March for Life Comes to Chattanooga as Roe v. Wade Turns 49
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - Today is the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade when the Supreme Court legalized abortion. March for Lifes have been taking place all over the country and Chattanooga…
Bradley Co. Sheriff Seeking Re-Election
BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson wants to keep his job as sheriff awhile longer. He announced Saturday he's running for re-election in the May 3 Republican primary. Lawson was elected in 2018. He calls his…
Reddit Post Targets Two Chattanooga Hospitals
UDPATE #2: Scott Quiner passed away Saturday at a hospital in Houston. UPDATE: Since the airing of this story, the post has been deleted, and moved to a subreddit channel…
Georgia Hospitals Still Urge COVID Precautions During Pandemic
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- The latest surge of COVID-19 may have peaked in Georgia. But hospitals continue to warn of the strain they face from overloaded emergency rooms and inpatient wards. They're urging people to take precautions despite fatigue with…
Judge Deciding if "Racially Insensitive" Messages Allowed as Evidence
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) -- A federal judge is weighing whether prosecutors should be allowed to use “racially insensitive” text messages as evidence in the hate crimes trial of three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery. U.S. Magistrate Judge…
Georgia Officials Sue Biden Administration Over Medicaid Requirements
ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- Georgia officials have sued the Biden administration over its decision to revoke approval of the state’s plan to require new Medicaid recipients to meet a work requirement. The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court seeks a…
Chip's Good Word: Soap Box Derby stories
ATHENS, Tennessee (WDEF) - If you have ever considered getting your kids in on the Soap Box Derby racing circuit, we've got a good entry point for your on Saturday. Two champions from…
House Speaker talks about where Tennessee is spending infrastructure funds
NASHVILLE (WDEF) - The Tennessee state government has formed a bi-partisan group to bridge the gap between federal government funding for local communities and what the state plans to do. Speaker of the house Cameron Sexton told News 12's Bill…
Early Childhood Education survey
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - The local coalition Early Matters launched a new survey yesterday for people in Hamilton County. The topic? Early childhood education. The survey takes about nine minutes to complete. It's intended…
Critics Perceive Lack of Diversity Among Riverbend Headliners
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - Riverbend Festival organizers say the lineup selection process is complex but involves community input. "We sent out a survey to around 30,000 people and just ask them straight up, who…
Georgia leads nation for quitting your job
WASHINGTON D.C. (WDEF) - They call it the "Great Resignation." A record number of workers quit their jobs before the holidays across the country and Georgia leads the list. The numbers come from November, the most recent month to be…
Omicron Surge Continues in Hamilton County
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - With 670 new cases reported in Hamilton County today, Chattanooga continues to face yet another surge of COVID-19. Driven by the Omicron variant, this new wave comes…
Clinic operator sentenced to 14 years for pill scheme
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - A Nurse practitioner has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in Chattanooga. 64 year old Mark Daniel Allen was convicted last fall of running a drug-involved premises and distributing controlled substances. Prosecutors said he handed out…
Pothole plan for Tennessee highways
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) - TDOT reports they are addressing a pothole problem on state highways and interstates in Tennessee. They blame the back-to-back winter storms that have hit the state. They say they are using all available staff now to…
Bradley County investigates dog shooting
CLEVELAND, Tennessee (WDEF) - Investigators in the Bradley County Sheriff's Office are looking into the case of a dog shooting. It happened during the day on Tuesday at a home in the Tri Circle/Bartlett Circle NE. Investigators say someone shot…
Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw 14.1M visits in '21
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw 14.1 million visits in 2021, topping the record from 2019 by 1.5 million. Officials say the park also set eight monthly visitation records during winter and spring months last year.…
Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, dies at 68
Louie Anderson, whose more than four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68.
Governor Visits Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is making his appearances throughout the state, taking time on Thursday to visit the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring…
Tennessee Governor to Give State of the State Speech Jan. 31
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee plans to give his annual State of the State speech on Jan. 31. The Republican will deliver the address to state lawmakers for his fourth time since taking office in 2019. Lee…
Lawsuit: Tennessee adoption agency turned away Jewish couple
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A Knoxville couple is suing the Tennessee Department of Children's Services and says a state-sponsored Christian adoption agency refused to help them because they are Jewish. Knoxville News Sentinel reported that Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram say the…
Can you help find missing Chickamauga teen with autism?
CHICKAMAUGA, Georgia (WDEF) - The Chickamauga Police Department continues to search for a missing teenager under suspicious circumstances. 17 year old Talyn Rae Kernea was last seen in Chickamauga on Tuesday. Her family says she has autism and other cognitive…
Nine Hamilton County Schools go Virtual
UPDATE: Hamilton County added 5 new schools to the virtual learning list late Thursday: School Dates Battle Academy 1/21-1/25 Chattanooga School for Liberal Arts 1/21-1/25 East Brainerd Elementary School 1/21-1/25 Lookout Valley Middle…
More Information on Teenage Trail Runner Rescue
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - "It's kind of like a bowl of spaghetti. It just keeps going. It gets tangled up. It's really easy to get turned around." That's how local experienced trail runner Garrison…
From The Archives: 1982 French Chef Visit
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - These days, you can find a cooking show just about every where you turn. But 40 years ago, chefs had to hit the road to reach…