From WDEF News 12: Blood Assurance is calling on the community to help with an urgent need for blood donations. Supplies have dropped in recent weeks, especially O negative blood. Officials say one donation can save up to three lives. To encourage donors, Blood Assurance is offering a $20 e-gift card through the end of August. Starting in September, donors will receive a 9/11 memorial t-shirt hono...  Read More

From Local 3 News: An overturned dump truck has closed a busy intersection in Bradley County on Tuesday morning. Bradley County EMS crews are working the single-vehicle accident on North lee Highway near the intersection of Walker Valley Road. The driver walked away from the crash with only minor scratches. The road is closed while crews continue clean up. Drivers are asked to take Walker Valley R...  Read More

Officer Jordan Martin with the Cleveland Police Department has been named Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP) 2025 Officer of the Year. Officer Martin was nominated and selected by the TACP to receive this prestigious award when he saved a 3-year-old boy who was drowning in a creek in SE Bradley County in June....  Read More

The Bradley County Commission met yesterday.During the meeting, Commissioners voted 12 to 1 to reappoint Adam Lewis as Judicial Commissioner. During committee and district reports, Commissioner Scotty Gilbert said constituents near Bates Pike and Minnis Road have been complaining about low water pressure in areas serviced by Ocoee Utilities. The commission also voted 12 to 1 to follow the Finance ...  Read More

The Cleveland Police Department has announced the promotion of Lieutenant Evie Lastra West to the rank of Captain.West began her career with the department in 1999 as a volunteer reserve officer and English-Spanish interpreter. She has since served as a School Resource Officer, Public Information Officer, and, most recently, as a lieutenant in the Community Relations Unit.Her promotion makes her t...  Read More

A Cleveland man accused of killing his ex-wife was in criminal court again yesterday. Charlton Craig Liner, 61, has been held without bond on a first-degree murder charge at the Bradley County Jail since the murder of Karen Liner in January.Liner appeared in criminal court yesterday before Judge Sandra Donaghy, as questions continue over who will represent him during his trial and how he will pay ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A multi-vehicle crash on Highway 58 left one person dead Sunday night, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says.According to the investigation, a white 4Runner hit a guardrail near the Wolftever Bridge and a red vehicle before crashing head-on into a green Ford Fiesta. The impact pushed the Fiesta into another vehicle.The Fiesta’s driver was taken to the hospital, but later die...  Read More

From the Chattanoogan: Lee University has received a $10,000 grant from the Eaton Charitable Fund in support of Lee’s School of Engineering capital campaign. The gift, facilitated by the company’s corporate philanthropic arm and supported by leadership at Eaton’s Cleveland facility, was announced during a presentation held at the future building site.The grant supports Lee’s engineering campaign, ...  Read More

From News Channel 9: A firefighter in Cleveland is back at home after a deployment to Syria and Kuwait with the Tennessee Army National Guard.According to a Facebook post from the Cleveland Fire Department, Heath Pendergraft spent 10 months overseas.The department also said several Cleveland firefighters placed hundreds of American Flags around Pendergraft's neighborhood to welcome him back home....  Read More

From the Chattanoogan: The City of Cleveland announced the closing and official acquisition of the former Whirlpool Plant 1 and Plant 2 properties, located in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Officials said, "These sites, which total approximately 50 acres, are key to the future revitalization and development of the city’s core."This milestone marks the culmination of more than two years of negoti...  Read More

From News Channel 9: Miller Industries in Ooltewah is laying off 150 employees as part of a cost reduction plan.The towing equipment manufacturer cited reduced sales and lower order volumes as reasons for the cuts, which will be spread across plants in Ooltewah and Greeneville, Tennessee, and Hermitage, Pennsylvania. The company says it will provide financial assistance, benefits support, and care...  Read More

From the Chattanoogan: Lee University alumna Lora Taylor has accepted an appointment with the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where she will serve in the Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office as part of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. Ms. Taylor, who earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Lee in 2020, most recently served as a STEM educat...  Read More

From TN.gov: After several months of steady unemployment rates, newly released data for July reflects a slight change in Tennessee’s jobless rate, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July was 3.6%, an increase of one-tenth of a percentage point over June’s rate. One year ago, the rate was 3.4%.Tenness...  Read More

The Bradley County School Board met last night.Director of Schools Dr. Linda Cash reported a strong start to the school year, highlighted improvements in achievement rates, and introduced Britain Sapp, a BCHS student recently appointed by Governor Bill Lee to serve as a student member of the Tennessee State Board of Education. Representative Dan Howell was also in attendance and honored with a pro...  Read More

From TN.gov: On Thursday, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti launched Operation Robocall Roundup, a bipartisan, multistate effort by the Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force to crack down on robocalls across the country. Attorney General Skrmetti and 50 attorneys general are sending warning letters to 37 telecommunications companies demanding that they stop routing illegal robocalls through their n...  Read More

The Chattanooga Mayor’s Office has released a full list of data gathered from the multi-agency response to flooding within the city on Tuesday.Here’s a quick recap:CHATTANOOGA FIRE DEPARTMENT (CFD)More than 100 firefighters responded50+ emergencies and calls for assistanceSwiftwater rescue team saved 35 individuals from hazardous situationsWorked with CPD and other partner agencies on roadblocks, ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: UPDATE: A young family of three were killed after a large tree fell on their car Tuesday night. East Ridge police responded to South Moore Road just before midnight to attempt life-saving rescues.They found Yuri Tomas Vicente Lopez, 29, Giomara Epifania Vasquez, 27, and Emma Vicente, 3, all deceased.Officials said the ground had become so saturated in water from flash flooding t...  Read More

Britain Sapp, a student at Bradley Central High School, has been chosen by Governor Bill Lee to serve as the student member of the Tennessee State Board of Education.Sapp was recommended by the Bradley County School Board in March and went through an application and interview process this summer.Sapp has served as the East Tennessee representative for the Tennessee Association of Student Councils,...  Read More

Chattanooga Fire crews responded to flooding emergencies across the city Tuesday night, rescuing stranded drivers and helping residents trapped in their homes.Swiftwater teams worked on McCutcheon and Hickory Valley, where people are stuck in vehicles. No injuries have been reported so far.Interstate 24 was shut down in both directions between Belvoir and Spring Creek due to high water. The Braine...  Read More

From Local 3 News: The Bradley County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) is investigating the death of an infant over the weekend.It happened on Saturday, August 9 at a home on Oakland Trail.Details are limited at this time.A BCSO spokesperson confirmed the investigation to Local 3, saying that information was limited because of a minor being involved.The cause of death and the name of the child have not bee...  Read More

From the Chattanoogan: The Rhea County Commission has approved a $21.6 million general budget and a $43.3 million school budget on first reading.The budgets were passed Friday night by a 7–0 vote, with two commissioners absent.The property tax rate will remain at $1.3486 per $100 of assessed value.A final vote will be held August 25 at 6 p.m. at the Courthouse Annex.State law requires budgets to b...  Read More

From Local 3 News: UPDATE: The Grundy County Sheriff's Office says dozens of pets weren't the only living things found inside a home at the center of an animal neglect investigation.The GCSO confirmed on Monday, eight kids were also found inside a home along with dozens of animals.The children are ages one to 17.The GCSO said the animals that were found included at least 40dogs, one pig, and sever...  Read More

The Bradley County Commission met yesterday for a work session.Mayor Davis shared that the state comptroller’s office has officially approved the county budget and commended commissioners for passing the budget before the fiscal year began.The Finance Committee voted down a $75,000 request to prepare property on Minnis Road for a new fire facility. Commissioner Milan Blake asked to include the rec...  Read More

The Cleveland City Council met yesterday.City leaders celebrated a state award for the Inman Street revitalization, calling it one of the city’s most complex engineering projects.The main debate of the meeting centered on a proposed zoning change in the Spring Creek development. The change would have allowed apartments on the ground floor of a planned building, which was against the original requi...  Read More