First Responder Hero Award: Trey Birdwell
DUNLAP, Tenn. (WDEF) – News 12 is recognizing some of the bravest members of our community through the First Responders Hero Award. Whether someone is an EMT, paramedic, firefighter, or police…
Festival of Trees event raises funds for struggling mothers
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Foundation House Ministries’ Festival of Trees event was Thursday. The event runs from 6 to 8pm and gives families an opportunity to celebrate…
Red Bank Pantry Sees Surge in Families as SNAP Delays Continue
Chattanooga, TN (WDEF)-The Chattanooga Area Food Bank remains in emergency response mode as delayed SNAP benefits push more families across Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia…
Pilgrim’s Breaks Ground in LaFayette
LAFAYETTE, GA (WDEF) - Pilgrim’s is making a major investment in Walker County’s future with the groundbreaking of a $400 million prepared foods facility at the Walker County Business Park in…
Can Tariff Rebates Really Happen?
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - President Donald Trump has proposed giving most Americans a $2,000 payment funded by money collected from tariffs on imported goods. The administration says the plan could take…
Toyota recalls nearly 127,000 vehicles because engines can stall
Toyota is recalling 126,691 Tundra and Lexus models because the engines can stall, increasing the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In a Nov. 6 recall notice, NHTSA said…
McKee Foods debuts annual Christmas Tree Cakes
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- McKee Foods joined us on Prime News at 7 to debut their annual Christmas Tree Cakes.…
Bring the Family to a Touch-a-Truck event
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The Collegedale Police Department is partnering with the Junior League of Chattanooga to invite the public to a family-friendly Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday, November 15. The Junior…
Ammonia leak in Oklahoma leaves dozens hospitalized, forces hundreds to evacuate
A chemical spill injured dozens of people, some seriously, and forced hundreds to evacuate from a western Oklahoma city on Wednesday night, according to local officials. Evacuation orders were lifted Thursday morning. The incident…
New Sheriff’s Property and Evidence Facility
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Hamilton County law enforcement has officially finished upgrades to the Law Enforcement Operations Center (LEOC) and the newly renovated Property and Evidence Facility that formerly was…
Miner caught in flooding found dead in West Virginia after dayslong search, governor says
The body of a miner missing since Saturday in a flooded West Virginia coal mine has been found, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morissey announced Thursday morning. Morissey identified the man as Steve Lipscomb. Crews discovered…
Catoosa County Sex Offender Sentenced to 35 years in Prison
CATOOSA COUNTY, GA (WDEF) - A convicted sex offender in Catoosa County has been sentenced to 35 years in prison. A jury found John Christian Collier guilty of 16 counts of sexually related crimes against children. Those charges include Child…
Proposed land swap continues to be topic of conversation at commission meeting
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- The potential deed land swap between McDonald Farm and Enterprise South Nature Park continued to stir debate at Hamilton County…
Georgia debates extending student phone ban to high schools
ATLANTA, Georgia (WDEF) - The debate over extending the cellphone ban to high schools continues in Georgia. State lawmakers banned them in K-through-8 grades this school year. But lawmakers will consider extending the ban to high schools in the next legislative…
Lee Company helping out our community with their annual Vans4Cans food drive
Nick Shanks joins News 12's Chip Chapman to remind viewers of a special fundraiser technicians are doing with Lee Company. CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Lee Company's annual Vans4Cans food drive is helping…
Rep. Fleischmann: "Tonight was one of the easiest votes I have taken in Congress"
WASHINGTON D.C. (WDEF) - Here is Representative Chuck Fleischmann's take on the end of the government shutdown on Wednesday. "From the beginning of the Democrats' Government Shutdown, beginning on September 19, when I voted for the clean, non-partisan Continuing Resolution…
Grundy County Deputy treated and released after crash
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - A Grundy County Deputy was involved in a wreck Wednesday morning in Lookout Valley. Grundy officials say he lives in the area and was heading to work when it happened. The Highway Patrol reports he was travelling…
Tennesseans paid more than $20,000 last year to raise a child
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - How much did your child cost you last year? A new report by SmartAsset compares the cost by state for raising a child under five per year. The good news is that Tennessee is one of the…
Family escapes house fire thanks to dog
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - East Lake residents are safe after their dog alerted them of a fire in the house. At 4:46 AM Thursday, the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a house fire on the…
President Trump signs government funding bill, ending shutdown after a record 43-day disruption
ASSOCIATED PRESS By KEVIN FREKING, JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MATT BROWN WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without…
Hamilton County Commission to consider senior tax freeze resolution
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Could there be a tax freeze for Hamilton County seniors? (more…)
Penny Production Officially Ends Nationwide
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - The United States Mint has officially ended production of the penny. The final one-cent coins for circulation were struck on November 12, 2025, concluding over 230 years…
Proposed Soddy-Daisy asphalt plant resurfaces amid continued opposition
SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF)- You may remember a proposed…
Judge orders hundreds detained by ICE in Chicago area released over the next week, with hundreds more possible
A federal judge has ordered that hundreds of people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement be released from federal facilities in the next week because their arrests by ICE were possibly unlawful and in violation of a federal court…
