Veterans learn about new resources available through PACT Act
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- A resource fair was held Thursday afternoon for veterans to learn more about their updated benefits with a recent act passed in Congress.…
Flintstone man charged with having meth, cocaine, marijuana
FLINTSTONE, Ga. (WDEF) -- A Walker County man is behind bars for drug charges and having a gun as a convicted felon. Authorities arrested 43-year-old Eric Upshaw. The Lookout…
Hamilton County's final recommendations for school futures
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Hamilton County Schools has given their final recommendations for the future of schools in the area. The recommendations will be proposed to the Hamilton County School Board on Thursday night. School officials plan to make…
Changes to Georgia school accountability could mean no more A-to-F grades for schools and districts
By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — It’s getting more complicated to tell how Georgia public schools are faring. The state Department of Education on Thursday released a full spectrum of school accountability numbers for the first time since…
A 4-month-old survived after a Tennessee tornado tossed him. His parents found him in a downed tree
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A 4-month-old boy has survived after a tornado in Tennessee sucked him up from his family's mobile home, which was demolished in the storm. Sydney Moore told WSMV-TV that when the tornado hit their home in…
McMinnville caregiver charged with stealing from vulnerable adult
MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) -- A Tennessee caregiver has been charged with financially exploiting a vulnerable adult. A Rutherford County grand jury indicted 48-year-old Tashius Tarese Pleasant, of McMinnville, on November 9. The TBI and the Murfreesboro Police Department had been…
Mickey Mouse will soon belong to you and me — with some caveats
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — M-I-C-K-E-Y will soon belong to you and me. With several asterisks, qualification and caveats, Mickey Mouse in his earliest form will be the leader of the band of characters, films…
"After School Satan Club" coming to Tennessee elementary school
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Parents are taking to social media to express their displeasure with a new after-school club coming to an elementary school in Tennessee. A post to Facebook and Twitter reads, "After School Satan Club is coming to…
SCORE 2024 report released at Construction Career Center
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The State of Education in Tennessee held a networking reception and conference for school and community leaders Thursday morning at the Construction Career Center. In this…
Five Hamilton County School Board members not running for reelection
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Of the six Hamilton County School Board members up for reelection, only one is seeking another term. Jill Black, of District 11, is running again. However, Rhonda Thurman of District 1, Marco Perez of District…
Woman missing out of Walker County
WALKER COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) -- The Walker County Sheriff's Office is searching for a missing woman. They are asking for the public's help in locating Mary Jane McNeese, who was last seen in Dade County. McNeese was last seen getting…
Driving Our Economy Forward: Fox and Forest Leather
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- They make leather goods that wear in, not out. And the folks with Fox & Forest Leather make their products right here in the…
Middle and high school students participate at Inventanooga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - STEM School Chattanooga and UTC hosted the second annual Inventanooga. Inventanooga is a pitch competition where middle through 12 students will pitch their inventions and…
Rep. Fleischmann explains his vote to continue Biden impeachment inquiry
WASHINGTON (WDEF) -- Local Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann voted to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The House of Representatives passed the resolution to continue the inquiry on Wednesday, December 13. Rep. Fleischmann provided a statement regarding his…
House votes to formalize Biden impeachment inquiry, escalating GOP probe
Washington — The House voted to formalize the Republican majority's impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Wednesday, a move that could give them more legal firepower to investigate his family's business dealings. The chamber voted 221 to 212 in a party-line…
Suspect convicted in Walker County cold case
CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. (WDEF) - Solving a cold case that goes back three decades is a big challenge. (more…)
$2,500 reward offered for identifying bald eagle shooter
KINGSTON, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Someone shot a bald eagle near Watts Bar Lake, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for the suspect's arrest. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) said it happened in the Blue…
Dayton City School to be closed remainder of this week
DAYTON, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Dayton City School will be closed for the remainder of this week, they announced on social media. The school made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon. School officials said the closure is due to high levels of…
TBI searching for missing Spencer teen
SPENCER, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Spencer Police Department are searching for a missing teenager. Lillian Rein, a 14-year-old girl, went missing on Saturday, December 9, the TBI said. Spencer Police said Rein was…
HES giving away winter shelters for outdoor cats
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Hamilton County residents can pick up winter shelters for outdoor cats at the Humane Educational Society (HES). HES volunteers have created several of these shelters made from coolers filled with straw. The organization said they had…
County officials hope to restore Stringer's Branch with state grant
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Hamilton County is hoping to get a state grant to help restore and clean up a portion of Stringer's Branch, which runs through Red Bank. Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp announced on Wednesday that his…
3 arrested in McMinn County for Walmart theft
MCMINN COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- McMinn deputies arrested three people recently for shoplifting more than $1,000 worth of items from Walmart. On Monday night, December 11, authorities arrested 21-year-old Jacob Jarnow of Athens, 36-year-old Dottie Yearwood of Dayton and 43-year-old…
Tesla recalls nearly all vehicles sold in US to fix system that monitors drivers using Autopilot
By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling nearly all vehicles sold in the U.S., more than 2 million, to update software and fix a defective system that’s supposed to ensure drivers are paying attention when…
Annual Pork Report takes aim at McDonald Farm purchase in Hamilton County
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The Beacon Center has issued their annual Pork Report, and this year's list may not make Hamilton County leaders happy. The report tackles what the Center considers wasted spending by local and state government from…