Safe Baby Court launches in Hamilton County

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Tuesday morning, the Safe Baby Court launched in Hamilton County. Hamilton County is one of a dozen counties in Tennessee to provide a program for parents who are working to regain custody of their young children. “There’s not a better way we can put public dollars to use than to invest in the youngest citizens in…

Ringgold honors veterans with Festival of Flags

RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) – The City of Ringgold is honoring deceased veterans with its Festival of Flags.  “It started in early ’70s to honor some of the veterans that served in the county in World War I and II. There was not many at that time. We just continued that on down through the years and we just feel like…

Mom to Mom – DIY Home Decor Planter

Today on Mom to Mom, we have a home decor hack using a planter. I found this really cute idea again from an influencer on social media and thought, why not try this and see how well it works out? Well, I would tell you, not all these work out perfectly. In fact, I had some trouble with this one,…

What’s Right With Our Schools: East Brainerd Elementary International Day

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The great American melting pot is alive and cooking at East Brainerd Elementary School. Students with roots in nearly 20 different countries go to school there. News 12 was invited to their recent International Fest. It’s a diverse example of what’s right with our schools. Kristen Stackpole is an ELA teacher at East Brainerd. She explained,…

Cicada invasion continues around Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – For the first time in thirteen years, the cicadas are back. While they might be cool to look at and hear for a few minutes, some people are not too happy with the constant noise. “They’re big, they fly around, they are kind of annoying, but I like the sound they make honestly… They are colorful…

Officials urge water safety after 2 men drown in Tennessee River

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Hamilton County officials are urging water safety with summer approaching. Just this weekend, two men died after drowning in the Tennessee River. The Chattanooga Fire Department (CFD) and several other agencies worked to find two men who went missing in the water at the Tennessee Riverpark. At around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, firefighters arrived…

Chattanooga Ironman 70.3 bringing families closer together

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – “I love Chattanooga. It is my favorite city in the whole wide world, and I love this course,” said one IRONMAN participant. The reviews are in. People love the Chattanooga 70.3 Ironman with over 3, 500 people participating. For some, it’s the beauty that the course provides. “The course is amazing. The riding in, in North…

Dalton High School Retires Jahmyr Gibbs’ Jersey Number

DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) — We’ve never seen a running back at Dalton like the speedster Jahmyr Gibbs. Now, we’ll never see another Catamount wear his jersey number one. The Detroit Lions star returned to his hometown tonight, as Dalton High School retired Gibbs’ jersey. News 12’s Brian Armstrong was there for the ceremony. Current Detroit Lions and Dalton alum, Jahmyr Gibbs…

Parkridge holds ribbon cutting for Soddy-Daisy emergency room

SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) – Northern Hamilton County has seen a lot of growth. Soddy-Daisy’s population as of the last Census in 2020 was a little over 13,000 and is likely closer to 14,000 according to recent estimates.  That’s nearly double what the town’s population was 50 years ago, according to Census records.  With that in mind, the lack of a hospital…

Law enforcement memorial honors fallen officers in Chattanooga area

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Local law enforcement took time Friday morning to honor those who have died in the line of duty in the Chattanooga area.  This annual Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony, held at the Hamilton County Courthouse due to weather, concluded National Police Week ceremonies. Officers who have died in the line of duty in this area were honored,…

House Committee chaos in verbal fight

See edited highlights from the arguments

WASHINGTON (WDEF) – The House Oversight Committee voted last night to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to send them an audio recording of President Biden’s with a special council, even though they had already sent the transcript. The vote was along party lines. But the session was more memorable for the drama that proceeded the vote….

Chimp heart checkup at Chattanooga Zoo

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Chattanooga Zoo have been making strides to understand heart health in chimpanzees since 2011. On Thursday, one of the oldest female chimpanzees Brandi got an echocardiogram test at her vet exam. Dr Bill Warren who is the cardiologist of Chattanooga Heart Institute, talked about the results they found today. “An echocardiogram is an excellent test…

Signal Mountain edges Upperman 8-7

SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Signal Mountain baseball team punched their ticket to Spring Fling in Murfreesboro. They beat Upperman by a final of 8-7.   Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Baseball, High School Baseball, Signal Mountain High School, Upperman

Boyd Buchanan punches ticket to Spring Fling

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Boyd Buchanan baseball team punched their ticket to Spring Fling with a 7-2 victory over Friendship Christian on Thursday. Brodie Johnston and Cooper Jones had back-to-back homers in the third inning to ignite the Bucs offense. Johnston belted a grand slam. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Boyd Buchanan

Thursday Throwback: Entertainment of 1984

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Forty years ago, there was no social media, no smartphones in pockets and only four channels on TV. So, how did our parents’ generation entertain themselves? We’re going to find out in this edition of our Thursday Throwback. We check out a solar eclipse, antiques, belly dancing and the river raft race, all from 1984. Categories: From…

Driving Our Economy Forward: Woodcraft

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — It’s not your father’s hardware store. We are taking you to the Woodcraft store in Brainerd Village. The shop has any woodworking tool you could ever need. They have summer camps, date nights and classes to help with projects. Learn how this family-owned business has been driving our economy forward for 10 years. Categories: Driving Our…

Chattanooga Airport celebrates first nonstop flight to Las Vegas

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanoogans can now get to the city that may set their soul on fire, as Elvis Presley once said, a little bit faster.  Thursday was the inaugural flight to Las Vegas via Allegiant Airlines.  Dozens of passengers embarked on the historic flight on Thursday afternoon as several Allegiant and airport staff members dressed up like the…