What's Right With Our Schools, Hixson 7th Grade Band
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) - It's a time-honored holiday tradition in Hamilton County. Hixson Middle School's 7th grade Band did a great job performing at Christmas…
Boot Stealing Teenagers Busted Following Shoplifting Spree
Police are accusing up to four teenagers with stealing merchandise from stores and then selling it again on Facebook Marketplace. Investigators say it started with a shoplifting spree at the Gunbarrel Boot Barn. The store manager reported that a…
Planet Fitness Opens New Club in Ooltewah
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. -- IGNITE Fitness Holdings has celebrated the grand opening of its newest location on Apison Pike in Ooltewah. IGNITE Fitness Holdings is one of the largest Planet Fitness franchises, according to…
Orange Grove to get Another Chance to Continue Recycling Program
“The City is working to enhance our recycling and refuse capabilities in a way that uses taxpayer resources most wisely. We have been in contact with Orange Grove and explained the direction the City is going. We will be pushing…
Jim Beam to pause production at its main distillery on Jan. 1
The maker of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey said it plans to pause production at its main distillery in Kentucky starting Jan. 1. Jim Beam, which is owned by a U.S. subsidiary…
Ways to stay unplugged and unwrapped on Christmas
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Influencer Rachel Leonard Kennedy shows us how to stay unplugged and in the moment during the holidays, while also relieving the stress of wrapping a…
Mobile home catches on fire in Sequatchie County
SEQUATCHIE COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) - On Sunday morning just after 10:30 AM, Dunlap Fire Department responded to a residential…
Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors hosts Christmas event in Miller Park
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - With Christmas just a few days away, families gathered in downtown Chattanooga for a festive holiday celebration filled with cheer, characters, and…
Local production ‘Where You Left Me’ films in Northwest Georgia
LAFAYETTE, GA. (WDEF) - Georgia is quickly becoming a go to destination for filmmakers, not only for large scale productions, but also for local storytellers bringing meaningful…
Luminaria Festival Shines Bright
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - The Fifth Annual Luminaria Festival lit up the Virginia Avenue Greenway tonight, transforming the streets into a glowing corridor of art, music, and community spirit. Presented by the…
Growing Christmas Lights Display Draws Crowds
OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (WDEF) - What began as a small Christmas light display has grown into a must-see holiday attraction in Ooltewah. A family on Sarah Drive has been decorating their…
Ringgold Political event highlights Congressional and Lt. Governor Races
RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) - A political event was held Saturday night in Ringgold, Georgia, where several Republican candidates hoping to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene addressed voters and…
Teen victim dies from multiple gunshot wounds
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - The Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) is investigating a homicide that happened yesterday 7:00 pm in the 1100 block of Jackson Ave. According to the CPD, officers responded and located Wallace Milam,…
Forgotten Child Fund Wraps Up Final Toy Drive of the Season
Chattanooga, TN (WDEF)-The spirit of giving was on full display across Chattanooga today as the Forgotten Child Fund wrapped up its final toy drive of the Christmas season. Volunteers and first responders spent the day outside several Chattanooga-area Walmart locations,…
CHATT Foundation Honors Lives Lost to Homelessness
Chattanooga, TN (WDEF)-More than 60 people experiencing homelessness have died in the Chattanooga area this year. On Saturday, the CHATT Foundation gathered with community members to honor their lives and remind the public that each person was known, loved, and…
Hamilton County school board adopts growth policy
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Hamilton County School Board has adopted a policy pertaining to how new development will affect school zones. Proposed by school board member Ben Daughtery,…
HCSO Recognizes Ten New Corrections Deputies
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. -- Ten new corrections deputies were recognized at the Corrections Academy Graduation Ceremony for Class 25-04 on December 19, 2025. The graduates completed 292 hours of comprehensive training…
Paving to Prompt Closures on I-24
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) contract crews will implement temporary lane and ramp closures to carry out paving work. This comes as phase 2 to widen and improve the I-75 at…
These are expected to be the busiest days to fly this holiday season
The holidays are set to pack runways and highways alike, with a record number of Americans on the move in late December. An estimated 122.4 million people are expected to travel over the busy…
American Airlines stops offering miles and other rewards for basic economy fares
Members of American Airlines' loyalty program will no longer earn miles or other travel rewards when purchasing a basic economy ticket. People enrolled in the carrier's AAdvantage program previously earned two miles and loyalty points…
Behind the Curtain - Dollywood Christmas Shows
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WDEF) - News 12's Amelia Greer took a trip to the great Smokey Mountains and got to look Behind the Curtain at Dollywood's Christmas shows! Dollywood…
Ford recalls nearly 273,000 vehicles over rollaway risk
Ford Motor is recalling nearly 273,000 vehicles due to an issue with the parking function that could cause cars to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety…
How local schools performed on Tennessee's school letter report card
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The state of Tennessee has released their annual school letter report cards for all public schools across the state. These grades are determined via test scores and college/career readiness. We analyzed the grades for all 159 schools…
Rural schools hit by Trump’s grant cuts have few options for making up for the lost money
SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — When the funding for Shannon Johnson’s job as a school mental health counselor came to an abrupt end, two years into a five-year grant, she thought about the work left to be done. Johnson taught elementary and middle-school…