CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Deep in the hills of Ringgold lies a spooky oasis. Scares for all ages round every corner. “When we first moved here we didn’t get many trick or treaters because we are kind of out here in the middle of nowhere. We started adding more to our decorations. We found the Skeletons of St. Jude’s so…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WDEF) — Senators Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Jon Ossoff of Georgia are crossing party lines. They are teaming up to provide better care for children in foster care. Both Georgia and Tennessee are taking an internal look at their foster care system. They want to make it a safer environment for kids in the system. They hope…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Wednesday was a special day at News 12. We designated October 25 as “Dave Staley Day.” Dave Staley recently retired from news on October 11, 2023. But he came back to the station for one last hurrah. Most of News 12’s employees attended the get-together. Many of us wore our own Hawaiian shirts in honor of…
BENTON, Tenn. (WDEF) — Firefighters in West Polk County are investigating the cause of a deadly house fire from this morning just off Town Creek Road in Benton. People nearby said they could see the flames above the trees at about 4:30 a.m. Fire Chief of West Polk County, Keith Jeske said, “At approximately 4:36 this morning we received a…
Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Even though it’s not quite November, it feels like a long season already for the Mocs. They kicked off on September second, and they’ve haven’t slowed down since. Mocs can’t catch a break when it comes to their schedule this year. 10 straight weeks of football, including their entire SoCon slate. Said head coach Rusty Wright:”There’s no way the…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – City Council demanded a survey and the Chattanooga Housing Authority delivered. Jenny Hill the Vice Chair said, “Thank you housing authority for listening. You guys have done a lot of work on this and I for one really appreciate it so thank you.” The Chattanooga Housing Authority asked four new questions to 387 participants. “As a…
Courtesy: Michael Schmelling CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Americana artist and fiddle player Amanda Shires is back in Chattanooga Wednesday night for a show at Memorial Auditorium. She’s opening for the Head and the Heart if you missed her at Riverbend Festival over the summer. Shires is no stranger to our area. She has a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The trial of a contentious case involving a former EMT charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated finally began on Tuesday at the Hamilton County Courthouse. The crash occurred at the Highway 27/111 interchange in Soddy-Daisy on July 3, 2018, and took the life of James Brumlow. The prosecution says they believe Whaley was intoxicated at the…
Ringgold, Ga. (WDEF) – A positive attitude can be contagious. That’s just what Patrick Parris brings to Heritage Middle School each and every day. It’s one of the reasons why kids love his social studies class. Melissa Travillian is the Principal at Heritage Middle. She says, ” Mr. Parris came to us four years ago. He’s an incredible educator. He…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Chattanooga airport has plans for a new direct flight destination in the near future after receiving a small community air service development grant. Denver is the place they are hoping for, but they have their eyes on Houston as well. President and CEO of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, April Cameron said, “Earlier in the month,…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Brainerd Community Food Pantry is celebrating three years of providing food to the greater Chattanooga area. Since 2020, the food pantry has provided more than 585,000 meals. They say more than 15,000 families have relied on the food pantry since its inception. One reason for the increase in need is the rise in food prices….
Cleveland, TN-(WDEF-TV) Said Bradley Central defensive back Tito Williams: “We’re all real close with each other. I mean, we’re, we’re with each other all day in school and out of school. So that’s a big part of it. And then just being able to play with each other’s weaknesses and strengths is just another big part of it too.” Bradley…
PALM SPRINGS, Ca. (WDEF) — Tuesday, October 24 marks one year since Chattanooga native and Emmy award winning actor Leslie Jordan passed away. Now he’s being recognized with his own star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars in California. Leslie’s sister, Cricket Jordan, accepted the honor on his behalf last Friday. Courtesy: Del Shores Foundation/David A. Lee Photography…
Before your kiddos head out to trick or treat, I’ve got the cutest way to help fill up their bellies. Today we are going to treat your kiddos with a festive Halloween dinner that you can make in just five to 10 minutes. It is our Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Mac and Cheese. It’s super easy to do. What you’re going to…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – If you have noticed ‘wildfires’ in the headlines a little more, you’re not wrong. Aubrey Brown, Wildland Urban Interface Specialist says, “From the fire world we kind of know this time of year when we start seeing those red, yellow, orange looking leaves. We know fire season is around the corner. Therefore, wildfires get elevated at…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Riverbend has been a summertime staple in Chattanooga for more than 40 years. It took a couple of years off for the pandemic, but on Monday, Friends of the Festival announced that Riverbend will not be back in 2024. “What we want to do is to just take a look at that product. A relook at…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the FedEx plane that crash landed at the Chattanooga Airport on October 4th. A FedEx plane on its way to Memphis experienced an emergency mid-air and had to return, crash landing along Runway 20. Now, we know more about why the crew of three experienced that crash. The…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga has announced the name of their new Health Sciences Building. It will be the Dorothy and Jim Kennedy Health Sciences Building. The Kennedys are UTC alums who are giving $8 million to ensure the project is completed. The future Dorothy and Jim Kennedy Health Science Building at UTC (Courtesy: UTC) It will…
Catoosa County, Ga. (WDEF) – The medical professionals of tomorrow are getting the training they need today at the Catoosa County College and Career Academy. Juniors and seniors from all three county high schools should have good jobs waiting for them upon graduation, or they’ll have a solid head start their further education. All that adds up to a healthy…
WHITWELL, Tenn. (WDEF) — Ketner’s Mill is a southern tradition for many in the Sequatchie Valley. The festival was founded in 1977 and has been packed with guests and vendors for almost 50 years. Vendor of The Fun Co. and longtime attendee, Brian Greer said, “Well between me and my dad, we’ve probably been coming up here 35 probably plus…
BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Bradley County first responders have extinguished a series of fires over the weekend. At around 4 p.m. on Sunday, Bradley County 911 received a call reporting a small, active brush fire on Dalton Pike near Waterville Community School. Authorities then discovered ten additional locations along Dalton Pike reporting similar brush fires, and creating a series…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Local radio station, J103, experienced damage due to a wildfire on Lookout Mountain. The wildfire is keeping J103 from broadcasting on the airways. J103 FM’s main tower was affected by the wildfire on Lookout Mountain near the Lula Lake Land Trusts property Saturday night. “If you think about J103, it’s made up of two different radio…
HIXSON, Tenn. (WDEF) — Wreaths Across Chattanooga recognizes fallen service members. An opening celebration was held at the Hixson Walmart for the local veteran effort. Mayor Tim Kelly delivered remarks at the ceremony of the opening celebration of Wreaths Across Chattanooga. A Presentation of Colors was made by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203 color guard. Last year, Chattanooga…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Witches and warlocks floated down the Tennessee River Saturday for the second annual ‘Witch and Warlock Paddle’ by River City Company. People of all ages gathered downtown to embark on their spooky journey across the river. The annual paddle started off at Rivermont Park and finished under the Market Street Bridge. River City Company partnered with…