UTC discusses school safety following UVA shooting

University's director of safety, students believe UTC is still a safe environment

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) — The tragic deaths of three University of Virginia football players is still being felt nationwide, including on campus at UTC. The players’ deaths have Charlottesville’s UVA community, as well as many nationwide mourning over the sudden loss. In Chattanooga, UTC security officials are more than aware of how suddenly something shocking can occur. And they are confident…

DA Wamp Pushes for Injunction that Kicks Occupants out of East Ridge Motel

EAST RIDGE, Tenn. (WDEF)- Occupants at the Budgetel Inn and Suites Motel in East Ridge were formally evicted this morning.The decision was made by Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp who has sought an injunction against the motel. Residents said this is an infringement on their rights as tenets while Wamp is saying that this is in the best interest of public…

Mom to Mom – Stuffed Turkey

We have a simple Thanksgiving-themed activity for your toddler. If you’ve got a busy toddler, they’re absolutely going to love this. So we’re going to stuff the turkey, and it gets their fine motor skills working as well. So what you want to do is grab a plastic bottle. It can really be anything that’s smaller. Then you’re going to…

Stakes Still High For Mocs in Regular Season Finale Against Western Carolina

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) The regular season hasn’t played out quite like the Mocs wanted with two SoCon losses. But UT C still has a chance to extend their season if they can take care of business in their regular season finale against Western Carolina. In their loss to Samford, the Mocs saw the Bulldogs run a staggering 91 plays. Can UTC expect…

Peyton Williams Enjoyed Plenty of Big Play Moments For Ringgold

Ringgold, GA-(WDEF-TV) Ringgold’s Peyton Williams was one of the biggest play-makers in Northwest Georgia high school football this season. Brian Armstrong tracks down the Tigers elusive running back. “He’s an outstanding player and when he breaks he could take it to the house at any point in time the ball game,” said Coach Akins. Ringgold’s football season has come to…

Donald Trump announces new run for President

MAR-A-LAGO, Florida (WDEF) – Former President Donald Trump plans to wipe the “former” from his title. He announced that he will run for President a third time tonight from his estate in Florida. “In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for President of the United States. He told supporters that when he…

“Skip-Scanning” Raises Concerns about Self-Checkouts

DALTON, Ga. (WDEF)-Dalton Police are searching for a woman who they believe committed theft at a dollar store. They believe she was using a method called “skip-scanning” at the Dollar General at 511 North Glenwood Avenue. What is skip-scanning? Skip-scanning is when a customer deliberately decides not to scan an item but still puts it in their checkout bag. According…

Golden Apple Award: Abby Fortner Lookout Valley Middle High School

Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) – Abby Fornter teaches English and Social Studies at Lookout Valley Middle School. She also gets in plenty of kicks coaching soccer. At least one of her students calls Fortner the “best teacher ever”. Lee Ann McBryar is the Principal at Lookout Valley Middle High School She says, “Ms. Fortner is in her second year in teaching….

New images of Big Bear Mountain ride at Dollywood

PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (WDEF) – The folks at Dollywood are teasing us again with new images of their new ride at the theme park arriving next spring. The reveal happened Tuesday at a trade show in Orlando. They unveiled what the cars will look like and released a POV simulation video of what the ride will look like. Big Bear…

Cleveland and Chattanooga city governments’ retention and recruiting efforts

City governments are struggling to fill vacancies as retention and recruitment continues to decrease and with commercial industries as their competition.Like many other entities, the city governments are having difficulty recruiting workers in the labor market characterized by record level turnover and job openings. The City of Cleveland mayor Kevin Brooks has seen the response to their job openings fall…

Health experts recommend updated COVID booster

Bivalent booster protects body against original COVID strain, omicron variants

HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Tennessee health officials are encouraging residents to receive their updated COVID-19 booster, as coronavirus and flu cases continue to rise. With both colder temperatures and time spent with family coming to Tennessee for the holidays, medical experts say the new boosters are “critical” toward protecting yourself and others from “new surges of COVID-19 infections.” Medical…

Jefferson Heights Development Delayed

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A proposed development on the Chattanooga Southside went in front of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission today. A few weeks ago, we learned about a proposed development on 16th Street just to the south of Main Street in the Jefferson Heights neighborhood. This proposal, if approved, would bring a new hotel and other new business to…

Chattanooga State TCAT Launches Automotive Toolkit Initiative

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Chattanooga State made a big announcement this morning. The school along with local automotive industry partners are launching the Automotive Toolkit Initiative. This program will donate toolkits to the T-CAT Automotive Program for use by the students. These toolkits can cost up to $10,000. This is designed to help lower…

WRWOS: Chattanooga Prep expanding to Knoxville

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Since its establishment back in 20-18, Chattanooga Preparatory School has become a successful institution, preparing its students for life after high school. The model has been so well received, that the school is in the process of establishing a campus in Knoxville. Let’s go deeper into the story of Chattanooga Prep in this week’s What’s Right With…

UTC sluggish start in chilly game against Samford

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF)- The 11th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs football team fell behind early and ultimately fell short in its comeback effort during a 35-24 defeat to ninth-ranked Samford in a crucial Southern Conference matchup on a chilly Saturday afternoon inside Finley Stadium. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Game, local sports, Samford, Sports, UTC

Eternal Flame Returns to Red Clay State Park

  CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF)-The last capitol of the Cherokee Nation was located just south of Cleveland in Bradley County. In 1838, this is where they learned they were being kicked off of their ancestral lands due to enforcement of the Indian Removal Act, which led to the Trail of Tears. This weekend, the descendants of the Cherokee who endured the…

Tyner Takes Down Westmoreland 42-17

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Tyner used a big second half to pull away for a 42-17 win over Westmoreland in the state playoffs on Friday. The Rams led it just 7-3 at halftime. Categories: Sports – Local Sports News Tags: Game, local sports news, SCORE, Takes down, Tyner, Westmoreland