Local News

From Local 3 News: A Rhea County man has been arrested and charged with two separate burglaries in May.Deputies charged Michael Jordan Frazier with burglaries that took place on May 11 and May 26.Frazier faces the following charges.Burglary breaking and entering — 2 countsBurglary — 2 countsDestruction/damage/vandalism of propertyTheft of property less than $1,000 — 2 countsVandalism — 2 countsSto...

Bradley County Schools has been recognized as a Common Sense District.The designation comes from Common Sense, a national nonprofit that promotes digital citizenship and online safety education.The recognition highlights Bradley County Schools’ efforts to teach students responsible technology use, internet safety, privacy protection, media literacy, and cyberbullying awareness.The district has inc...

From News Channel 9: Some Meigs County residents are expressing concerns about the condition of the Tri-County Veterans Bridge on Highway 60 between Meigs and Rhea counties.A crack in the bridge deck has drawn attention from drivers after photos circulated on social media.A 2022 TDOT report listed the bridge, which was built in 1995, in poor condition.TDOT says the bridge is inspected every six mo...

From Local 3 News: Athens City Manager Dr. Randall Dowling has been terminated following a 3-2 vote by the Athens City Council following a special session on Thursday, June 4. The reason for his termination was not specified.The decision came during a pair of council meetings, where members discussed the potential impact a change in city leadership could have on ongoing retail development projects...

From Local 3 News: Tennessee's 65th state park was dedicated in Meigs County Tuesday.Cherokee Removal Memorial Park is now Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park.Tennessee Rep. Greg Vital posted about the dedication on social media.He was joined by State Sen. J. Adam Lowe and State Rep. Dan Howell as well as members of the Cherokee nation.Vital says the Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park remembers 'th...

The Bradley County Jail has once again received certification from the Tennessee Corrections Institute following its annual inspection.Inspectors conducted an unannounced review of the facility in May and reported no findings. The Tennessee Corrections Institute Board of Control officially certified the jail on June 3.The inspection examined areas including facility operations, sanitation and main...

From Local 3 News: A grand jury indicted the Rhea County High School girls’ basketball coach on several child sex crimes.Tracy Vest is charged with:Sexual battery by an authority figure (three counts)Continuous sexual abuse of a childAccording to principal Ansley Massengill, who spoke to us over the phone, Vest is no longer a current employee and was let go “a few months ago.”An indictment obtaine...

From News Channel 9: A Cleveland family says they are seeking answers after a headstone was removed from a gravesite at Sunset Memorial Gardens and has not been returned.The Trippett family says the headstone was moved after a burial in March and cemetery officials told them it would be replaced within two weeks while the ground settled.More than three months later, the family says the marker rema...

As a reminder, drivers in Cleveland should plan for a major road closure beginning today, June 3.The City of Cleveland says Peerless Road Northwest will be closed to through traffic starting at 9 a.m. between 25th Street and Maple Drive.The closure is part of infrastructure improvements and is expected to remain in place into early August.......

From our partners at Local 3 News: UPDATE: Despite recent excessive rainfall across the Tennessee Valley, the region remains in a severe drought, and the effects are still being felt throughout Tennessee's water systems, according to TVA.TVA reports that runoff across the eastern Tennessee Valley is currently the fourth-lowest recorded in 152 years of recordkeeping.While the valley has received an...

From Local 3 News: The City of Athens, Tennessee, announced details for its America250 celebration. It will feature fireworks and 600 drones, according to city leaders.To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, Athens will have its first-ever drone show, which it is dubbing the “largest drone show around.”The event will take place July 4 at Athens Regional Park, which Athens officials say will be the ...

Drivers in Cleveland should plan for a major road closure starting Wednesday, June 3rd.Peerless Road Northwest will close to through traffic at 9:00 a.m.The closure will be between 25th Street and Maple Drive.The City of Cleveland says the infrastructure work is expected to last into early August.......

Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis presented a $234.4 million county budget last night at the Bradley County Commission meeting.The plan includes no new taxes, no tax increases, and no fee increases.The budget provides a 3% raise for most county employees, 6% raises for fire department employees, and 6% raises plus step or longevity increases for certified law enforcement, jail, and EMS workers.Davis...

From News Channel 9: More than 85 grams of fentanyl, along with methamphetamine and marijuana, were seized during a multi-agency drug investigation in Monroe County.Sheriff Tommy Jones says the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office worked with police departments in Madisonville, Sweetwater and Vonore during the operation near Oak Grove Road.One person was arrested on multiple felony charges. Authorities ...

From Local 3 News: UPDATE: The missing autistic teen, Trenton Daniel Martin, was found safe, according to the Cleveland Bradley County Office of Emergency Management.“Great job Bradley County! Trenton has been located and is safe!”Bradley County says if you live in the county and did not receive their text or email notification about the incident and would like to be enrolled, you can sign up on t...

From TN.gov: Eighty-nine of Tennessee’s 95 counties reported unemployment rates below five percent in April, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.Thirty-six counties saw their rates decrease from March, while 32 counties were unchanged, and 27 counties reported increases.Tennessee’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 3.6%.Bradley County’s unempl...

From News Channel 9: The Tennessee Department of Education has announced that 176 schools across the state have been selected to become trauma-informed schools.The designation provides schools with training, resources, and ongoing support to help students facing challenges outside the classroom.Local schools receiving the designation include Ingleside Elementary, City Park School, and Westside Ele...

From Local 3 News: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of Public Safety and UTC Police Department will host Active Violence Response Training today, May 29, as part of an advanced law enforcement preparedness course.Officials say the training is developed by UTC public safety personnel and approved by the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission for credit, focus...

From Local 3 News: Meigs County Emergency Services says a gas leak in the 17000 block of State Highway 58 North that forced officials to tell the public to avoid the area has been resolved.The Decatur Fire Department, Meigs County Emergency Services, and Tennessee Natural Gas worked together to address the situation.“There is no longer any danger to the public, and normal travel can resume in the ...

From News Channel 9: Local Bradley County leaders are saying the Amaero manufacturing plant in Cleveland will remain closed while the company addresses ongoing safety concerns following three explosions in less than a month.According to public records, six separate emergency calls have been connected to the facility over the past nine months.The latest incident happened Tuesday at the plant on Inn...