Ben Benton

Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee’s Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea and Sequatchie counties. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005. Ben was born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, a graduate of Bradley Central High School. He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Contact Southeast Tennessee reporter Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.

$4M Rossville Boulevard paving project begins Monday

by Ben Benton ·May 3, 2026

One lane to close in each direction, nighttime work planned

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Broken pieces of concrete rest along the side of Rossville Boulevard near the intersection with East 32nd Street. A 3-mile, $4 million paving project will begin May 4, 2026, to remove and replace the existing pavement.

Ocoee River rafting incident claims Cleveland man’s life

by Ben Benton ·April 27, 2026

Drowning marks Tennessee’s sixth boating-related death in 2026

Staff File Photo / The Ocoee River rushes downstream from TVA Dam No. 2. A Cleveland, Tenn., man died Sunday following a rafting incident occurring just below the dam. The death marks the sixth boating-related fatality of the year in Tennessee.

Human-bear encounters in Smokies trigger closures, warnings

by Ben Benton ·April 26, 2026

Adults without cubs searching for food, territory

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service / An adult American black bear is seen in this June 2022 photo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Location unknown. Warnings and closures have been triggered by recent human-bear encounters in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including one incident in which a bear bit someone who entered a closed area.

Ribbon cut on $328M, two-phase I-24/I-75 split project

by Ben Benton ·April 24, 2026

With the now-completed, $328 million, seven-year project serving as a backdrop, state and local officials celebrated the official opening of the reconstructed Interstate 75/Interstate 24 interchange with a ribbon-cutting Friday atop the Belvoir Avenue bridge.

Staff photo by Larry Sullivan II / Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Will Reid speaks at a ribbon-cutting on the Belvoir Avenue bridge. The ceremony marked the completion of the Interstate 75/Interstate 24 interchange reconstruction project.

Subscriber Exclusive

Fire risk high as drought lingers

by Ben Benton ·April 17, 2026

Forest service issues restrictions

Staff Photo by Seth Carpenter / A plant stands out among a cracked patch of dried mud in Chattanooga on April 17, 2026. Much of Southeast Tennessee is currently experiencing severe to extreme drought.

Bradley County, former sheriff, detectives deny violating man’s civil rights

by Ben Benton ·April 16, 2026

Suit seeks damages after convictions vacated in 30-year incarceration

Scott Minton is seen leaving the courtroom in Chattanooga on Jan. 23, 2025, after having his charges dismissed and being released from prison after more than 30 years. (Innocence Project Photo by Alyssa Pointer)

Subscriber Exclusive

South Pittsburg High School pedestrian bridge updated after commissioner raises concerns

by Ben Benton ·April 13, 2026

New electrical grounding system installed

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ The pedestrian bridge reaches over South Cedar Avenue from South Pittsburg High School to Beene Stadium on Monday, April 13, 2026.

Cryptocurrency accounts seized in $2.3M money laundering scheme

by Ben Benton ·April 12, 2026

Athens woman implicated in case but not charged

Staff File Photo / The federal courthouse in Chattanooga and Miller Park are seen before sunrise. An Athens, Tenn., woman has been implicated in a federal forfeiture warrant as a “money mule” who helped bilk a Minnesota-based nonprofit out of at least $2.3 million in a complex online romantic money laundering scheme.

Federal Appeals Court dismisses suit after settlement reached in 2023 Jasper arrest

by Ben Benton ·April 8, 2026

The federal Court of Appeals in Cincinnati dismissed a Marion County man's appeal in a multimillion-dollar civil rights suit against the city of Jasper and two of its police officers after parties reached a settlement this week.

The exterior of Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse in Cincinnati is pictured. The federal Court of Appeals in Cincinnati dismissed a Marion County man's appeal in a multimillion-dollar civil rights suit against the city of Jasper and two of its police officers after parties in the suit reached an agreed settlement. (AP File Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Tennessee officials investigate second drowning this year on Tims Ford Lake

by Ben Benton ·April 7, 2026

A Tullahoma, Tennessee, man lost his life on Tims Ford Lake after he fell from his paddle craft without a life jacket, according to state wildlife officials.