Dig'n Zone theme park to open March 2024
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Dig'n Zone in Sevierville has an official opening date for 2024. The construction-themed park will open on March 1. It will be located at 1707 Veterans Blvd. The…
Reward offered for information in 2018 Alabama homicide
OPELIKA, Ala. (WDEF) -- The Opelika Police Department in central Alabama is still searching for answers in a homicide investigation from 2018. CrimeStoppers are now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. The police…
Alabama aims to get medical marijuana program started in 2024
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Members of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission said Thursday they are aiming to get the state's medical marijuana program underway in 2024 after a series of delays and legal disputes. Commissioners voted 7-2 for a motion…
How recent 'swatting' calls targeting officials may prompt heavier penalties for hoax police calls
ATLANTA (AP) — A spate of false reports of shootings at the homes of public officials in recent days could be setting the stage for stricter penalties against so-called swatting in more states. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Boston…
From the Archives: 1994 Citrus Bowl
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The Vols take on Iowa at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on New Year's Day. Our Brian Armstrong is in Florida to preview the matchup. But we thought we'd take you back 30 years in our…
Alabama coaches don't want players watching film on tablets out of fear of sign stealing
By JOE REEDY/AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alabama is covering every angle when it comes to preparing for Monday's College Football Playoff semifinal game against Michigan at the Rose Bowl. That includes making sure their equipment and films…
Federal judge accepts redrawn Georgia congressional and legislative districts that will favor GOP
WDEF NOTE: The new district does slightly affect politics in our area. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will see some of her district change. She loses all of Gordon County from the district and picks up the Kennesaw portion of Cobb…
Prominent Republican Georgia lawmaker Barry Fleming appointed to judgeship
ATLANTA (AP) — A prominent Georgia state lawmaker was appointed Wednesday to a judgeship, and a special election for his House seat will be needed in coming months. Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem will serve as a superior court judge…
Officers say the man they killed on Christmas Eve was a murder suspect
CHATTOOGAVILLE, GA (WDEF) - The Chattooga County Sheriff says the man his officers gunned down on Christmas Eve was a suspect in a murder. He says the body of a 50 year old Summerville woman was found dumped at Johnson…
Georgia school districts to receive bonuses by NYE
ATLANTA (WDEF) -- The Georgia Association of Educators provided an update to Gov. Brian Kemp's year-end bonus for state employees. The association explained that Georgia school districts will receive these funds by December 31 of this year. This means that…
A 7th person in Tennessee has died due to tornado-producing storms
By JONATHAN MATTISE NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A seventh person in Tennessee has died from injuries she suffered during a string of powerful storms earlier this month that whipped up destructive tornadoes, according to police. Penny Scroggins, a 78-year-old from…
Bo Dukes, convicted of hiding death of Georgia teacher Tara Grinstead, pleads guilty in unrelated rape cases
A man imprisoned for concealing the death of Georgia teacher Tara Grinstead has pleaded guilty to reduced charges in two unrelated rape cases in a deal that lets him avoid additional prison time. Houston County Superior Court records show that Bo Dukes…
Regulators approve deal to pay for Georgia Power's new nuclear reactors
By JEFF AMY ATLANTA (AP) — Almost 15 years of wrangling over who should pay for two new nuclear reactors in Georgia and who should be accountable for cost overruns came down to one vote Tuesday, with the Georgia Public…
Georgia's governor says the state will pay a $1,000 year-end bonus to public and school employees
By JEFF AMY ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's government will put a little extra jingle in the pockets of state, university and public-school employees, paying them a $1,000 year-end bonus, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday. The Republican governor also said he…
Body of 22-year-old duck hunter recovered from Alabama lake
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Ala. (WDEF) -- Alabama authorities found the body of a duck hunter who has been missing since Saturday. WHNT reported that the body of 22-year-old Brooks Hardie was…
Changes to Georgia school accountability could mean no more A-to-F grades for schools and districts
By JEFF AMY Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — It’s getting more complicated to tell how Georgia public schools are faring. The state Department of Education on Thursday released a full spectrum of school accountability numbers for the first time since…
A 4-month-old survived after a Tennessee tornado tossed him. His parents found him in a downed tree
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A 4-month-old boy has survived after a tornado in Tennessee sucked him up from his family's mobile home, which was demolished in the storm. Sydney Moore told WSMV-TV that when the tornado hit their home in…
McMinnville caregiver charged with stealing from vulnerable adult
MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) -- A Tennessee caregiver has been charged with financially exploiting a vulnerable adult. A Rutherford County grand jury indicted 48-year-old Tashius Tarese Pleasant, of McMinnville, on November 9. The TBI and the Murfreesboro Police Department had been…
"After School Satan Club" coming to Tennessee elementary school
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Parents are taking to social media to express their displeasure with a new after-school club coming to an elementary school in Tennessee. A post to Facebook and Twitter reads, "After School Satan Club is coming to…
Rep. Fleischmann explains his vote to continue Biden impeachment inquiry
WASHINGTON (WDEF) -- Local Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann voted to formalize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The House of Representatives passed the resolution to continue the inquiry on Wednesday, December 13. Rep. Fleischmann provided a statement regarding his…
$2,500 reward offered for identifying bald eagle shooter
KINGSTON, Tenn. (WDEF) -- Someone shot a bald eagle near Watts Bar Lake, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a reward for the suspect's arrest. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) said it happened in the Blue…
TBI searching for missing Spencer teen
SPENCER, Tenn. (WDEF) -- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Spencer Police Department are searching for a missing teenager. Lillian Rein, a 14-year-old girl, went missing on Saturday, December 9, the TBI said. Spencer Police said Rein was…
Former Fox host Tucker Carlson is launching his own streaming network with interviews and commentary
By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson is starting his own streaming service, promising to “tell the unadorned truth” to fans for $72 a year, he announced Monday. [caption id="attachment_1507894" align="alignleft"…
Two Nashville churches, wrecked by tornadoes years apart, lean on each other in storms' wake
By JONATHAN MATTISE, HOLLY MEYER and TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — After a March 2020 tornado destroyed the Rev. Jacques Boyd’s Nashville church, his friend, the Rev. Vincent Johnson, lent him space to worship in. Nearly four…