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Chattanooga Update - May 29, 2013

156 views · Published 29 May 2013 · 4:20 · Indexed 21 October 2026

Channel: chattanooga times free press · 2013 · News & Politics

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Hello Chattanooga. Here's a quick look at today's top stories.

First of all, an electrical fire at Patten Towers downtown has forced an evacuation of all 241 residents.

The fire broke out in the building's basement around 10 p.m. with the temperature inside reportedly reaching more than 15 hundred degrees.

While the cause of the fire is investigated, power to the building has been cut off.

Two shelters in Brainerd have been opened for residents by the Red Cross. It's unknown when they will be able to return.
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Next up, Two familiar names have been added to a civil lawsuit filed in the police beating of Adam Tatum.

The lawsuit now alleges former mayor Ron Littlefield and former general services Director Paul Page are responsible for fostering lax management that contributed to the beating.

Also, Tatum's attorney has now filed a new case that attempts to double the requested $50 million dollars in damages to $100 million dollars.
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Chattanooga is again trying to land a federal grant to fix the Wilcox Tunnel.

The city council's voted to apply for a $25 million dollar federal grant that could allow building a second tunnel with two lanes and upgrade the existing tunnel.

The council previously tried, and failed, to get a grant for the work about a year ago.
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Also, Mayor Andy Berke's administration now says no road will be built through Lincoln park without input from local residents.
Deputy chief of staff Jeff Cannon, said Berke's administration is not supportive of a five lane road through the neighborhood.
Still, the proposal to connect Central Avenue to Amnicola Highway isn't entirely off the table.
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In politics, Governor Bill Haslam says Tennessee shouldn't make any additional changes to gun laws for now.

He said that while the idea of more extensive background checks makes sense, he's unsure how it can be implemented without infringing on second amendment rights.
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Also, Senator Lamar Alexander now says he believe's there's no chance TVA will be sold as proposed by the Obama administration.

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In crime news, Two men were shot in the leg minutes apart on opposite sides of Chattanooga Monday night.
19-year-old Shannon Cooley and 21-year-old Ashton Ammonds were both outside around 11:30 p.m. when they were shot by suspects who fled the scene.
Police say it's currently unknown if the shootings are related.
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Also, Soddy-Daisy police have arrested a man who they say drank too much and crashed his car, killing his girlfriend.
Officers charged Lucas Rippy, of Mississippi with vehicular homicide by DUI on Saturday. 
The crash happened on Thrasher Pike around 3 a.m. Samantha Ownby of Hixson was pronounced dead at Erlanger.
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Across the state line in Georgia, the department of transportation will be repaving Dade County's two interstates, I-59 and I-24, this summer.
Work on I-59 will begin in early June and be done by September. I-24 work will take place July through October.
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Finally, the man rescued from a pit in Ellison's Cave in Walker County is still in critical condition.
An 80-person rescue team retrieved 54-year-old Dwight Kempf from the cave, which is one of the deepest in the United States.
This wasn't the Pennsylvania man's first journey through Ellison's cave, however. He also visited the cavern in November 2011.

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