Regional News

UT introduces new head football coach

KNOXVILLE (WDEF) - The University of Tennessee will pay Josh Heupel $4 million dollars a year for the next six years to coach their football team. Heupel could face probation issues from the Pruitt regime. The deal is a big…

76th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz

WHITWELL, Tenn (WDEF) - Over 20 years ago, a paper clip project honoring Holocaust victims put Whitwell Middle school on the map.  When students at Whitwell Middle School learned about the Holocaust, they responded with a promise to honor every lost…

Cempa Community Care earns Governor's Award of Excellence

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) - A local organization has been  awarded the Governor Bill Lee award of excellence this week.  Cempa Community Care was chosen for this award based on their role in bringing reliable and safe Covid-19 testing to numerous…

Are 2 masks better than 1? Doctors explain

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) - Since the pandemic began, masks have been a staple in keeping us safe and healthy-but is one enough? For the last 11 months, persuading everyone to wear a mask has been a challenge. And now, with a…

Alabama man charged with sex abuse of child

FORT PAYNE, Alabama (WDEF) - The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office has charged a northeast Alabama man with sex abuse of a child under 12. The suspect is 55 year old Adan Hernandez Ballesteros from Fort Payne. Sheriff Nick Welden says…

Covid-19 Cases and Hospitalizations on steady decline

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) - According to the Tennessee Department of Health and the Hamilton County Health Department, the number of new daily cases and local hospitalizations associated with COVID-19  are in a steady decline. Just a few weeks ago, Hamilton County…

Worker bitten at East Tennessee Big Cat Sanctuary

KINGSTON, Tenn. (AP) - Officials say a worker at a big cat sanctuary in Tennessee was hospitalized after being bitten by an animal. Roane County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Tim Phillips told news outlets that a female employee at Tiger…

Magistrate judge allows release of man in Capitol riot

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A magistrate judge will allow the release of a Tennessee man who carried flexible plastic handcuffs around the U.S. Capitol during the recent raid by Trump supporters. The Tennessean reports that Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frensley determined…

Tennessee adds vaccine groups; no promised extra doses yet

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee is making moves to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for people in households with medically frail children and workers at jails and prisons. State Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said Friday that those…

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