McMinn woman sentenced to four life terms in 2021 quadruple slayings
As jury selection was about to begin Monday, one of two defendants in a death penalty trial in McMinn County Criminal Court pleaded guilty to a September 2021 …
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee, North Georgia and Northeast Alabama.
Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties. Ben was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2014, he placed third in the Green Eyeshade Awards for Disaster Coverage- All Dailies for his story on the South Pittsburg flood, and third place in the Specialized Site category for the newspaper's Civil War 150th anniversary online special section.
Ben previously worked at The Daily Post-Athenian in Athens, Tenn., The Herald-News, in Dayton, Tenn., and at the Knoxville Journal, in Knoxville, Tenn. Ben, a lifelong UT fan, lives in Chattanooga with his wife, Lisa, and has been a Chattanooga resident since 1988. Ben has one son, Benjy, who works in town as a web developer. When he's not working, Ben likes to cook and hit the backroads in search of barbecue and the region's natural beauty.
Contact Ben at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.
As jury selection was about to begin Monday, one of two defendants in a death penalty trial in McMinn County Criminal Court pleaded guilty to a September 2021 …
A public forum set for Thursday will focus on the past, present and future of Moccasin Bend in the face of state plans to build a new state mental health hospi…
What time the partial eclipse starts in Chattanooga, how to view safely and more.
Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson was suspected of having "serious injuries" after his Ford F-150 was rear-ended and pushed into two other vehicles that were…
The administrator of elections in Bradley County is free on a $2,000 bond stemming from a DUI charge and another related charge after Cleveland police found he…
State investigators are probing the death of Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny, who was found dead by Tullahoma police Tuesday at his home, but the local distri…
Two lawmakers from Southeast Tennessee have floated bills in their respective chambers seeking to negotiate with the Tennessee Valley Authority for more water …
Chattanooga developer John "Thunder" Thornton appeared at a meeting of the Marion County Commission to defend his high-end residential development from critics…
Bradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson was released from the hospital after being treated for injuries received in a multi-car crash on Interstate 75 in Chattanoo…
The state's transportation agency has awarded a $3 million contract for the landscaping of U.S. Highway 27 between Sixth Street and Riverfront Parkway, a proje…