Cosby, TN (WOKI) The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are investigating a shooting that critically injured a man.
Sheriff CJ Ball says deputies responded to a report of a dispute between two people in the 700 block of McGaha Chapel Road in Cosby around 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.
On the scene, deputies found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital and was reported to be in critical condition as of Tuesday evening.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Additional information was not released.
The incident happened Tuesday morning in the 700 block of McGaha Chapel Road in Cosby, according to Cocke County Sheriff CJ Ball. (Courtesy: Cocke County Sheriff’s Office)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 8/203:00 p.m.: A Knox County man at the center of a TBI Silver Alert this week has been found.
Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Wednesday afternoon announcing that 84-year-old John Quirk was found safe in Texas.
A prior update from the agency stated that Quirk’s vehicle, a silver 1997 Toyota RAV4 with a Nevada tag, had been spotted Tuesday evening in Kingsbury, Texas.
UPDATE 8/20: A Knox County man at the center of a TBI Silver Alert may be traveling through Texas.
That’s the latest from officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in the search for 84-year-old John Quirk.
TBI says Quirk, who has a medical condition that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance, is believed to be driving a silver 1997 Toyota RAV4 with a Nevada tag. Officials say that vehicle was spotted Tuesday evening in Kingsbury, Texas.
Those with information are being asked to call the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at 865-215-2243 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Silver Alert for a missing Knox County man.
TBI says 84-year-old John Quirk is six feet tall, 160 lbs., with gray hair and blue eyes. Officials say Quirk is believed to be driving a silver 1997 Toyota RAV4 with Nevada tag 459TXL and that he may be traveling through Alabama.
Quirk also has a medical condition that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance.
Those with information are being asked to call the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at 865-215-2243 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Kennett Square, PA (WVLT) Genesis HealthCare, the provider who runs two retirement homes in the East Tennessee region, has filed for bankruptcy. An announcement from the company said the filing shouldn’t impact seniors at Genesis facilities.
“This process is designed to ensure that the Company can continue operating in a seamless manner, while also allowing the Company to address its legacy liabilities associated with previously divested operations,” the announcement said.
Genesis runs two facilities in East Tennessee with a combined 259 beds: Willow Ridge Center in Maynardville with 77 beds for residents and Cumberland Village in LaFollette with 182 beds.
“Our ongoing work has confirmed that, to maintain our momentum, we must address our legacy debt structure,“ the company said further. ”The goal of this filing is to emerge a stronger, healthier company poised to exceed our goals for clinical and operational excellence.”
The company also said it had secured a commitment of $30 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from lenders.
Genesis runs two facilities in East Tennessee: Willow Ridge Center in Maynardville and Cumberland Village in LaFollette. (Pexels)
Police say Robert Cooke was arrested after he threw Carmen Locket to the ground after he passed Locket’s car on a narrow road and then turned into Locket’s street on August 15th.
After arriving at a house on Mill Run Drive, Cooke approached Locket, who is elderly and has a cast on her left foot from a previous injury, screaming at her and her daughter when he went onto the property and grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground.
He is charged with felony abuse of an elderly adult.
An injured hiker is rescued from a remote area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A flight crew with the Tennessee National Guard’s 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion responded to Snake Den Ridge Trail last night (Tues) where the man had been hiking.
He was flown to UT Medical Center in Knoxville after he was rescued and his condition has not been released.
Knoxville City Council delays vote on selling part of Chilhowee Park to Emerald Youth to build a sports and recreation facility.
After a lengthy discussion during last night’s (Tues) meeting, council members voted to delay the matter two weeks until the next meeting to offer more conversations with the public.
This comes after dozens of people gathered to voice their concerns about the deal Monday and last night many wanting transparency from the city.
Representatives of Emerald Youth were on hand last night and they initially said not to postpone the vote.
However, some city council members said they first heard of this proposal only days before the meeting. While not opposed to it, they said more clarity is needed before voting on the matter.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon is in support of the project.
City Council’s next meeting is scheduled for September 2.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee announced Wednesday afternoon that the men’s basketball program has sold its complete allotment of 14,500 season tickets for the 2025-26 campaign at the Food City Center.
This is the seventh consecutive full-capacity season in which over 13,000 fans have purchased season tickets to see the Volunteers compete, including the fourth in a row above 14,000 and the third consecutive year Tennessee has sold out.
Single-game tickets will go on sale later at AllVols.com. Fans seeking to bring a large group to Food City Center this season can begin that process HERE. Additionally, fans interested in learning more about season tickets for 2026-27 can do so by clicking HERE.
Tennessee has finished top-eight nationally in average attendance eight of the past seven full-capacity seasons, including placing top-five in each of the past seven. The program’s 20,026 average in 2024-25 ranked third in the country, its highest finish this century, and fourth in program history. Just eight teams in Division I, including Tennessee, had a mark of even 16,000-plus.
Eight of the top 18 regular season single-game attendances in America in 2024-25 came at Food City Center, including two of the top four. The 22,392 on hand for the Volunteers’ thrilling 79-76 victory over sixth-ranked Alabama on March 1 marked the second-largest figure at the venue since the 2007-08 capacity reduction.
Tennessee had eight home sellouts during the 2024-25 season, tying the program record set just one year prior in 2023-24. On two separate occasions last season, the Volunteers sold out three consecutive home matchups.
Furthermore, Tennessee had at least 20,000 fans in attendance 10 times in 2024-25, tied for its second-most ever in a campaign. It hit that mark seven times in a row, tying the school’s single-season record.
The Volunteers are coming off one of its finest campaigns in program history. Tennessee went 30-8 (12-6 SEC) and, for the second year in a row, reached the Elite Eight on the way to finishing fifth nationally in both major national polls.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
BALTIMORE – The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation announced Tuesday afternoon that Tennessee senior quarterback Joey Aguilar was named to the 2025 preseason watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the top senior or upperclassman quarterback who is on track to graduate with their class.
The signal caller from Antioch, California, is one of 58 quarterbacks on the list, including one of 13 from the Southeastern Conference.
Aguilar will make his 25th FBS start when the Vols open the 2025 campaign in Atlanta against Syracuse on Saturday, Aug. 30. He enters the season as the FBS active career leader in total offense per game (288.5, minimum 2,500 yards) and ranks second in passing yards per game (270.4, minimum 5,000 yards).
Recently named UT’s starting quarterback by head coach Josh Heupel, Aguilar arrived on Rocky Top in the summer of 2025 after spending the previous two seasons at App State. In 25 games with the Mountaineers, he completed 511-of-850 passes (60.0 percent) for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns, both ranking fifth in App State program history.
Now in its 39th year, the Golden Arm Award continues to honor excellence both on and off the field. The award is presented by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation in partnership with A. O. Smith Corporation, whose mission aligns with the Foundation’s commitment to advancing the game of football while promoting character, leadership, and academic achievement among young athletes.
As the 2025 college football season unfolds, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list will be narrowed to semifinalists and finalists before one standout quarterback will take home the award in December. The winner will be celebrated at the annual Golden Arm Award ceremony at the Four Seasons Hotel in Johnny Unitas’ hometown of Baltimore—an unforgettable night honoring leadership, legacy, and the best in college football.
Miles Kitselman, TE, R-Sr. Mackey Award Watch List Fourth Team All-SEC (Athlon)
Jermod McCoy, DB, Jr. Bednarik Award Watch List Nagurski Trophy Watch List Jim Thorpe Award Watch List Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List First Team All-American (Athlon, ESPN, PFF, Sporting News, Walter Camp) First Team All-SEC (Athlon, Media)
Jaxson Moi, DL, Sr. Polynesian College Player of the Year Award Watch List
Jackson Ross, P, R-Jr. Fourth Team All-SEC (Athlon)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police arrest a convicted felon in possession of a handgun following a traffic stop.
KPD says officers stopped a car early Sunday morning in the area of East Hill Avenue and Historic Preservation Drive for an equipment violation.
Officers report witnessing the driver attempting to hide something on the passenger side of the vehicle. Further investigation by officers, including a positive K-9 alert to the presence of narcotics, lead to the discovery of a Taurus handgun and a small amount of marijuana.
The driver, a 21-year-old man who was convicted previously of aggravated robbery from an incident in 2023, was taken into custody for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Knoxville police seize handgun and marijuana from convicted felon during a traffic stop. (Courtesy: KPD)
A fixture in many homes for several years delivering the news as presumably the most trusted journalist in Knoxville, WBIR anchor emeritus Bill Williams has died.
He died at his home in Knoxville yesterday (Monday) afternoon at the age of 91. He settled into to his new home here in East Tennessee in 1977. He was the consummate professional, storyteller and a man of great faith. He suffered many personal losses in life, losing two sons and his wife. He battled serious illnesses but he never lost faith in God and was always a faithful Christian.
He used that faith in all aspects of his life including his professional career which spanned decades. He created Monday’s Child* which featured special needs children who needed a forever home. Bill met with each child for 30 years, even after his retirement. During that time, close to 1,500 kids were profiled, with more than a thousand of them finding a family. (*courtesy of WBIR)
While reporting on the poverty in the mountains of Appalachia, he inspired the Mission of Hope.
He loved fishing and the outdoors but most of all he loved his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.
