Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a car chase that ends in a deadly crash.
Campbell County Sheriff’s Office Deputies tried to pull over a car in the Valley View community yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), but the driver, identified by THP as 25-year-old Cassie Miller, didn’t stop and fled from police.
Miller then led deputies on a chase that ended in a crash on Howard Road in LaFollette when she tried to take a curve but ran off the road and struck a tree.
Troopers said Miller was fatally injured. A passenger, a 55-year-old man, was also injured in the crash.
A registered sex offender is taken into custody after entering an elementary school.
Anderson County Schools officials say a person on the registry entered Lake City Elementary School on Friday.
Security protocols, including a mandatory background check for all visitors, the school district said, immediately flagged the person and police responded.
“Thanks to the swift, professional response from both the Rocky Top Police Department and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, the individual was safely taken into custody without incident, underscoring the dedication of all involved to keeping our schools safe,” ACS said.
District officials say no students, staff or faculty members were at risk.
“We are truly blessed to live in a community where our law enforcement partners work hand-in-hand with our schools to ensure the highest level of safety and security for our children and employees,” the district said.
Nashville, TN (WOKI) The dust from the election still settling, two of Tennessee’s top lawmakers are pushing forward another bill aimed at establishing a private school voucher program in the state.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth Wednesday introduced the Education Freedom Act of 2025.
The numbers in this latest proposal are largely the same as the measure which failed last session: the bill promises 20,000 $7,000 scholarships to students who attend a private school in Tennessee, awarded based (mostly) on their family’s income.
Under the bill, 10,000 scholarships would go first to families who make less than 300% of the amount required by the state for a student to qualify for free or reduced lunch. The remaining half of the scholarships would go to any student who qualifies, regardless of income.
Among the changes this time around is language claiming that public school funding wouldn’t be affected by the voucher program and state testing for private school students who get a scholarship.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth attached themselves to the bill, introducing it as the Education Freedom Act of 2025.
Multiple media outlets calling the Presidential race – President Trump has reached 277 electoral votes, enough to win the presidency once again becoming the 47th president-elect.
Marsha Blackburn keeps her Senate seat beating Knoxville’s Gloria Johnson who will keep her current State House District 90 seat.
Tim Burchett retains his United States House of Representatives District 2 seat with 69% of the vote beating Jane George.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation expects I-40 across the state line to be open through the Pigeon River Gorge by New Year’s Day.
NCDOT says traffic would be moving slower than normal, estimating a 40 mph speed limit with one lane in each direction.
The news comes just over a month after Hurricane Helene brought floodwaters to the area, washing away several areas of the interstate’s eastbound lanes.
Long-term plans are still in early development and there‘s no set date for when construction on the final repairs would start or how much they’ll cost.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Free parking on nights and weekends in downtown Knoxville is here to stay.
The announcement coming from City of Knoxville officials Monday night though additional details about the City’s “updated parking plan” have not been released.
In May, the city released a report from Walker, a group hired to evaluate Knoxville’s current parking situation. In that report, Walker suggested charging for parking seven days a week, among other changes.
That study prompted a response from downtown Knoxville business owners, who circulated a survey asking people to defend the city’s current free parking rules.
A City Council workshop is slated for Thursday at 4:00 p.m. at the City County Building on Main Street where more discussion of the parking plan is expected.
The latest update in the ongoing downtown Knoxville parking saga came Monday night, when the city announced a City Council workshop, slated for Thursday. (Courtesy: Visit Knoxville)
A 15-year-old male has been charged for making a threat of mass violence following a late-night Knoxville Police Department investigation.
On Monday, November 4, 2024 at around 7:30 p.m., KPD detectives were made aware that the aforementioned male, a Bearden High School student, had made a verbal threat to commit an act of violence at the school.
After continued investigation and consultation with the Knox County District Attorney’s Office concerning the circumstances, detectives responded to the student’s home in West Knoxville. The student was subsequently taken into custody and charged with threat of mass violence.
The investigation was assisted by Tennessee Homeland Security agents and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are actively following up on leads. If anyone has any information, they can anonymously call 865-637-1386 or 1-800-762-3017.
The building was torn down due to safety issues. It was too dangerous to leave standing. This has not hampered the investigation.
The property will likely be turned back over to Knoxville College later today.
The L. Nathan building is over 100 years old and has not been occupied by Knoxville College in a number of years. There was no power to the building.
UPDATE: At approximately 8:30 PM this (Monday) evening Knox County 911 communications received a call about Knoxville College possibly being on fire.
The caller stated they could see very high flames and a lot of smoke.
When crews arrived, they saw heavy fire coming from the top of the administration building, also known as L Nathan Hall. Due to the extremely large amount of fire, crews were unable to enter the building. All firefighting efforts were done from the exterior of the structure. Limited water supply made firefighting efforts difficult.
There were no known injuries to report.
Firefighting is ongoing and will continue through most of the night and into the morning.
Parts of the structure collapsed rendering it very unstable. The building is a total loss.
Knoxville Fire Department Investigators are on scene working to determine a cause.
Original story: The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a fire on the Knoxville College campus which destroys a building.
Heavy fire and smoke was coming from the building which could be seen for miles when crews arrived on the scene last night (Monday).
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon told WVLT News the fire broke out at L. Nathan Hall, which an alumni said hadn’t been occupied in at least 40-50 years. She says the fire was contained to that building and that the cause is unknown at this time.
Kincannon says it’s not city property but they have had to go in to address fire situations many times in recent years.
