From Local 3 News (AP News): Authorities rescued people trapped by floodwaters and more than 3 million customers were in the dark across much of the southeastern U.S. as Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia early Friday after making landfall overnight in northwestern Florida as a Category 4 storm.Helene came ashore amid warnings from the National Hurricane Center that the eno...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Another sinkhole has opened up on SR-39 in McMinn County, TDOT says.The second sinkhole is approximately 100 feet from the first one that opened up earlier this Thursday.Motorist are advised to take an alternate route.The cause of these sinkholes has not been determined yet, TDOT says....  Read More

According to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rate for Tennessee in August increased to 3.1% from July’s 3.0%.In our local area, Bradley County’s unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7%.McMinn County rose to 4.4%, up one-tenth of a percentage point from July. Polk County’s rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 3.8%.Rhea Cou...  Read More

Happy Thursday! We're switching some things up and telling you weekend information before it even hits so that you can have time tp prepare for all the fun events! We're due for a rainy couple of days this weekend with Hurricane Helene traveling up from Florida. Both Bradley County and Cleveland City School systems have canceled after school activities today. As for now, Friday Night Football game...  Read More

From Local 3 News: After a weeks-long drought, we’ve finally gotten some rainfall as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the coast. But the next two days bring heavy rainfall and strong winds—conditions that can put you at risk if you’re not careful.Safety is the number one priority. Here’s what you should know to stay safe as we ‘weather’ through the rest of this week:Amy Maxwell, spokesperson ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: On Tuesday at approximately 1:00 pm, the School Resource Deputy assigned to Ooltewah High School was notified of a threat of mass violence.The SRD immediately began an investigation and responded to a classroom where a student had passed a note to other students saying, "I'll kill all y'all," along with obscenities and a middle finger drawn on the paper. The note was seized by t...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A Bradley County man has been indicted for the solicitation of a minor.James Jonah Winters was found guilty on September 18 of Aggravated Statutory Rape committed in March of 2024.The indictment said that force and coercion were used to commit the act.His bond has been set for $20,000....  Read More

Tennessee Wesleyan University moved up five spots to #10 out of 131 institutions reviewed in the Best Regional Colleges South category according to a recent report by U.S. News & World Report.U.S. News & World Report released the 2025 Best Colleges rankings to the public, including Tennessee Wesleyan University’s rankings, on Tuesday. Tennessee Wesleyan is also the highest ranked Tennessee school ...  Read More

The Cleveland City Council met on Monday.During the meeting, several announcements were made about events in the area. 'Tire Take Back Day' will take place on September 28th at the Bradley County Judicial Complex from 8 am to 12 pm. The 'Tennessee River Rescue' will take at Tinsley Park on October 5th from 9 am to 1 pm. 'Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day' will be held on November 2nd at the...  Read More

Lee University has once again been recognized by U.S. News & World Report, ranking #29 in the “Regional Universities South” category, up two spots from last year. The university was also listed as #6 in the “Best Value Schools” ranking, which considers both academic quality and cost.Lee reappears in additional specialty rankings, including “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which assesses the gr...  Read More

Jerry Lynn Ellis, who was arrested by the Cleveland Police Department in May on a warrant out of Polk County, has pleaded guilty to 3 counts of Sexual Battery by an authority figure. According to court documents, two of those counts are in Bradley County and one count is in Polk County. The crimes happened between 2017 and 2022. ...  Read More

Lee University officials recently tabulated the university’s fall 2024 enrollment profile, which features moderate growth overall, led by significant gains in several areas.  The total enrollment rose by 34 students to 3,714, with the new student number showing the most notable gain of 10%. A 7% increase in beginning freshmen and an 11% increase in new graduate students helped to drive the surge i...  Read More

Lee University recently announced Kristen Grisham as Director of Community Engagement, a post within the school’s university relations sector. Grisham said  “I love Lee University, and I love the Cleveland community. As a product of both, I am thrilled to be in this position. I look forward to representing Lee University within our great community as we continue partnering and building relationshi...  Read More

Taylor Ryans, a former Cleveland Police Officer and Airport Police Officer, will enter into a 2-year diversion program for making threats and false reports against members of the Cleveland Police Department.If Ryans, 28, completes the diversion program, she could have her case dismissed. Ryans was arrested back in March. ...  Read More

From Local 3 News (AP News): Authorities have reported no arrests after a weekend mass shooting killed four people and left 17 others injured in what police described as a targeted “hit” by multiple shooters who opened fire outside a popular Alabama nightspot.The shooting late Saturday in the popular Five Points South entertainment district of Birmingham rocked an area of restaurants and bars that...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Suspicious packages were sent this week to election offices in more than 20 states, leading to an FBI investigation, triggering evacuations and rattling staff, according to a CNN survey of state offices and Associated Press reporting.The threatening envelopes arrived as election officials across the country prepare for Saturday’s deadline to send the first ballots to overseas an...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A body has been found at the I-24 Monteagle rest area.The Friday, September 20, the Lauderdale Mississippi Sheriff's Department asked the Grundy County Sheriff's Office for help to locate a person reported missing since September 11.The missing person's vehicle had been towed on September 16 from the rest area because it was abandoned.Detectives and THP Troopers searched the are...  Read More

After three consecutive months of record-low unemployment, the statewide unemployment rate increased slightly last month, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.1% in August, an increase of one-tenth of a percentage point over the record low of 3% posted in May, June, and July.In a year-to-y...  Read More

Cleveland State Community College was recently awarded a $2.05 million Title III grant from the US Department of Education. The five-year initiative, Work for All Students in Accelerated Programs (Work ASAP), will provide funding to increase noncredit to credit pathways and expand options in accelerated programs for students at the college, both in academics and workforce development.“We are honor...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A Hamilton County student was killed in a crash in Ooltewah Thursday morning.The single-vehicle crash happened in the 6400 block of Snow Hill Road around 10:40am.The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says a Ford F-150 partially left the road and the driver overcorrected.The driver lost control of the truck and was ejected after it ran off the road and turned over.The driver was p...  Read More

Hello & happy Friday! It's been a busy week & it's going to be an even busier weekend! We're back to nice weather this weekend with temperatures ranging from the mid 60s to 90s. Bye bye rain and hello sunshine!Tonight, Cleveland and Walker Valley will pack out their stadiums for Homecoming. Students have celebrated the week with crazy outfits or even using "Anything but a Backpack" at Cleveland Hi...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Around 200 employees at Chattanooga's Volkswagen plant will be furloughed after a recall of the ID.4.A statement from VW said that production of the vehicle has been temporarily suspended following the recall, causing a disruption.Owners should receive notification letters around November 1, 2024."This disruption in no way changes our commitment to the ID.4 and our growing BEV p...  Read More

Bradley Central High School has announced their Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The inductees are: Legendary Former Bearettes Coach Jim Smiddy, Former high school standout and NBA player for the Phoenix Suns, Alivin Scott, Former Superientent, Principal, and School Board member, Jerry Frazier, Former Coach and long-time educator Earl Rowan, and former Bradley County Mayor Eddie Cartwright....  Read More

Bradley County Schools confirmed a bus accident involving Bus 55 yesterday morning on Trewhitt Road. The bus driver suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bradley Medical Center. Forty-seven students were onboard, however, there was only one reported minor injury. The students were safely transferred to another bus and taken to Lake Forest Middle School for evaluation. The crash was caused by an...  Read More