The Knoxville Fire department is investigating after a commercial trailer catches fire at Fort Loudon Recycling in North Knoxville.
The call came in just before 5 this morning. (Thursday) this morning and found the trailer on fire in the lot the recycling facility on Hancock Street.
The fire spread to another trailer that was parked nearby and the trailer was loaded with a variety of paper and cardboard products, making putting it out difficult because the paper products had to be dug out by hand.
KFD says extensive overhaul of the fire will be necessary.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Crimes Unit is seeking public assistance for a missing Eleven-year-old.
Name: Aubriauna Niesa Mays “Bree“ is a white female who is eleven years old. She has blonde hair, blue eyes and is approximately 4’4” and 8 lbs. She does have braces- On 1/31/2024, the Knox County Sheriff’s Juvenile Crimes Unit is searching for a missing juvenile from the Crippen Road and Maynardville Pike area.
The juvenile left the residence without permission between 10:30 pm on 01/30/2024 and6:15 am on 01/31/2024. The Juvenile could possibly be in the Halls community. If you have seen Aubriauna “Bree” or have information on her whereabouts please notify the Juvenile Crimes Unit or Detective Trott. 865-215-2243.
UT Chancellor Donde Plowman meets with media outlets Wednesday, speaking on the NCAA’s recent investigation into the university’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) practices. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UT’s Chancellor took some time in front of the cameras Wednesday, publicly standing behind her heated letter to the NCAA’s president over its investigation into the university’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) practices, calling the decision an attack on student athletes.
“When you’re leading a university and someone attacks you and makes an allegation that isn’t true, I will always respond,” said UT Chancellor Donde Plowman referencing a letter she sent to NCAA President Charlie Baker. “The most significant thing about that is, I will always stand up for our student athletes, and that’s where the attack was really on if you want to be honest about it.”
Plowman’s statements come after Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced the State of Tennessee and the Commonwealth of Virginia had filed a joint lawsuit against the NCAA, accusing it of breaking anti-trust laws. Plowman said she didn’t know much about the suit, but appreciated the support.
“The people who responded, it’s moving, and I appreciate it,” said Plowman. “But we have great people who are in public office in the state, in Washington, and I couldn’t be more grateful for their support.”
The NCAA has indicated they plan to bring allegations forward; however, those allegations still have not been formally issued, and details on them remain scarce.
Knoxville Police are investigating a deadly motorcycle crash Wednesday in West Knoxville
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department is investigating a deadly motorcycle crash that happened Wednesday morning in West Knoxville.
KPD says officers were dispatched to the scene on McKamey Road at Saint Lucia Lane around 8:15. While there, officers deduced that the motorcycle was traveling east on McKamey Road when it struck the side of a large Chevy truck that was trying to turn left onto Saint Lucia Lane from McKamey.
The motorcycle driver, an adult man, was pronounced dead at the scene; police are still working to positively identify the man.
The department added that the truck that was involved in the crash remained at the scene.
University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman wrote a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker Monday following an investigation from the NCAA into Tennessee’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) practices. WVLT News got ahold of that letter through a Freedom of Information Act request to UT Tuesday; here’s a breakdown.
In the letter, Plowman says the NCAA’s plans to bring allegations forward, allegations she says are untrue and could hurt student athletes.
“Earlier today, a team from the University of Tennessee met with members of your enforcement staff to discuss allegations the NCAA intends to bring against Tennessee related to NIL,” Plowman says. “The NCAA’s allegations are factually untrue and procedurally flawed.”
The letter comes as the NCAA has began looking into the University of Tennessee less than a year after the university was fined $8 million for recruiting violations made while Jeremey Pruitt was head football coach.
Those violations were voluntarily reported by the Tennessee system itself, and the school’s honestly played a large part in the NCAA’s final decision when it came to punishment. In the letter, Plowman reminds Baker about Tennessee’s commitment to self-reporting, further stating that the university has not done anything wrong with its NIL practices.WVLT Sports Director Rick Russo and Volquest’s Austin Price discuss possible NCAA investigation into Tennessee Athletics
“As you have seen in our previous dealings with the NCAA, when we are wrong at the University of Tennessee, we admit it,” Plowman said. “In fact, just last year, the Division I Committee on Infractions as well as the NCAA enforcement staff cited exemplary cooperation by the University of Tennessee and said we set the standard other schools should follow.”
She goes on to take issue that Tennessee’s leadership should see praise in the summer of 2023, only to be questioned in such a way the next academic year.
“It is inconceivable that our institution’s leadership would be cited as an example of exemplary leadership in July 2023, then as a cautionary example of a lack of institutional control only six months later,” Plowman says.
However, Plowman’s biggest gripe with the NCAA is, according to her letter, the lack of clarity in the NCAA’s NIL rules and regulations. She references Baker’s appearance in front of Congress directly, further stating that the NCAA’s rules are too vague to enforce any punishment on Tennessee.
“As you acknowledged in the recent congressional hearing, the NIL guidance from the NCAA to student-athletes and institutions has been ‘inconsistent and unclear, and the ambiguity has filled schools, student-athletes, and collectives with uncertainty about how to follow the rules,’” Plowman says.
Plowman claims the NCAA is trying to retroactively enforce regulations and punish institutions to make an example of them, despite the fact that Tennessee complied completely with the latest NCAA guidance on NIL partnerships. She furthers the argument by referencing a recently-passed bylaw from the NCAA that would mean institutions who come under fire in NIL cases don’t have the benefit of presumed-innocence.
“A “guilty until proven innocent” standard is not partnership, is not problem-solving and violates the core principle in our country’s justice system of ‘innocent until proven guilty,’” Plowman says.
When WVLT News reached out to the NCAA about the investigation, Associate Director of CommunicationsMeghan Durham Wright provided the following statement:
With rare exceptions, the NCAA does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations due to confidentiality rules put in place by member schools.NCAA
All in all, Plowman says the university has complied with the NCAA’s regulations, but those regulations have constantly been in flux. The letter marks the start of what is almost certainly going to be a long, drawn out process that could set the stage for NIL deals across college football in the future.
NASHVILLE- On Wednesday, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, along with Virginia, sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for violating federal antitrust laws with its anticompetitive restrictions on the ability of current and future student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). These anticompetitive restrictions violate the Sherman Act, harm current and future student-athletes as well as the State, and should be enjoined.
“Student-athletes are entitled to rules that are clear and rules that are fair,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. “College sports wouldn’t exist without college athletes, and those students shouldn’t be left behind while everybody else involved prospers. The NCAA’s restraints on prospective students’ ability to meaningfully negotiate NIL deals violate federal antitrust law. Only Congress has the power to impose such limits.”
After the Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA violated antitrust law by imposing unreasonable restraints on the compensation college athletes may receive, Tennessee and other states enacted laws to foster a thriving NIL market for the benefit of student-athletes. Contrary to those state laws, the NCAA has adopted a shifting and opaque series of rules and guidelines that thwart the ability of student-athletes to get fair compensation for their NIL.
Currently, the NCAA prohibits prospective student-athletes from discussing potential NIL opportunities with schools and collectives prior to enrolling. Prospective student-athletes are:
prevented from negotiating with collectives,
unable to review NIL offers prior to making enrollment decisions,
and cannot adequately consider the full scope of NIL-related services a school might offer upon enrollment.
Student-athletes generate massive revenues for the NCAA, its members, and other constituents in the college sports industry—none of whom would dare accept such anticompetitive restrictions on their ability to negotiate their own rights. Student-athletes shouldn’t be left behind while everyone else profits from their achievements.
Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has awarded $21 million in federal funds for electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging stations across the state. Thirty-one EV fast charging locations are needed to fill gaps along the state’s designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFC) which include Tennessee’s two-digit interstate routes and US 64. The Tennessee Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (TEVI) Deployment Plan details how with federal funding the state will install EV charging infrastructure and support the establishment of an interconnected EV network across the nation.
“Tennessee has been home to the automotive industry since the 1980s and those automakers are growing electric vehicle manufacturing,” said Deputy Governor & TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “With these federal dollars, Tennessee is investing in its future and paving the way to lead the nation as an EV epicenter. We want to ensure that drivers in any vehicle can safely get across the state from Mountain City to Memphis.”
Federal funding through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program allocated $88 million for Tennessee over five years (Fiscal Years 2022-2026). TDOT and TDEC, developed a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for the grant funding. 167 applications were received from 23 different applicants, comprised of both public and private entities. Ten of those applicants will be awarded contracts to establish 30 new charging locations throughout the state. These awardees will purchase, install, own, operate, maintain, and report on the program-funded EV charging infrastructure.
“In Tennessee, federal investments made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are deploying EV chargers and building out a national network of EV chargers that is convenient, reliable, and made in America,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “Today’s announcement builds on the Administration’s promise to deliver a national network of 500,000 publicly available EV chargers by 2030 – a goal we’re on track to achieve.”
The vision, shared by TDOT and TDEC, is to develop a safe, convenient, accessible, reliable, and equitable EV charging network that promotes economic vitality and environmental stewardship.
“Maintaining a clean environment is critical to Tennessee’s continued economic success,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “We are pleased to join TDOT in making the most of this opportunity and we look forward to how it will benefit Tennessee’s environment and its citizens.”
The NEVI formula funding requires a match of at least 20 percent of the federal funds. For this round of awards totaling over $31 million, private funding accounts for 32%, more than $10 million in private funding for EV charging stations in Tennessee. Other requirements include EV charging stations being located every 50 miles along the federally designated AFCs, within one-mile travel distance from the corridor, and having a minimum of four charging ports per location.
“Tennessee has shown true leadership in state agency coordination between TDOT and TDEC, sharing expertise and building a strong foundation for the state’s EV charging network,” said Executive Director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, Gabe Klein. “The Joint Office is proud to provide technical support to ensure these 30 fast charging locations provide a frictionless experience for users.”
Knox County Sheriff’s Office investigating ‘situation’ at South Doyle High School (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) Our news partner WVLT is reporting, and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed, an investigation is underway following the discovery Tuesday of a loaded pistol magazine at an area high school.
KCSO officials say the loaded magazine, also referred to as a clip, was found on a restroom floor at South Doyle High School.
According to KCSO, detectives are working to identify the suspect(s) and the weapon.
Sheriff’s office officials are asking parents and guardians to talk with their children to see if they can learn any additional information about the incident.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police say a Grand Jury finding brings closure to the unsolved 1989 Murder of KPD officer Tony Williams.
The investigation into the 1989 murder of the off-duty officer is officially closed after a Knox County Grand Jury determined there was probable cause to charge a now-deceased individual with his murder.
The Grand Jury returned a finding that there was probable cause to believe that Johnny Warwick, who died last November, committed the first-degree murder of Williams in July of 1989.
Officer Williams was shot and killed while riding his motorcycle on Cherry Street near I-40 while off duty.
The threat made by the Carter Middle School student was unrelated to previous threats made to Halls Middle School by three students at Gibbs Middle School, KCSO said. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Another Knox County middle school student is arrested for making a false school shooting call.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office announcing Tuesday that detectives had arrested a 12-year-old Carter Middle School student Monday for making a false school shooting call.
The arrest marks the fourth Knox County middle school student to face consequences for making fake threats in the last week.
KCSO says this incident is unrelated to previous threats made to Halls Middle School by three students at Gibbs Middle School. They are, once again, urging that parents and guardians speak to their children about the consequences of making these threats.
