Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education.
Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage.
He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School.
Benton has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the the University of Tennessee.
In 2003, he won first place for Best New Photograph in Group III of the Tennessee Press Association contest. He also placed fourth for Best News Story the same year.
Ben previously worked at The Daily Post-Athenian in Athens, Tenn., The Herald-News, in Dayton, Tenn., and at the Knoxville Journal, in Knoxville.
Ben lives in Chattanooga with his wife, son and father. He has been a Chattanooga resident since 1988.
Contact Ben at 423-757-6569 and at bbenton@timesfreepress.com.
Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/BenBenton.
Recent Stories »
DALTON, Ga. - Sheriff's officials in Whitfield County are searching for a suspect after two bodies were found at a home.
A 20-year-old man is dead after the victim in a Cumberland County home invasion fired several shots at his two assailants, fatally striking one of them, authorities said.
A second volume of a pictorial history book created in Bledsoe County has netted an Award of Distinction from the East Tennessee Historical Society for its quality and importance to the history of the community, officials say.
A collision between a pickup and tractor-trailer in Benton, Tenn., claimed the life of a local man late Monday, authorities said.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol and Benton police are continuing to investigate a fatal wreck overnight in Benton, Tenn., that claimed the life of a local man, according to police.
RAINSVILLE, Ala. -- Students weren't at Plainview School the day tornadoes killed 33 people in DeKalb County, Ala., including a Plainview freshman, her mother and stepfather.
SECTION, Ala. -- A donation of land at a spot called Twin Eagle Point in Jackson County, Ala., will give the small town of Section a park with a spectacular view of the Tennessee River.
The new schools director in Bledsoe County, Tenn., has signed a two-year contract that allows a backup plan should she leave the post or if her contract is not renewed in 2014.
State and local officials say they'll continue to monitor slide-prone areas of the Ocoee River Gorge's road cut on U.S. Highway 64 in Polk County, Tenn., after a small rock slide near TVA's No. 2 powerhouse temporarily closed one lane of the road overnight Tuesday.
Winchester, Tenn., native Sir John Marks Templeton would have been “thrilled” with a celebration of the virtues and values of the community that made him what he was, those who knew him say.
