University of Tennessee Police say a student is charged after vandalizing dozens of cars.
UTPD says 29-year-old Skye Scialabba vandalized more than 40 vehicles on campus and several others off-campus according to the Knoxville Police Department. Authorities say the tires were slashed.
The student was taken into custody yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon on campus for felony vandalism in connection with slashing vehicle’s tires around campus.
UTPD says additional charges are pending.
The Tennessee Valley Authority says Norris Dam helped prevent millions in damage during recent flooding.
According to TVA, more than $89 million in flood damages were averted on the Clinch River downstream of the dam in Clinton.
TVA says the dam was able to manage several heavy rain events, including storing over 20 feet of water in Norris Lake to reduce downstream flood impacts.
TVA says if it wasn’t for Norris Dam, the Clinch River would have reached almost 18 feet above normal.
The heavy rain paired with strong winds resulted in nearly 25,000 households losing power on February 16th.
The flooding turned tragic in Eastern Kentucky, with 24 people dying from the floods.
Boyd Sports has partnered with the City of Knoxville and Knox County to develop a comprehensive parking plan for Knoxville Smokies games and other event days at Covenant Health Park, downtown Knoxville’s new publicly owned sports and entertainment stadium.
The collaborative parking plan features more than 1,500 dedicated parking spaces to serve Covenant Health Park, including 1,100 for the general public and 400 for staff, vendors and season ticketholders. There will be a free shuttle from designated parking garages provided by Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), offering visitors a five-minute ride to and from Covenant Health Park.
“Our teams have been working diligently to leverage the wonderful assets of downtown Knoxville and provide fans and visitors with convenient and affordable parking options,” Boyd Sports CEO Doug Kirchhofer said. “Thanks to the partnership of the City of Knoxville, KAT and others, we’re working to simplify the downtown gameday experience, offering free shuttles to and from Covenant Health Park from 1,100 spaces dedicated for event parking and from nearby garages. Reserved parking in the dedicated spaces will be offered for $5 in advance on the Smokies website.”
Located at 500 East Jackson Avenue, Covenant Health Park is situated just east of the Old City, connecting downtown and East Knoxville. It serves as the new home of Knoxville Smokies baseball and One Knoxville SC soccer teams and will serve as a venue for a variety of concerts and entertainment, private gatherings and other community events.
Urban planning models recommend one parking space for every 2.5 attendees at an event. With a capacity of roughly 7,000, a sellout event at Covenant Health Park would necessitate 2,800 parking spaces. Between the 1,500 dedicated parking spaces for Covenant Health Park and the nearly 7,400 additional available parking options surrounding the facility, there are nearly 9,000 area spaces identified.
“Knoxville is no stranger to welcoming big crowds downtown,” City of Knoxville Chief Operating Officer Grant Rosenberg said. “Just as we host thousands for UT football, Big Ears Music Festival, the Bassmasters Tournament and more, we will be able to accommodate those coming to Covenant Health Park – while preserving space for downtown workers and other visitors.
“In addition to infrastructure improvements, the City has been happy to work with all stadium partners to identify designated parking spaces and free shuttle services to streamline getting around downtown on game days.”
Visitors to Covenant Health Park are encouraged to take advantage of the following parking options:
§ Summer Place Garage will have 450 reserved, dedicated parking spaces available for a flat, prepaid $5 fee.
§ Free shuttle service running every 10 minutes
§ 0.7-mile walk
§ Langley Garage will have 650 reserved, dedicated parking spaces available for a flat, prepaid $5 fee.
§ Free shuttle service running every 10 minutes
§ 0.7-mile walk
§ In addition, there are nearly 7,400 affordable or free parking spaces, within about eight-tenths of a mile or closer to the stadium, at publicly owned garages, surface lots and on-street facilities. Parking at standard rates is available within a 10- to 20-minute walk from:
§ Market Square Garage (free shuttle service running every 10 minutes)
§ Locust Street Garage (free shuttle service running every 10 minutes)
§ State Street Garage
§ Jackson Avenue Lot
§ Dwight Kessel Parking Garage
§ On-street parking spots
§ And via free parking at the West Magnolia Avenue Parking Lots
§ Old City South Lot B, which is located directly across the street from Covenant Health Park, will have 70 reserved ADA-accessible spaces. These are free of charge for vehicles with valid disability license plates, placards and/or decals.
§ Of note, all publicly owned parking garages and lots also have free ADA-accessible spaces, and all stadium shuttle buses are ADA-accessible.
§ Designated drop-off/pick-up points will be available for ADA guests along Willow Avenue, at the southwest corner of the stadium, and for rideshare customers along Florida Avenue at the east side of the stadium.
§ Bicycle and micro-mobility scooter parking will be available in Old City South Lot A.
Additional parking for Covenant Health Park employees and Knoxville Smokies permit-parking will be available in Old City South Lot A, the Old City North Lot and the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum Parking Garage. Use of these spots will not be open to the general public but will help alleviate use of existing parking spots frequented by downtown workers, visitors and others.
Boyd Sports and the Knoxville Smokies will continue to roll out details for Covenant Health Park visitors via its website at http://www.smokiesbaseball.com and social media. This will include driving directions, parking information and more.
In addition, the City of Knoxville, Visit Knoxville and Downtown Knoxville Alliance also provide insight for downtown visitors, including parking and transportation information, on their respective websites and social media channels.
The Tennessee House passes a bill that would place limits on buying junk food using SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
It’s not the first time the U.S. program that helps low-income families pay for food has faced threats limiting what qualifies for purchases. Other attempts to cut candy and snacks from SNAP have failed in the past.
The Tennessee Healthy SNAP Act would require the Tennessee Department of Human Services to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allowing the state to end benefits for candy and soft drinks.
Some opponents say limiting what people can buy with SNAP is an attack on the autonomy of low-income Americans.
A USDA report put ranked “sweetened beverages” and “prepared desserts” as the second- and fifth-most purchased types of items by SNAP recipients, who receive, on average, $187 per month — or about $6 per day — from the program. That being said, those same foods ranked at number five and number six for non-SNAP households.
TN.gov relative information about the bill: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 71, relative to the food stamp program. Department of Human Resources – As introduced SB1154 and HB1236, enacts the “Tennessee Health SNAP Act,” which requires the department to submit a request for a waiver from the United States department of agriculture’s food and nutrition service to seek authorization to prohibit the use of SNAP benefits for the purchase of candy and soft drinks. – Amends TCA Title 71.
HB1236 passed Monday – Ayes 69, Nays 23
The definitions of “candy” and “soft drinks” would follow federal government guidelines. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, with the stated purpose of ensuring SNAP benefits are used to improve food security and nutrition.
The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office says 12 people have been taken into custody after an indictment charging 32 people on various drug charges is unsealed.
Officers began searching for those who were indicted once the indictments were unsealed on Wednesday and on Saturday, CCSO took the following 12 suspects into custody Saturday:
Crystal Crum, 41
Sale and delivery of Schedule IV drugs
Tracy Joseph Jones, 42
Sale and delivery of fentanyl
Pauline Lundy, 67
Sale and delivery of methamphetamine
Jessica M. McKay, 36
Sale and delivery of fentanyl
Sale and delivery of gabapentin
Sale and delivery of a counterfeit substance
Danielle Vasaturo, 25
Sale and delivery of cocaine
Alisha Arrington, 37
Sale and delivery of fentanyl
Kaela Napier, 27
Sale and delivery of methamphetamine
Maleik D. Story, 28
Sale and delivery of fentanyl
Christopher Finchum, 49
Sale and delivery of methamphetamine
John E. Atkins, 31
Sale and delivery of methamphetamine
Jose A. Balderas, 20
Sale and delivery of fentanyl
Sale and delivery of methadone
Sale and delivery of a counterfeit substance
Ashley Mayfield, 38
Capias for several drug charges
Their arrests resulted in officers seizing two firearms, $346 in cash and almost 3 grams of heroin.
The investigation unsealed 19 counts of sale and delivery of fentanyl, 14 counts of sale and delivery of methamphetamine, six counts of sale and delivery of cocaine, seven counts of sale and delivery of opioids and 14 counts of sale and delivery of a counterfeit substance.
CCSO says additional names will be released following their arrest.
A water main break is affecting some Alcoa businesses.
The City of Alcoa’s water department is working that break at the entrance of Hunters Crossing at Louisville Road.
Those in the area can expect some outages for the next several hours. Specifically, the city warned that businesses at Hunters Crossing would be affected which includes Chick-fil-A, American Family Care,T-Mobile
Murphy USA, Maryville Modern Dentistry, Blaze Pizza and Hooters.
Some people in the area may also see muddy water from their faucets.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Describing their findings as “staggering,” detectives with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division make a big drug bust Tuesday in Knox County.
KCSO officials say investigators stopped several cars believed to be connected to a suspicious house, taking four people into custody and seizing several quantities of drugs to include 302 grams of fentanyl. Police also recovered 16 firearms and nearly $14,000 in cash:
Court records identify those arrested as Aaron Barrett, Jamar Cortez, Gregory Seaton and Donta Stewart.
KCSO says the investigation is part of the ongoing 313 Initiative, a program in partnership with law enforcement agencies in East Tennessee and Detroit to crack down on drug crime in East Tennessee.
“The relentless efforts of our dedicated detectives continue to disrupt drug trafficking organizations that are poisoning our community,” KCSO said. “Every bust like this saves lives and helps keep Knox County safe.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Starting Thursday, March 6, 2025, through Monday, March 24, 2025, McGhee Tyson Airport is expecting higher than normal passenger traffic due to Spring Break travel. With an increased number of travelers in the airport, it is important to be aware of the following information when traveling during those dates:
Game Recap: Baseball | March 04, 2025
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/2 Tennessee tied the NCAA Division I record with three grand slams in a wild 22-9 midweek win over Radford on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Two of those three grand slams came in the Volunteers’ 11-run seventh inning, including a walk-off blast by pinch hitter Blake Grimmer to send the run-rule into effect. The two slams in a single inning also tied an NCAA record.
Reese Chapman hit the first of UT’s three bases-loaded jacks with a third inning shot to right center to erase a 4-2 deficit and put the Big Orange ahead 6-4. The Vols went on to score three more runs in the inning to take a 9-4 advantage.
The Highlanders (6-6) didn’t go away, however, scoring five unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game at nine.
Tennessee (12-0) regained the lead on a Hunter Ensley RBI double in the bottom of the fifth, which proved to be the game-winning run. The Vols added another run on a Stone Lawless double in the sixth to increase their lead to two before their exploding for 11 runs to finish the game in the seventh.
Andrew Fischer led UT with five RBIs on the night thanks to a pair of homers, including the first grand slam in the seventh inning, which traveled 427 feet.
Every Tennessee position player that played in the game scored at least one run while seven players registered multi-RBI performances.
With the game in the balance and the Vols reeling after having given up five straight runs, sophomore lefty Dylan Loy was able to settle things down and quiet the Radford bats for the remained of the game.
Loy pitched the final 2.1 innings, retiring all seven batters he faced while racking up four strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the year.
After setting an SEC record with 12 grand slams last season, Tennessee is well on its way to breaking the NCAA Division I single-season record this year. Through just 12 games, the Vols have already mashed seven grand slams.
Arizona State holds the NCAA record with 14 in 2003, doing so in 68 games.
UT is back in action on Wednesday night when it takes on Xavier at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
Knox County Schools will give a report on progress made toward the district’s annual goals and to celebrate the eighteen Reward Schools recognized by the Tennessee Department of Education.
It will be at Bearden Elementary School tomorrow (Tuesday) and will focus on key data points outlined in the 2023-24 KCS Annual Report. Attendees will include Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk, key district leaders, and principals from this year’s state-designated Reward Schools.
The Annual Report is also available at https://www.knoxschools.org/cms/lib/TN01917079/Centricity/Domain/13420/AnnualReport_Pages_Web_FINAL.pdf
