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BlueCross chooses Parkridge over CHI Memorial in hospital negotiations
Instagram video helped officers identify UPS auto break-in suspects
Grant will pay for water improvements in the Scottsboro area
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (WDEF) – Gov. Kay Ivey is investing in the growth around Scottsboro, Alabama.
The state is handing out a million-dollar grant to the city to improve water service.
Gov. Ivey said western Jackson County continues to attract people from the Huntsville area, who need more water.
The grant will help build a new pumping station and 6,000 feet of water main.
The money is going to the Scottsboro Water, Sewer and Gas Board, which serves the western side of the county.
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City of Dalton dedicates street to Bishop Stephen Thomas
DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) — The City of Dalton is dedicating part of a street to a local bishop who passed away in 2023.
A portion of Meeting Street in Dalton will be dedicated to Reverand Dr. Stephen A. Thomas. City officials said Thomas is better known locally as “Bishop Thomas.”
This portion of the street will be between Underwood Street and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
The dedication will happen on Thursday, May 9 at 10 a.m.
Dalton Mayor Annalee Sams and the city council voted unanimously Monday night to approve this resolution.
Bishop Thomas passed away on February 3, 2023.
Thomas served as bishop of the Community Fellowship Church in Dalton for 37 years and co-founded the Concerned Clergy of Whitfield County. He also founded the Northwest Georgia College of Theology.
The city said Thomas extensively served his community, including serving as chairman of the Dalton Parks and Recreation Commission.
“I’m really excited and humbled about this opportunity today. First and foremost, I’d like to say thank you to Mayor Sams, the Council… so many others that helped put together the resolution on tonight’s agenda in commemoration of my dad,” said Matthew Thomas, one of Bishop Thomas’ sons. “It is our honor and with humility we are excited to celebrate in the resolution and the following street dedication at Meeting Street in honor of my dad.”
Tennessee American Water warns customers of recent scams
Spring events around the Chattanooga area
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — From carnivals and barbecues to spring markets, there is plenty going on the next few months around the scenic city. With spring and warm temperatures finally here, many people are ready to get out and enjoy it.
Sometimes though, it’s hard to keep up with all that is going on.
So, here is a list of upcoming spring events in and around the Chattanooga area.
May
May 6-11 – Strawberry Festival in downtown Dayton, Tennessee. There are different events each day.
May 9-19 – Thrillville Fair at Camp Jordan Park in East Ridge, TN. Event times vary by day.
May 10-11 – Rock the Country Festival at Kingston Downs in Rome.
May 11 – Dolly Days in Ringgold from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
May 11 – Big Pig Festival from 11:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the First Horizon Pavilion in Chattanooga.
May 11 – Mountain Laurel Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pisgah Civitan Park, 650 County Road 374.
May 11 – Murphy Spring Festival from noon to 8 p.m. at 75 Tennessee Street, Murphy, NC.
May 13-19 – Chattanooga Pizza Week 2024.
May 17 – Food Truck Friday in Red Bank from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 3817 Redding Road.
May 18 – Down Home Days in downtown Chickamauga from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.
May 18 – Spirits in the Wild for 21+ at the Chattanooga Zoo from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
May 24 – Nightfall in Chattanooga happens each Friday until August 30, starting at 7 p.m. Located at Miller Park and Miller Plaza.
May 24-25 – 1890 Days in Downtown Ringgold, GA. Event times vary by day.
We will continue updating this list as we find more events.
Health department says 35% of Hamilton County residents are obese
Dunlap firefighters extinguish truck fire on Highway 111
DUNLAP, Tenn. (WDEF) — A pickup truck caught on fire in Dunlap on Monday afternoon, according to the Dunlap Fire Department.
Dunlap firefighters arrived at an overlook pull off on Highway 111 just before 3:30 p.m. central time.
The driver of the Nissan truck and his dog were taking a break from the drive when his truck began smoking from the engine.
Firefighters said that by the time they arrived, the truck was engulfed in flames.
However, no one was injured.
Valmont Industries expanding operations in Jasper
THP: 5 injured in Marion County crash involving deputy
Weather Update: Tuesday – May 7, 2024
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Overnight: Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms. Mild, Humid; lows: mid 60’s. Winds: S @ 5 MPH.
Tuesday: Windy with chances of showers and thunderstorms. Some storms could be strong to severe. Warm; highs mid 80’s. Winds: SW @ 10-15, gusts 20 MPH.
Overnight: Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms. Mild, Humid; lows: mid/high 60’s. Winds: S @ 5 MPH.
Wednesday: Cloud/Sun Mix. Chances for rain/thunder. Highs: mid 80’s. Winds: SW @ 10-15, gusts 20 MPH.
Overnight: Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms. Some storms could be strong to severe. Mild, Humid; lows: mid 60’s. Winds: S @ 5 MPH.
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National Drought Summary for May 2, 2024
Summary
Moderate to heavy rain amounts fell across parts of the Southeast and Northeast this week, leading to localized improvements to ongoing drought and abnormal dryness in the Southeast, and mostly unchanged conditions in the Northeast, aside from western New York, which missed out on the heavier precipitation and saw minor degradations.
The central third of the contiguous U.S. saw a mix of improvements and degradations, based on where heavier precipitation did or did not fall and where dry and windy conditions continued. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, the Michigan Lower Peninsula, southern Missouri and southeast Kansas saw improving conditions after heavier rains fell there. Meanwhile, moderate drought expanded in northwest Missouri and portions of west-central Wisconsin, Minnesota, northwest Iowa, the far southern Michigan Upper Peninsula and far northeast Wisconsin. Much of Texas remained the same, with a few degradations in the southeast corner and several degradations in central and southern Texas where long-term drought conditions are still causing impacts. Recent dryness and warm and windy weather in northwest Oklahoma and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles led to abnormal dryness developing there.
Short-term dryness and high evaporative demand led to large areas of degrading conditions in northeast Wyoming, while west-central Wyoming, north-central Colorado, northeast Utah, western Montana, and the northern Idaho Panhandle all saw areas of improvement due to lower evaporative demand and improving snowpack recently. In Hawaii, an active trade wind pattern continued, leading to some improvements on the windward (northeast) slopes of the Big Island and Kauai, while a small area of moderate drought developed on the leeward (southwest) portion of Kauai. In Puerto Rico, a few improvements were made where recent rainfall has improved streamflows and crop stress, and lessened rainfall deficits and raised reservoir levels.
No changes were made to the Drought Monitor this week in Alaska.
– NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu
Got #weatherpix to share for our @WestShoreHome #WeatherWindow #PictureOfTheDay? E-mail them to [email protected].
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Make sure you & your family stay in touch with us. Remember the Storm Team 12 app can always bring you the latest weather alerts for your location as well as Titan Radar. Download it for free from your app store – just search “WDEF Weather”.
The best time to prepare for severe weather is when nothing weather-wise is going on. Learn more about programming your weather alert radio with WDEF-TV News 12.
Who can participate?
This is a community project. Everyone can help, young, old, and in-between. The only requirements are an enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions and a desire to learn more about how weather can affect and impact our lives.
What will our volunteer observers be doing?
Each time a rain, hail or snow storm crosses your area, volunteers take measurements of precipitation from as many locations as possible (see equipment). These precipitation reports are then recorded on our Web site www.cocorahs.org. The data are then displayed and organized for many of our end users to analyze and apply to daily situations ranging from water resource analysis and severe storm warnings to neighbors comparing how much rain fell in their backyards.
Who uses CoCoRaHS?
CoCoRaHS is used by a wide variety of organizations and individuals. The National Weather Service, other meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, city utilities (water supply, water conservation, storm water), insurance adjusters, USDA, engineers, mosquito control, ranchers and farmers, outdoor & recreation interests, teachers, students, and neighbors in the community are just some examples of those who visit our Web site and use our data.
https://cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=application
IF YOU’D LIKE A WDEF NEWS 12 METEOROLOGIST TO VISIT WITH YOUR SCHOOL, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW.
Weather Update: Monday – May 6, 2024
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Overnight: Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms. Mild, Humid; lows: mid 60’s. Winds: S @ 5 MPH.
Tuesday: Windy with chances of showers and thunderstorms. Warm; highs mid 80’s. Winds: SW @ 10-15, gusts 20 MPH.
Overnight: Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms. Mild, Humid; lows: mid/high 60’s. Winds: S @ 5 MPH.
Wednesday: Cloud/Sun Mix. Chances for rain/thunder. Highs: mid 80’s. Winds: SW @ 10-15, gusts 20 MPH.
Overnight: Cloudy, showers, thunderstorms. Some storms could be strong to severe. Mild, Humid; lows: mid 60’s. Winds: S @ 5 MPH.
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National Drought Summary for May 2, 2024
Summary
Moderate to heavy rain amounts fell across parts of the Southeast and Northeast this week, leading to localized improvements to ongoing drought and abnormal dryness in the Southeast, and mostly unchanged conditions in the Northeast, aside from western New York, which missed out on the heavier precipitation and saw minor degradations.
The central third of the contiguous U.S. saw a mix of improvements and degradations, based on where heavier precipitation did or did not fall and where dry and windy conditions continued. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, the Michigan Lower Peninsula, southern Missouri and southeast Kansas saw improving conditions after heavier rains fell there. Meanwhile, moderate drought expanded in northwest Missouri and portions of west-central Wisconsin, Minnesota, northwest Iowa, the far southern Michigan Upper Peninsula and far northeast Wisconsin. Much of Texas remained the same, with a few degradations in the southeast corner and several degradations in central and southern Texas where long-term drought conditions are still causing impacts. Recent dryness and warm and windy weather in northwest Oklahoma and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles led to abnormal dryness developing there.
Short-term dryness and high evaporative demand led to large areas of degrading conditions in northeast Wyoming, while west-central Wyoming, north-central Colorado, northeast Utah, western Montana, and the northern Idaho Panhandle all saw areas of improvement due to lower evaporative demand and improving snowpack recently. In Hawaii, an active trade wind pattern continued, leading to some improvements on the windward (northeast) slopes of the Big Island and Kauai, while a small area of moderate drought developed on the leeward (southwest) portion of Kauai. In Puerto Rico, a few improvements were made where recent rainfall has improved streamflows and crop stress, and lessened rainfall deficits and raised reservoir levels.
No changes were made to the Drought Monitor this week in Alaska.
– NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu
Got #weatherpix to share for our @WestShoreHome #WeatherWindow #PictureOfTheDay? E-mail them to [email protected].
| ||||
Make sure you & your family stay in touch with us. Remember the Storm Team 12 app can always bring you the latest weather alerts for your location as well as Titan Radar. Download it for free from your app store – just search “WDEF Weather”.
The best time to prepare for severe weather is when nothing weather-wise is going on. Learn more about programming your weather alert radio with WDEF-TV News 12.
Who can participate?
This is a community project. Everyone can help, young, old, and in-between. The only requirements are an enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions and a desire to learn more about how weather can affect and impact our lives.
What will our volunteer observers be doing?
Each time a rain, hail or snow storm crosses your area, volunteers take measurements of precipitation from as many locations as possible (see equipment). These precipitation reports are then recorded on our Web site www.cocorahs.org. The data are then displayed and organized for many of our end users to analyze and apply to daily situations ranging from water resource analysis and severe storm warnings to neighbors comparing how much rain fell in their backyards.
Who uses CoCoRaHS?
CoCoRaHS is used by a wide variety of organizations and individuals. The National Weather Service, other meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, city utilities (water supply, water conservation, storm water), insurance adjusters, USDA, engineers, mosquito control, ranchers and farmers, outdoor & recreation interests, teachers, students, and neighbors in the community are just some examples of those who visit our Web site and use our data.
https://cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=application
IF YOU’D LIKE A WDEF NEWS 12 METEOROLOGIST TO VISIT WITH YOUR SCHOOL, PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW.
What’s Right With Our Schools: Catoosa County Reality U
CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) – Learning financial literacy at a young age can really pay off in the long run. Catoosa County students recently got a crash course in dollars and cents through a program called Reality U. That’s a bottom-line example of what’s right with our schools.
Charles Nix is the Superintendent for Catoosa County Schools.
He explained, “Reality U is an incredible opportunity for our kids to experience real life adulting. One of the things that we get asked a lot is… can you teach our kids about finance. Can you teach your kids about money; about paying bills. And a lot of our parents don’t know that we do this at all three high schools. And we do it every single year. And it is an incredible opportunity for our kids to learn, here’s how much money you’re going to make. It’s probably dependent upon the job that you get and that’s. And that’s going to determine where you live, what kind of car you drive. And it may determine who you marry.”
Nery Taboada is a freshman at Heritage High School.
Taboada said, “Right now, I just if I get money, you know, I just want to spend it on you know going out places eating. But for the future, or… after um Reality U, it made me realize that in the future I have to save my money for bigger things like getting a car, trans transportation, food and all that.”
“We have kids who buy the Lamborghini, and then when they get to the end of the paycheck, they realize maybe I need to go get a Honda Civic,” Superintendent Nix continued.
Amy Jackson is the President and CEO of the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce.
She said, “[We] started this three years ago it was only we were only able they were only able to hold it in one school. because of the finances. And so, with some funds that were donated for education specifically, uh we’ve been able this is our second year that the chamber has been able to fund this through communities and schools; this is the state version of that. This reality U which is a simulated budgeting uh seminar for the ninth graders, um and it has just been a joy. It’s a great way for our businesses, our local businesses, to give back to their community. They have partnered with us and they have they volunteer their times. Some of them do all three days all three schools. Some do half days just whatever the time they can afford. And they come in and work with the students.”
Michael Colquette is and an American National Insurance agent, operator.
He said, “A lot of kids depend on their parents for everything. So, this Reality U is truly a reality check for them to see what their parents have to pay every month. Whether it’s their car insurance, whether it’s their homeowners, whether it’s paying for childcare, all the things that they take for granted. Uh it’s a true reality check for them.”
“This is going to be in the childcare facility, like a daycare. So, they’re going to get the free the lunch is included, and the outings are included. The message today is here in Catoosa County Public Schools our kids are learning about real world finance today at Heritage High School. and that supports what our parents want our kids to learn about money,” Superintendent Nix concluded.
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Search ongoing for teenager involved in Marion County kayaking accident
MARION COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) – There is an ongoing search for a missing teenage kayaker in Marion County.
Marion County EMA Director Steve Lamb says around 3 p.m. Saturday, a 17-year-old male kayaker was on the Sequatchie River at Ketner’s Mill.
He says at some point, he tipped over into the river below the low head dam at Ketner’s Mill.
Since then, a rescue operation has been ongoing with numerous agencies across Marion County, including a team from Hamilton County STARS.
Lamb says that they have faced difficulty due to the thunderstorms we have seen in recent day, saying there was a delay Monday morning due to a storm.
It is not the first time a kayaker has had trouble along the Sequatchie River.
Lamb said, “It’s not necessarily the kayaking, but it’s low head dams. If you get too close to one of these dams you’re going to die… You stand here on the banking and it looks very serene. This water is pouring over this little dam and there’s nice bubbles at the bottom. It looks like a picture that you would see online, but when you get too close to it, if you get caught in the undertow.”
In our archives, we found a previous incident where a 38-year-old man from Florida was killed when he was flipped over next to the dam in 2018.
Ketner’s Mill on their website cautions against swimming in the Sequatchie River and has warning signs around the dam.
Lamb says that the Mill will remain closed to the public as they continue the rescue operations and are currently assisting the family of the victim with all of their needs.
He said that the kayaker was not wearing a life vest and says everyone who paddles on the water should wear one.
Olympiad day at Chattanooga State
Cicadas emerge after 13 years
Polk County man arrested for gas station shooting
POLK COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Polk County authorities said one man was shot in the head at a gas station in Old Fort, Tennessee.
On May 3, Polk County detectives arrived at the scene at around 9:40 p.m. They said the shooting happened at a Mapco at 907 Swan Road.
They found the victim, Jarrett Cronan, with a gunshot wound to the head. First responders took him to a local hospital in critical condition.
Later, authorities located the suspected shooter and arrested him at a home in Old Fort.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Austin D. Edwards.
They are charging Edwards with two counts of attempted second-degree murder. He is being held at the Polk County Jail on a $350,000 bond.
