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Cicis Pizza in Hixson Permanently Closing
HIXSON, Tenn. (WDEF) — A sign on the front door revealed that Cicis Pizza in Hixson is closing its doors for good.
The restaurant sits on Highway 153.
The sign on their door reads:
“Thanks Hixson for your support over the past 26 years!
It has been a pleasure serving you!
It is with a heavy heart that we are closing our doors.
The reason for the pizza buffet’s closure is uncertain.
The sign also stated that the Gunbarrel location will remain open.
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Weather Update: Friday Morning’s Forecast – January 27, 2023

WDEF-TV News 12 Weather: Nice Days Friday & Sunday, Raiu Returns Sunday, & that Marks The Beginning Of A Very Unsettled Week!
Friday Morning: Clearing out, turning colder & frosty, with a few possible areas of fog. Lows: mid & upper 20’s. Winds: Westerly at 5 mph, with wind chills not terribly oppressive.
Friday Afternoon: A ton of sun returning, dry, & not quite as chilly. Slightly breezy again, with highs nearing 50. 40’s. Southwesterly at 5-10 mph.
Friday Night: Clear, chilly & occasionally breezy. Winds: SW @ 5-10 MPH. Lows: low 30’s.
Medium Range Forecast:
Another storm system will take aim on the Tennessee River Valley towards the end of the upcoming weekend; another 2-3″ of rain possible by this time next week.
Long Range Forecast:
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NOAA Climate Prediction Center’s Monthly Outlook for February. Slightly above normal temperatures for the first month of the year with occasional chances for colder weather. Near normal chances for precipitation in the next month.
Make sure you & your family stay in touch with us. Remember the Storm Team 12 app can always bring you the latest weather alerts for your location as well as Titan Radar. Download it for free from your app store – just search “WDEF Weather”.
The best time to prepare for severe weather is when nothing weather-wise is going on. Learn more about programming your weather alert radio with WDEF-TV News 12.
TECH BYTE: New ‘Apple Music Sing’ Feature for Karaoke Fans
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — If you enjoy singing karaoke, you don’t need a karaoke machine anymore to put on a show.
There’s a new feature by Apple Music that makes it all possible.
Apple is making it easier for those who love to sing to become superstars – or at least try to become one.
The tech company recently launched a new feature for Apple Music users – Apple Music Sing.
This feature makes it even easier to sing along with your favorite songs. You have tens of millions of them to choose from too!
Whether you have musical talent, or just like singing period – in tune or not – this update is for you.
The Apple Music Sing feature has adjustable vocals, and real-time lyrics.
With the adjustable vocals, you have control over a song’s vocal levels. It gives users the freedom to sing with the original artist, take the lead, or change it up.
If you’re like me, and bad with lyrics, this feature shows you the words to the song in real time, and will dance to the rhythm of the vocals.
As for the background vocals, Apple says those lines sung simultaneously can animate independently from the main part. That way it’s easier to follow along.
And yes, there’s a duet view too. Vocalists show up on opposite sides of the screen, which makes sharing the “stage” easier when singing along to your favorite tracks.
Apple Music Sing is now available to Apple Music subscribers on all compatible iPhones and iPads, along with the new Apple TV 4K.
... Continue ReadingThe Community Haven announces namesake Patrol
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) — The Community Haven Patrol is the brand-new safety initiative from the Chattanooga-based Community Haven.
It isn’t looking to police, but rather to teach its neighbors and surrounding families.
Kevin Muhammad, the executive director of the Community Haven, says the Patrol’s mission is simple — make their community “a decent and safe place to live.”
The footprint and outreach they look to make and leave is a great one.
And they’re asking for help from both their neighbors and representatives to help them see it done.
Muhammad says the goal of the Patrol is not to “[chase] down shooters,” but to individually engage their community.
He says this will be done “street by street, house by house, block by block.”
“We empower people who actually live in that neighborhood to make their own community [a] decent and safe place to live,” Muhammad said. “It’s a different approach because we have to deal with the environment. You can take ten shooters off the street and ten more are going to come up because the environment that we live in has to change.”
Muhammad says the patrol is a “proactive” force, not a policing one, set on dealing with the “root causes” of why some turn to crime.
As an example, he believes that burglary and theft, rather than being addressed simply as crimes, can become opportunities to teach economics to residents and provide them with “mentoring” and appropriate resources.
“We’re servants of the people and we’re helping our people to meet a need — to help them come back to their original self so they can be who God created them to be,” Muhammad said.
Muhammad says The Community Haven has self-funded many of its own resources, including its patrol cars.
Although the nonprofit received just one million dollars for the project from the city of Chattanooga, support from local officials is already growing.
“This is about making sure that whenever we think about public safety, we aren’t just thinking about a police department,” said Chattanooga Chief of Staff Joda Thongnopnua. “We are thinking about how the community in a community-rooted organization responds.”
“It can be done,” said Dist. 28 Rep. Yusuf Hakeem. “It will be done if we continue to work with this group of people.”
“Is it going to be easy? It won’t be,” said Chattanooga City Dist. 8 Councilwoman Marvene Noel. “Is it going to be a lot of hard work? It will be. Will we reap the benefits from our labor? Yes, indeed, and it will be bountiful.”
Muhammad says the Patrol will work through four neighboring “zones” — the first of which is drawn out in Holtzclaw Avenue, 3rd Street, Chamberlain Avenue, and Wilcox Boulevard.
He says Bushtown will be where community engagement begins, not just because the Haven is headquartered there, but because the former town was first established by Black Americans.
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From The Archives: 1987 Reggie White
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – He just may have been the best football player to ever come out of Chattanooga. And he became a Chattanooga legend.
Reggie White was a mountain of a man, both physically and spiritually.
His resume made him a national star in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
1975-1979: played at Howard High, became All-American, top-rated recruit out of Tennessee
1980-1983: played for Tennesse Vols, setting two sack records, All-American, SEC Player of the Year, Lombardi Finalist
1984-85: USFL, Reggie stayed in Tennessee for two seasons playing for the Memphis Showboats in the new league
1985-2000: NFL, his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Packers included one Super Bowl Championship (Packers), Defensive Player of the Year (twice), Pro Bowls and the NFL Hall of Fame.
Post-football career: Reggie got involved with FCA at UT and continued after his retirement. He became an ordained Baptist Minister and earned the nickname Minister of Defense in college.
Reggie lived in Knoxville after graduating and eventually moved to North Carolina. But he came home numerous times, where he still had family. The city named Reggie White Boulevard in his honor at Finley Stadium.
This story from our Archives was on one return to Chattanooga when he visited students at Tyner High. He shared his faith and even showed kids his ability to do impressions with the stars of the day (Elvis, Rodney Dangerfield and Howard Cosell.)
Sadly, like many pro football players before and after him, Reggie did not live a long life.
He died in 2004 at the age of just 43.
... Continue Reading