Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee, North Georgia and Northeast Alabama. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties. Ben was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2014, he placed third in the Green Eyeshade Awards for Disaster Coverage- All Dailies for his story on the South Pittsburg flood, and third place in the Specialized Site category for the newspaper's Civil War 150th anniversary online special section. Ben previously worked at The Daily Post-Athenian in Athens, Tenn., The Herald-News, in Dayton, Tenn., and at the Knoxville Journal, in Knoxville, Tenn. Ben, a lifelong UT fan, lives in Chattanooga with his wife, Lisa, and has been a Chattanooga resident since 1988. Ben has one son, Benjy, who works in town as a web developer. When he's not working, Ben likes to cook and hit the backroads in search of barbecue and the region's natural beauty. Contact Ben at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.
An incoming cold front might catch some area residents by surprise after recent spring-like weather comes to an end this weekend and temps start heading down into the low-20s by mid-week.
by Ben BentonMotorists traveling Alabama Highway 117 in Mentone on Thursday might experience some delays due to the start of a $5.7 million bridge project, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation.
by Ben BentonThree people are behind bars in Coffee County, Tennessee, in connection with two unrelated homicide investigations — one involving an infant and one involving a man found dead.
by Ben BentonOfficials have closed the roadway at St. Elmo Avenue and West 41st Street in St. Elmo, and Davidson Road and Joe Engel Drive in East Brainerd.
by Ben BentonForecasts call for dry, colder weather next week, but Mother Nature could still dump more rain on the already-soggy region for a while Wednesday and this weekend.
by Ben BentonA 52-year-old Tracy, California, man who sent child pornography to a member of the Chattanooga Crimes Against Children Task Force in February 2019 has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to 10 years in prison.
by Ben BentonOversized big rigs in less than a year have been blamed for two major collisions with Chattanooga area interstate bridges that forced emergency repairs and backed up traffic for hours.
by Ben BentonTwo suspects have been identified by the Bradley County Sheriff's Office in Cleveland, Tennessee, in connection with burglaries in December at Bradley Central High School, according to a statement.
by Ben BentonA large federal forest project twice the size of Atlanta that could potentially involve timbering activities on tens of thousands of acres of woodland is drawing criticism from conservationists who say they knew too little too late.
by Ben BentonAfter soaking rains deluged the Chattanooga region Thursday and Friday, forecasters are calling for a drying out period over the weekend leading into sunny skies next week.
by Ben BentonMotorists may encounter lane closures on Alabama Highway 117 in Mentone starting Tuesday, Jan. 7 and continuing for the next week, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation.
by Ben BentonMost of the Chattanooga area remains under a flash flood watch or warning as weather radar shows a line of rain storms bearing down on the region from the west.
by Ben BentonTennessee's law enforcement community is mourning the death of Brent Myers, a former sheriff in Grundy County who was working as a deputy in Bradley County and had worked in agencies across the region.
by Ben BentonRemediation since 2001 by Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation contractors on the Copperhill Watershed Restoration project in Polk County led to an award for a Nashville-based firm.
by Ben BentonResidents near Cherokee County, North Carolina's Hothouse community off of U.S. Highway 64 experienced a magnitude 2.1 earthquake early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
by Ben BentonA dinner and informative program at Jackson County, Alabama's Goose Pond Colony in February will celebrate the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center's 10th anniversary and launch fundraising efforts to pay for renovations to better tell the story of the Scottsboro Boys' impact on the civil rights movement.
by Ben BentonChattanooga has seen its share of battles over its 180-year history, but one at the end of the last century created a flood of controversy for nearly a year.
by Ben BentonA U.S. House bill aimed at keeping a promise made decades ago to the Cherokee people now has passed out of that chamber and is headed to the U.S. Senate.
by Ben BentonAuthorities have identified the final victim of a Dec. 19 blaze in DeKalb County, Alabama, near the Georgia state line that killed three children and two adults.
by Ben BentonThe U.S. Highway 27 improvement project through downtown Chattanooga will miss its January 2020 completion date and won't be finished until late summer in the wake of a request from the contractor for an extension.
by Ben Benton