SERVING OUR COMMUNITY: Food, Care, And Community Connection
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - For more than 50 years, Hope for the Inner City has been working to serve East Chattanooga by connecting residents with food, affordable healthcare…
Robert Hanley
Articles
Community Rallies Around Fire Victims
HIXSON, Tenn. (WDEF) - After a fire at the Integra Vista Apartments in Hixson displaced residents, Berean Baptist Church stepped in to collect donations for those impacted. The church began gathering…
Rock City Barns Get New Life
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - If you’re seeing more Rock City-inspired barn designs around the Chattanooga area, there’s a reason why. Rock City’s Barns2Birdhouses project is bringing a piece of roadside…
Operation Southern Slow Down Kicks Off
RINGGOLD, GA. (WDEF) - Drivers across the Southeast can expect increased speed enforcement after the ninth annual Operation Southern Slow Down campaign kicked off Monday. The week-long effort runs through…
Family Shares Miraculous Storm Survival
TRION, GA. (WDEF) - For nearly 33 years, Norman and Janice Gaither called their Trion house home. In just moments on the Fourth of July, severe storms changed everything when a…
Car Goes Over Embankment on Cummings Highway
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -A driver escaped with minor injuries after a vehicle went over an embankment on Cummings Highway Saturday afternoon. The crash happened just before 4 p.m. on July 11 in…
Vehicle Recovered from Parksville Lake
OCOEE, Tenn. (WDEF) - A vehicle was recovered from Parksville Lake Tuesday morning after it rolled down an embankment near Mac Point in Polk County. Around 8 a.m., Bradley County…
Baby Lemur Gets New Name
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -The Tennessee Aquarium’s newest furry resident now has a name. After more than 7,000 votes, the public chose Soleil (Soh-lay) as the name for the baby red-collared brown…
Investment Expands Skilled Trades Pathways
SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) - Hamilton County students will soon have expanded opportunities to prepare for careers in the skilled trades thanks to a new $9 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Chattanooga-Hamilton…
New Partnership Fuels Tech Innovation
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The Company Lab signed a new partnership Wednesday aimed at helping bring more Tennessee-developed technology from the lab to the marketplace. The…
Residents Rebuild After Devastating Fire
HIXSON, Tenn. (WDEF) - A massive apartment fire in Hixson left dozens of people without homes Sunday, but residents say support from the community is helping them move forward. Investigators say…
Q ’n Brew Returns Saturday Night
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Q ’n Brew returns to the Chattanooga Zoo this weekend, bringing together barbecue, live entertainment, local brews, and family-friendly activities for an evening after regular zoo…
Patriotic Celebration Brings History Alive
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - This year’s Independence Day edition of TVFCU Riverfront Nights is putting history in the spotlight as it partners with America 250 for a full day of patriotic…
Venue Request Hearing Pushed Back
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - A hearing on whether former police chief Celeste Murphy can have her criminal trial moved out of Hamilton County has been delayed. The hearing, which had been…
Time Capsule Opens After Decades
DALTON, GA. (WDEF) - Whitfield County officially kicked off its weeklong celebration of America’s 250th anniversary Tuesday by opening a time capsule that had been sealed for 50 years. The capsule,…
Keep Pets Safe This Holiday
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Fireworks may be a holiday tradition, but they can be terrifying for pets. McKamey Animal Center says the days around the Fourth of July are some of…
Chickapalooza brings crowds to Downtown Chickamauga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Art, music, and community filled downtown Chickamauga on Saturday as Chickapalooza brought visitors together for a day long celebration inspired by the legacy of Reverend Howard…
Summer Festival Celebrates Creative Spirit
CHICKAMAUGA, GA. (WDEF) - Art, music, and community came together Saturday as Chickapalooza returned with a full day of activities celebrating the legacy of Rev. Howard Finster. The event began with…
Airbnb Expands Holiday Party Crackdown
NATIONWIDE, U.S. (WDEF) - Airbnb is rolling out enhanced anti-party measures across the United States ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The company says its technology and AI algorithms…
Campaign Encourages July 4th Giving
NATIONWIDE, U.S. (WDEF) - As Americans prepare for cookouts, parades and fireworks this Independence Day, a national initiative is encouraging people to add one more tradition to their Fourth of July…
Goodwill Opens Store and Adds Jobs
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) - A former grocery store in Southeast Cleveland has been given new life as Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area officially opened its newest location Thursday.…
Mayor Candidate Threat Allegations
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - A Hamilton County Democratic mayoral candidate is facing scrutiny over allegations he sent threatening text messages to multiple school board members in October of 2025. According to a…
Walker County animal shelter reopens following 30-day shutdown
The Walker County animal shelter has opened following a 30-day shutdown. The shelter completed a 30-day quarantine after a…
20 Years Serving Local Families
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - For 20 years, LifeSpring Community Health has worked to provide affordable healthcare for children and families who may otherwise struggle to access it. Founded in 2006, the…
Soccer Live! Takes Over Downtown
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - SOCCER LIVE! Chattanooga is bringing a free, three-day community watch party to the Chattanooga Green June nineteenth through the twenty-first. Hosted by the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton…
Heritage Park Reopens After Major Upgrades
ATHENS, Tenn. (WDEF) - A ribbon-cutting ceremony officially reopened Heritage Park in Athens Friday morning following major renovations to the longtime community space. City leaders joined the Athens Area Chamber…
Inside Spain’s World Cup Preparation
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - As Spain’s national team continues training in Chattanooga ahead of the World Cup, another team is working behind the scenes to help keep everything moving. News 12…
First Annual Sandwich Week Launches
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Chattanooga’s newest food event is serving up a fresh way to explore local lunch spots this week. The first-ever Chattanooga Sandwich Week is bringing $8 sandwich specials…
River City Company launches campaign to ‘enhance’ Chattanooga’s riverfront
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- River City Company has announced the public launch of Riverfront Parks Next, the fundraising campaign aimed to…
Spain Brings Soccer Excitement to Chattanooga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - What started with cheering crowds welcoming the team turned into something many Chattanooga soccer fans never imagined they would experience in their own city… watching one…
Vega Trial Day Four Brings Emotional Testimony
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Testimony turned emotional Friday on day four of the Randy Vega trial inside Judge Boyd Patterson’s courtroom, where jurors heard from the medical examiner before…
Kids Trade Screens For Streams
COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. (WDEF) - Kids spent part of their summer Wednesday exploring the outdoors during Collegedale Parks and Recreation’s annual “Creek Explorers” program. Held at Wolftever Creek, the hands-on event gave…
Scramble Alley is set to come down
SODDY DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) - For more than 30 years, Scramble Alley has been a place for children to play. Now, the longtime playground is set to come down.…
Breaking Ground On School Growth
SODDY DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) - Hamilton County leaders officially broke ground Wednesday on a major renovation and expansion project at Soddy Daisy Middle School, marking the first major groundbreaking under the…
Learning Adulthood Includes Healthcare
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - For many teens, growing up comes with lessons in driving, school, work and finances. But a new survey suggests one major responsibility may be getting overlooked: learning how…
Balancing Growth with Local History
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - As development continues to reshape Chattanooga, a new effort is giving residents multiple opportunities to weigh in on how the city preserves its historic identity while planning…
Former Deacon Faces Added Charges
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - A former Hixson church deacon accused of secretly recording a minor returned to court Tuesday as prosecutors outlined additional charges and argued for stricter bond conditions. Christopher…
Safety Festival Marks Start of Summer
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - As summer gets underway, Erlanger and community partners hosted an event Saturday focused on helping families prepare for the months ahead. The fourth annual Summer Outreach…
First Renaissance Faire Arrives in Chattanooga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Coolidge Park was transformed Saturday into a medieval-inspired gathering place as Chattanooga hosted its first-ever Renaissance Faire along the Tennessee Riverfront. From 10:00 a.m. to 8:00…
Spain Brings World Cup Focus
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Spain’s national football team is coming to Chattanooga as its training base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At Thursday’s Chattanooga Rotary club meeting, former U.S. men’s…