KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Pat Summitt Foundation announced its 2024 grant recipients. Some of those recipients serve Rhea, McMinn and Monroe Counties in Tennessee. The foundation gave more than $200,000 worth of grants, reaching more than 50 Tennessee counties. These grants are meant to continue Coach Summitt’s mission of fighting Alzheimer’s Disease. Concord United Methodist Church The church’s CADES project serves Rhea, Blount, Knox and Loudon Counties in Tennessee. It helps older adults who are not able to stay home due to Alzheimer’s, dementias, social isolation, mobility problems and ..read more

MURRAY COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — Murray County Schools were on a soft lockdown on Tuesday due to a threat. At around 2 p.m., the school system said the soft perimeter lockdown was lifted for all schools. Sheriff Jimmy Davenport said around 9:30 a.m., a man in a red pickup truck pulled up behind Bagley Middle School, yelled threats toward students and drove off. The schools were on a lockdown while authorities looked for the suspect. They later found the suspect, 22-year-old Kevin Oliver Williams, on Highway 411 in Gordon County. Law enforcement has charged Williams with disruption of public schools ..read more

FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. (WDEF) — Catoosa County Government is asking drivers to avoid the area of Highway 2/Battlefield Parkway and Lafayette Road. In a social media post, they said a man is trapped in a drainpipe under the road. Crews are working to extricate the man at this time. Battlefield Parkway from the Catoosa and Walker County line to Lafayette Road is closed as of 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. We are working to learn more and will provide updates as they become available.  Categories: Catoosa County, Featured, Local News Tags: battlefield parkway, Catoosa County Government, Lafayette Roa ..read more

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. (WDEF) — Scams are rampant in the community these days. Scammers are now targeting festivalgoers as well. The National Cornbread Festival is warning of a scam event on social media. The National Cornbread Festival is coming up on April 27-28, 2024. Over the weekend, the festival’s official account posted to Facebook about a scam. Festival organizers said the scam is contacting potential vendors for the festival. However, all vendors have already been chosen for the actual festival. They said, “Please be aware that this event IS NOT associated with the festival. If you ha ..read more

SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (WDEF) — There have been reports of a local coach in Soddy-Daisy who has been suspended. Soddy Daisy High wrestling coach Ulric Winesburgh was suspended on March 20. The reason for his suspension has not been confirmed by Hamilton County Schools. In a statement released on Monday, Hamilton County School officials did not say what the reason for his suspension was. They also said the suspension is pending the outcome of a law enforcement investigation, and that this is standard procedure for the school system. Read their full statement here: “Soddy Daisy High School wre ..read more

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Order up! For all you burger lovers out there it is your time to shine. Chattanooga is having their fourth annual burger week, and it kicked off today. For seven dollars the community can come out and enjoy a variety of different burgers from local restaurants. The weeklong event will include fan favorites like Burger Republic, Urban Stack Hi-Fi Clyde’s and Jack Browns. I chatted with manager Katie Strout about Hi-Fi Clyde’s classic burger. “So, the Clyde’s classic we just do all the basic fixings it’s got dukes mayo, lettuce, tomato, our homemade sweet pickles and ..read more

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Volkswagen said it is prepared for the employee union vote to begin Wednesday morning. In a press briefing Tuesday morning, media was not allowed to record. However, VW leaders said they are not influencing the vote. They added that they will give their employees privacy in making their decision on whether to accept the United Auto Workers (UAW) union into the plant. Meanwhile, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has issued a statement Tuesday morning saying he is against the UAW coming into the state. It was a joint statement between governors in Alabama, Georgia, Missis ..read more

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The Scopes Trials was one of the most famous trials of all time, and it was in Dayton, Tennessee. Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial. Today, a museum stands where the trial once took place. It is dedicated to educating students about what happened. This reenactment is an example of what’s right with our schools.   “Over the years, we’ve had an opportunity many times to go on the road with portions of the full production. Especially the examination of Brian by Darrow,” said Rick Dye, president of the Rhea Heritage Preservation Fo ..read more

Today on Mom to Mom, we’re going to make a cute carrot patch for outside with just two items. We love to decorate for spring! It’s super nice and warm and you’re trying to think of something different and outside of the box to decorate your front yard. With today we have a cute create your own carrot patch with just two items for fairly inexpensive. So what you’re going to need are these orange cones, which is like a sports cone. You can find this at Walmart or sports store. And then you can go to your craft store or floral store and find some loose fern stems. These aren’t really ferns, but ..read more

ATLANTA, Ga. (WDEF)-The Georgia Department of Transportation is raising awareness this week on work zone safety.  The spring and summer months are considered the best season for highway work. During National Work Zone Awareness Week GDOT is spreading the message about distracted driving.  Due to distracted driving Hundreds of workers have been killed in work zones.  “Lots of people are driving and driving distracted. They do not realize that they could be within a couple of feet of our workers and crew,” said Joe Schulman, GDOT Communication Officer. “We are just asking people ..read more