License Suspended for Baptiste Group Following Arrest and Other Incidents

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – From reports of a 16-year-old escaping to his home in Guatemala to the latest arrest of staff member Randi Duarte for sexual misconduct, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has suspended the license of The Baptiste Group until a series of investigations involving the District Attorney’s office is complete. “The only way they can go back into…

Hamilton County students graduate from BASF’s TECH Academy

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF)-Eight Hamilton County high school juniors and seniors completed BASF’s annual TECH Academy. “Getting to meet everybody. Coming in and seeing new faces and getting to see the stuff I didn’t know about,” said student Nasir Franklin. TECH Academy is a week-long educational and workforce development program along with Chattanooga State Community College and companies with local operations….

Chattanooga Fire Department hosts training event, teaches life saving techniques

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Fire Department always goes above and beyond to keep our city and families safe. This week they have been hard at work fine tuning their skills and  adding a few more to their tool belts—— all with the help of some new equipment. “As firefighters, we go in and fight fires. We tell the public…

Lookouts Catcher Mark Kolozsvary named to US Olympic team

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Putting Chattanooga Lookouts catcher Mark Kolozsvary on Team USA’s Tokyo-bound baseball team was essentially a no-brainer after the 25-year-old from Florida hit two home runs, doubled, walked twice, and was hit by two pitches over the course of four qualifying games in June. .@ChattLookouts manager Ricky Gutierrez says C Mark Kolozsvary has been a big part…

NCAA Declares College Athletes Are Free to Make Money on Their Fame

The NCAA has declared that college athletes are now free to make money on their fame. They can cash in on their name, image, and likeness. The new policy went into affect Thursday. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix has already announced an endorsement with Milo’s sweet tea. Besides endorsements, athletes can make money on social media, appearances, and autograph sessions. The…

Fireworks are back in Collegedale post-pandemic

COLLEGEDALE, Tennessee (WDEF)-This year will be much easier to celebrate the 4th of July as compared to last year. Last year the Collegedale commons looked a lot different than it does today as Collegedale was forced to cancel its 4th of July events due to Covid. “And it feels good seeing people that we haven’t seen in a while because…

Old Mary Ann Garber School being transformed into Vocational School

HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn (WDEF) – A new one of a kind school is in the works for Hamilton County Schools. The plan consists of refurbishing the old Mary Ann Garber School and turning it into a vocational school to help students be better prepared for the future workforce.”  The old Mary Ann Garber School on Roanoke street has been unoccupied for…

Ooltewah Unicorns 6U Softball Team Headed to Dizzy Dean World Series

Ooltewah, TN-(WDEF-TV) The Ooltewah Unicorns six-and-under softball team hopes to celebrate the Fourth of July with their own brand of fireworks. They’re headed to Southaven, Mississippi, this weekend to play in the six-and-under Dizzy Dean World Series. Reporter:”How much fun have you had this year playing for the Unicorns?” Said Unicorns player Allison Sherbesman:”A thousand.” Said head coach Angie Gentry:”And…

CPD unveils Dragonfly Community Connect

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF)- The Chattanooga Police Department unveiled a new program called Dragonfly Community Connect that can address crime in real time. Dragonfly Community Connect is a volunteer program that directly links security systems owned by Chattanooga businesses with the Chattanooga Police’s Real Time Intelligence center. “Let’s say a shooting or a robbery, the Real Time Intelligence Center investigators check the…

Former Monty Bruell staffer alleges unpaid wages

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Former Chattanooga mayoral candidate Monty Bruell is facing controversy after a former campaign staffer claims that she didn’t get paid for her work. “I feel like I really got ripped off,” says former Bruell communications director Alix Thornhill. In an exclusive interview with News 12, Thornhill described her grievances with Bruell. “Monty should not have agreed to…

Hamilton County Buying McDonald Farm in Sale Creek Farm

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – “I’m sure there’s alot of angst in the community when government purchases property this size,” said Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger at Wednesday’s County Commission meeting. He offered a few words of assurance following the county’s major $16 million purchase of 2,170 acres in Sale Creek. “It’s a sizable investment obviously that the tax payers are making…

Fourth Of July travel numbers expected to break records

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) – Travel continues to rebound after a year long pandemic and AAA expects this Fourth of July weekend to be no exception. In fact, Experts anticipate that more than 992 thousand Tennesseans will be hitting the road-as early as Thursday – but AAA says drivers should expect more than just traffic this weekend. Americans Hitting the road this…

Silverdale Helping Kids Learn to Fish

Summer is in full swing, but that hasn’t stopped the learning over at Silverdale Baptist Academy. In fact, the Seahawks are combining a favorite summer sport with science. Here’s News 12’s Angela Moryan with the story. Angie: What did you learn when you were fishing today? Said 7th grader Claire McCallie: “That fish are harder to catch than I remember.”…

Small business tips from ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ TV show

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF)- At the Chattery in Chattanooga, Suzanne Dulin used a successful wedding dress TV show as inspiration to aid Hamilton County small businesses coming out of the pandemic. “I love the show. It’s been running for 20 years. They have some very successful marketing. Their salespeople are wonderful. I think a lot of people are afraid of sales…

Baylor’s Cooper Kinney Named Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year

(gatorade.com) CHICAGO (June 29, 2021) — In its 36th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Cooper Kinney of Baylor School as its 2020-21 Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year. Kinney is the second Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Baylor School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding…

Market Street Bridge inspection

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Traffic routes were a little different in downtown Chattanooga on Tuesday as the Market Street bridge was closed for the day. The Tennessee Department of Transportation conducted a regularly scheduled full inspection of the bridge. It happens every 2 years. The official name of the bridge is the John Ross Bridge. But for the locals, it’s usually…