Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government.
He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee.
A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism.
Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune; a reporter at the Knoxville News-Sentinel; editor of the The Daily Beacon (the UT student newspaper); a reporter at the Daily Times in Maryville, Tenn.; and a crime reporter at the Monroe County Advocate and Democrat in Sweetwater, Tenn.
Cliff won a third place award for beat reporting in the 2005 Florida Society of Newspaper contest; a second place for General News Writing in the 2004 Florida Press Club contest; first place for best single feature in the 2000 Tennessee Press Association contest; second place for best news story in the 2000 Tennessee Press Association awards; and was named University of Tennessee Student Publications Senior Journalist of the Year in 2003.
Cliff has been married to Lisa for seven years and they have with two children, Carolina and Kellen. Cliff enjoys almost anything outdoors from hiking, backpacking, mountain biking to swimming. He also enjoys fiction writing and has written two novels, both currently sitting on shelves. Cliff served three years in the U.S. Army before going to college.
Contact Cliff at 423-757-7480 or chightower@timesfreepress.com.
Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CliffHightower.
Recent Stories »
Potential candidates in Chattanooga's mayoral recall election in August are mostly taking a wait-and-see approach as the issue moves to a court hearing next week.
Construction is under way on a $4.1 million facility that will house a city employee health and wellness health clinic and pharmacy.
Chattanooga officials broke ground this morning on a $4.1 million health and wellness center on 11th Street to serve city employees.
Parks and Recreation officials want to keep a Champions Club tennis professional on staff to manage the facility.
A City Council meeting Tuesday to investigate a city contract quickly turned into a debate on the legitimacy of the meeting.
Several Chattanooga City Council members questioned today the need for a public hearing on contracts with Excalibur Integrated Systems after they said agreements were about minor issues.
The city's new library director will receive 44 percent more pay than the old director and make more than the city's police chief and fire chief, records show.
The Chattanooga City Council will investigate whether an $800,000 contract was awarded improperly to a friend of the city's chief of staff.
The City Council decided Tuesday night that Chattanooga would join the lawsuit involving a potential recall of Mayor Ron Littlefield.
The City Council has decided it will allocate $75,000 to a joint partnership between the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
