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…
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…
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…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The voice of news radio in Chattanooga for over 35 years, radio veteran Kevin West said it’s time for him to hang up his headphones and put away his mic. Since 18 years old and starting out his career at the University of Michigan, Kevin always wanted to be a “disco jockey.” West moved to Chattanooga…
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…
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Film Festival has been providing artists an outlet for a decade. “Even though the arts and music and things like that have grown by leaps and bounds in Chattanooga. I didn’t want to see film get left behind,” said Chris Dortch, festival director. He is proud of this festival and is excited for…
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…
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…
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…
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, 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…
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….
RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) — Country music artist Ben Chapman is returning to North Georgia this weekend to put on a benefit concert. Since moving to Nashville, the LaFayette native has been staying busy writing new songs, and playing shows in the Music City and across the country. News 12 caught up with Ben at CMA Fest to see what he’s…
CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — Southeast Tennessee now has a local veterans home. The state officially opened their new facility in Cleveland on Thursday. The home has 108 beds. This means many local veterans will now be able to stay in the area instead of going to other facilities across the state. This project has been 20 years in the making….
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…
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…
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…
UPDATE: Red Bank fire officials say they found the resident of the home in the rear of the house. He was prounced dead at the scene. _____________ RED BANK, Tennessee (WDEF) – Officials report that a man died in an early morning house fire in Red Bank. A neighbor reported the fire at a home on Charlotte Avenue around 5…
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Tenn. (WDEF) — Sometimes gift giving can be a challenge, but Divine Goods in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee wants to make it easier on you. The website has plenty of gift boxes to choose from to find that perfect present for birthdays or other special occasions. Let’s see how Divine Goods is driving our economy forward. “Divine Goods is…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Hamilton County Commission unanimously passed next year’s fiscal budget. However, controversy exists over a change to a long time gentleman’s agreement. For many years, Hamilton County has funded the Chattanooga Tourism Company, formerly known as the Chattanooga Visitors Bureau, through all revenue generated by the county’s lodging tax. Wednesday, the Commission voted to overrule this…
WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — Whitfield County Emergency Management gave away 300 weather radios Wednesday morning. Whitfield County received a grant to purchase these radios. Only Whitfield County residents were eligible to receive one. Weather radios can be life savers, especially during power and internet outages from storms. David Metcalf is the Director of the Whitfield County Emergency Management. “We just…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Three Hamilton County judges spoke about the state of our court system Wednesday morning. It was at the monthly Friends of Hixson meeting at the Valleybrook Golf Course Clubhouse. Judges Boyd Patterson, Mike Dumitru, and Amanda Dunn spoke and answered questions about our court system. The judges said that there is an increasing backlog of cases, as…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — It’s the first day of summer, and that means a lot of things. One of those things is heat, especially here in our area. “Beating the heat” is always a challenge. But technology is helping the cause. It gets mighty hot here in our neck of the woods. At times, dangerously hot. Consider this: heat stroke…
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — For the first time this century, Chattanooga City Council is taking a look at a park plan. This could lead to more green space in the city. Chattanooga currently has a park rating of C+. With the new park plan presented, that presents a hope for change. “This is fixable, doable stuff. We are really optimistic we…