Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland: From WRCB Channel 3… Crews from both
Here is your Cleveland, Tenn. | Bradley County, Tenn. news on mymix1041.com, sponsored by Toyota of Cleveland:
Crews from both the Chattanooga Fire Department and Volkswagen’s Safety Forces worked together Tuesday morning to battle a fire in the German automaker’s body shop in a massive show of force. Nearly a dozen fire engines could be seen at the facility.
According to CFD, there were no serious injuries and the blaze was quickly extinguished.
The call went out at 8:46am that there was an active fire on one line in the Volkswagen body shop.
A second alarm was called by CFD to bring additional companies to the scene, along with more EMS units.
The plant was immediately evacuated, according to CFD.
Crews were able to determine that a conveyor belt in a confined space had caught fire.
Volkswagen’s Fire Department was assisted by Chattanooga Fire Department for extra manpower and extra hose for water supply.
Ventilation fans were used to clear smoke out of the large building and booms helped prevent water runoff into other areas of the structure.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Assembly operations at Volkswagen were suspended for Tuesday, but production is expected to resume today.
Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson has announced he will be leaving the school district on August 17th.
Johnson was named Tennessee’s Superintendent of the Year in 2021, and was one of five finalists for the national award. He came to Chattanooga from Clarksville in 2017, and the school district has scored impressive academic gains during his tenure.
Dr. Nakia Towns, the district’s Deputy Superintendent will reportedly serve as Superintendent on an interim basis. She is not expected to seek the full-time position. School Board members will likely conduct a nationwide search for a new leader, which is how Dr. Johnson was chosen in 2017.
Although Johnson has not announced his next move, sources say he plans to remain in Chattanooga in the private sector.
From the Chattanooga Times Free Press…
Chattanooga police announced a second arrest related to potential child abuse at the Chattanooga shelter housing unaccompanied migrant children on Tuesday.
The Chattanooga Police Department is charging Florencia Guadalupe Renderos Morales, 22, with sexual battery by an authority figure. Morales is in custody in Harris County, Texas, and will be extradited to Hamilton County at a later date, according to police.
The alleged victim of Morales is not the same victim connected to the arrest of Randi Duarte, 35, who this month was charged with sexual battery by an authority figure, coercion of a witness and tampering with evidence.
Earlier this month, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services suspended the child care license of the Baptiste Group, the organization that was operating the shelter under a federal contract. The state cited a series of issues related to the facility, including an allegation of child abuse, Duarte’s arrest and a teenage boy who went missing from the shelter in mid-June. All children were moved from the facility June 22.
Last week, the Bapiste Group appealed the state’s decision to revoke the license. A judge has not ruled on the case.
