Maryville, TN (WOKI) A 13-year-old student at Heritage Middle School in Blount County is facing charges after bringing a gun to school.
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say School Resource Officers acted on a tip that the student possibly had a gun in his backpack.
The SROs responded quickly and found the gun.
The student has been charged with delinquency by carrying a weapon on school property and is being held at the Blount County Juvenile Detention Facility pending a hearing.
BCSO says additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.
The teen hasn’t been identified, but BCSO officials did say they were charged with delinquency by carrying a weapon on school property. (Frankly Media)
Sneedville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man is arrested and charged with arson in connection to a residential fire in Hancock County.
Forty-one year old Christopher Shearer was arrested after an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office into the February fire at a residence in the 800 block of Sherm Mountain Road in Sneedville.
During the course of the investigation, agents determined that the fire had been intentionally set by Shearer.
He’s charged with one count of Arson and is being held on a $15,000 bond.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation made the announcement Tuesday, saying 41-year-old Christopher Shearer had been charged by investigators. (Courtesy: TBI)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Internal Revenue Service announces tax relief for the entire state of Tennessee affected by severe storms, tornadoes, flooding and more that began in early April.
The IRS says that Tennessee taxpayers will now have until November 3rd to file federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency which means that individuals and households that reside or have a business in Tennessee’s 95 counties qualify for tax relief.
April 14, 2025 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today tax relief for individuals and businesses in the entire state of Tennessee affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that began on April 2, 2025.
These taxpayers now have until Nov. 3, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This means that individuals and households that reside or have a business in Tennessee’s 95 counties qualify for tax relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the Tax relief in disaster situations page on IRS.gov.
Filing and payment relief
The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred from April 2, 2025, through Nov. 3, 2025 (postponement period). As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Nov. 3, 2025, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.
This means, for example, that the Nov. 3, 2025, deadline will now apply to:
Individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025.
2024 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers.
Quarterly estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, June 16 and Sept. 15, 2025.
Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on April 30, July 31 and Oct. 31, 2025.
Calendar year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025.
Calendar year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.
In addition, penalties for failing to make payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after April 2, 2025, and before April 17, 2025, will be abated if the deposits are made by April 17, 2025.
The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. These taxpayers do not need to contact the agency to get this relief.
It is possible an affected taxpayer may not have an IRS address of record located in the disaster area, for example, because they moved to the disaster area after filing their return. In these kinds of unique circumstances, the affected taxpayer could receive a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS for the postponement period. The taxpayer should call the IRS Special Services toll-free number at 866-562-5227 to update their address and request disaster tax relief.
In addition, the IRS will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period are located in the affected area. Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS Special Services toll-free number at 866-562-5227. This also includes workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization. Disaster area tax preparers with clients located outside the disaster area can choose to use the bulk requests from practitioners for disaster relief option, described on IRS.gov.
Additional tax relief
Individuals and businesses in a federally declared disaster area who suffered uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses can choose to claim them on either the return for the year the loss occurred (in this instance, the 2025 return normally filed next year), or the return for the prior year (2024). Taxpayers have extra time – up to six months after the due date of the taxpayer’s federal income tax return for the disaster year (without regard to any extension of time to file) – to make the election. For individual taxpayers, this means Oct. 15, 2026. Be sure to write the FEMA declaration number – 3625-EM − on any return claiming a loss. See Publication 547, Casualties, Disasters, and Thefts, for details.
Qualified disaster relief payments are generally excluded from gross income. In general, this means that affected taxpayers can exclude from their gross income amounts received from a government agency for reasonable and necessary personal, family, living or funeral expenses, as well as for the repair or rehabilitation of their home, or for the repair or replacement of its contents. See Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income, for details.
Additional relief may be available to affected taxpayers who participate in a retirement plan or individual retirement arrangement (IRA). For example, a taxpayer may be eligible to take a special disaster distribution that would not be subject to the additional 10% early distribution tax and allows the taxpayer to spread the income over three years. Taxpayers may also be eligible to make a hardship withdrawal. Each plan or IRA has specific rules and guidance for their participants to follow.
The IRS may provide additional disaster relief in the future.
Taxpayers who do not qualify for disaster tax relief may qualify for reasonable cause penalty abatement. See Penalty Relief for Reasonable Cause for additional information.
The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by these storms and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
Any individual or family whose adjusted gross income (AGI) was $84,000 or less in 2024 can use IRS Free File’s Guided Tax Software at no cost. There are products in English and Spanish.
Another Free File option is Free File Fillable Forms. These are electronic federal tax forms, equivalent to a paper 1040, and are designed for taxpayers who are comfortable filling out IRS tax forms. Anyone, regardless of income, can use this option.
MilTax, a Department of Defense program, offers free return preparation software and electronic filing for federal tax returns and up to three state income tax returns. It’s available for all military members and some veterans, with no income limit.
Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit detectives charged two men in connection to the March 2025 murder of 16-year-old Ayden Russo on Monday.
Following continued and tireless investigation into the death of Russo, who was shot and killed outside of a Louise Avenue home on March 24th, Jaylyn Hudson, DOB 2-10-2004, and Jayden Conwell, DOB 8-19-2005, have been charged with first-degree murder.
With the assistance of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, both Hudson and Conwell were detained earlier today and subsequently questioned by Homicide Unit detectives.
After being questioned, Hudson and Conwell were taken into custody. They have since been booked into the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility.
Claiborne County, TN (WOKI) The Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office is searching for an inmate who escaped custody Monday afternoon.
Officials with the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office say 59-year-old Larry Keith Poore, of Cumberland Gap, escaped around 1:15 p.m. Monday while on work detail in the Oak Village Circle area in Cumberland Gap.
Poore was last seen wearing a navy blue shirt and navy blue pants.
CCSO says if you see Poore, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Currently underway, a state review of the Knox County Trustee’s Office leads to at least one employee being fired from the agency.
Knox County Trustee Justin Biggs releasing a statement Monday saying that the ongoing examination by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has “revealed an unfortunate breach to our policies,” adding that as the county’s Trustee, he is “dedicated to ensuring that our operations are conducted ethically and transparently.”
Biggs says his office is cooperating with the state in its review, the details of which have not been released, and one employee had already been fired.
“The cooperation with the Comptroller’s Office will continue as their review progresses,” Biggs said. “I assure you, the citizens, that I will persist in maintaining transparency throughout this process and beyond. My commitment to open and honest governance is unwavering, and I am thankful for your continued trust and support during this time.”
One of the duties of the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office’s is to review the policies and procedures of local and state government agencies and offices.
Knoxville Skyline from the Bluffs (Courtesy: WVLT / Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey)
The Knoxville Smokies opening day at Covenant Health Park is tomorrow (Tuesday).
The Smokies will begin play at home when they play the Chattanooga Lookouts. It’ll mark the first of a stretch of home games, many of which will be themed.
It’s a Smokies tradition that fans will get to celebrate with special nights throughout the season. This year will feature a Star Wars night, Harry Potter night, Tennessee night and many others.
The Knoxville Smokies, in conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, have announced their initial 2025 season roster. The team features Chicago Cubs top 30 prospects, and returning faces to East Tennessee.
The infield flaunts Cubs’ #18 prospect Pedro Ramirez. A switch-hitter, Ramirez clubbed a .284 batting average and 48 RBI in High-A South Bend last year. Ed Howard, the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft, makes his Class AA level debut this year with the Smokies. Other infielders will be Hayden Cantrelle, Haydn McGeary, and BJ Murray who were each on the Smokies’ roster at points during the 2024 season.
Outfielders for the Smokies are headlined by Felix Stevens and Parker Chavers, who were both on the Smokies’ postseason squad a season ago. Joining them are Jordan Nwogu and Jaylen Palmer.
Catchers for Knoxville will look familiar, with Cubs’ #27 prospect Pablo Aliendo donning the Smokies uniform once more. Aliendo played in 58 games for the Smokies in 2024, racking up 49 hits with 33 RBI and 10 HR. Casey Opitz will return, and a 6th round pick in 2019 by the Cubs, Ethan Hearn, will make his Class AA debut.
Opening Day Starting Pitcher for the Smokies is projected to be Cubs’ 2023 4th round pick Will Sanders. Sam Armstrong, Brad Deppermann, Nick Hull, Wil Jensen, Chris Kachmar, Grant Kipp, Robert Kwiatkowski, Ben Leeper, Zac Leigh, AJ Puckett, Tyler Santana, Frankie Scalzo, Mitchell Tyranski, and Cayne Ueckert round out the staff.
The parking map for Covenant Health Park Smokies games is below:
Cookeville, TN (WOKI) Police in Putnam County are asking for help finding a missing woman.
Officials with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office say 23-year-old Cassidy Chalee Madison Jackson was last heard from on Friday, April 11 and is believed to be with a man unknown to her family or authorities.
PCSO says Jackson is white with brown hair and green eyes, 5’4″ tall and weighs 135 lbs. Authorities say Jackson is known to drive a 2022 White Hyundai Elantra.
Those with information are asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at (931) 528-8484.
Cassidy Chalee Madison Jackson, 23 (Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Greene County, TN (WOKI) Two people are dead after a wrong-way crash in Greene County.
Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol reporting that the crash occurred around 3:00 a.m. Monday morning when 80-year-old Paul Martinez, who was driving northbound along I-81 South near mile marker 30, hit another car head-on.
Both Martinez and 37-year-old Sherri Thornton of Virginia, a passenger in the other car, were killed. The driver of the other car was ejected and transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
According to THP, 80-year-old Paul Martinez was driving northbound along I-81 South near mile marker 30 when the crash occurred. (Courtesy: THP)
