Commission Continues Rivermont Gym Funding Freeze

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Hamilton County Commission voted to continue a funding freeze to Hamilton County Schools this morning. This freeze affects one point five million dollars of ARPA funding that had been previously allocated to H-C-S for construction of a new gym at Rivermont Elementary School. This comes as debate continues to grow over how and where new schools…

TVA shares tips to help avoid winter blackouts

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – TVA is encouraging citizens to be prepared for potential blackouts by saving money during the winter months.  One way to do that is by making a winter to-do list and saving energy. TVA has prepared for the winter months with response plans, additional training and drills.  They suggest people use more natural sunlight and lower thermostats…

City Council expects to delay action on skateboarding in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga City Council has delayed action on a proposal in skating on the roads citywide.  Council members believe skating on streets will cause accidents and slow down traffic.  Over the past two years, police have issued three citations for skaters.  Council Chair Jenny Hill says the ordinance that was passed earlier this year was due to…

Mocs Beat Gardner Webb 69-66 on Half Court Buzzer Beater From Trey Bonham

(gomocs.com) Trey Bonham’s mid-court buzzer-beating three-pointer capped a 69-66 Chattanooga Mocs comeback win over visiting Gardner-Webb in McKenzie Arena. Bonham, who was sitting out the season a 2-time NCAA transfer student, is playing his second game as a Moc. The buzzer-beater is the first by the Mocs since David Jean-Baptiste’s iconic triple in the Southern Conference Championship game to send…

Artist wanted for redesign of Northshore banners

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The River City Company is looking to beautify the Northshore area with art banners. In August, they announced their new program to redesign these banners.  More than 50 artists applied for the first call of banners for the southside district.  The company is hoping to highlight and update the old banner for the community.  “It is…

TDOT announces Choice Lanes project in Tennessee

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – TDOT is looking at expanding their Choice Lanes project across the state. “It is basically a new and revolutionary way that we are prioritizing our projects, so we want to be able to deliver our projects more efficiently,” said Rae-Anne Bradley, Communication Officer for TDOT.  One potential location for a TDOT Choice Lane is I-24 in…

Red Bank leaders fight back against county’s school plan

UPDATE: Hamilton County Schools released a statement about Red Bank’s proposed plan for school futures. “Yesterday, School Board District 6 representative Ben Connor announced a new proposal concerning where to construct an elementary school to serve the Red Bank community. Conversations about the district’s facilities plan are ongoing, and Mr. Connor’s latest proposal is one of three plans for this…

Whitwell resort owners honor firefighters who saved their property

WHITWELL, Tenn. (WDEF) – Facing the destruction of your property and business can create a sense of unease. That was the reality for a Marion County mountaintop resort last month. On the evening on November 19, staff at the Bolt Farm Treehouse Resort spotted wildfire smoke just beneath their property. This prompted the response of numerous volunteer firefighters, who resort…

Salvation Army now distributing Angel Tree gifts

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Salvation Army is having their annual Angel Tree distribution. They are distributing the gifts at 1010 N. Moore Road from Monday, December 18 to Wednesday, December 20. Families who are less fortunate will get the gifts and needs they asked for this Christmas, thanks to the kindhearted people of Chattanooga. “We have over 4,300 people…

Several people sent to hospital after morning interstate wreck

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A crash Tuesday morning at the I-24 and I-75 split sent several people to the hospital with serious injuries. Chattanooga Police said the wreck involved a semi-truck. Thankfully, nobody was killed. Crash at the I-75/I-24 split / Chattanooga Police Department But the crash did shut down several lanes just before noon. “We were advised that there were…

Mom to Mom – Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Today on Mom to Mom, we’re going to talk about the importance of carbon monoxide detectors. I know with the colder months; you’re probably going to have your heater running. So, I have a very important person here with me, Todd, who is a local firefighter. Todd, tell us about the importance of these CO detectors. “So, CO or carbon…

Community association of St. Elmo to present concerns to City Council

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Community Association of Historic St. Elmo says they have issues with TDOT’s response to their concerns on speeding along St. Elmo Avenue.  TDOT sent us the following statement: “Our records show that SR 17 has between 2-3% truck traffic. SR 17 connects with Georgia SR 193.  At a meeting TDOT attended about this issue with…

Grundy Co Defeats Signal Mountain 64-58 in Battle at the Creek Tournament

Sale Creek, TN-(WDEF-TV) The Grundy Co basketball team ran their record to 11-1 on the year Monday as they defeated Signal Mounta in 64-58. They clashed in the Battle at the Creek Tournament at Sale Creek High School. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Battle at the Creek Tournament, boys basketball, Grundy County, High School Basketball, Signal Mountain

UAW accuses Volkswagen of union busting

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Some Volkswagen (VW) workers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) say they have had enough of the treatment they have received from the plant. Dozens of people came out Monday to voice their concerns about the plant and believe now is the time to unionize. For Volkswagen employees like Zachary Costello, they believe unionizing is necessary…

Schools closing due to sickness

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Many schools are closing around the Chattanooga area, and it’s not for winter break. There has been an uptick in sickly kids and adults as covid, flu, and an unknown virus is spreading around. Urgent care centers are taking on heavy volumes of people in the last few weeks. “We’re seeing about sixty percent kids and…

Newly sold home burns down in Harrison

UPDATE: HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Waconda Point Road house fire ended up being worked by several agencies due to severity of the fire. Hamilton County fire officials said that crews faced high winds and a lack of fire hydrants. Chattanooga Fire crews and Dallas Bay VFD crews attacked the fire from fire boats on the water. The Hamilton…

Coahulla Creek student wins $40,000 scholarship

WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) – One Whitfield County high schooler made some unexpected cash for her future Monday morning.  Coahulla Creek High School student Alana Lopez was surprised with a $40,000 scholarship by the College Board through their Big Future program. Every student across the country who uses their Big Future service, which provides various information about the college application…

Ballet Esprit hosts ‘Alter-Nut’ fundraiser on Dec. 17

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A local ballet company celebrated the holiday season with a unique twist on The Nutcracker as performances of the ballet are approaching on Saturday, Dec. 23rd in Chattanooga. Ballet Esprit hosted their annual fundraiser event on Sunday with their own interpretive experience. The event called, “Alter-Nut” is the largest fundraiser of the year for the nonprofit….

Kitchen Incubator hosts inaugural Christmas market and parade

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Kitchen Incubator held their inaugural Christmas market and parade which included over 20 different food trucks. “This is part of the community helping the entrepreneurs here in the city so its big because we are all about supporting local entrepreneurs and helping them get their business off the ground, so we just wanted to do…

Mayor Kelly delivers UTC keynote commencement address

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — UTC celebrated its 262nd overall commencement for the university on Saturday with two graduation ceremonies. Mayor of Chattanooga, Tim Kelly, gave the keynote address at the 1 o’clock commencement ceremony. “I often say, as you’ve heard up here earlier, there are no great cities without great universities. So it warms my heart to see UTC continue…