Local church provides free mobile showers

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Faith Family Chattanooga Church offered an event on Saturday morning to help those experiencing homelessness in the community. Local organizations partnered with the church to provide hygiene resources and personal care. “Personally, I’m so excited to be a part of what’s happening here in Chattanooga. This city has had amazing outreach to people who are experiencing…

Experiential EV ride and drive takes over Chattanooga racetrack

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — An Experiential EV Ride and Drive took place on Saturday morning for the Chattanooga community. Sponsored by The Company Lab and local car dealerships, people were given the chance to test drive electric cars for free. Vehicles from Tesla, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz were offered for the public to test drive. The event promoted electric vehicle sales…

Jimmy Weekley Back Again as Red Wolves Interim Head Coach

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) It’s deja-vu…all over again for Chattanooga Red Wolves assistant coach Jimmy Weekley. For the second straight year, he finds himself as the team’s interim head honcho. Weekley was named the interim coach this week after head coach Ziggy Korytoski was fired. Last summer, Weekley stepped in to lead the team on an interim basis when head coach Jimmy Obleda…

Public Tours in Raccoon Mountain Occur First Time Since 9/11

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Those of an older generation might remember public tours of the TVA power storage facility on Raccoon Mountain. Those were stopped because of strict security measures after 9/11. Now for their 90th anniversary, they are allowing tours once again. Built in the 1970s, Raccoon Mountain is a critical piece of TVA’s infrastructure. The inside of the…

TVA Strategizing For Future Weather Events

  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- It has been six months since a historic cold snap caused issues across the Tennessee Valley. On December 23, 2022, temperatures plummeted to single digits and even below zero across the area. One of the main issues caused by the cold snap was rolling blackouts requested by TVA. This was due to extreme power demand through…

Cleveland cheer gym closing after coach indicted for sexual battery

UPDATE: The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that David Pendergrass was a coach at Cheer Madness Elite (CME Fitness) in Cleveland, Tennessee. On Friday, CME Fitness posted on Facebook that they will be permanently closing. This will be in effect starting Monday, June 26. EARLIER: BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Bradley County deputies say they have arrested a Cleveland man…

More to the Story with Staley: The Obvious Dad Theater

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — It’s a relatively new theater group here in Chattanooga. It’s called the “Obvious Dad” theater company. And their first play of the summer season is up and running. The Obvious Dad theater company is essentially, in the world of stage plays, “summer stock.” This is only the group’s third year of existence, with two plays a…

St. Elmo residents concerned after truck theft video

ST. ELMO, Tenn. (WDEF) — Residents in St. Elmo are voicing concerns about a property theft in the area. A property owner shared a video, showing someone trying to steal her truck. In the video, someone drove the truck out of her driveway. According to the Community Associations of Historic St. Elmo, the dramatic video shows her property lit with…

From the Archives: Georgia Lottery 1993

DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) — This week, 30 years ago, our area was coping with a severe case of lottery fever. The first state lottery tickets were about to go on sale in Georgia. For our Thursday Throwback, we take you back to 1993 on the day before the tickets went on sale. Categories: Featured, From The Archives, Local News Tags: From…

TECH BYTE: Don’t Get Scammed on Resale Sites

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A lot of people take advantage of resale sites like Facebook Marketplace to sell some of their items. But there’s always risk of getting ripped off. Cybersecurity experts with VPNOverview.com have some tips to keep that from happening. Sadly, plenty of fake accounts plague Facebook, including Marketplace. To make sure your seller is a real person…

Mocs Coach Dan Earl Details Draft Process For Former UTC Center Jake Stephens

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Former Chattanooga Moc Jake Stephens hopes to hear his name called at some point in the NBA draft. UTC head coach Dan Earl has been keeping up with Stephens through the draft process, and he shares what the ordeal has been like for Stephens with News 12’s Brian Armstrong. Said Earl: We’re hoping he gets drafted, but if he…

Red Bank Edge Rusher Kobe Smith Commits to Duke

Red Bank, TN-(WDEF-TV) Red Bank defensive end Kobe Smith announced he has verbally committed to play college football at Duke. He picked the Blue Devils over App State and Chattanooga among others. 24-7 Sports lists Smith as the 86th best edge rusher in America. Smith racked up 11 sacks last year as a juinor at Red Bank, and he believes…

83 years later: ‘Philadelphia 15’ sailors receive national recognition

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — It has been more than 80 years since Larry Ponder’s Father and Uncle were wrongfully dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. John and James Ponder were two of 15 sailors from the USS. Philadelphia, known as the Philadelphia 15. But they were native to the Chattanooga area. Their family lives in the Chattanooga area to this day….

Man Dies in Red Bank House Fire

RED BANK, Tenn. (WDEF) – One man is dead after a house fire in Red Bank Thursday morning. The Red Bank Fire Department says that the fatal fire on Charlotte Avenue Thursday morning began around 5 a.m.  That’s when they say they received a phone call about the fire and rushed to the scene. When firefighters arrived, they found the…

Blackburn, Ossoff Introduce Emergency Grant

  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Senators Marsha Blackburn and Jon Ossoff are teaming up to introduce new bipartisan legislation. They have introduced legislation that would provide a one-time emergency boost in funding for first responders. This includes funding for police departments, sheriff’s offices, and fire departments. Senator Blackburn says after discussions with leaders across the state, federal help is necessary…

New Food City coming to Ocoee, Cleveland

OCOEE, Tenn. (WDEF) — A groundbreaking took place on Thursday for two new Food City store locations in Polk and Bradley Counties. Those locations are in both Ocoee and Cleveland, Tennessee. Company officials expect both locations to open early in 2024. The Ocoee groundbreaking took place Thursday morning and the Cleveland one took place Thursday evening. Cleveland’s new Food City…