MainX24 annual all-day festival and parade takes over Southside

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – MAINx24 had its annual 24-hour long festival celebrating Main Street and the surrounding Southside. The annual festival has a wide variety of events all day long, from parades, music, poetry readings, and chili cook-offs. MAINx24 is organized completely by residents, merchants, and friends of the Southside community. “It’s community, it’s just plain, fun, community. You saw…

Marion County mourns the loss of high school senior

JASPER, Tenn. (WDEF) — Marion County is mourning the loss of a beloved high school student. Senior, Bentley Buchanan, passed away on Friday morning. She was a highly-involved member of the community. Marion County High School has shared an official statement in her remembrance: “We are devastated to announce the passing of one of our seniors, Bentley Buchanan, this morning….

South Pitt Earns Hard Fought 14-7 Victory Over McKenzie For State Championship

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) South Pittsburg earned a hard fought 14-7 victory over McKenzie Friday afternoon at Finley Stadium to claim the Class A state title. It was the 7th overall state crown for the Pirates program. South Pittsburg quarterback Kamden Wellington suffered an ankle injury last week in the semifinals. He started against McKenzie, and he clearly wasn’t 100 percent. Neither team…

MAINx24 to be held on Saturday in Chattanooga Southside

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Southside will be buzzing on Saturday for the MAINx24 festival.  Founded in 2007, the MAINx24 promises 120 events across the span of 24 hours. One volunteer for the event, Kelly Martin, said, “We’ve got these great little pop ups, great little restaurants, we’re very walking friendly. How do we really involve the community? So,…

HES waives pet adoption fees this December

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Humane Educational Society (HES) is dropping adoption fees for their “Empty the Shelters” event.  HES is partnering with the Bissell Pet Foundation to take $50 off adoptions. This event starts December 1 and ends on December 17.  Those interested may adopt or foster a cat or a dog for the holidays.  “It helps our staff…

Make a donation for holiday care packages for healthcare workers

HIXSON, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Department of Community Development is collecting donations to create care packages for healthcare workers.  They are donating these care packages to employees at Parkridge Valley Hospital.  Folks can donate lip balm, bottled water, cozy socks and more.  Organizers are taking this time to spread holiday cheer to those in the medical field.  “Around the holiday…

McCallie Beats Baylor 34-28 in State Title Game Thriller

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Baylor-McCallie state title game clash lived up to the billing on Thursday night with McCallie winning 34-28. According to the telecast, 17-thousand tickets were sold for the championship bout at Finley Stadium. It was back and forth in the first quarter with the game tied at 14 at the end of the period. Then it got wild in…

Debate Heats Up over Education Freedom Act

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A proposal this year by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee could radically change education across the state. Some call them school vouchers. Others call it school choice. These terms have different connotations depending on who you ask, but for Governor Lee and other State Republicans, they believe the Education Freedom Act is needed to ensure quality education moving…

Urban League Says MOU Should be Honored

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga has drawn attention to a Memorandum of Understanding that they signed with the Hamilton County government regarding funding that had been promised to them. They sent us the documents from July and August 2022. These show an agreement between the Urban League and the County for ARPA fund appropriations of $500,000,…

Experts give advice on battling seasonal depression

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Winter is just around the corner and doctors want folks to be on the lookout for seasonal depression. “It is called sad or seasonal affective disorder. It is pretty common, and it is present in 5% of the people in the United States,” said Dr. Anuj Chandra, Medical Director at the Advanced Center for Sleep Disorders….

Salvation Army provides update on Angel Tree Program

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Salvation Army still needs help from the public this holiday season.  More than 1,500 Angels have not been adopted yet for their angel trees program. This program helps provide Christmas gifts for thousands of children around the country each year. “Children are requesting some great things. On their list it tells you their age, as…

From the Archives: 1984 Gordon Lee Mansion Tours

CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. (WDEF) — The annual candlelight tours return over the next two weekends at the Gordon Lee Mansion in Chickamauga. Supporters dress up the historic building in natural greenery and handmade ornaments. There is a lot of history at the mansion, as we learned in our visit their almost forty years ago. That’s our Thursday Throwback. Categories: From The…

Chattanooga Tourism Co. discusses BlueCross Bowl’s local impact

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The BlueCross Bowl has taken over Finley Stadium for the third year with teams and families crowding in support. The president & CEO of the Chattanooga Tourism Co. said this will leave a $3 million impact over three days. Chattanooga will welcome over 22,000 athletes and fans. This will affect many of the local businesses which…

GoFundMe confirms Northshore crash victims were mother and son

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — More information has emerged regarding the fatal Frazier Avenue crash from Saturday in Chattanooga’s Northshore. Family members of the deceased created a GoFundMe, which confirms one-year-old Jonathan Devia, and 41-year-old Ana Posso Rodriguez, were mother and son. The family had immigrated from Colombia to Jacksonville, Florida. 41-year-old Ana Posso Rodriguez and one-year-old Jonathan Devia, the pedestrians…

Signal Mountain Downs Coahulla Creek 50-37

Signal Mountain, TN-(WDEF-TV) In a battle of unbeatens on Wednesday night, Signal Mountain defeated Coahulla Creek 50-37. Carlee Lowry hit a jumper right before the third quarter buzzer went off to put the Eagles up 16. Signal Mountain never looked back in cruising to the victory. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Coahulla Creek, Girl’s basketball, high school sports,…

Coaches Preview Historic State Title Showdown Between Baylor and McCallie

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Baylor-McCallie delivered a classic in the regular season with Big Blue winning 34-31. The rematch should be just as fun with the Chattanooga rivals battling for a state title. News 12’s Brian Armstrong has the preview. Said Baylor head coach Erik Kimrey: “This game is not about red and blue. It’s about gold and silver.” Gold for a state…

Boyd Buchanan Coach Gary Rankin Looks to Add to State Title Trophy Case

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Boyd Buchanan is in the state title game in just the second season under head coach Coach Gary Rankin. Rankin has coached in this game dozens of times, but for his players, this is the first time they are on the state title stage. News 12’s Brian Armstrong spoke to him about this accomplishment. Boyd Buchanan’s head coach Gary…

Urban League calls out Commission as New Turf Proposal Discussed

UPDATE: The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga has clarified that they are still discussing potential responses to the Commission’s actions with the National Urban League. They say they have not decided on any specific action at this time. ————————————————————————————————————————— CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Hamilton County Commission dealt with the fallout of their recent decision to take funding away from the…