Vincente Vasquez-Lopez WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is actively searching for an inmate who walked away from a work crew. Vincente Vasquez-Lopez walked away near Five Springs Road and South Dixie Highway in Whitfield County. Vasquez-Lopez was serving time for a probation violation and is not considered violent, according…… MORE
MGN BRADLEY COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Georgia woman has pleaded “no contest” to a charge of TennCare fraud. Erikea Akridge now lives in Crandall, Georgia but used to be in Tennessee. The state says she continued getting health insurance benefits after she moved. She was sentenced to 30 hours in jail and ordered to…… MORE
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A new historical marker will immortalize one of Chattanooga’s longest running institutions. The Tennessee Historical Commission unveiled a historical marker that honors the Chattanooga Rotary Club Friday morning. The Tennessee state historical marker dedicated to the Chattanooga Rotary Club being unveiled. This is located in front of the UBS Building near the…… MORE
LAFAYETTE, Ga. (WDEF) — Fire crews in Lafayette are battling a house fire. The fire is located in the 600 block of South Main Street. Crews have closed a portion of the road to allow emergency personnel to efficiently operate. The City of LaFayette encourages the community to avoid the area and to seek alternate…… MORE
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) — Sometimes you have to break things down to build them back up again. That was the idea behind Deconstruction Day at the Tivoli. Crews carefully disassembled parts of the building and recovered everything that could be re-used. That list included 11 glass and wood interior doors, more than a thousand feet…… MORE
MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Meigs County man has been arrested and charged in connection to an arson investigation in Georgetown. Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) began investigating a suspicious fire on June 15, 2023. The fire destroyed a detached garage at a residence in the 3000 block of Sugar…… MORE
MGN CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Florida man was sentenced in Chattanooga Thursday, March 27, 2025 for attempting to entice a minor into sending him sexually explicit images. Rodney Paul Martin was sentenced to 90 months in prison. According to the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) following his imprisonment, he will be on supervised release…… MORE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF)- A bill that would allow schools to deny admission to undocumented students has cleared another hurdle. Sponsored by Senator Bo Watson of Hixson, House Bill 793 cleared the Tennessee House Education Committee by a 11 to 7 vote. A ten year old girl from Chattanooga protesting a bill that would allow schools…… MORE
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The Tennessee Supreme Court has ruled on a COVID-era lawsuit against Bluecross Blueshield. In 2021, Heather Smith, an employee at Bluecross Blueshield here in Chattanooga, was fired over her refusal to comply with a Covid vaccine mandate. She had contacted several state legislators to complain about the mandate, which the company said…… MORE
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp addressed the Downtown Rotary Club Thursday. He discussed the future of entrepreneurship and education in the county. The mayor presented data showing a wide range of outcomes in local schools, saying it shows the best and worst of our community. Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp addressing the…… MORE
