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…
Victim dies from Highway 153 crash two weeks ago
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - Chattanooga Police report that a victim has died from a crash 17 days ago on Highway 153. It happened on the morning of January third just before 10. Investigators say a vehicle approaching Chickamauga dam lost control…
Riverbend returns with a lineup of roots music acts from multiple genres
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - The Riverbend Festival is returning this year with a mix of country, Americana, and jam band acts. Friends of the Festival announced the lineup this morning. The headliners are Jason Isbell,…
Teen runners found safe after night lost on the trail
WALDENS RIDGE, Tennessee (WDEF) - A pair of teenage runners spent much of last night in the cold on Waldens Ridge. Rescuers were called out when the 17 and 18 year old got separated from a group that was running…
US researchers test pig-to-human transplant in donated body
Surgeons in Alabama transplanted a pig’s kidneys into a brain-dead man — a step-by-step rehearsal for an operation they hope to try in living patients possibly later this year.
Arresting officer in Floyd County teacher sting proud to get a predator out of schools
Administrators and students at Coahulla Creek High School in Dalton got the surprise they never wanted to hear: a now-former teacher faces charges in a child predator sting in neighboring Floyd County. Police charged 36-year-old Michael David Powers with five…
Crews searching for missing teens on Falling Water Trail
WALDENS RIDGE, Tennessee (WDEF) - The Waldens Ridge Emergency Services is conducting a ground search on Signal Mountain for two missing teenagers. They are 17 and 18 years old. Officials say the two trail runners got lost when it got…
More schools closing and going virtual because of Covid & illnesses
ATHENS, Tennessee (WDEF) - In previous years, we called them "flu days." But now the Omicon variant of Covid has made the illness situation even more acute in some area schools. Most say they are having trouble finding enough staff…
CHI Memorial names street in honor of MaryEllen Locher
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - Officials with C-H-I Memorial helped officially rename a Chattanooga Street earlier today. Formerly known as Healthy Street, the road was renamed MaryEllen Locher Way. It was renamed after a beloved…
Chattanooga State will add a new building to campus
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - The State Building Commission has approved the construction of a new building at Chattanooga State Community College. It's expected to be roughly 49-thousand square feet, and cost 21-point-9 million dollars. With…
County Commission postpones decision on Nepotism policy
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - This morning, the Hamilton County Commission took up a resolution to stop constitutional officers from using county funds to pay family members. Commissioner Tim Boyd proposed the resolution and wanted to vote on the issue quickly. But…
Uber Statement and Neighbor's Account of Alleged Attack on Driver
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) - Zachery Richard Johnson was booked Saturday night on charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual battery and carjacking following his alleged attack on an Uber driver…
Push to stop House map carving Nashville has legal obstacles
By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Democrats and voting rights groups have blasted Tennessee Republicans for what they call an effort to dilute the state’s Black vote by carving Nashville into three likely GOP-controlled districts. But opponents…
Henegar man charged with soliciting underage girl
FORT PAYNE, Alabama (WDEF) - Investigators in Alabama have charged a Sand Mountain man soliciting a child. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Investigation's Unit got a tip that 27 year old Bobby Cole Howell of Henegar was possibly having communications with…
Coahulla Creek High teacher arrested in child predator sting
UPDATE: "Mr. Powers has resigned from his position with Whitfield County Schools."-- Whitfield County Schools ________ ROME, Georgia (WDEF) - A teacher at Coahulla Creek High School faces charges in a child predator sting in neighboring Floyd County. 36 year…
Deputy chase ends in fatal crash in Soddy Daisy
SODDY DAISY, Tennessee (WDEF) - An early morning law enforcement chase ended in a fatal crash. Officials with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office say a deputy tried to stop with a missing headlight that was acting suspiciously after 1 AM…
White House: Texas hostage-taker had raised no red flags
The gunman who took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue in a 10-hour standoff was checked against law enforcement databases before entering the U.S. but raised no red flags.
Affidavit: Uber driver calls her brutal sexual assault "agony"
A late night ride this past Saturday had one Uber driver facing the unthinkable: being sexually assaulted while driving a passenger out to Ooltewah. Poilce charged 36-year-old…