Top 5 things to know in the Chattanooga area today (with video)

Surveillance video shows a suspect in a bank robbery in Benton Wednesday.

Benton bank robbery surveillance

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1) HIXSON ZONING BATTLE HEADS TO VOTE

Chattanooga's City Council today may bring to a close one of the most contentious and hard-fought rezoning battles in the city in years.

But most council members Monday were reluctant to talk about how they will vote as they weigh the $100 million Chattanooga Village proposal in Hixson for the second time in two weeks.

2) AS FAMILY GRIEVES, SEARCH GOES ON AT CREEK FOR 3 BODIES

The searchers are waiting for the water to go down, waiting for the mud to settle. They are waiting for crews to clear logs and branches from the creek.

On Monday -- five days since a man and two of his children went under -- about 50 people kneeled on the creek bank or paddled in kayaks, looking for bodies.

3) LAMAR ALEXANDER'S TONE FAILS TO CONNECT WITH SOME LOCAL REPUBLICANS

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander took his spot on the dais in Washington, D.C., Monday, celebrating the peaceful reaffirmation of "immense power" and urging Americans of all persuasions to "find the good and praise it."

But the senator's speech failed to mollify some conservatives back home. Members of the Hamilton County Pachyderm Club, a Republican organization, met Monday and largely dismissed the spectacle, defining Obama's second swearing-in as a moment they can't wait to forget.

4) BUTCH JONES, VOLS DEFENSIVE STAFF VISIT VONN BELL

Knowing there is a lot of ground to make up in a short amount of time, new University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones found an unusual way to make a big impression on Ridgeland High School's All-America safety Vonn Bell.

On the day of his only in-home visit, Jones brought his entire defensive staff to meet with Bell and his family Monday.

5) HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR M.L. KING JR. MEMORIAL MARCH

Gathered outside in the late afternoon sunshine, crowds of people waited for the start of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial March. More than 40 groups participated in the event Monday, ranging from the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga to a group of motorcyclists and student organizations.

The atmosphere was exuberant. People chatted amicably, children laughed and chased one another across the sidewalks and balloons and colorful banners bounced around in the hands of many of the parade participants.

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