhoods, including Hurricane Creek, Windstone and Emerald Valley. "All they have to do is put it on the [City Council] agenda," he said. Richard Beeland, spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield, said there are no immediate plans for annexation, but unforeseen events could always push the city to take the step. "There's always the possibility," Beeland said. Starting in ... Continue reading →

Danielle Maples places her hand over her mouth as her 5-year-old son, Jace, reaches up to touch the casket of his father, Officer Justin Maples, after it is loaded onto a horse-drawn carriage for conveyance to Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Cleveland, Tenn., on Thursday. Maples was killed in the line of duty on Sunday in a single-vehicle crash while responding to a stolen vehicle emergency call. Remembering Cleveland's Officer Justin Maples Cleveland Police Department Officer Justin Maples was laid to rest Thursday at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Cleveland, Tenn. Maples died after crashing his police cruiser while responding to a stolen vehicle call on May 20. CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- As Officer Justin Maples' casket was being loaded onto a horse-drawn caisson for his final journey, ... Continue reading →

Police gather outside a home today on Lower Dawnville Road in Whitfield County. A double homicide was discovered by neighbors early this morning at 1200 Green Springs Road nearby. A 9-year-old girl was the first person to find one of the dead bodies discovered this morning in a Dalton home, according to the girl’s grandfather. Jessica Neal and Donald Shedd were found dead in a house on Green Springs Road, according to Billy Miller, Neal’s father. His daughter is 27, Miller said, and Shedd is about 70 years old. Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood said one body was found inside the home, and the other was in a small pool house at the residence. Miller said his granddaughter found Shedd’s body in the kitchen this ... Continue reading →

Tennessee football player Cameron Clear University of Tennessee police on Cameron Clear Cameron Clear's future on the Tennessee football team remains uncertain. The sophomore tight end was suspended indefinitely by coach Derek Dooley on Wednesday following his arrest on Tuesday. UT police caught the Memphis native with a stolen laptop, and Clear was charged with felony theft of between $1,000 and $10,000. The 19-year-old's bond of $2,500 was posted late Tuesday night, he was released from the Knox County Detention Facility and his bonded arraignment court date was set for June 1. "We suspended him indefinitely, and we've just got to get more information," Dooley said before Wednesday night's Big Orange Caravan stop at the Chattanooga Convention Center. "We've got to shake it all out." ... Continue reading →

iPhone 5 with 4-inch Display mockup by Timothy Collins(Photo: The Verge | Mobile & Apps) Apple iPhone 5 is the most anticipated smartphone of 2012, and probably of 2011 too. The device is likely to hit stores at some point in summer or fall. Each day, some new rumors are added to iPhone 5 rumor mill. Apple fanboys are expecting cutting-edge hardware and software features in iPhone 5. Here is a rundown of features that the upcoming Apple flagship model is expected to boast off. 4-inch Display Many people have speculated an increase in the size of the screen, assuming that Apple will remove the void around the screen to feature an edge-to-edge display in iPhone 5. According to Wall Street Journal, Apple has ordered ... Continue reading →