Back-To-School Clothes Shopping Trends
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - As back-to-school season begins, families are adjusting their spending habits, especially when it comes to clothing. According to the 2025 Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey, parents expect to…
$1 Million in Fire Grants Awarded to Local Volunteer Departments
Chattanooga, TN(WDEF)- Inside the Gerald McCormick Conference Center, a strong display of unity and support unfolded as leaders from across Tennessee came together for an important…
Chatt Prep Walk Welcomes Students
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - Chattanooga Preparatory School kicked off the new school year with a powerful tradition known as the Chattanooga 300 Walk. Students walked into the building this morning to…
Tennessee executes man with implanted heart device despite concerns over shock risk
An inmate executed by Tennessee without deactivating his implanted defibrillator said he was hurting badly shortly after the lethal injection began, according to several witnesses. Byron Black was put to death despite uncertainty about whether the device would…
CPD urges Safe Exchange Zone use after teen shot during sale
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - After a 17-year-old was shot while attempting to complete an online transaction arranged through a social media marketplace, the Chattanooga Police…
New 729 area code now in effect, ten-digit dialing required
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- August 5, 2025, is an important date for the process of adding a new area code for phones in our area. Tuesday, the new code and ten digit dialing became official. The new area code…
Driver crashes into pole after hitting patrol car on Riverside Drive
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) -- A dangerous scene played out on Riverside Drive in Chattanooga around 7:45 p.m. Monday night. …
Whitfield County authorities arrest suspect in connection with armed robbery at Dixie Corner
UPDATE (8/5/2025): Authorities in Whitfield County have made an arrest in regard to the armed robbery Tuesday morning. Whitfield…
Quadruple murder suspect Austin Drummond captured, TBI says
JACKSON, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The manhunt for the suspect accused of killing four people and abandoning an infant across the state is now over. The Tennessee Bureau of…
OceanGate used "intimidation tactics" to avoid scrutiny before Titan submersible tragedy, U.S. Coast Guard says
The U.S. exploration company OceanGate used " intimidation tactics" to "evade regulatory scrutiny" in the years leading up to the June 2023 Titan submersible tragedy, according to findings released by the U.S. Coast Guard Tuesday. Those…
Americans could soon face higher inflation as businesses pass along tariff costs, Fed official says
Americans could see inflation tick higher in 2025 as businesses start to pass on the cost of the Trump administration's tariffs to consumers through price hikes, Beth Hammack, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve…
Shortage of volunteer firefighters could force more towns to move to paid firehouses, costing taxpayers
Nearly 70% of the fire crews working in departments across the country are volunteers, according to the National Fire Department Registry. These dedicated civil servants serve on the frontline, keeping smaller communities safe, but that…
New Medicare Program offers fully covered dementia caregiving in Chattanooga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - A new Medicare initiative is now providing fully covered caregiving support for individuals living with dementia, including right here in Chattanooga through…
Congenital syphilis spiking across Tennessee and nation
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Health officials say they’re concerned about the rise of a disease affecting pregnant mothers and their babies. (more…)
Tennessee Chef Crowned Seafood King
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) - Chef Wesley True of Inman Social in Cleveland, Tennessee, has been crowned the 2025 King of American Seafood after winning the prestigious Great American Seafood Cook-Off in…
Expert Advice for Safer Schools
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) - As the new school year begins, leaders from the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) offered expert insight into how schools can better protect students and…
Man convicted of 2021 nightclub murder requesting third trial
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A man who has been convicted twice of a 20-21 murder outside of a Brainerd night club is attempting to seek a third trial. (more…)
What's Right With Our Schools: Volkswagen Academy
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) -- The Volkswagen Academy made history this Summer. They graduated their first ever class of Automotive Systems Technology students, alongside their sixth cohort of manufacturing specialists.…
Commercial fire breaks out at Buzzi Unicem Signal Mountain Plant
UPDATE (8/4/2025): Buzzi Unicem released a statement about the commercial fire Monday afternoon. Buzzi said smoke was reported coming from the solid tire fuel storage…
Plastic causing "disease and death from infancy to old age" that costs $1.5 trillion a year, report warns
Plastic pollution is a "grave, growing and under-recognized danger" to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, a report published Monday in the Lancet medical journal said. The new review of existing…
Oven fire sparks kitchen blaze in Mowbray home
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Fire crews with the Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) put out an oven fire Monday morning. On August 4, 2025, at 8:52 a.m.,…
Manhunt for Montana bar shooting suspect continues into fourth day
The manhunt for a military veteran suspected of fatally shooting four people at a…
Dooley announces run for Georgia Senate seat
ATHENS, Ga. (WDEF)- A former Tennessee football coach has officially thrown his hat into the ring for next year’s Georgia Senate Race. (more…)