Chattanooga Update - June 29, 2015

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• published: 29 Jun 2015
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Another fatal crash on I-75 northbound in Chattanooga. Police say the accident happened around 1:30 Sunday morning. Authorities don’t know what caused the vehicle to hit a concrete barrier and roll over. The driver died at the scene. _____ The funeral is today for Ocoee Middle School band director Brian Gallaher. He was one of six killed in a nine-vehicle wreck on the interstate Thursday. Cleveland residents are invited to line the procession route from Westmore to Hillcrest Memorial Gardens at 3:30. ____ Two people were shot in Chattanooga Sunday. 67-year-old Regina Hughes says she was sleeping in her home on Midland Pike when she woke up to gunshots outside and realized she was hit. And 18-year-old Charles Melton told police he was struck in a drive-by on Wilder Street. Both had non-life threatening injuries. ____ Skeletal remains have been found on TVA property. A worker mowing near Tims Ford Lake in Winchester accidentally hit the body. Authorities believe it belongs to a man who lived nearby and went missing earlier this year. No foul play is suspected. ____ A South Pittsburg man has been found dead in Bridgeport, Alabama. The victim is identified as 21-year-old DJ Roberson. Authorities say the case is a homicide, but have not said how the victim was killed. ____ President Obama is visiting Middle Tennessee this week. He’ll be in the area to discuss the Affordable Care Act. It’s unclear where he’ll be speaking. ____ Rhiannan Pierce and Phyllis Wood have become the first same-sex couple married in Chattanooga. It comes after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday. Councilman Chris Anderson says he plans to reintroduce a measure for the city to provide benefits to gay couples. And some Tennessee lawmakers are drafting the Pastor Protection Act, which intends to protect religious clergy from being forced to perform same-sex marriages. _____ Georgia has stopped issuing specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag. Governor Nathan Deal has ordered that the plate be redesigned. And in Tennessee, two Democratic lawmakers have introduce a bill to stop issuing Confederate tags as well. _____ A man was killed in a motorcycle wreck on Wilcox Boulevard Friday. Police say 36-year-old Christopher Jolly lost control and left the road. An investigation is ongoing. ____ Chattanooga has a new fire chief. Mayor Andy Berke has named Chris Adams to the position. Adams had been serving as interim chief since Lamar Flint retired in April. _____ Amazon is creating another 150 full-time jobs in Bradley County. The new positions are in picking, packing and shipping. The company is hosting a job fair at its Charleston fulfillment center today until 5 p.m. ____ Electric bills will go up starting July 1st. EPB has approved a 3.5 percent rate hike for residential customers. The average bill will go up by $5 dollars and 70 cents. ____ The special guests have been announced for this year’s She Expo. Leigh Anne Tuohy is the subject of the movie The Blind Side. And Tabitha Coffey is the star of Bravo’s Tabitha Takes Over. The event is July 25th and 26th at the Chattanooga Convention Center. ____ Sequatchie County Schools superintendent Johnny Cordell is retiring. The 68-year-old leaves Wednesday after 20 years in education. He says he plans to do some traveling. ____ Chattanooga’s bike share system is changing prices for the first time. Annual memberships are dropping from 75 to $50 dollars. But the cost for a regular 24-hour pass is going from six to eight dollars. The change takes effect July 1st. ____ Finally, Another building is being planned at Cameron Harbor. Developers plan to add a three-story building with 63 condominiums. The building will also include some retail space.