Gov. Ivey keeps mask order despite others ending them
" Folks, we’re not there yet, but we're getting close. "
Humane Educational Society Pet Portrait Mural Auction
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) - The Humane Educational Society is finding creative ways of enhancing their brand new facility with murals of local pets. A total of five pet portraits are planned for the entrance to the new HES building. The murals…
Chattanooga widow starts Nonprofit , helps over 500 widows nationwide
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) - Navigating life after losing a spouse in no easy task, especially for those who are young. But with an ongoing pandemic putting extra strain on widows and widowers, a local Chattanooga widow started a new nonprofit group…
Alabama governor extends mask order
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is extending the state’s mandatory face mask order by a month.
Speaker proposes free Georgia ID cards for voters
ATLANTA, Georgia (WDEF) - As Georgia lawmakers consider several voting reform bills, House Speaker David Ralston is floating one idea. The Blue Ridge Republican is proposing that State ID cards should be free to all eligible Georgians. Right now, you…
TBI details missing children crackdown in East Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been focusing on missing children in the state over the last couple of months. They say the effort has brought home 150 missing kids across Tennessee. They targeted 240 missing…
Some Catholic archdioceses urge followers to avoid J&J vaccine
(WDEF)- Roman Catholic archdioceses in St. Louis and New Orleans have requested Catholics to attempt to stay away from Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Taking the Johnson and Johnson covid vaccine could be viewed as “morally compromised" because it is…
Chattanooga teen missing, believed to be held captive by father
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) - Daphne Westbrook disappeared from Hamilton County in October of 2019 after she spent the weekend with her father. She has now been spotted in New Mexico and Colorado.” Authorities believe Daphne Westbrook’s father, John Oliver Westbrook, has…
Smokies sees more than 12M visitors despite virus closure
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year on record last year.
Dolly Parton posts her Covid vaccine photo
(WDEF) - Dolly Parton tweeted on Tuesday a photo of her getting her Covid vaccine with a clever caption. "Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine." The reference is to her donation of a million dollars to Vanderbilt to…
Tennessee expanding vaccines to 1-C category
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WDEF) - Tennessee health officials are expanding the pool of vaccines as they expect increased shipments. Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey announced the state will now include the 1-C category, adding more than a million Tennesseans to vaccine qualification.…
Kangaroo makes its getaway in Alabama, hopping to freedom
Authorities are searching for a young kangaroo who slipped away from his keepers as he was being hauled through Alabama on its way to a new home.
Latest voting fraud investigations include Trion widow
ATLANTA, Georgia (WDEF) - Georgia election officials sent their third batch of alleged voting violations to prosecutors last week, including a case against a northwest Georgia woman accused of turning in a vote by her deceased husband. Investigators say the…
Alabama universities commit to in person classes this fall
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Students across the three-campus University of Alabama System will return to in-person instruction for the fall semester with no limits on class size in Birmingham, Huntsville or Tuscaloosa to guard against COVID-19. The system said in…
Tennessee Senate OKs anti-trans athlete bill
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Senate has advanced legislation that would ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports. On Monday, 27 Republicans voted in favor of the measure while all six Democratic members…
City Of Chattanooga Buildings reopen to public
CHATTANOOGA, Ten (WDEF) - With Covid-19 cases continuing to decline in our area, several Chattanooga buildings are now reopening to the public - but that does not mean that they will be free of restrictions. Last week, Chattanooga Mayor, Andy Berke,…
Flying Fish Disc Golf Start Up
HIXSON, Tennessee - Carson Fish is creator and owner of Flying Fish Disc Golf. He started the business 4 years ago and he said it has really started to take off in the past year. “We’re really going to venture into…
Tax worker charged with filing fake returns, keeping refunds
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee tax examiner for the Internal Revenue Service has been charged with filing false returns and keeping parts of tax refunds for herself. The U.S. attorney’s office in Memphis said Thursday that Linda Williams prepared…
Tennessee: Vaccines stolen, given to children in 1 county
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee’s top health officials have revealed the state has requested federal law enforcement to investigate alleged theft of coronavirus vaccine doses in the state’s most populous county. In a Friday news conference, health official also said…
WNBA approves Montgomery's role in new Dream ownership group
ATLANTA (AP) - Real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener has been approved as the lead owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream following pressure on former Sen. Kelly Loeffler to sell her share of the team. Co-owner Mary Brock also sold her…
Official: 3 dead in small plane crash in northeast Georgia
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Authorities say a single-engine plane bound for Daytona Beach, Florida, has crashed after takeoff from a north Georgia airport, killing all three people aboard. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna 182 crashed about two miles…
Johnson & Johnson vaccine could hit Tennessee next week
NASHVILLE (WDEF) - The new Johnson and Johnson Covid vaccine could be in Tennessee as soon as next week. On Friday, an FDA panel of experts recommended allowing the vaccine and the FDA should quickly make it official. On Friday,…
Director resigns as new allegations rise in Shelby vaccine scandal
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (WDEF) - The Vaccine scandal in Shelby County continues to grow. After a week, when Shelby County Health Department officials faced accusations over thousands of doses going bad and their decision to stockpile doses against state rules, their…
Georgia Prosecutor talks about phone call investigation
ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia prosecutor investigating potential efforts by Donald Trump to influence last year’s general election is urging people to be patient. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told The Associated Press this week that she's in “no…