Already have an account? Log in here Hamilton County Schools says the threat 'did not meet the criteria for a threat of mass violence.' The school says the email comes after social media resurfaced the incident UPDATE: The Chattanooga Police Department and Hamilton County Sheriff's Office say they were never alerted of the threat involving East Brainerd Elementary students The school contacted 5th grade parents on Monday informing them of a threat "several weeks ago." According to Hamilton County School's policy administrators are required to report all threats immediately to law enforcement and may notify families based on the level of risk Hamilton County Schools tells Local 3 News that since the threat was made off campus it "did not meet the criteria for a threat of mass violence." Communications manager Adison Lambert made the following statement: thoroughly assessed the situation and appropriately determined it to be a low-level threat based on district protocol As part of our continued commitment to student safety we engaged Homeland Security for appropriate law enforcement notifications and ongoing monitoring of the situation we are reinforcing our internal protocols to ensure timely and accurate communication regarding threat reporting This includes clear staff expectations around the reporting process and time-sensitive notifications to law enforcement and other authorities." PREVIOUS STORY: Parents of 5th graders at East Brainerd Elementary have been notified of a school threat that took place "several weeks ago." an email from Principal Hannah Hudson says a 5th grader made a comment to a group of friends off-campus about bringing a weapon on campus The email to parents says the school investigated and determined the threat was low-level with no "immediate or valid" threat to students Many parents say the delayed communication is unacceptable The principal’s message stated that the threat was considered a “low-level” risk but some parents and staff said that classification only created confusion The principal also asked parents to review the severity of threats with students and that was the end of it,” another parent said who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for their job said staff members were not aware of the threat at the time it occurred “One part of the email said staff is supporting school safety — how if they are not aware of it?” the teacher said threats of school violence are considered zero-tolerance offenses Students can face up to a year of expulsion and be charged with a Class E felony Another staff member told Local 3 they learned about the threat through word of mouth I heard about it through other people,” the employee said “When I asked if they were going to report it I was told it was already investigated and no they weren’t going to do a phone call home to families.” According to Hamilton County Schools policy “I actually don’t know what a low-level threat is,” the teacher added Staff also noted the email was only sent to fifth-grade families “They have to take every single threat as if it's going to be the next school shooting,” one parent said that’s when something is going to happen.” an off-campus threat was reported involving East Brainerd Elementary School Following our established safety protocols the matter was promptly investigated and deemed not credible the previously investigated threat was shared on social media When the old threat resurfaced on social media yesterday families were informed to assure them the matter had already been investigated and addressed Hamilton County Schools remains committed to maintaining safe secure learning environments and open communication with our families.” many parents are still pushing for a review of the school’s notification procedures and clearer communication in the future Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device EAST GULL LAKE — Rainy and wet conditions didn’t stop the Brainerd Warriors from scoring a fifth-place 353 in Brainerd Central Lakes Conference meet Thursday at Pine Beach East Golf Course at Madden’s Junior Marcella Timmons led the Warriors with a 12th-place 84 The double bogeys came on back-to-back holes “My main focus was to stay away from the blowout holes and be consistent,” Timmons said “I always try to focus on the next shot and forget about the doubles that come I try to play simple golf and keep a level head My strategy in the rain was to club up and put my ego away and hit the club I needed to hit I stayed relaxed and kept a level head throughout the day.” Warriors’ head coach Karissa Haugen likes how positive Timmons has approached this season “Her attitude this year has been super positive which has helped her immensely,” Haugen said “She doesn’t get too down when she has a bad shot She looks forward and I know her brother (Marty Timmons) had some words of wisdom before the season and I think that’s helped her out quite a bit.” Timmons tried to forget about the bad holes and the bad shots in her round Thursday “You always have to focus on what’s next,” Timmons said “I didn’t let my back-to-back doubles get to me I just thought about the next shot and didn’t reflect on the past.” Meredith Holmstrom fired an 87 with one birdie on the 17th hole and Madelyn Holmstrom carded two birdies in her round of 90 “They have both been consistent,” Haugen said I think the rain was hard on a lot of the girls but at the end of the day they are consistent with their scoring.” Eighth grader Vienna Dean sank a birdie on the 18th hole in her round of 92 Dean won junior varsity matches and Haugen was happy to see her contribute on the varsity level “With her winning a couple of JV meets this year we wanted to find a way to get her playing at a varsity meet to see how she does with a little more pressure,” Haugen said “She came through with a 92 and I know she wasn’t happy with that score but with the conditions we are super happy with that She has a good head on her shoulders and does what is asked of her She puts in the time and the work and we are excited about what the future holds.” but finished five strokes behind Willmar for third Alexandria placed second with a 320 and Detroit Lakes won with a 313 behind individual medalist Sophie Christianson’s 73 “Our biggest competition this year in the section is going to be Alexandria,” Haugen said “They have a really good program over there and I think going into the rest of May we just need to lose a couple strokes to be right there and be competitive.” Timmons added: “We are still getting used to the courses and playing all the time We are there for each other and are a family Once you have a fun environment it’s something you want to keep coming back to.” CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad.engstrom@brainerddispatch.com Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/the_rad34 A former employee at the Primrose School in East Brainerd made her first court appearance Friday A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Tonya Lively last week after video circulated online appearing to show her forcibly patting a small child and pushing his head down Her court date was pushed back to April 11th A former daycare employee is facing charges after a video circulated showing her forcibly patting a toddler and pushing his head down Following an investigation into the video filmed at Primrose School in East Brainerd CPD says they arrested 30-year-old Tonya Lively on Monday The Special Victims Unit Investigator presented the case to a Hamilton County Grand Jury who indicted Lively on one count of felony child abuse Chattanooga Police say they are investigating Primrose School in East Brainerd after a video circulated showing a teacher forcibly patting a toddler and pushing his head down This comes the same day that we learned the daycare was cited by the state for not reporting corporal punishment by a teacher CPD says they were contacted by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services to file a police report for the incident Chattanooga Police ask anyone with information regarding this incident to call 423-698-2525 1:46 p.m.):State documents we've uncovered show that Department of Human Services inspectors cited a Chattanooga day care for not reporting corporal punishment by a teacher to the state This comes after video surfaced of a teacher forcibly patting a toddler and pushing his head down a cot during naptime at the Primrose School of East Brainerd An inspection report dated January 17th says.. We've reached out to the owners of the school to get a new statement on the state report The report also says management received training on proper reporting EARLIER: An investigation has been launched by the Department of Children's Services after a video surfaced of a teacher forcefully patting a child during a nap at the Primrose School of East Brainerd in Chattanooga Mcdougle says she was told during training by the teacher that she does this to put the child sleep McDougle says she was shocked and recorded it McDougle says this isn’t the first time this has happened And McDougle says this isn't the only child that's been patted this way but says she didn't feel that the school was taking it seriously until she posted the video on social media the owner of the school said they were disappointed in the teacher and have taken action to investigate the incident DCS did not clarify as to whether or not the school is being investigated but they did say they only investigate individuals A Hamilton County school board member wants to change the grade bands the schools in the East Brainerd area serve in order to accommodate the district's growth Shannon Coan is the education reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press She joined the paper in July 2023 and holds a degree in journalism and history from Northwestern University This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing (WDEF) —  An officer involved shooting occurred on East Brainerd Road this afternoon The incident occurred at the 7700 block of East Brainerd Road at 12:18 p.m The Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) stated that the suspect was walking down the street with a knife Officers attempted to de-escalate the situation before two officers fired their weapons CPD rendered medical aid to the suspect until an ambulance arrived on scene The suspects name or condition has not been released New luxury townhomes off Gunbarrel Road in Chattanooga which will have prices starting at about $950,000 will cater to older homeowners hoping to downsize or professionals who need a maintenance-free space with access to the airport David Floyd is a business reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press He graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2017 and previously worked for the Johnson City Press Contact him at 423-757-6249 or dfloyd@timesfreepress.com (WDEF) —  One person has been injured after a shooting on Brainerd Road early Monday morning officers responded to the 6000 block of Brainerd Road on a person shot call officers located a 25-year-old male with non-life-threatening injuries EMS responded to the scene and transported him to a local hospital for treatment According to the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) the victim stopped at an intersection to check on a problem with his vehicle Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Chattanooga Police Police say a 25-year-old man was shot by suspects who were in a separate vehicle as he was stopped near an intersection UPDATE: Chattanooga police say a man was shot on East Brainerd Road while checking on an issue with his car The suspects then ran from the scene after the shooting Officers found the victim in the 6000 block of East Brainerd Road shortly before 4:40am He was taken to a hospital with non-life -threatening injuries If you have any information about this case please call the Chattanooga Police Department at 423-698-2525 Stay with Local 3 News for updates to this developing story PREVIOUS STORY: Chattanooga police are investigating a shooting Tuesday morning on East Brainerd Road according to the Hamilton County 911 call log a CPD spokesperson confirms that at least one person was shot No names or conditions of anyone involved have been released Police say they will provide more information as it becomes available More new single-family homes appear headed to the fast-growing East Brainerd area as a Chattanooga developer won approval for a project Monday on a vacant tract Mike Pare is the former deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press received a bachelor's degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University He worked at the Rome News-Tribune before coming to Chattanooga Viewer video shared with Local 3 led to a state investigation at Primrose School of East Brainerd and ultimately the arrest of the of Tonya Lively UPDATE: Chattanooga police have arrested a former daycare employee who was caught on camera aggressively pushing down the heads of two children during nap time Police say 30-year-old Tonya Lively is charged in connection to a child abuse investigation at Primrose School in East Brainerd that started after Local 3 News obtained video of the incident from a concerned viewer Lively was indicted by a grand jury on one count of felony child abuse A post shared by Local 3 News (@local3news) She was booked at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center on Monday Lively is scheduled to appear in court on March 7 PREVIOUS STORY: The Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) is now investigating an incident at an area daycare franchise where a now former employee's aggressive actions during nap time were caught on camera It all started when Local 3 received a viewer's video showing the former teacher at Primrose School of East Brainerd pushing down the heads of two small children as she forcefully pats one of them on the back and buttocks while trying to get them to sleep The Department of Children's Services (DCS) launched an investigation after receiving the video from Local 3 News CPD confirmed that it is now investigating the incident after DCS filed a police report on January 24 "The preliminary investigation shows a child that was attending the daycare lying on a cot and a caregiver patting the child on the back," CPD spokesperson Sgt the caregiver appears to push the child's head down towards the cot." The owners of the Primrose location released the following statement on January 17: We are deeply saddened that this took place inside our school This former teacher was in clear violation of our policies and our mission to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment and the teacher is no longer employed at our school We are cooperating with the state licensing board regarding their review of the incident We are also taking this as an urgent opportunity to re-educate our entire staff on our high standards for health and safety and expectations for operational excellence There is no greater priority than ensuring the health safety and security of every child entrusted to our care We sincerely apologize to all those impacted The name of the woman in the video has not been released but the owners of the daycare said in the statement on January 17 PREVIOUS STORY: Local 3 News has learned that an area daycare franchise at the center of a state investigation has faced past legal action over incidents involving alleged injuries at one of its locations The teacher who took the video at the center of a state investigation said she started recording because she was concerned that this is how she puts children to sleep Local 3 News reported that Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) launched an investigation after we sent the agency video from a concerned viewer The video shows a teacher at Primrose School of East Brainerd pushing down the heads of two small children as she forcefully pats one of them on the back and buttocks while trying to get them to sleep If patting is your way of putting a child to sleep a local doctor shares the proper ways to do it he is representing the family of one of the children in the video Warren says he has already represented two other clients for alleged injuries that happened at the daycare’s location in Hixson Chris Stokes and his wife hoped to find reliable childcare Warren says settlements were reached in both of those cases Chattanooga police say a report has not been filed over the incident that DCS is investigating at the daycare’s East Brainerd location The teacher who was seen in the video was fired from the owners of Primrose School of East Brainerd The name of the former teacher has not been released and no charges have been filed at this time PREVIOUS STORY: Viewer video from Local 3 has led to an investigation at a Chattanooga daycare by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) a concerned a viewer shared video with Local 3 News that shows a teacher at Primrose School of East Brainerd pushing down the heads of what appears to be two toddlers Viewer video shared with Local 3 has led to an investigation by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services at Primrose School of East Brainerd The video also shows the woman forcefully patting one of the toddlers on the back and buttocks as she is heard telling the child to "lay down" launching an investigation into the incident Local 3 reached out to Primrose and received the following statement from the owners: The name of the woman in the video has not been released Children's Advocacy Center of Hamilton County served more than 1,200 children in 2024 and nearly half were children under the age of five The parents of a child seen being aggressively patted on the back in a viral video are speaking out as an investigation into a Chattanooga daycare continues Carrie and Alex Tyler are suing the daycare for compensatory and punitive damages as they say they now know that primrose knew about what was happening and did nothing to stop it The parents of one of the Primrose School of East Brainerd victims are filing a lawsuit against the daycare and the teacher involved in the incident we have to deal with the routinely abused at the hands of a trusted caregiver,” Carrie Tyler Carrie and Alex Tyler are suing the daycare for compensatory and punitive damages as they say they now know that Primrose knew about what was happening and did nothing to stop it we have evidence now that it went on for a period of time It is very discouraging to continuously see information about your toddler being abused at a place that you trusted them,” Carrie Tyler The parents' attorney said the lawsuit is aimed to prevent future incidents “We are taking this action to send a message to other preschools and daycares that they should have zero tolerance for abusive teachers and when they have evidence of abusive teacher Local 3 sent the video to the department of children's services launching an investigation and even though that investigation is still ongoing “We kind of feel like we are lost in the shuffle and they have appropriate penalties issued on Primrose A short-term temporary suspension of the license might be appropriate to send a message,” Warren said Before Carrie and Alex Tyler saw the video and learned of their daughter Eleanor who was 18 months at the time being abused you can tell she has a better demeanor now that she doesn't have to go back to Primrose Our son is having a little bit of a harder time just because he had to leave all of his friends and he is 4-years old so it is kind of hard for him,” Alex Tyler Both directions of East Brainerd Road are now closed with major traffic impacts The Fire Department suggests taking an alternate route for the time being Digital Producer/Weekend Assignment Editor The Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department is at the scene of a crash that resulted in injuries on East Brainerd Road at Coyote Trail on Wednesday evening Both directions of East Brainerd Road are closed at 5:20pm with major traffic impacts The Fire Department asks drivers to take an alternate route for the time being The TBI said that officers Davis and Johnston directed Roberto Carlos Rodriguez Zayas The TBI said that officers directed Roberto Carlos Rodriguez Zayas When the suspect walked down East Brainerd Road officers say they attempted to de-escalate the situation UPDATE: The records for the Chattanooga police officers in the December officer-involved shooting have been released Sergeant Lewis Davis and Field Training Officer Dylan Johnston were both involved in the shooting and killing of Carlos Rodriguez Zayas on December 24 Police say Zayas was walking down the street while holding a knife there are no founded or sustained complaints on his record The same cannot be said for Officer Dylan Johnston who is involved in another open investigation dated to November 6 The record shows that the open allegations against Johnston are: PREVIOUS STORY: The Chattanooga Police Department has confirmed the names of the two officers involved in the shooting on December 24 both officers were involved in the shooting and killing of Carlos Rodriguez Zayas Police say Zayas was walking down East Brainerd Road with a knife when the situation escalated The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is still investigating what led to Zayas' death but police say he was shot after Davis and Johnston told him to drop the weapon PREVIOUS STORY: Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) at the request of 11th Judicial District Attorney General Coty Wamp will investigate Tuesday's incident after Chattanooga Police Department officers fatally shot a man armed with a knife CPD officers were dispatched to the 7800 block of East Brainerd Road after a report of a man armed with a knife No law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident "TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting including collecting evidence and conducting interviews investigative findings will be shared with the district attorney general for her further review and consideration The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether an officer’s actions were justified in these types of matters That decision rests with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement." PREVIOUS STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has confirmed an officer-involved shooting behind the Red Owl Coffee Company on East Brainerd Road Police say the call came in around noon on Tuesday They told Local 3 News that the suspect was armed with a knife Two officers fired weapons; the suspect was shot Officers say they tended to the suspect until the ambulance arrived on the scene The two officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave Local 3 will continue to update the story as more information is shared A person was sent to a hospital after a house fire in East Brainerd early Saturday according to a news release from the Chattanooga Fire Department Chattanooga police officers shot a person on East Brainerd Road on Tuesday Officers responded to reports of someone threatening people with a knife at a restaurant in the 7700 block of East Brainerd Road at 12:18 p.m. development and the future of the region for the Chattanooga Times Free Press She joined the paper as a reporter covering crime and local news in October 2022 and previously covered crime and local government for the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming She holds a degree in communication from Boston College Up to 200 apartments mostly aimed at older adults would go into a proposed five-level building on an East Brainerd tract Chattanooga police Friday named two officers who were involved in a shooting on Christmas Eve that killed a man wielding a knife Lewis Davis and field training Officer Dylan Johnston were placed on paid leave Chattanooga police are investigating the actions of a teacher at the Primrose School of East Brainerd Administrators at the daycare will now have to conduct additional staff training This comes after Local 3 alerted state regulators to the video shows an employee aggressively patting children's backs and pushing their heads down into their cots and we had no idea what was going on behind closed doors,” said Carrie and Alex Tyler The child on the left in the video is the Tylers’ 19-month-old daughter She had been attending Primrose School of East Brainerd since she was just 8 weeks old The Tylers said they were unaware of what was happening there were red flags that we attributed to having a toddler but the Tylers say they were not notified until January 16th “We were called on the phone and said there was a video tried to brush it under the rug,” they said Because they were unaware of the severity of the situation the Tylers continued to bring their daughter to the daycare until they saw the video themselves just 30 minutes before it aired on Local 3 News “And then we're seeing the comments and reading that it had maybe been reported and nothing was done and teachers going on defending her actions The Tylers say their shock quickly turned to anger They have since hired the Warren and Griffin Law Firm to represent them and advocate for their daughter said this is not the first time he has handled a case against a Primrose franchise “I've had a case involving a toddler that had a fractured femur where Primrose said the toddler had fallen off his toddler seat which is 8 inches off the floor I've had a client that had a dislocated elbow the father of a child who suffered a broken femur while at Primrose “They said he would've had to have fallen off a two-story building to break his femur.” Warren believes these cases show a troubling pattern and is calling for accountability “You drop your kids off—toddlers can't talk—but when you pick up a toddler and they're acting strange or their elbow's hurting and they can't verbalize what happened As the Tylers fight for justice for their daughter they say their biggest concern is the long-term impact this may have on her and we don't know how long this went on for and she can't tell us what's wrong: what damage was done that we can't predict?” said Carrie Tyler knowing you trusted those individuals...you have a strong sense of guilt we're working through that and just protecting our children.” Officers stopped Brandon Blount at the East Brainerd Exit on March 25 after a 911 call came in about a man loading kids into the back of a U-Haul truck UPDATE: A father of seven is facing several charges after East Ridge police say they found his children were staying in a U-Haul truck during a traffic stop last week The arrest report says 39-year-old Brandon Blount was stopped by officers on I-75 north at the East Brainerd Exit on March 25 after a 911 call came in about a white male loading five kids into the back of a U-Haul truck and two others in the front officers saw the two female children in the front of the moving truck and say they were told by Blount that there was nothing in the rear cargo area The report says Blount agreed to open the back of the truck and said "I was only taking them to the gas station" as he complied Officers say they found five kids in the back who were unrestrained and appeared to have on dirty clothes The children were without any air ventilation and no way to communicate with the front cab of the U-Haul Officers also found multiple pillows and blankets that appeared to be soiled and the back of the truck smell of urine Blount told officers they were driving to an apartment in Chattanooga from Las Vegas Nevada but he could not provide a clear answer when asked how long the kids had been in the truck The kids told officers they had been in the truck since around 8:00pm on March 24 stopping only two times before the traffic stop happened on March 25 at 2:20pm The report says officers were able to get surface readings from various parts of the truck all of which had an average temperature of more than 88 degrees Fahrenheit The children were taken to a hospital for an evaluation The report says officers were able to call their mother and told her she would have to come and get the children due to the circumstances of the incident The Department of Children's Services was also notified Blount was arrested on the following charges: He remains in the Hamilton County jail on a $12,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 3 Stay with Local 3 News for updates to this story as they become available PREVIOUS STORY: East Ridge Police say a family of seven children were living out of the back of a U-Haul when a parent was arrested for driving with several children in the box truck on Tuesday Police say the children smelled of urine and all had lice when they were taken to a nearby hospital Police were alerted of the situation after a witness called about a possible kidnapping while driving on I-75 North ERPD Assistant Police Chief Josh Creel says it was not a case of kidnapping or human trafficking but "rather poor decision making on the part of the custodial parent." PREVIOUS STORY: East Ridge police say a call from a witness about a possible kidnapping involving a moving truck on Tuesday turned out to be poor decision making by a parent who is now facing charges The call came into the 911 center at 2:20pm A post shared by Local 3 News (@local3news) ERPD Assistant Police Chief Josh Creel says officers stopped the U-Haul at the East Brainerd Exit off I-75 North Creel says officers confirmed the witness’s information about children being in the back of the truck Creel says it was not a case of kidnapping or human trafficking A total of seven kids were found in the truck with two riding in the front and five riding in the rear cargo area All of the children were taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation but appeared to be in good health Creel says the parent was arrested on charges related to reckless endangerment Stay with Local 3 New for updates to this developing story Tennessee's Department of Children’s Services continues to investigate after Local 3 News reported on Friday that we sent a viewer's video showing a now former teacher forcefully patting two toddlers to get them to sleep The video sparked concerns over the way the former Primrose School of East Brainerd teacher was patting two toddlers to sleep Local 3 caught up with a pediatrician to talk about safe ways to put a child to sleep Angela Smith-Slack says there are many techniques that people can use “Some people prefer to rock their children some people do swaddle for their children and some people do that self-soothing technique to put their children to sleep,” Dr Smith-Slack shares the proper way to do it you just want to use your hand and you are just gently patting that child to sleep There are some trains of thought that using that hand patting position or technique can mimic even a mother’s heart beat as you are patting that child ever so gently to put them to sleep,” Dr whether it is getting ready for a nap or bed time we don’t put children to sleep on their tummies because for the first 12 months because we are very concerned about SIDS Smith-Slack said be sure to never shake a baby for any reason “Shaken Baby Syndrome is basically where a baby is shaken to quickly and to forcefully and their head is kind of bobbing back and forth and it actually can lead to brain damage,” Dr The Chattanooga Police Department has released the names of the officers involved in this incident Depend on us to keep you posted as this investigation continues UPDATE:The TBI confirmed on Tuesday evening that a police shooting on East Brainerd Road was fatal The bureau identified the deceased man as 38-year-old Roberto Carlos Rodriguez Zayas The TBI also said that at least two officers with the Chattanooga Police Department shot at Zayas after "the situation escalated." Officials said officers gave verbal commands for Zayas to drop the knife before they fired shots District Attorney Coty Wamp requested the TBI's involvement in the investigation The bureau said investigators will share their findings with Wamp who will then make a final decision on "whether an officer’s actions were justified in these types of matters."EARLIER: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) says they are investigating after Chattanooga Police officers fired shots at a man who was holding a knife on East Brainerd Road The incident started by the Waffle House and ended near the Red Owl Coffee company Victor Miller with Chattanooga Police said when officers arrived at the scene Police added the man started walking down East Brainerd Road and ran off into a wooded area Things escalated and police said officers fired their weapons at the man WTVC crews saw several officers on the scene This is a developing story and will be updated Goodwill will host a hiring event at their Opportunity Center in East Brainerd on Thursday The Goodwill Opportunity Center is at 7601 East Brainerd Road next to the Goodwill store and Donation Xpress location The hiring event is in partnership with Spotlight Staffing Spotlight Staffing will be hiring plumbers production and light industrial work associates “In addition to frequent hiring opportunities like these our center offers free career services like resume development and job search support to anyone in the community,” said Ben Salser Goodwill Opportunity Center – East Brainerd manager Goodwill Industries of the Greater Chattanooga Area has helped people receive the training and support they need to find competitive jobs in our community Goodwill Opportunity Centers are located in East Brainerd Free services offered at Goodwill Opportunity Centers include career assessments resume and interview preparation and access to on-site resource and career fairs Revenue from the sale of goods at Goodwill’s 16 area stores remains local and funds employment and training programs to help people in the community overcome barriers to advance their careers call the Goodwill Opportunity Center – East Brainerd at 757-9527 or email them at bens@goodwillchatt.org After spending his childhood in Tanzania and then moving to London, Alnoor Dhanani expected small-town Chattanooga would be a two-year stopover. Yet, 45 years later, he's still proud to call ... more After seeing a video released of a teacher pushing down the heads of two toddlers at Primrose Daycare in East Brainerd a father sat down with Local 3 to share his own daughter's experience with the school Chris Stokes and his wife enrolled their 2-year-old daughter Everly into the East Brainerd Primrose School in August 2024 "My parental intuition was going off that something wasn't right in those rooms," says Stokes Chris Stokes says his daughter Everly came home with injuries multiple times after the first six weeks of enrollment The first issue he noticed was that his daughter's teachers were never consistent: "They didn't really introduce the teachers either we didn't really know who was coming or going I would say by September she was on her third teacher." Stokes says Everly is typically very friendly She would have these little temper tantrums He says he tried to give the daycare the benefit of the doubt He said they didn't know what she was doing or where it came from until they saw the recent video of a Primrose teacher aggressively patting children on the back and pushing their heads down Stokes says Everly would constantly come home with bruises and scratches but there would be no incident report or explanation Stokes says she came home with a large bruise on her face it had turned into a dark bruise right here on her face." neither of the teachers knew what happened Shortly after dropping her off that morning he says teachers uploaded a picture of Everly with a scratch to the Primrose app "The explanation was she had 'somehow gotten scratched' while cleaning up but you could look at the scratch and it was very obvious it was a nail He says he picked her up and never brought her back to Primrose after that day and it couldn't have been a worse time for us to not have daycare," says Stokes But Stokes says they were able to make it work "I haven't regretted this decision at all," he says Local 3 looked into when the Primrose Daycare was previously inspected by the Tennessee Department of Human Services A classroom had a ratio of one teacher to nine students I don't think it's a safe place to have your kids," explained Stokes With his wife's maternity leave ending and not having daycare for his children Stokes says he decided to quit his job to stay at home with them "I can't imagine right now letting someone else have that opportunity to hurt her right now He says seeing the video of a Primrose teacher being forceful with two children made him angry but he's glad he listened to his intuition and pulled his daughter out For other parents who have children that attend daycare "If you see something that's not quite right Local 3 reached out to Primrose School of East Brainerd for a response to his allegations a leader in the drive-thru coffee category Dutch Bros was founded in 1992 when two real-life bros bought a double-head espresso machine cranked up the stereo and started experimenting with 100 pounds of coffee beans What can customers expect from their local Dutch Bros shop A typical visit will feature "upbeat music energetic broistas (Dutch Bros’ version of baristas) and outstanding speed an exclusive Dutch Bros Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee All drinks are handcrafted for each customer "As we are celebrating our one year anniversary in Hixson we are preparing to open our second location on E We are truly honored to be a part of this beautiful community and we are so excited to expand into Chattanooga serve delicious drinks and brighten our customers’ day.” Hixson Community Farmers Market, formerly St. Alban's Hixson Market, will hold a Grand Re-Opening Celebration on Saturday, May 3 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with a Free Pancake Breakfast from ... more Carry-out beer permits were given to two businesses. The new, local market, Mi Mercadito at 1820 E. Main St., opened four days ago. At the Chattanooga Beer Board meeting, owners Marleny Perez-Salas ... more Fast-casual restaurant Raising Cane's plans to open its second Chattanooga eatery by entering the highly competitive Gunbarrel Road market Work on the restaurant is expected to start soon at the site of a former car wash at 1833 Gunbarrel Road, Bassam Issa, a Chattanooga developer, said Work has started on what's pegged as one of the biggest new residential developments in East Brainerd with nearly 400 homes expected to go up over the next three years or so Cody Harvey is running to replace Chattanooga City Council member Darrin Ledford in the district 4 seat The district encompasses the East Brainerd area Mariah Franklin covers Chattanooga city and Hamilton County government for the Times Free Press crime and county government for The Daily Times in Alcoa She attended Maryville College and the Johns Hopkins University In her free time she enjoys figure skating and listening to country music A fire in East Brainerd destroyed a house under construction and damaged several other nearby homes CFD says there were multiple 911 calls from passerby who saw smoke and flames coming from a residence being built on Oakvale CFD says firefighters found the home fully engulfed on arrival and flames spreading to the neighboring house that’s currently for sale The house up for sale was 'significantly damaged,' according to CFD They say 6 other nearby homes sustained exposure damage from the heat such as melted siding CFD says the cause of the fire is under investigation Fire crews are battling a blaze at an East Brainerd residence Tuesday evening CFD says this is in the 1800 block of Oakvale Drive A woman was arrested in connection with an investigation of child abuse at the Primrose School of East Brainerd day care facility according to a news release from the Chattanooga Police Department Chattanooga Police are investigating a shooting that took place at a gas station on Brainerd Road and one of them faces life-threatening injuries It happened around 12:00pm at Hop-In gas station in the 4600 block of Brainerd Road near Barger Academy The Chattanooga Police Department responded to a shooting at Hop-In Multiple crews responded and were at the scene for three hours It happened around 12:00pm at Hop-In gas station in the 4700 block of Brainerd Road near Barger Academy Sergeant Victor Miller says they responded to a call around 12:30pm they found two victims: one with life-threatening injuries and the other with non-life-threatening injuries They were both transported to a local hospital where they are seeking treatment Sergeant Miller says police detained multiple parties and there was no ongoing threat to the community Adison Lambert with the Hamilton County Department of Education says Barger Academy an elementary school located across the street took precautionary measures and was placed on ‘secure status’ to due to police activity in the area This means the school was on alert and keeping students and faculty inside the building safe The school lifted the measures shortly after and resumed normal operations A new burger and wings restaurant chain that bills itself as a family-friendly sports bar is expanding into Chattanooga, filling the restaurant vacancy that occurred earlier this year when Texas Roadhouse left its East Brainerd location near the Hamilton Place mall Dave Flessner is a correspondent for the Times Free Press who has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for more than 50 years He was formerly business editor of the Chattanooga Times Free Press and previously was city editor for The Chattanooga Times Flessner has also worked as a reporter for the Michigan Daily WCBN and the Lansing State Journal in Michigan and the Hastings Daily Tribune in Nebraska Local 3 is hearing from the Primrose teacher who recorded the incident that is being investigated by the Department of Children's Services and I couldn't imagine my kids going through that Haley McDougle started working at The Primrose School of East Brainerd a week before Christmas McDougle said the former teacher told her that she roughly pats one student to get her to sleep “I wasn't really expecting what she was actually doing when she did it I tried my best to get the little girl to sleep before she could so that way she didn't have to go through it,” McDougle said McDougle said she verbally communicated with management what was happening she said she took matters into her own hands by recording the incident McDougle said the daughter of her colleague Hale said she quit because of the incident “The other little girl that got her mushed into the cot was my daughter's cot spot and the teacher that was doing the patting told me personally that she pats my daughter and the other girl the exact same way,” Hale said Hale said she didn't learn about this behavior until after the video and she said she was blindsided calling the former teacher a friend outside of work Both employees say management didn't act quickly enough when the matter was first reported “The director told me and my mother she called the state The state had 72 hours to come out to the daycare the day it was reported which means they would have been there by Wednesday Local 3 reached out to Primrose about these allegations and they have nothing else to add outside of the statement provided to us on Friday Two separate crashes on I-75 southbound near East Brainerd backed up traffic Tuesday morning UPDATE: All lanes are now reopened and traffic is flowing with mild congestion PREVIOUS STORY: Two separate crashes on I-75 southbound near East Brainerd have backed up traffic Tuesday morning There were two separate multi-vehicle crashes in the area READ MORE | Local Traffic TDOT Smartway cameras show crews blocking off the far left lane Local 3 is working to learn if there were any injuries from the collisions Stay with Local 3 News for the most reliable updates Alan Reis' new business will combine two of his passions: playing chess and brewing beer "King is my last name in Portuguese," Reis It happened around 2:25pm at Glenbury Circle just before the intersection at Hickory Valley Road A crash involving several vehicles is causing delays for drivers on East Brainerd Road Tuesday afternoon the crash has closed all westbound lanes in the area and all left turn lanes The left lane on the eastbound side is also blocked Details surrounding the cause of the crash are unknown at this time Stay with the Local 3 News app for updates to this developing story Chattanooga Police now say an early-morning crash that tied up morning traffic for hours on I-75 near East Brainerd Road was a deadly one Responding officers found a 20-year-old man in a Ford Excursion with life-threatening injuries and a 32-year-old man in a Dodge Ram 2500 with serious injuries A release from Chattanooga Police says the driver of the Ford Excursion was pronounced dead on the scene Investigators learned the Excursion driver was heading southbound in the northbound lanes when he hit the Ram pickup truck head-on An ambulance took the driver of the pickup to the hospital with minor injuries Depend on us to keep you posted as we learn more We're still working to learn what caused the crash Election day traffic has been an hours-long mess for drivers on I-75 near East Brainerd Road in Chattanooga after what state officials call a multi-vehicle accident traffic was backed up all the way to Interstate 24 Watch live traffic updates all morning long here or check our Traffic Tracker for real-time updates throughout the day near Brainerd Road has been shut down due to a possible wreck We have reached out to the Chattanooga Police Department for more details This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. — Last week, a fire at a newly constructed home in East Brainerd quickly spread, damaging several nearby homes in the subdivision. This raised questions about if the homes were too close together Monday we spoke with theChattanooga Fire Department to see if the proximity of houses poses a bigger fire hazard They say 6 other nearby homes sustained exposure damage from the heat, such as melted siding. Justin Tate Homes is the real estate agent representing Oakvale's subdivision Tate says he heard about the fire as firefighters were working to put out the flames We spoke with Chattanooga Fire Chief Phil Hyman about the fire that happened last Tuesday The Chattanooga Fire Department says the home under construction was mostly a total loss by the time they arrived We asked Chief Hyman if homes built close together pose problems to fire fighters They found that in high density neighborhoods a severe wildfire and extreme burning conditions lead to a higher number of structures burning at once a domino effect can occur if conditions are right According to Hamilton County government, R1 Zones are required to have a minimum of 10 feet between the house and the lot line on the side They county says a front yard and back yard are required with a minimum of 25 feet from the lot line Tate says the homes on Oakvale Drive follow those rules Tate says he's glad no one was injured CFD says the work by firefighters stopped the fire from ruining more homes They also encourage everyone to make sure their smoke detectors are working properly The cause fire is still under investigation and drivers in the Brainerd and East Ridge areas will be met with lane closures and delays as work continues in preparation for an upcoming traffic shift Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005 He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Tennessee This week our search for the best tacos in Chatt Town took us to a new restaurant which opened eight months ago: the El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant in the Goodwill shopping strip on East Brainerd Road This place is a bit more formal than the mom-and-pop places I’ve been to recently reminding me more of the Amigo Mexican Restaurant chain and others like it in our area A larger dining area awaits as you enter the main door There are plenty of booths and table seating available Mexican paintings adorn the walls and there are a few big screen TVs showing sports and news Once seated they will quickly bring out some chips and salsa to your table They also have house made guacamole fresco Velvety smooth with a little heat from tiny little pieces of jalapeno in it The menu has some of the same lunch and dinner combos I’ve seen at Amigos and other large chain Mexican restaurants I ordered their Speedy Gonzalez lunch special it’s nice to get that crunch from a crispy taco shell stuffed with ground beef and topped with lettuce and a little crunch from the lettuce and immediately satisfying The enchilada was covered in red sauce and topped with melted cheese the way I like them and their rice - flavorful El Tapatio does have street tacos on their ala carte menu I ordered their Mexican Taco plate which comes with three street tacos It reminded me of the times around Christmas when I was younger My family always hosted the Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) dinner for the family and dad would cook a whole pig out in the backyard: ;ow and slow and cooked to perfection These tortilla shells were stuffed with CHUNKS of porky goodness It wasn’t small pieces of shredded pork; it was large chunks of meaty goodness I am planning to visit them on a Monday for their quesabirria special they have a full bar and plenty of Margarita options as well as beer salads and the most delicious of all – Birria pizza I am thrilled I stumbled upon this place and I can’t wait to sample much more from their menu What’s your favorite taco place and why? Send me an email at Pattyl@brewermediagroup.com — East Brainerd is on the path to expansion The development includes up to 120 new homes and townhomes Heritage Walk is located just off the intersection of East Brainerd Road and Jenkins Road GreenTech Homes said the development "aims to revive traditional neighborhood living." a swimming pool and wooded walking paths are some of the features included in the home building group's plans The group is based in downtown Chattanooga, and notes the significant growth the city has seen over time Homes in Heritage Walk start in the upper $400,000s