Jesse Farley

Knoxville

Reporter at WDEF-TV (Chattanooga, TN)

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Articles

Could Harvard's foreign student ban affect local colleges

4 weeks ago | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The news on Harvard’s foreign students is causing concern to some. Harvard is not the only place who accepts foreign students. Georgia accepts the 12th most, accepting almost 40 thousand. Tennessee accepts the 23rd most, allowing over 20 thousand to study in the state. Foreign students are starting to feel that they are not welcome in this country. Xiao Wang is the CEO of Boundless Immigration.
NTSB report released on Chattanooga FedEx plane crash

4 weeks ago | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The National Transportation Safety Board’s final report for a FedEx Boeing 757 plane crash in October of 2023 has been released. The NTSB report contained some worrisome information for one pilot of over 40 years. Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and flight instructor, raised some questions over the report. His first concern was with the decision to land at the Chattanooga Airport.
DOGE like taskforce in Hamilton County

1 month ago | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The federal government has been operating a department of government efficiency or doge. That has trickled down into other governments including our own county government. Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp was inspired by DOGE to bring efficiency to the county. Mayor Wamp said, “At the beginning of the year we created, in earnest, what we called the county efficiency task force.
The longest running military parade returns to Chattanooga

1 month ago | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The city of Chattanooga hosted the 76th armed forces parade. Every year the Armed Forces Parade marches on, it solidifies itself in history. Captain Mickey McCamish is United States Navy Retired and the parade organizer. He says, “The parade to us veterans, since most of us went that route, we marched in the parade and then went to serve on active duty in the military.
Local Cleveland company worries about tariffs

2 months ago | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CLEVELAND, Tenn. (WDEF) — A local business in Cleveland is worried about President Trump’s Tariffs. Scale trains is a local model train company based in Cleveland Tennessee. They are worried that the Tariffs on China could financially cripple their company. Their current prices on their trains vary, but mainly run around $300. They worry their prices could increase to almost $500 just to cover the additional tariff cost.
Mayor Wamp's State of the County

2 months ago | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Mayor Weston Wamp gave his state of the county address at Soddy Daisy Middle School. The mayor said he wants to focus on the smaller communities in Hamilton county, like Soddy Daisy, and they should get the same love that the city of Chattanooga gets. He also mentioned the upgrades coming to the riverfront and was proud of those future plans. Yet he hopes that same energy goes into smaller areas like east ridge development which is being led by their mayor.
Should vaccinated individuals be worried about the Measles outbreak?

Feb 28, 2025 | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — An eradicated illness is returning. Should people be concerned? A measles outbreak has started from a Mennonite community in Texas. News 12’s younger audience might not know the history of measles. Dr. Stephen Miller is the Health Officer for Hamilton County Health Department. He says, “Measles is a very communicable virus. It is usually seen in childhood illnesses. We did not have immunizations for it until the 60’s.
Canada, Mexico tariffs begin on March fourth

Feb 28, 2025 | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — President Trump says tariffs on Mexico and Canada are about to begin. Economic commentator, Thomas Fellows, believes these tariffs will impact Chattanooga directly. He says that the trucking companies and the warehouses here will be affected. He also adds that produce prices will increase, along with medical supplies and equipment. Fellows also claims Chattanooga’s tourist industry will take a hit.
Sheriff Austin Garrett discusses new immigration plan for correctional facilities

Feb 27, 2025 | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett addressed the Rotary Club Thursday morning. The Sheriff was the special guest for the Rotary Club and he had multiple talking points. He addressed the Rotary Club about the sheriff’s office’s past, plans for the future, and their successes. Sheriff Garrett also discussed a new immigration plan. He says, “Some people are here for the American dream, some people are here to cause a nightmare.
Hamilton County School Bus involved in minor crash

Feb 27, 2025 | wdef.com | Jesse Farley

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Hamilton County School bus was involved in a crash this morning. The accident happened around 8 at the 24 exit ramp off of Broad Street. The crash involved a Volkswagen sedan and one bus. The sedan appeared to rear-end the school bus. Thankfully, there were no injuries reported. In a prepared statement, Hamilton County Schools say the bus was taking students on a field trip at the time. The students were able to transfer to another bus and continue with their trip.