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City officials announce Whataburger coming to East Ridge
Whataburger coming to East Ridge
EAST RIDGE, TN (WDEF) – A fresh dining option is coming our way!
East Ridge lost its Wally’s, but it’s gaining a Whataburger.
According to the City of East Ridge Facebook page, Whataburger will open its first Hamilton County location at 6521 Ringgold Road.
That is the former site of Wally’s restaurant.
Whataburger is known for its hamburgers and shakes, but they also make a great egg sandwich.
No official word, yet, when the Whataburger will be up and running.
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Chattanooga workers accused of $80,000 overtime fraud
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The state comptroller’s office accuses three Chattanooga employees with over-billing the city for up to $80,000 over a four year period.
The three employees worked as traffic signal electricians for the city’s transportation division.
The investigation claims the three got paid for overtime work that they didn’t do.
They also say that some records were altered in the process.
The city reported the questionable payroll transactions to the state.
However, state auditors also claim that Chattanooga officials did not report all the facts in a timely manner.
The results of their investigation will be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office.
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CARTA awarded over $1 million in grants from TDOT, state programs
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — CARTA has been awarded $1.2 million in grants from TDOT’s IMPROVE Transit Investment Grant program and the Statewide 5339(a) Bus and Bus Facilities Program.
CARTA says these grants will be put towards advancements in transit safety and mobility infrastructure.
“We are grateful for TDOT’s support in advancing innovative mobility solutions and enhancing the safety of our transit system. These investments will help us lay the groundwork for future transit improvements while ensuring a safer and more efficient experience for both riders and operators.”
-Charles D. Frazier, CEO of CARTA
The two awarded grants include the following:
- Preliminary Engineering for Mobility and Innovation Center – CARTA will receive $600,000 from the state, with an additional $150,000 local match, to support the early-stage planning and design of a state-of-the-art Mobility and Innovation Center. This center will serve as a hub for transit-oriented development, multimodal connectivity, and emerging transportation technologies.
- Safety Monitoring Technology – A total of $450,000 in funding, including $360,000 federal, $45,000 state, and $45,000 local match, will be used to implement cutting-edge monitoring technology. This initiative aims to enhance safety measures, reduce risks, and proactively identify potential safety concerns before they become critical by leveraging real-time analytics to support transit operators.
‘The Dream’ receives five day suspension of beer license after shooting
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A Chattanooga nightclub has received its punishment following a shooting in December.
Inside of the crowded “Dream” nightclub on Glass Street on December 1st, shots rang out, injuring one person and causing dozens of patrons to exit the club in a panic.
At a hearing two weeks ago, representatives of the club testified that their metal detectors had been broken by cleaning staff, and were not operational that night.
They also stated that they instructed their staff not to talk with police.
Thursday, the Chattanooga Beer Board handed them a 5 day suspension of their beer license.
However, the club has been serving a more severe punishment from the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission since February 5, as their liquor license is already suspended.
The club’s owner and founder, Yasmin Springs, said, “We go back in front of everybody and they are going to give us whatever punishment they come up with.”
Board member J.W. Cole asked, “But as of today, your liquor license with ABC is already lifted today?”
Springs replied, “Yes.”
Their beer license will be suspended starting next Thursday through the next week, but they hope to get their liquor license back on the same day.
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Commissioners express concern over potential elimination of Department of Education
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- How much will Hamilton County be affected if the federal Department of Education (DOE) is eliminated?
That’s a question some commissioners asked during Wednesday’s meeting.
Concerns were specifically over how potential cuts could affect schools with higher rates of students in poverty.
Currently, 40 public schools in Hamilton County are listed as Title I Schools.
That means at least 40 percent of their students come from low-income households.
These schools get federal money.
That adds up to more than 36 million dollars a year from the DOE to Hamilton County schools.
It’s roughly 5.5% of the total revenue for the school system.
That has several county commissioners worried.
Commissioner Greg Beck said, “If we can’t maintain education… with the funds that we have, I can see way out there, the beginning of talks about how to increase our revenue, maybe through taxes.”
Others say they believe the ongoing efforts of DOGE could actually increase the federal money available to schools.
Commissioner Gene-O Shipley said that after a conversation with Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, he believes that, “Could this put more money than we’re receiving now into the states, or the states to put into the counties, and that is a good possibility of that,” and added he had been told a large amount of waste within the DOE.
Commissioner David Sharpe countered this by saying, “There’s a lot of talk about waste, right, in the Department of Education or whatever. But I would say this, one man’s waste is another child’s treasure… The state of Tennessee is what a lot of people refer to as a welfare state, meaning that we receive more federal dollars than what we put into the federal government.
In addition to the concerns raised about the Department of Education being eliminated, there were also concerns about the recently passed Tennessee Education Freedom Act.
Chairman Jeff Eversole said that after the first year of the school choice program, they would potentially need to act based on if Hamilton County Schools began to lose funding.
Governor Lee and state lawmakers have said that program will not take away funding from local schools, but the Hamilton County school board among other county school boards have raised concerns.
For now, it’s a waiting game.
Commissioner Steve Highlander said, “There’s more questions than answers. There’s a lot of concerns, but until we know the details we won’t know what we can do.”
The President has indicated he may abolish the DOE via executive order, although he has yet to do so.
Chattanooga man arrested for stabbing woman at local daycare
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Chattanooga man has been arrested for stabbing a woman at a local daycare.
On November 4, 2024, at 5:41 p.m., officers responded to a local daycare following reports of an assault.
Upon arrival, officers found the victim being loaded into an ambulance with multiple stab wounds.
According to the affidavit, the suspect, Reginal Oakley-Woods, entered the facility and began arguing with his sister over financial issues.
Witnesses stated that Woods then stabbed the victim multiple times.
A witness who entered the office saw the victim with several stab wounds and observed Woods discarding a knife before leaving the scene.
The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
There, she told officers that Woods had shown up uninvited and attacked her.
Woods was initially held at the Catoosa County Jail before being transferred to the Hamilton County Jail on February 18, 2025.
Chatt Prep releases statement regarding former teacher’s arrest
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Chattanooga Preparatory School has released a statement regarding the recent arrest of former teacher,
The school released the following statement:
Chattanooga Preparatory School is deeply troubled by the recent arrest of a former employee.
The safety and well-being of our scholars remain our top priority, and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.
We are cooperating with law enforcement and conducting a thorough internal review. As this is an open investigation, we cannot provide further comment at this time.
White is facing a list of charges, including kidnapping, sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, and solicitation of a minor.
The indictment stated that the incident occurred more than two years ago, on or about February 15, 2023.
