Women in Travel summit held in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)-  “These are very well traveled people. They’ve been to a lot of different places and it takes a lot to surprise them.” Hundreds of travel content creators and influencers are in town this weekend for their annual gathering, the Women in Travel Summit hosted by Wanderful at the Chattanoogan Hotel. Beth Santos started Wanderful, a travel community…

Traverse Park opens Saturday in Lafayette

  LAFAYETTE, GA (WDEF) — A new park is opening soon in Lafayette. Traverse Park on Villanow Street has an official ribbon cutting in June, but it’s opening up for business to coincide with the Honeybee festival this weekend. The park features climbing and bouldering walls modeled after nearby Rocktown, and a skate park. It connects with nearby walking trails,…

Chattanooga officers wrangle escaped donkeys

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Police and Sheriff’s deputies thwarted an equestrian escape earlier this week. A pair of donkeys were spotted by a 911 caller roaming along the area of Morris Hill Road. Responding officers were able to wrangle the donkeys, who were later identified as Oatie Pete and Squirrely Dan. The 9-1-1 call indicates the pair were causing quite…

Spain Brings World Cup Focus

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Spain’s national football team is coming to Chattanooga as its training base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. At Thursday’s Chattanooga Rotary club meeting, former U.S. men’s national team general manager Bill Nuttall, who has FIFA World Cup experience, and sports executive Sean McDaniel joined local organizers to discuss how the opportunity was secured. Chattanooga’s community…

Lookouts Edge the Smokies 3-2

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Chattanooga Lookouts edged Knoxville by a 3-2 final. The Smokies scored twice in the top of the first, but then Chattanooga tied it up in the bottom of the first on a two RBI double by Cam Collier. Lookouts later got the go-ahead run on a walk. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News

Mayor Wamp discusses Hamilton Counted report

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- How is Hamilton County doing on key issues? New data released is painting that picture. Hamilton Counted is an initiative that tracks various issues across the county such as homelessness, participation in food assistance programs, and crime. One issue that has seen a downtrend is the amount of accidental drug overdose deaths. The number of overdose deaths…

Mayor Wamp unveils FY 2027 budget for Hamilton County

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- With the end of the fiscal year coming soon, Hamilton County must adopt a new budget. Mayor Weston Wamp unveiled his proposal Wednesday afternoon. The mayor’s budget is roughly $6.6 million dollars higher than Fiscal Year 2027, with the total budget being over $1.1 billion dollars. Roughly $670 million dollars of that is next year’s school budget….

Could Summer Flights Get Rougher?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Summer travel already comes with packed airports, delays, and stormy skies, but this year, climate patterns could shape what some passengers experience in the air. One of those patterns is El Niño, a naturally occurring climate cycle that develops when parts of the Pacific Ocean become warmer than average. While it begins over the ocean, its…

Interstate 59 Reconstruction Begins

VALLEY HEAD, AL. (WDEF) – Drivers traveling through northeast Alabama should expect delays and changing traffic patterns as a major reconstruction project begins along Interstate 59 near the Georgia state line. The Alabama Department of Transportation says the $47.5 million project is now underway on 16 miles of I-59 southbound in DeKalb County.  The work stretches from the state line…

Rep. Fleischmann says no surprise energy rate hikes

  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Will data centers across the southeast impact your power bill? That’s the question many are asking as construction on new data centers to support AI infrastructure continues. The Tennessee Valley Authority met with over one hundred local power companies this week to address possible rate changes. Reports say the TVA is considering possible rate changes…

Councilmember compares affordable housing proposal to “plantation mentality”

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- One Chattanooga city council member is likening a proposal tackling affordable housing to a quote “plantation mentality”. Councilwoman Marvene Noel made those remarks during a presentation of that proposal. It would reallocate funds from the city’s newly formed down payment home assistance program to the nonprofit Tennessee Valley Community Land Trust. Essentially, that organization would own the…

Local playwright to debut her newest production at Dalton High School

Kenyatta Burse and Troy Williams join News 12’s Amelia Greer as an original play gets ready to take center stage at Dalton High School. DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) – There’s plenty of local talent in the Tennessee Valley region with a local production from a local playwright debuting at Dalton High School this summer. Everything That Glitters Ain’t Gold is written, directed,…

Volunteers needed for Flag Retirement at Chattanooga National Cemetery

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Captain Mickey McCamish with the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council is calling on the community for help this weekend. Volunteers are needed to help retire the thousands of flags placed at gravesites throughout Chattanooga National Cemetery following Memorial Day ceremonies. McCamish explained that more than 50,000 flags were placed in honor of service members buried at the…

Resolution to create rural tourism zone pulled

  HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF)- A resolution that could have changed zoning regulations around Hamilton County Parks has been pulled. That resolution would have created rural tourism zones that could have allowed lodging to be developed near county parks. Several advocacy groups were concerned that the resolution would open up some of the parks to development. Mayor Wamp’s office has…

What’s Right With Our Schools: Normal Park Regatta

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Students at Normal Park Middle School recently completed one of their biggest projects of the year. The kids built boats out of cardboard and duct tape. Then, they raced those boats. What they learned is a practical example of “What’s Right With Our Schools.” 7th grader Kyron Walker explains, “So, our boats design, I think we…