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Weekly winners will be entered a chance to win (1) Grand Prize Tennessee Football Fan Experience which includes (4) tickets to a TN Bowl Game, and Travel Gift Card of $2000. (Total Prize Value at $3,200)
KNOXVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The City of Knoxville is set to begin the next phase of construction on Pleasant Ridge Road. People from the area were invited to see the city’s plans for the future of the road.
“There’s some pretty hairy areas that’s very dangerous,” Stuart Hall, who lives near Pleasant Ridge Road, said.
Hall has lived in the area for decades. He’s excited to see something get done, but does have his concerns.
“It needed to be done. I was expecting more than what it is, but I guess we’ll have to be satisfied with what we get now,” Hall said.
The city has plans to build four new turn lanes there, a sidewalk and a 1.25 mile greenway.
“So additionally to addressing roadway safety with the turning vehicles, we wanted to give bicyclists and pedestrians a safe place to get through the corridor,” city of Knoxville civil engineer Shawn Fitzpatrick said.
The project will cost $18.9 million. Hall said he’d still like to see more done soon though.
“I believe that it would be wise just to go ahead and go wider now because otherwise were just going to be chasing the same rabbit again,” Hall said.
We asked Fitzpatrick about this and he said the city did a traffic study and found this is the most economically efficient way to do the project.
City officials said the project is expected to be done by the end of 2027.
Fitzpatrick said people can expect delays and rerouted areas during construction.
KNOXVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Knox Area Rescue Ministries is now offering more services through their care clinic.
KARM says it will be focusing in on the Mission District, helping the population of unhoused individuals.
“It’s going to service almost a hotspot, you know, folks around this area need care in the evenings,” Andrew Church with KARM said.
The clinic will offer primary care, acute and chronic care services, lab work and prescription medicine. This clinic has been open for years, but a new partnership with Summit Medical Group helped it grow.
“Most 911 calls or most needs are are in the evenings, so Summit Medical Group will be able to address those needs in real time, in the moment right here at KARM,” Church said.
This clinic benefits more than just the Mission District. People across the city will also feel its effects.
“It helps the emergency room by not loading the emergency room at hospitals up with people who do need to see a doctor, but are not having an emergency,” Jerry Harnish with Global Medical Response said. “It frees up ambulances and it’s also better healthcare for the people that live in the Mission District.”
Harnish is the director of operation with Global Medical Response. He said they respond to roughly 400 to 600 calls per month in the area, but they are not always for emergencies.
“Generally these are people that do need medical care, it’s just that, calling 911 and getting an ambulance and a trip to the emergency room is not the best way to do it,” Harnish said.
With the clinic now seeing patients, AMR believes this could mean less calls for non-emergencies in the area.
“That means less calls to 911, or emergency ambulances that are not tied up with someone with a lesser condition and are therefore available for emergencies,” Harnish said.
If AMR is dispatched to the area, they can refer the patients back to the clinic instead of an emergency room.
“The ability for AMR to even get here and see someone and then be able to refer them instead of transporting them to the hospital, but refer them to the clinic, that’s a big deal,” Church said. “Being able to offer that on site for chronic and in crisis response is a big deal for a lot of our guests.”
A search for a missing boater on Melton Hill continues today (Friday).
Multiple agencies are on scene at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge searching for a boater who they say went missing yesterday (Thursday).
Officials with the Oak Ridge Fire Department and the Oak Ridge Police Department are assisting TWRA with the search at the Edgemoor Road boat ramp. Crews are using sonar and underwater drones to search for the boater.
Officials asking the public to avoid the Edgemoor Road boat ramp area and to stay away from the scene as much as possible so crews can continue to search safely.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A man is accused of breaking into apartments on UT’s campus.
Knoxville police say the incidents occurred around 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning on Lake Avenue.
Police say 25-year-old Bobby Crain broke a front window and entered an apartment. The residents in that apartment confronted him. Officers say that’s when Crain jumped onto the balcony of the neighboring apartment and started kicking the back door in to get inside.
KPD says Crain eventually went back into the first apartment where officers arrested him.
Crain has been charged with aggravated burglary.
The Knoxville Police Department said 25-year-old Bobby Crain has been charged after breaking in to an apartment on Lake Avenue. (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) The interim board of directors for the Knox County Juvenile Detention Center met for the second time Wednesday, focusing on some of the center’s partners. One of those partners — the Department of Children’s Services — revealed at the meeting that the state hadn’t approved the center.
“That was news to us to hear today,” Board President Larsen Jay said. “But we have heard of reports either with the comptroller’s office or with the Department of Children’s Services that were ongoing. So, today was a way to validate. There were some ongoing reports and some investigations, and there were some ongoing issues with validation, accreditation, licensing. All of the things that make sure the center is up to the state standards.”
Those other partners — Knox County Schools and the center’s mental health program — will play a big part in getting kids on the right track, according to interim Superintendent Brian Bivens.
“So many of these kids have experienced trauma, and they may be there for 24 hours, they may be there six months,” Bivens said. “But, regardless of how long they have been there, if I can get them some of that assistance they need while there, that’s better than nothing.”
The meeting comes not long into the center’s transition to new leadership, sparked by the news that the center’s precious director — Richard L. Bean — had fired two employees who tried to report issues at the center.
Jay said the group is hoping to build positive trends over the next six months.
“We left here on our tour in our first meeting knowing and having the confidence that we have a safe, secure and healthy facility,” Larsen said. “And that our children that are in our detention are well cared for. So, we left with that knowledge. Now, we are sort of adding to the team and seeing the potential for rehabilitation and a place for health and healing.”
Jay said the board hopes to set a standard based on transparency.
The Knox County Juvenile Center’s board of directors met for the second time Wednesday. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 8/21: Ruby Whitehorn, a Lady Vols basketball player who is facing domestic assault and burglary charges, has been suspended from the team indefinitely.
That news, confirmed Thursday, August 21 by women’s basketball associate director, Eric Trainer.
According to charging documents, officers went to a house on Earnhart Way in Halls earlier this month for a domestic dispute.
Police say Whitehorn was arrested following a fight with another woman during which she allegedly kicked in doors and smashed a glass mirror inside the home.
Whitehorn claims she entered the home because the other woman had taken her phone.
According to police, the victim has not been charged in the incident.
ORIGINAL STORY: A Lady Vols basketball player is facing a domestic assault charge.
According to charging documents, officers went to a house on Earnhart Way in Halls for a domestic dispute Friday evening, August 8.
Police say Ruby Whitehorn was arrested following a fight with another woman during which she allegedly kicked in doors and smashed a glass mirror inside the home.
She is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, August 12.
Whitehorn is entering her senior year as a guard for the Lady Vols.
KNOXVILLE, TN (story courtesy of WVLT) – Two apartment complexes in Knoxville are preparing to offer up more than: The Overlook at Beaumont and First Creek at Austin.
First Creek at Austin
First Creek at Austin is a development run in conjunction with Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation. As part of Phase III of an ongoing project at the complex, First Creek is offering 160 units with move-in dates slated for August.
The units at First Creek will include one- to four-bedroom units aimed at people with an income of up to $1,788 per month. Rental assistance will also be available for families who make up to 80% of the Area Median Income. That AMI is set at $79,520 for a family of four in Knoxville.
Beyond that, 50 units have been set aside for people 62 and older. Those units are available to people with up to 50% of the AMI, which is set at $34,750 per year for a single person. The units come with housekeeping, meal and health-related services.
“These are beautiful apartments near downtown, with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, dishwashers, washer and dryer connections, and central heat and air,” First Creek at Austin Property Manager Peter McKay said. “A lot of people are surprised that an individual making $20 an hour and working 40 hours a week would qualify for rental assistance, but a single person earning up to $41,700 a year would pay about $1,100 a month for rent at First Creek at Austin.”
The Overlook at Beaumont
The Overlook at Baumont is located in northwest Knoxville. It’s expected to open in December and is now leasing for one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The market rate sits at $1,200 for one bedroom and one bathroom, $1,450 for two bedrooms and two bathrooms and $1,700 for three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Rental assistance is also available for those making up to 60% of the AMI, set at $59,640 for a family of four in Knoxville.
“We know there is a real need for affordable apartments in Knoxville, and these properties offer quality housing options at accessible rates,” McKay said.
Two-time NCAA Champion Tennessee women’s basketball standout Nicky Anosike is set to be inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
Anosike will join fellow class of 2025 inductees Adam Brock, Bryan Brown, Charles Fondren, Ken Johnson, Conchita Owenby, Dr. Jerry Punch, Frankie Randall and the late Gary Toulson. They’ll be honored on Aug. 21 at the Knoxville Convention Center in the 44th year of the event.
Tickets are available HERE, and admission includes appetizers, reception and a cash bar at 5 p.m. and chef-curated food stations at 6 p.m. The induction ceremony will start at 7 p.m. Former Tennessee basketball player Ron Slay, who is a studio analyst for the SEC Network, will be the featured speaker. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Anosike played at UT from 2004-08, helping the Lady Vols capture back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 2008 and claim an SEC regular-season title in 2007 and SEC Tournament trophies in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
The 6-foot-4 forward/center tied for the second-most games played in program history with 146 and started 133 of them for the fourth-highest total by a Lady Vol. She finished her career with 1,099 points and 914 rebounds, ranking No. 41 and No. 13, respectively, all-time at Tennessee and producing 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game during her four seasons.
Anosike’s 161 blocked shots rank eighth in a career by a UT woman, while her 381 free throws made stand ninth and her 586 free throw attempts check in at No. 7. Her 38 games started during the 2007-08 campaign marks the second-highest total in program history.
Following her college career, Anosike was selected at No. 16 overall in the second round of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She made the 2008 WNBA All-Rookie Team and 2009 WNBA All-Star Team with that franchise before playing with the Washington Mystics in 2011 and the Los Angeles Sparks in 2012 to close out her tenure with the league.
Anosike, who served as a graduate assistant for the Lady Vols from 2018-19, resides in Knoxville with sons Cheluchi and Chiemezie. Other post-competition career pursuits have included teaching, coaching and assisting non-profits who serve youth in the community.
