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.

Cleveland, Tennessee, school board increases pay for teachers, bus drivers

by Ben Benton ·April 4, 2023

System sets new 2023-24 schedule amid bus driver shortage

Staff File Photo / School buses operated by Cleveland City Schools pick up students at the end of classes at Cleveland Middle School. The Cleveland City School Board has adopted a new schedule for the 2023-24 school year to answer an ongoing bus driver shortage.

Park goers can vote for favorite Tennessee state park in fundraiser

by Ben Benton ·April 3, 2023

For the third consecutive year, lovers of Tennessee State Parks can cast a vote for their favorite park for a dollar per vote in the state's annual My TN State Park fundraiser.

Staff File Photo / The rain-soaked path down from the Great Stone Door overlook in the Savage Gulf State Park as it appeared Oct. 1, 2015. Savage Gulf was previously designated as a State Natural Area and was added to the state's park system in 2022.

New ramp opens linking U.S. Highway 27 to South Broad Street in Chattanooga

by Ben Benton ·March 29, 2023

A new ramp has been opened in the Tennessee Department of Transportation's $32 million Interstate 24-South Broad Street interchange improvement project to link U.S. Highway 27 coming from downtown Chattanooga to South Broad and the Southside.

Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / The white car enters the Broad Street off-ramp from US27 on March 29, 2023. The lanes in the foreground join the ram p from Interstate 24. The second off-ramp for South Broad Street included in the ongoing improvement project at I-24 and South Broad was opened Monday increasing traffic and access as the project heads toward its Aug. 31 finish date.

Investigation lands Fort Campbell soldier behind bars in Franklin County, Tennessee

by Ben Benton ·March 28, 2023

An investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Army criminal investigators has resulted in a Fort Campbell soldier facing exploitation charges in connection with a child in Franklin County, Tennessee.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation / Adrian Tejeda, 24.

Rhea County, Tennessee, authorities searching for teen girl last seen March 24

by Ben Benton ·March 28, 2023

Family offers $2,000 reward for information

Rhea County Sheriff's Office / The Rhea County Sheriff's Office is seeking information on the whereabouts of Maddie Nicole Neal, 15, of Rhea County, who was last seek March 24.

Crump to step down to take new post as executive director of Tennessee District Attorney Generals Conference

by Ben Benton ·March 28, 2023

Tenth Judicial District Attorney General Stephen Crump will step down in July for a job as executive director of the Tennessee District Attorney Generals Conference in Nashville.

Staff File Photo / Longtime 10th Judicial District Attorney Steve Crump, shown here in 2014, is stepping down to become executive director of the Tennessee Attorney Generals Conference.

Rare total solar eclipse on horizon for April 2024

by Ben Benton ·March 25, 2023

One day next year, the moon will pass directly between the Earth and its sun, casting the shadow of a total solar eclipse across 12 U.S. states.

Staff Photo / The solar eclipse is shown in progress in 2017, as seen in Spring City, Tenn.

Trial date set for lawsuit by wrongly convicted Grundy County man Adam Braseel

by Ben Benton ·March 23, 2023

The civil rights lawsuit filed by Adam Braseel, who was convicted in Grundy County in a 2006 murder he didn't commit, has an April 2024 trial date in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

Staff File Photo by Ben Benton / Adam Braseel, freed Aug. 1, 2019, after being incarcerated for more than a decade for a crime he didn't commit, talks less than a week after he was released from prison about his life looking forward.

Polk County receives state-high of 14 findings in audit by Tennessee Comptroller

by Ben Benton ·March 22, 2023

Audit: Circuit and General Sessions Courts Clerk operations under investigation

Staff File Photo by Robin Rudd / The Polk County Courthouse in Benton, Tenn., shown in 2020.

Bradley County authorities seek two suspects in early-morning shooting

by Ben Benton ·March 22, 2023

Bradley County authorities are seeking two suspects in an early-morning shooting on Lois Street that left a man there with injuries requiring him to be airlifted to Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga.