Ben Benton
Times Free Press
Chattanooga, TN, United States
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Past articles by Ben:
Six-week closure on south side of Ringgold Road-McBrien Road intersection starts Monday
If you thought the construction traffic on Ringgold Road in East Ridge was bad so far, just wait till Monday. → Read More
Pedestrian killed on I-75 Tuesday in Bradley County identified
A pedestrian was killed Tuesday on Interstate 75, Bradley County authorities confirmed Wednesday. → Read More
$161 million low bid awarded for phase 2 of Chattanooga's I-75/I-24 ‘split’ project
Work on the long-awaited -- or dreaded -- phase II of the Interstate-24/Interstate 75 "split" project is set to begin in late spring 2023 after the Tennessee Department of Transportation awarded a $161 million contract for the job. → Read More
Clingman descendants: Cost of renaming peak would be worth it
If the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approves a proposal to change what is now named Clingmans Dome to its Cherokee name, Kuwohi, one of the effects below the surface would seemingly be financial as every guidepost, brochure, map, sign and website bearing information on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park landmark would have to be updated. → Read More
What to know about Chattanooga's St. Elmo community
Historic charm meets hip urban style. Here's what to know about Chattanooga's St. Elmo area. → Read More
Fall Creek Falls State Park holds job fair Friday
Looking for a job with a front-row view of some of Tennessee's most scenic beauty? → Read More
McMinn group accuses county school board of violating its own rules, plans remarks ahead of Thursday meeting
A group of 15 McMinn County parents, educators, students and community members has accused the McMinn County school board of violating its own rules in removing the Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" from its eighth-grade curriculum during a called meeting Jan. 10. → Read More
Bradley County police K-9 shot multiple times in foot chase
Authorities in Cleveland, Tennessee, said a Bradley County Sheriff's Office police K-9 was shot multiple times during a foot chase Wednesday morning in the woods near the Toyota of Cleveland dealership at Interstate 75's exit 20. → Read More
South Pittsburg's National Cornbread Festival called off for 2021
The National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, has been officially canceled after organizers said scheduling conflicts with vendors and other festival participants would result in a sub-par event that isn't what people expect. → Read More
Chattanooga region has some bridges on 'poor' condition list but Tennessee says all are safe
After a crack in the Interstate 40 bridge over the Mississippi River in Memphis shut down one path over the nation's largest river earlier this month, a natural question comes to mind: What's the condition of bridges in the Chattanooga area? → Read More
Newly elected Bledsoe County trustee declines job, citing health concerns
The winner of the Nov. 3 election for Bledsoe County trustee has declined to assume the job, citing health issues. → Read More
LIVE: Updates from news conference on Meigs County bus crash
All children who were taken to Erlanger hospital are now in stable condition following a Meigs County school bus crash that left two dead Tuesday evening. → Read More
Hurricane Laura expected to bring rain, storms to Chattanooga region as it weakens to tropical depression
As Hurricane Laura prepared to make landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm Wednesday night with what could be an "unsurvivable" storm surge and high winds, forecasters predicted the storm could take a northerly track through the South and parts of Tennessee as a tropical depression. → Read More
Dayton, Tennessee, man sustains multiple gunshot wounds in Tuesday fatal shooting
A Dayton, Tennessee, man is being held on a $175,000 bond in a fatal shooting Tuesday on Lower Cove Loop Road that started as an altercation and escalated into gunfire, according to authorities in Rhea County. → Read More
Three arrested, cash, drugs and weapons found in ongoing Grundy County overdose death probe
Authorities in Grundy County, Tennessee, arrested three people and seized cash, weapons, suspected methamphetamine and more than 100 pills allegedly laced with the powerful drug fentanyl while executing two separate search warrants in what the sheriff said is an ongoing investigation into recent drug overdoses that have left three people dead. → Read More
Rhea County sees jump in COVID-19 cases from 13 to 188
Officials in Rhea County on Thursday said that a COVID-19 outbreak — possibly among migrant workers on a local farm — caused the county's number of confirmed cases to jump this week from 13 to 188, raising alarm as the Memorial Day holiday weekend approaches. → Read More
Monteagle police, TBI investigating discovery of body off I-24
Police in Monteagle, Tennessee, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are investigating the discovery of a body Monday morning off of Interstate 24 inside the city limits of the mountaintop town. → Read More
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probes fatal motorhome fire in Coffee County
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and local authorities have not yet identified the victim of a fatal fire Tuesday at a local campground, but foul play is not suspected. → Read More
Deadly drift: Tornadoes rise in the Southeast as they decline in the Midwest
Experts say Easter Sunday's tornado outbreak was a textbook example of weather trends showing rising tornado numbers and severity in the mid-South and Southeast, which is increasingly becoming a tornado hotbed. → Read More
Etowah police chief turns himself in after five days on the lam
Former Etowah, Tennessee, police chief Eric Armstrong turned himself in to McMinn County authorities Thursday after being sought on a misdemeanor assault by domestic violence warrant since an incident Sunday. → Read More