Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon presented a plan Thursday to city council regarding parking in the downtown area.
A consultant recommended paid parking seven days a week, but the Mayor says free nights and weekends will remain; however, there will be some pricing changes.
The city’s first order of business is to start an app-based system and do away with coins and cards.
Under the plan, on street parking will cost more, increasing to $2 an hour for a maximum of two hours parking. Long-term parking fees will also increase to $1/hour with a four hour maximum, and a 30-minute spot increases to $1/30 minutes.
On street parking fee hours last from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday; on street parking is free on Sundays.
Parking in the Market Square Garage will be a $3 base fee from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) A Knoxville woman is facing charges after she and her baby got into a wrong-way crash on I-275 after she had been drinking.
WVLT reporting Briana Bellman is the suspect in the investigation after officers responded to the northbound lanes of I-275 near Heiskell Avenue on November 2nd and found Bellman had been driving south in the northbound lanes of the interstate when she hit another driver head-on.
Officers say she admitted to drinking before the crash and her two-month-old baby appeared uninjured, but Bellman was taken to the hospital with internal injuries.
No word yet on the condition of the other driver.
Bellman was cited for driving under the influence and charged with child abuse.
Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit detectives are investigating a deadly shooting that happened in the area of Magnolia Avenue and Harrison Street early Friday morning.
At just before 5:30 a.m. on Friday, November 8, 2024, KPD officers responded to a report that two individuals were shouting at one another. Officers arrived on scene, on Harrison Street just south of Magnolia Avenue, where they found a man who had been shot at least one time. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
KPD Homicide Unit detectives and Crime Lab personnel responded to the scene and are leading the investigation, which remains in the preliminary stages at this time.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is encouraged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 865-215-7165.
On Thursday, November 7, 2024, Weston Stills was indicted by the Knox County Grand Jury on 5 counts of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 3 counts of Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and 5 counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
The nine month long, joint investigation with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Digital Intelligence Unit and Missoula Police Department (Missoula, Montana), was initiated by a cyber tip received through the NCMEC Cybertipline (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).
A search warrant was executed on March 1, 2024, at the suspect’s residence. Evidence collected during the search warrant was forensically examined, which led to the identification of 5 victims, from Ohio, Montana and here in Knox County. Weston is in custody at the Roger D Wilson Detention Center.
If you have information regarding an Online exploitation of a minor, please call 911 or visit the NCMEC Cybertipline at https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow
Anderson County, TN (WOKI) A former Anderson County sheriff has died.
Officials with the sheriff’s office announcing Thursday that former Sheriff Bill White has died.
White served as sheriff from 2002 to 2006.
“Our hearts are broken at the Sheriff’s Office today upon hearing of the passing of former Sheriff Bill White,” officials said. “We ask everyone to join us extending our condolences to his family and keeping them in our prayers.”
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Police will conduct a sobriety checkpoint later this month.
The checkpoint will be set up on Cumberland Avenue in the Fort Sanders area on November 21.
The purpose of the sobriety checkpoint is to deter impaired driving, prevent serious or fatal crashes, and increase public awareness of the consequences of driving while under the influence.
Alcohol or drug impairment possibly contributed to over 43 percent of the fatal crashes that happened in Knoxville in 2022.
During the department’s most recent sobriety checkpoint in August on Kingston Pike, three people were arrested for DUI.
Knoxville Police to conduct sobriety checkpoint in the Fort Sanders area. (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Renowned sports broadcaster for the University of Tennessee Bob Kesling Thursday announcing he will retire as the Voice of the Vols after the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.
Kesling has enjoyed an incredible career that stretches over five decades, marking him as a pillar of the Vol Network and the iconic voice of UT football and men’s basketball.
Kesling worked under legendary broadcaster and former Voice of the Vols John Ward for 15 seasons, handling pre-game, halftime and post-game interviews, before ascending to the role in 1999.
Tennessee Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Danny White reflected on Kesling’s career announcing Tennessee plays on Thursday, calling him an icon for Tennessee Athletics.
“Bob‘s influence has been remarkable, touching so many lives as the ’Voice of the Vols’ and through his heartfelt dedication as a mentor and leader in our Knoxville community for over 50 years,” White said. “He embodies the true spirit of someone who has given his all for Tennessee.”
Kesling has received numerous awards over his decades-long career, including induction this summer into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in Murfreesboro. The event was organized by the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters and further cemented the Vol Radio Network’s legacy.
“As an icon in the broadcasting industry, we are deeply appreciative of the professionalism he brings to Tennessee Athletics each time he takes the microphone,” White said. “His contributions resonate with all of us here on Rocky Top and we cannot thank him enough for everything he has done.”
It‘s a legacy that’s stretched over some of Tennessee’s most famous sports moments.
“Bob Kesling has been the soundtrack to the memories of generations of Vols fans,” Chancellor Donde Plowman said. “From his calls of Pat Summitt’s six national championships to the 2022 football win over Alabama, he has cemented his place in Tennessee Athletics history. His professionalism, dedication, and love for Tennessee is unmatched and we are grateful that he chose to share his talents with all of us for the last three-plus decades.”
Active in the community, Kesling serves on the boards of directors for Goodwill, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. He was also the 2013 United Way Campaign Chairperson. He was inducted into the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Tennessee Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame in 2020.
A 1977 graduate of Tennessee, Kesling and his wife, Tami, have two daughters, Allison and Melissa; he retires after the 2024-25 men’s basketball season to spend more time with his family which now includes four grandchildren with another anticipated in April.
Kesling, a pillar of sports radio, is the longest-serving member of the Vol Network and someone Tennessee fans have come to expect each time the Vols start play. (Courtesy: UT Athletics)
Knoxville Police receiving several reports of scam callers using the names of KPD officers to pressure victims into giving them money.
KPD says callers often identify themselves as law enforcement officers or use the names of actual officers and use spoofed phone numbers to both disguise their real number and make it appear as if they are actually calling from a local law enforcement agency.
Officials say scammers usually threaten or intimidate victims by demanding money for bond or in lieu of an arrest with the goal of scaring victims into paying sometimes requesting gift cards or cryptocurrency.
KPD officials reminding residents that law enforcement will never call to request money or ask for financial information. Please call KPD, if you receive one of these calls.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Appalachian Electric after one of its linemen died on the job.
Nathan Potter died on July 23 after being electrocuted on a job site in Grainger County. He had been a lineman for more than a decade and was with Appalachian Electric for six years.
TOSHA says he was in a bucket truck tightening bolts on the framing of a transporter when he came into contact with a energized switch which was not insulated at the time of the incident.
TOSHA cited Appalachian Electric and fined the company $8,000.
