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Chattanooga Update - February 3, 2014

85 views · Published 3 February 2014 · 4:43 · Indexed 30 September 2026

Channel: chattanooga times free press · 2014 · News & Politics

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There's plenty of hype about whether we'll see more snow this week.

One computer model calling for a foot of snow in Chattanooga on Friday and Saturday has been making the rounds on social media.

But local meteorologists say the model from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts was the only one predicting snow.

And now the forecast says warmer and wetter weather is much more likely for the end of the week. The high on Friday is expected to be 45 degrees.

Still, some say forecasters had no choice but to mention the model after failing to predict the surprise snowstorm that paralyzed the region - last week.
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Two people died in two separate shootings in Chattanooga on Saturday.

Around 3 p.m. 23-year-old Charles Jones died on the way to the hospital after he was shot on Fagan Street.

He was shot in the wrist and the lower abdomen. Police are looking for 3 to 5 men who left on foot after the shooting.

The second fatal shooting happened in Hixson.

Police say Robert McClure was shot once in the head and died at the scene.

Authorities have made an arrest in that case. 

23-year-old Christopher Levi Parker of Middle Valley has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

He's currently being held without bond and is set to appear in court - on February 11th.
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Alstom Power is furloughing most of its 335 workers in Chattanooga for nearly a month.

The company says the furloughs are due to a slow down in sales.

We're told employees won't be paid, although some can use vacation time if they wish.

In addition, Alstom will be cutting five positions in Chattanooga.

The company builds parts for the coal plants, but most utilities have stopped building new coal plants and have closed old ones, because of restrictions from the EPA.

The company's furloughs are scheduled to take place in March.
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Tennessee is now the fastest growing state for union membership.

Organized labor grew by 25 percent last year in the state, boosting union rolls to the highest level in nearly a decade.

And Georgia and Alabama were close behind, with union growth in each state close to 22 percent last year.

But union membership here in Chattanooga is actually below the state and the national average. Less than 5 percent of Chattanooga area workers belonged to a labor union - last year.
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Moccasin Bend Brewing Company has been shut down for code violations.
The St. Elmo brewery was closed down by a Chattanooga fire marshal on Friday night.
The company says it had three popular bands playing that night, which meant the largest crowd it's ever had.
Owner Chris Hunt says he thought he had city permission to stay open while bringing the building up to code. But the city cited an issue with unsafe wiring inside the building.
Now Hunt says he'll meet with city officials today - to discuss the issue.
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After three years, a red alert has finally been removed at TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, despite some remaining issues at the facility.

The plant had been given a red level safety finding ever since an emergency cooling valve failed in 2010.

Regulators said the broken valve could have prevented the reactor from safely shutting down in the event of a fire or an explosion.
Browns Ferry is one of only a handful of nuclear plants to ever receive a red finding. The next step would have been ordering the plant to shut down.
Even though the alert has now been lifted, regulators say two additional violations still remain - at the plant.
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Finally, former Chattanooga police chief Bobby Dodd says he's decided not to run for Hamilton County Sheriff after all.

Dodd, who worked at the police department for 26 years, retired in December and picked up papers to run for sheriff just days later.

But now Dodd says he decided not to participate in the race after discussions with his family, and that he's enjoying a slightly slower pace of life.

As it stands now, Sheriff Jim Hammond will face off against sergeant Chris Harvey in the Republican primary - May 6th.

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