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Chattanooga Update - July 19, 2013

224 views · Published 19 July 2013 · 5:33 · Indexed 30 October 2026

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

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United Auto Workers was slammed at a forum on labor organization efforts at Chattanooga's Volkswagen factory.

The plant's former head of manufacturing, Don Jackson, said he wasn't sure what a union could improve at the factory. He claimed the UAW would drive a wedge between management and employees and even take employees out of the picture.
UAW officials say they intentionally stayed away from the meeting because they didn't want any trouble.
Still, a UAW official we spoke with said southern auto plants that have unions have seen plenty of investment and new jobs, and that some people just don't want workers to have a voice.
But critics say union rules require hiring more people than needed to produce cars, which hurts a company's ability to compete.
And that the UAW has lost a lot of members and needs Chattanooga more than Chattanooga needs it.
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17 people are in the hospital after a bus full of student campers crashed in Murray County Wednesday night.

The group from Missouri were heading to Fort Mountain Retreat in Chatsworth when the bus driver lost control and crashed.

Most of the victims were kids age 12 and older. None of them had any serious injuries. An adult in the front seat was ejected through the windshield, but wasn't critically hurt.

Georgia State Patrol says rainy weather likely contributed to the crash.
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In crime news, an East tennessee mother is accused of using her own daughters to make child porn.

Authorities say photos of the children, ages 2, 6 and 8, were bought and sold around the world. 

32 year old Crystal Renee Dawn Poore of Hampton, has been indicted on federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and state charges including aggravated child rape and incest.
Police say the girls' father was unaware of the alleged abuse.
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Also, authorities in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, say a drunk, semi-nude woman didn't want to get dressed and tried to bite an officer.
An incident report says 35-year-old Crystal J. Wombles was entirely naked on the porch of a house just before police showed up. Neighbors had to escort their children into their homes.
Police say Wombles dropped two bags of suspected marijuana during the arrest, and on the way to the jail she managed to remove her handcuffs and tried to open the cruiser door to escape.
The escapade resulted in more than a few charges, and Wombles remains in jail.
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A babysitter has been added to the TBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list.
Authorities say 24-year-old Anthony Dean Blackwell is suspected of raping a 4-month-old baby while he was babysitting.
The incident happened June 9 in Pulaski. The TBI said that when the mother returned, she saw signs that the infant had been sexually abused.
The child required surgery to repair the injuries. There's a $1,000 reward for details leading to Blackwell's arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the TBI.
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Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk Paula Thompson says she won't be seeking re-election.

Thompson says she plans to retire when her term ends in August 2014.

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And a Chattanooga area bride and her bridesmaids will be featured on a TLC show tonight.

Bride to be Cassie Benford wanted both of her good friends Hannah Barrett and Danielle Mincey to be bridesmaids. But the problem is Barrett and Mincey don't like each other. At all.

Then there's a third bridesmaid, Justin McArthur, a young man with a strong opinion of his own.

If it sounds like the makings of a reality show, the folks at TLC thought so as well. The four will be featured on tonight's episode of "Say Yes To The Dress: Bridesmaids" at 9 p.m.
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And after playing softball for 13 years, Courtney Branson gets to put her skills to the test - with ice cream.

The assistant manager at Cold Stone in Chattanooga is one of 12 national finalists competing in the first ever "creamery Cup."

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