Watermelons destroyed in truck fire

DADE COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — A truck hauling watermelons caught on fire Sunday night, according to Haletown Volunteer Fire Department. The fire department responded to the truck fire just after 10:30 p.m. The truck had caught on fire on I-24 Westbound at mile marker 167. Multiple agencies also assisted in extinguishing the fire. No one was injured. However, the truck…

Injured hiker rescued on Dayton Mountain

DUNLAP, Tenn. (WDEF) — A female hiker got lost in the “Pocket” state park area of Dayton Mountain and was rescued, according to the Dunlap Fire Department. She called for help Sunday night around 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central Time). The fire department said she was lost and injured in the park while hiking. Multiple agencies responded to assist via…

Ninth annual American Heroes Dinner held to support veterans

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Chattanooga Convention Center recently held the ninth annual dinner to honor American Heroes.  General John F. Kelly, USMC (Ret.) was the keynote speaker, benefitting the Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation. “The advice I’d give all Americans is that we should never ever ever forget what their military service members, veterans have done for them and for…

‘Adventure Days at the Zoo’ kicks off in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Four times a year, children 18 years and younger will be able to get into the Chattanooga Zoo for free with their library card. The Chattanooga Public Library provides outreach activities for four hours during the scheduled events. On Sunday morning, the first day of “Adventure Days at the Zoo” was held from 9 a.m. to…

‘Count it all Joy’ conference held for church families

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Hillside Baptist Church held their fifth annual special needs/care family conference on Saturday. Pastor Steve Cape has spent 25 years at the church and has reached many families with special needs because of his daughter, Heather.  Heather Cape has suffered for 29 years with only one-half of her brain. The family uses her story as a…

Eighth annual ‘Shoes for School’ event held at Miller Park

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Students are getting ready to go back to school and are starting to check off their supply lists. With rising costs for students, it can be hard to provide. Urban League of Greater Chattanooga (ULGC) hosted its eighth annual Shoes for School initiative on Saturday morning.  They partnered with local organizations to host the event at…

Chattanooga Football Club announces new CEO

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Chattanooga Football Club (CFC) has announced Alton Byrd as its new CEO. Byrd has been in the sports and branding market for over 30 years. He has experience in European basketball, head coaching and entrepreneurship. His focus is to grow the club and invest more resources in the community. “I think first you start with people….

Heavy Rains May Lower Power Bills

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The recent heavy rains could have an impact on your power bill. Areas of the Tennessee Valley have seen up to 3 to 4 inches of rain since Thursday morning on top of previous storm systems. All of this water that goes into local creeks and streams eventually ends up in the Tennessee River. A higher…

From The Archives: Luther test drives the 60th anniversary Corvette

This story originally aired this week in 2013

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – The Chevy Corvette is an American tradition. But times have changed the brand. Now they’re even talking about creating an electric Corvette S-U-V. But we’re paying tribute to the legacy in tonight’s Thursday Throwback. Our Chip Chapman and Luther gave the 60th anniversary Covertte a spin. GM So what would an S-U-V version of the Corvette look like?…

Riverfront park to get an upgrade

Riverfront park is getting an upgrade Scott Martin, Administrator Parks and Outdoors, said, “Riverfront park is one of our greatest assets and it is, but it’s also 20 years old so it’s time to revisit it, and just like probably families around Chattanooga around spring you look at your front yard and go ‘meh we got some work to do…

Southern Adventist University announces name for new school of business

COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. (WDEF) – Southern Adventist University announced a new name for their school of business. They’re calling it the Ruth McKee School of Business.  The university will name its new business school after the late Ruth McKee. Ruth and her husband, O.D., founded McKee Foods Corporation, which is best known for Little Debbie snacks. They founded the company in Chattanooga…

Erlanger celebrates move to private, non-profit hospital

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Erlanger and local officials came together today to celebrate the hospital’s change in status. Recently, Erlanger became a 501 C (e), private, non-profit hospital after transitioning from being publicly owned by Hamilton County. Officials at the time said the move was made to make Erlanger more competitive in the hospital industry. Today, city, county and state leaders…

Signal Mountain’s new Walden’s Ridge Park to open this fall

SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, Tenn. (WDEF) — A new 200-acre park is set to open this fall on Signal Mountain in Hamilton County. Walden’s Ridge Park has been years in the making. The Hamilton County Parks and Recreation announced the opening date of Walden’s Ridge Park this fall. Officials said the park will be on the side of the mountain. County leaders…

Red Bank Hoping to Reload For Another Deep Playoff Run

Red Bank, TN-(WDEF-TV) Red Bank was knocking on the door of the state title game last year before falling in the playoff semifinals. Even though the Lions have lost a couple of key players on offense, they expect to reload for another fantastic season. Since 2017, Red Bank has made the quarterfinals or further in the state playoffs. So yeah,…