Food City Settles Tennessee Opioid Misconduct Case for Nearly $45 Million

Food City Settles Tennessee Opioid Misconduct Case for Nearly $45 Million

Food City settles Tennessee opioid misconduct case for $44.5 million (Courtesy: WVLT/City of Huntsville)

Nashville, TN (WOKI) Grocery giant Food City has agreed to pay nearly $45 million to settle the company’s opioid misconduct case.

The announcement coming Thursday from the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office which had filed a lawsuit in February 2021 accusing Food City of unlawfully selling opioids.

“Every entity that contributed to the opioid crisis must be held accountable. Our Consumer Protection Division remains relentless in the pursuit of justice and I am proud of their aggressive enforcement in this case,” said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. “By paying a hefty price to resolve past misconduct, Food City provides critical resources to save lives and protect families and can now get back to the business of serving its customers and supporting Tennessee communities.”

The AG’s office says the $44.5 million Food City will pay will go towards Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Fund, primarily, which supports local efforts in addressing the opioid epidemic.

Additionally, Food City agreed to up-training for pharmacy staff, updating their prescription validation process, and reporting more data to the state.

Food City released a statement following Skrmetti’s announcement, saying the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing, but the company is hoping to contribute to opioid-related programs.

“The agreement states that it is not an admission or evidence of any liability or wrongdoing,” Food City said, adding that the company “will contribute to the opioid-related programs that are being established as a result of the previous settlements with national retailers and distributors.”

The settlement also includes an agreement for Food City to provide employment opportunities for Tennesseans recovering from opioid addiction.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs says they are Working on a New Contract for Ambulance Service after Emergency Operation Center Temporarily Opened due to Ambulance Shortage

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs says they are Working on a New Contract for Ambulance Service after Emergency Operation Center Temporarily Opened due to Ambulance Shortage

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs says there is an ambulance shortage in the county and they are working to be sure that everyone who needs help won’t have to wait.

American Medical Response, the company that currently holds the contract for ambulance service in Knox County, has been fined by the county, who has waived most of those, for taking too long to respond to calls as part of their contract with the county which may not be renewed as the county is looking at other providers. Just last week, the county opened an emergency operations center after a shortage of ambulances and an overwhelming amount of calls in a short amount of time.

WVLT reporting bodies laid on the side of the road for more than six hours. Firefighters and police officers were forced to transport some patients to hospitals themselves because an ambulance wasn’t available. Mayor Glenn Jacobs says that just because an ambulance might take longer to respond to an emergency call, that does not mean patients aren’t receiving care. He says paramedics are usually on scene providing care until an Ambulance arrives and they are administering care to the patient.

County Commission will review the new contract at a meeting which is expected in late October.

A Tazewell Man is Charged with Multiple Crimes Against Children While Awaiting Trial for 100 Counts of Crimes Against Children

A Tazewell Man is Charged with Multiple Crimes Against Children While Awaiting Trial for 100 Counts of Crimes Against Children

Photo courtesy of WVLT

A Tazewell man is charged with multiple crimes against children while awaiting trial for another 100 counts of crimes against children.

32-year-old Daniel Goins indicted on five counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child and one count of aggravated rape by a Claiborne County grand jury.

The investigation determined there were multiple victims in different locations.

Goins was extradited from Indiana and returned to Claiborne County for his arraignment.

Sweetwater High School Football Coach is Suspended

Sweetwater High School Football Coach is Suspended

Photo courtesy of WVLT

The Sweetwater High School head football coach is suspended.

Caleb Slover has been temporarily suspended from all coaching duties pending the outcome of a complete and thorough investigation which WVLT is reporting no malicious or heinous act was committed and no child or student was involved.

David Staff has been named interim head coach.

Amazon Looking to Fill 1,000 Position Ahead of Busy Christmas Season

Amazon Looking to Fill 1,000 Position Ahead of Busy Christmas Season

With Christmas just three months away, Amazon is gearing up for an increased workload by offering thousands of jobs across the country.

Nearly 1,000 jobs are now available in East Tennessee between the Knoxville and Blount County Amazon facilities, which will average at around $20 an hour for pay.

“Starting pay starts around $17 but can go up to $28 an hour at times,” said Divina Mims with Amazon.

While Amazon said there are no concrete plans or timeline for the Knoxville facility where the old East Towne Mall used to be, the facility in Blount County is already seeing work being done.

“The facility is actually undergoing a soft open so we’re ramping up, and jobs are posted, and we’re looking to fulfill those roles right now,” said Mims.

The facility in Blount County is looking for more than 900 people to fill jobs right away, while the facility in Knoxville is looking for around 40 additional people to join their staff.

According to Mims, for the last few weeks, the facility in Rockford has been accepting packages and storing them but has not shipped any out at this time.

These jobs are posted here on the Amazon website, and there will be a hiring event on Friday, September 22nd from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Hilton Knoxville Airport which is located at 2001 Alcoa Highway, Alcoa.

Story courtesy of WVLT

Maryville Man Charged with Homicide after Double Stabbing, Police Say

Maryville Man Charged with Homicide after Double Stabbing, Police Say

Bryan Terence Noble, 24 (Courtesy: MPD)

Maryville, TN (WOKI) A Maryville man is in custody charged with homicide following an early morning double stabbing Tuesday at a home on Southview Drive.

Maryville Police Department officials say the incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. and that officers responding to the scene found 74-year-old John Salvati Jr. and his son, John Salvati III, injured from stab wounds.

They say 24-year-old Bryan Noble stabbed Salvati III after attacking his father in some sort of dispute. According to police, both were stabbed several times, and Salvati Jr. was later pronounced dead at Blount Memorial Hospital.

Noble was charged with criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide and is expected in court on September 26.

Oliver Anthony’s East Tennessee Concert to Moved Again to Accommodate More People

Oliver Anthony’s East Tennessee Concert to Moved Again to Accommodate More People

Photo courtesy of WVLT and YouTube

Oliver Anthony is once again moving his upcoming Knoxville concert to Kodak.

The singer of the viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” will now perform his concert at the Smokies Stadium on September 28 due to a high demand for tickets at the show moved to the Knoxville Convention Center after being moved from Cotton Eyed Joe over ticket prices.

Additional tickets for the event went on sale today (Wednesday) and have sold out.

The Knox County Election Commission Approves the Ballot and Other Details for the 2023 City of Knoxville Regular Elections

The Knox County Election Commission Approves the Ballot and Other Details for the 2023 City of Knoxville Regular Elections

The Knox County Election Commission approves the ballot, early voting locations and times and other details for the 2023 City of Knoxville Regular Election.

October 10th is the last day to register to vote before election.

October 18th is the first day of early voting period which runs through November 2nd.

October 31st is your last day to request an absentee ballot .

Election day is November 7th polls open at 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

BALLOT

The offices on the ballot will be:

City Council At-Large seats A, B, and C
City Council, District 5
Municipal Judge

A sample ballot can be viewed at https://www.knoxcounty.org/election/

EARLY VOTING DAYS AND TIMES

Early voting begins Wednesday, October 18 and goes through Thursday, November 2 (excluding Sundays).

Hours are generally 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays and 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday. There are a handful of exceptions, and all details can be viewed at: https://knoxcounty.org/election/2023elections/pdfs/20231107-EarlyVotingTimes.pdf

EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS

There will be six locations across Knoxville utilized for early voting:

City-County Building – main floor (400 Main Street)
Downtown West (1645 Downtown West Blvd., Unit 40)
Eternal Life Harvest Center at Five Points (2410 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)
Knoxville Expo Center (5441 Clinton Highway)
Meridian Baptist Church (6513 Chapman Highway)
New Harvest Park (4775 New Harvest Lane)

PROPERTY QUALIFIED VOTING

Tennessee law and the Knoxville City Charter allow registered voters in any Tennessee county that own property inside the Knoxville city limits to register as Property Qualified voters for City of Knoxville elections. There are requirements regarding parcel size, name on the deed, and length of time of ownership. More details can be found here: https://knoxcounty.org/election/2023elections/pdfs/20231107-PropertyQualifiedVoting.pdf

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE

The deadline to register to vote (as well as to register as a property qualified voter) in order to be eligible to vote in the 2023 City of Knoxville Regular Election is Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

As of September 18, 2023, there are 103,534 registered voters in the City of Knoxville.

CAMPAIGN FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

Candidates on the City of Knoxville ballot in 2023 have campaign financial reports due on the following dates:

3rd Quarter – Tuesday, October 10, 2023 (covering the period August 20 – September 30, 2023) This report applies to all candidates that participated in the 2023 City of Knoxville Primary Election.
Pre-General – Tuesday, October 31, 2023 (covering the period October 1 – October 28, 2023) This report only applies to the candidates in the 2023 City of Knoxville Regular Election.
These reports will be posted upon receipt by the Election Commission at: https://knoxcounty.org/election/candidate_info/index.php

PUBLIC MACHINE TEST

As part of its preparation for the 2023 City of Knoxville Regular Election, the Knox County Election Commission will conduct a required voting machine test on Wednesday, October 4 at 8:30 am at the Downtown West Early Voting/Training center, 1645 Downtown West Boulevard, Knoxville, 37919. This test is one to two hours in duration. Candidates, the press, and the public are invited to attend.

For more information, visit www.knoxvotes.org or call the Knox County Election Commission at 865-215-2480.

RCSO: Victims Identified after Fatal   Camper Fire in Roane County

RCSO: Victims Identified after Fatal Camper Fire in Roane County

Photo courtesy of WVLT

Roane County, TN (WOKI) UPDATE (9/19): The Roane County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victims of a fatal camper fire Friday night in Harriman.

RCSO officials say 39-year-old Cynthia Osborne died in the fire inside the camper on Old Valley Road while 39-year-old David Pollard Jr. was being treated for injuries.

Though the investigation into the fire remains ongoing, based on an autopsy report, the District Attorney General’s Office has determined that Osborne “intentionally set” the fire.

RCSO welcomes anyone with information about the incident to call them at 865-376-5582.

ORIGINAL STORY: An investigation is underway in Roane County after a woman dies in a fire which may have been arson.

Firefighters called to the residence on Old Valley Road in the Midtown area Friday night and say another person was taken to the hospital with burn injuries.

The District Attorney says the preliminary investigation reveals the woman who died may have intentionally set the fire. The Roane County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating.

TBI: Endangered Child Alert Issued for 1-Year-Old Missing from Nashville

TBI: Endangered Child Alert Issued for 1-Year-Old Missing from Nashville

Endangered Child Alert, Liam Ismael Diego Quib (Courtesy: TBI)

Nashville, TN (WOKI) An endangered child alert has been issued for a one-year-old boy missing from Nashville.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says Liam Ismael Diego Quib may be with his mother’s ex-boyfriend and that the two could be headed to Alabama.

Quib was last seen wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt and blue pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-Find.