Josh Heupel Praises Young Chattanooga Talent on Big Orange Caravan Stop in the Scenic City

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The Big Orange Caravan tour rolled into the Scenic City Wednesday. Football coach Josh Heupel hopes his team can get on a roll this fall, with the help of some young Chattanooga talent. Said Heupel “I would not say that this program resembles what it was when we got here day one.” Tennessee Vols head football coach Josh Heupel…

Commissioner says comptroller investigated satellite office

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A Hamilton County Commissioner says he is under investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office for funds used for a satellite office. Satellite offices are used by commissioners to conduct business within their own districts. However, Hamilton County Commissioner Warren Mackey said an issue has come up with his satellite office. During a vote on a resolution…

Increase reported in 2023 Chattanooga overdose deaths

CHATTTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Hamilton County Drug Recovery Court presented updated statistics on Wednesday showing the extent of the local drug crisis. During a presentation, the court said in 2023, there were 162 overdose deaths in Chattanooga. To put into perspective, if Chattanooga were a state, it would have the second highest per capita death rate per 100,000 residents…

North Murray Receiver Judson Petty Signs With Georgia Tech

Chatsworth, GA-(WDEF-TV) North Murray receiver Judson Petty was all smiles on Wednesday. And why not. He signed a scholarship to play college football at Georgia Tech. Petty was dynamite for the Mountaineers last season, even setting the state record for most receiving yards in a game at 360-yards. For his college decision, Petty says it was Georgia Tech or bust….

Hixson High School starts new EMS program

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Hixson High School took some major new steps this week for the future of their school. They announced their first ever career pathway partnership with Hamilton County EMS. Mayor Wamp and city officials signed the first pipeline partnership allowing students direct opportunities to get guaranteed jobs and hands-on experience working with emergency medicine. Hamilton County Mayor…

Dalton Public Schools gets a new superintendent

DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) – Dalton Public Schools welcomed its new superintendent on Tuesday.   The Dalton Board of Education unanimously approved Dr. Steven Craft contract at Tuesday’s board meeting. Dr. Steven Craft will succeed Dr. Tim Scott who is retiring.  Craft came to Dalton early this year as the Chief of Student Services and Activities.  Dr. Steven Craft. Dalton Public…

Golden Apple Award: Sarah Dodson, Lake Forest Middle School

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) – Kindness, patience and understanding are always on the syllabus for Sarah Dodson’s class at Lake Forest Middle. She has been described as, “the best teacher” and “awesome”. It’s easy to see why. Robbie Winters is the Assistant Principal at Lake Forest. He says, “Ms. Dodson is fantastic. She’s a great part of our Forest family. She’s…

Walker County unveils McLemore Cove sign on Tuesday

WALKER COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) – Walker County unveiled its new interpretive sign of McLemore Cove on Tuesday.  In the 1900s, the McLemore Cove Historic District was added to list of treasured locations. Often called “the Cove,” this historic district is also considered the largest district in Georgia.  McLemore Cove sits between the ridge lines of Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain….

Sherman+Reilly acquired in merger, continuing Chattanooga operations

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – A local utility company that’s been around for nearly a century announced a big change on Tuesday. Sherman+Reilly have been making products for utility companies across the country here in Chattanooga since 1927. They have been a part of Chattanooga’s economic history, being based where the Tennessee Aquarium sits now until they moved to their current…

City Council discusses potential new staff position

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Chattanooga City Council discussed a potential change to how they reach out to the public during a committee session Tuesday. A new position called Constituent Services Director was proposed by Councilperson Marvene Noel. The position she said would simplify their ability to address citizen concerns and participate in various neighborhood meetings. However, council members debated…

Cleveland High Schools remembers 2 who died in weekend crash

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — Two Cleveland High School students tragically died in car crash this past weekend. Students, teachers and family came together tonight for a memorial vigil in honor of the two. “Shytez was a leader, we had several conversations about his leadership, and his ability to change the temperature of an entire classroom of an entire section of the…

Orchard Knob Collaborative launches new app

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) awarded the Orchard Knob Collaborative (OKC) funding from their Connected Communities Pilot Program in 2022 to improve on safety, health and ability for older residents to age in place. Now, The Enterprise Center is celebrating new federally awarded funding to improve type of health and technology access work across other Chattanooga/Hamilton County…

Mom to Mom – May Day Baskets

Today on Mom to Mom, we are going to create mayday baskets. If you’re looking to spread a little extra joy by the end of this weekend, we can ring in the new season by creating these May Day baskets. It’s a fun little thing to tell your neighbors that you appreciate them, or if you want, you can take…

Ringgold Rallies to Win Game Two Against Oconee Co

Ringgold, GA-(WDEF-TV) Ringgold split the first two games of their Sweet 16 series with Oconee Co. Warriors took game one 2-1, while the Tigers rallied to win game two 3-2. Conner Christopher hit a three run homer in the top of the sixth inning to supply the Ringgold runs. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Baseball, High School Baseball,…

Silent Film Cameras and Plaid Jackets Kick Started Randy Smith’s TV Career at News 12

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) With News 12 celebrating our 70th anniversary this month, we thought we would celebrate with former News 12 Sports Director Randy Smith. He started here in 1978 and enjoyed a ten year run. Doing local TV sports back then was a far cry from what it’s like today. Reporter:”How many plaid jackets did you own?” Said Smith:”(laughs) I owned…

Chattanoogans sound off on public safety concerns

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Many are on edge after a string of recent shootings. We asked local residents if they feel safe in Chattanooga after recent incidents. One resident, Kristy, said, “I feel like these things can happen anywhere. I don’t think it makes Chattanooga more unsafe than any other cities, being from Texas where this kind of thing is normal.”…

What’s Right With Our Schools: Whitwell Middle School Piano Lab

WHITWELL, Tenn. (WDEF) – Imagine a room with 24 middle school students all playing piano. That could get a little noisy, right? You’d think so, but Whitwell Middle School is now home to a state of art piano keyboard lab, and it’s hitting all the right notes. Roger Payne is the music teacher and choral director at Whitwell Middle. He…

Hamilton County breaks ground on Victims Memorial Park

HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – Hamilton County finally broke ground for the new Victims Memorial Park on Monday.   The Victims Memorial Park is located at the Riverpark at Riverpoint on Amnicola Highway. “I think today is a solemn day. The parents of many victims were here. They feel heard and understood. We join them as a community and their…

Early voting begins in Georgia’s general primary

RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) – Early voting has begun for Georgia’s General Primary. These primaries concern various local and state offices. One location where early voting is occurring is the Catoosa County Freedom Center. There were advocates campaigning for their candidates on Monday morning and said early voting is critical to the election process. One such advocate, Scott Fiddler said, “To…

Lavids throws no-hitter, Mocs complete sweep of Furman

GoMocs – The Chattanooga softball team completed its third series sweep against the Southern Conference with a 10-0 win Senior Day victory over Furman at Frost Stadium Sunday afternoon. Chattanooga improves to 34-13 overall and hold onto its one-game lead in the SoCon standings over UNCG at 13-5. Furman falls to 21-29 on the year and 6-12 against the league….