Tennessee’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5 percent in June.The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development says the rate dropped one-tenth of a percentage point from May and remains well below the national unemployment rate of 4.2 percent.Over the past year, employers across the state added more than 25,000 nonfarm jobs.The largest job gains were in health care and social assistance, le...  Read More

Today is the first day of early voting in Tennessee for the State Primary and local General Election.Early voting runs through Saturday, August 1.Bradley County voters can cast their ballot at the Election Office on Broad Street, the OCI on Urbane Road, the Northeast Recreation Center on Berry Street, or the Bradley County Fire-Rescue Training Center on Dalton Pike.Early voting hours are 9:00 a.m....  Read More

From Local 3 News: Sweetwater police are investigating a false 911 call that prompted a large law enforcement response downtown Thursday.Officers responded after a caller reported four masked individuals armed with firearms entering a business, claiming they heard gunfire and that someone had been shot.Out of caution, officers temporarily closed Main Street at the intersections of Main Street and ...  Read More

From our partners at Local 3 News: A dog died, and two other pets were rescued after a residential fire in Cleveland on Thursday, according to the Cleveland Fire Department.First-arriving crews reported a working fire and immediately began an aggressive interior attack to contain the flames.The Cleveland Fire Department thanked Bradley County EMS for their assistance at the scene....  Read More

From Local 3 News: A Cleveland septic company owner is facing charges after investigators say raw sewage was illegally dumped on U.S. Forest Service property in Polk County.According to arrest documents, Michael “Seth” Plasterer, owner of Emergency No More Septic, Drain & More, is accused of dumping sewage from one of the company’s trucks along Forest Service Road 302 in the Cherokee National Fore...  Read More

Cleveland Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide after two people were found dead inside a home on Wednesday afternoon.Officers responded to a home on Barker Lane Northwest around 3:25 p.m., where they found Holly Jarrett and her husband, Stanley Jarrett, dead from gunshot wounds.Investigators say Holly Jarrett died from a single gunshot wound, and evidence indicates Stanley Jarrett d...  Read More

From Local 3 News: UPDATE: Deountray Dickey, who was wanted on multiple felony warrants, was taken into custody Wednesday evening after a nearly seven-hour-long manhunt, according to the Cleveland Police Department.Dickey was taken into custody at 7:56pm on July 15 by the Cleveland Police Department Crime Suppression team and the U.S. Marshals.PREVIOUS STORY: The search for Deountray Dickey, who i...  Read More

From News Channel 9: A Meigs County Sheriff’s deputy is recovering after investigators say he was ambushed during a routine patrol on Wednesday.The sheriff’s office says the deputy had stopped to speak with one person near Peakland Road and Highway 68 when a second person suddenly attacked him.Investigators say the deputy was struck with an unknown object after getting out of his patrol vehicle, b...  Read More

Cleveland City Schools has named Molly Jackson the new assistant principal at Yates Primary School.Jackson has served the Yates community for more than 16 years as a teacher, instructional facilitator, and school leader.She was named Yates Primary Teacher of the Year in 2018 and recently completed the Bradley County Public Education Foundation’s LEAD Fellows Program.Cleveland City Director of Scho...  Read More

Cleveland city leaders are considering five initial recommendations aimed at reducing homelessness and improving services for people in crisis.The recommendations were presented to the Cleveland City Council on Monday by the city and county’s Homeless Action Committee.The committee is proposing a locally supported eviction-prevention and rental-assistance fund. Officials said community organizatio...  Read More

From News Channel 9: Meigs County voters could decide in November whether to allow alcohol sales and increase the local sales tax.County leaders say both proposals are aimed at generating additional revenue to address long-standing budget challenges and rising costs.One resolution would allow alcohol sales through liquor stores, grocery stores and restaurants, with the revenue supporting the count...  Read More

From Local 3 News: A bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country is moving to the U.S. Senate after passing the House of Representatives Tuesday by a vote of 308 to 117.The proposal would end the twice-yearly clock changes if it becomes law.Nineteen states including Tennessee, and neighboring states Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina have already passed st...  Read More

From News Channel 9: The Bradley County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the drowning death of a child who was found in a pond on private property in the southeast part of the county.The call came in around 2:38 on Monday afternoon.First responders provided emergency care before the child was taken to a local hospital, where the child was pronounced dead.Detectives are continuing to investigate t...  Read More

From Local 3 News: CommonSpirit Hospital, formerly known as CHI Memorial, recently switched radiology providers earlier this month.The switch has caused changes in appointment availability and wait times for certain imaging scans.Longer wait times for radiology imaging results have been an issue for some patients during the month of July.This change has caused lots of feedback online. Dozens of co...  Read More

The Bradley County Commission met yesterday for a work session. The main topic of the meeting was once again a rumored data center in the Charleston area. Several residents urged Commissioners to slow any potential large-scale industrial development near the Hiwassee River, citing concerns about nearby homes, the environment, and local businesses.During public comments, B&B Marina owners Carrie an...  Read More

From the Chattanoogan: Lee University welcomed a record 232 students to its Summer Honors Program this year, the largest enrollment in the program’s history.The two-week program allowed incoming freshmen and high school seniors to earn six hours of college credit while experiencing campus life, academic programs, and the university’s Christ-centered mission.Students also participated in service pr...  Read More

From WKRN Nashville: Law enforcement agencies across Tennessee are stepping up speed enforcement this week as part of the annual Operation Southern Slow Down campaign.The enforcement effort runs through Saturday and includes the Tennessee Highway Patrol, along with local police and sheriff’s departments across the state.Officers will focus on major highways and other high-risk areas during one of ...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Bradley County Fire and Rescue says they assisted West Polk Fire Rescue in recovering a car that rolled 50 feet down an embankment.Fortunately, no one was inside the vehicle, and the owners have been accounted for and are safe.The car crashed into the water just down from a pull-off past Mac Point in Polk County, eventually coming to a rest in ten feet of water, 100 feet from th...  Read More

Looking for a great way to enjoy a summer evening in Downtown Cleveland?The final Friday Festival of the season is happening tonight at the new outdoor amphitheater at the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points.The Collins Brothers Band will perform beginning at 7:00 p.m.Residents are encouraged to bring a chair and enjoy an evening of live music, family activities and community fellowship.The ...  Read More

From News Channel 9: A Dayton woman is facing an attempted first-degree murder charge after investigators say she stabbed her boyfriend during an argument in Ooltewah.According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, 22-year-old Jasminne Lynn Thomas allegedly stabbed the 33-year-old victim in the thigh during a dispute at a Village Garden Drive home on July 4.Deputies applied a tourniquet before ...  Read More

Bradley County EMS responded to a traffic crash involving one of its ambulances Thursday afternoon.The ambulance was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of Old Harrison Circle Southwest and Harrison Pike while transporting a patient to Erlanger on an emergency call when a northbound vehicle left the roadway and struck the front of the ambulance.A 74-year-old patient was transferred to anoth...  Read More

From the Cleveland Daily Banner (Read the full story here): A Cleveland man has been arrested by the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office on charges involving a minor.Thirty-six-year-old Jeffrey Tyler Armstrong is charged with rape, statutory rape by an authority figure, sexual battery by an authority figure, and exploitation of a minor by electronic means....  Read More

From Local 3 News: The start of the new school year is less than a month away, and schools in Tennessee can expect some changes.A slew of new laws took effect in the state on July 1. Several of those will impact Tennessee classrooms. Those changes range from electronics in the classroom to the different content students will be taught.HB2393 limits screen time in K-5 classrooms. The law is sponsor...  Read More

From Local 3 News: Tennessee’s sales tax holiday comes around each year before the start of the school year. This year, it’s happening July 31-August 2.Tax-Free Weekend will begin at 12:01 am on Friday, July 31; it will end at 11:59 pm on Sunday, August 2, 2026.All clothing, school supplies and computer purchases during this time will be exempt from sales tax. This includes in-store and online pur...  Read More