Pigeon Forge, TN (WOKI) A man is dead after a weekend crash in Pigeon Forge.
Officials with the Pigeon Forge Police Department say officers responded to the crash on Veterans Boulevard south of Teaster Lane shortly after 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening.
PFPD says when officers arrived, they found that 29-year-old Victor Perez had been hit by two cars while trying to cross the boulevard and that he died at the scene.
The investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Valley Authority is hosting a public information session to inform local residents about the draft Integrated Resource Plan.
The agency is also hoping to get feedback on how to evaluate and plan to meet future power demands.
Officials describe an IRP as a tool to “evaluate options available to meet the region’s power generation needs for the coming decades.”
The meeting is slated for 6:00 p.m. Monday, November 4 and will take place at Tennessee Economic Council, 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Suite 100 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Brandon Donathan, 25 of Knoxville, and Sarai Standridge, 24 of Knoxville, have been charged in connection to a spate of robberies or attempted robberies, including three that happened in the Fort Sanders area early Sunday morning. Both Donathan and Standridge were taken into custody following an attempted robbery in West Knoxville.
At around 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, October 27, 2024, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to the area of Luscombe Drive and Pocanno Road, where it was reported that a man wearing all black attempted to rob a resident at gunpoint. The suspect reportedly ran from the scene following the attempted robbery and got into a white sedan.
Another resident witnessed the incident and was able to get a video of the suspect and white sedan, and also witnessed the suspect toss a firearm into nearby bushes. A short time later and after continued investigation at the scene, officers spotted the suspect vehicle traveling west on Luscombe Drive. Officers stopped the vehicle and detained both occupants, who were identified as Donathan and Standridge.
Donathan and Standridge were both transported to the Public Safety Complex for further questioning. Through those efforts, detectives were ultimately able to connect Donathan and Standridge to three robbery incidents that happened near the UT campus.
That includes a robbery that happened near 11th Street and Cumberland Avenue, where a 22-year-old woman was robbed of her purse at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning.
Additionally, Donathan and Standridge were involved in two other attempted robberies, which were not reported to the KPD until Sunday afternoon. A male victim reported that a man, since identified as Donathan, attempted to rob him at gunpoint in the area of Clinch Avenue and 22nd Street at around 1:10 a.m. on Sunday morning. A female victim also reported that a man, also identified as Donathan, attempted to rob her at gunpoint in the area of Clinch Avenue and 17th Street at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Donathan and Standridge have both been charged with attempted aggravated robbery for the incident that occurred on Luscombe Road. Donathan has also charged with multiple additional counts of robbery or attempted robbery, in addition to possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. Additional charges are expected on Standridge.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s office needs your help finding a man wanted for first degree murder.
On October 18th, a man called 911 claiming to be a distressed hiker named Brandon Andrade who said he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear.
The call was pinged to a bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains. Search and rescue teams responded and found the body of a man with personal identification listed as Andrade.
“Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and the Monroe County Violent Crime Task Force reviewed the scene and after further investigation, determined that the deceased subject was not Mr. Brandon Andrade and that the identification had been stolen and used on multiple occasions. Furthermore, a male that was using stolen identification of Mr. Andrade was discovered to be a Mr. Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who was wanted out of the State of Alabama on a parole violation.”Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Detectives said Hamlett used a false name when talking to Knox County law enforcement after making the call about the hiker and fled from his Tennessee address.
Nicholas Hamlett, who is wanted out of Alabama on a parole violation, has been identified as the man who made the call about the hiker.
Police say he is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him should call 911 and not approach him.
Operations back to normal following an ammonia chemical leak at U.S. Foods.
Alcoa city officials ordered a shelter in place following the leak Friday night.
The City of Alcoa Fire Department along with a hazmat trailer were taking readings with meters in the area and they never got readings outside of the plant facilities. They say the road closure was a precaution and at no time was the public in danger.
A drone video showed a valve malfunction and after the valves were shut off, the shelter in place order was lifted.
When the liquid is released, it turns to vapor so no cleanup that has to be done, unlike an oil spill or gas fuel leak.
No injuries were reported.
An investigation is underway in Greene County after a couple is found dead and their son is charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents were called to a home in the 500 block of Hartman Lane Friday where they found 68-year-old Cassandra Wilhoit and 60-year-old Ray “Allen” Wilhoit dead.
Deputies arrested their son, 35-year-old Jessie Wilhoit, his bond was set at $2 million and his arraignment is set for today (Monday) at 8:30 a.m.
The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a house fire in East Knoxville.
Crews were called to the 3000 block of Linden Avenue yesterday (Sunday) morning for smoke coming from the home.
Upon arrival they found smoke coming from the front of the home and a man was injured in the street in front of the home. Crews found a small fire in the kitchen but had difficulty establishing a water supply because a car was parked in front of the closest fire hydrant so crews had to break out windows in the car to hook up their hose through the car.
Everyone make it out okay but the injured man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two man and a woman lived in the home which suffered significant smoke, water, and fire damage.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) – Thursday, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released data outlining unemployment rates in Tennessee.
East Tennessee’s Sevier County ranked lowest in unemployment in the state, joined by Moore County at 2.7%.
That being said, Sevier County’s unemployment rate increased from August, a trend that affected much of the state.
Unemployment rates in 77 counties across Tennessee increased, according to the data. Rates decreased in five counties and stayed the same in 13.
Two counties in southeast Tennessee ranked high for unemployment, however. McMinn County and Meigs County both sit at a 4.7% unemployment rate, ranked 87 and 89 respectively among Tennessee’s 95 counties.
Those looking for help finding a job can check out the American Job Center, which has many centers across the state.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a West Knoxville Apartment fire.
Crews called to the 2400 block of Piedmont Street last night (Thursday) and found heavy fire coming from a two-story apartment building. The crew was pushed back from the interior due to the heavy volume of fire.
A ladder truck was set up to provide water on the fire and once it was under control, KFD crews were able to enter the building and extinguish the blaze.
The building had four apartments, and six adults and two children were displaced but no one was injured. Three dogs also escaped without injury.
The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupants.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The long-awaited upgrades to Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the home of Tennessee baseball, saw another budget increase following Friday’s meeting of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees Finance and Administration Committee.
The committee approving the nearly $10 million increase ($9,300,000) which project representatives say is necessary to cover costs associated with unforeseen soil and utility conditions.
The approval brings the total cost of the project to over $105 million dollars ($105,100,000) and follows a 2023 budget increase which was approved that June.
University representatives claim the money won‘t come from the university’s budget directly, but from gifts and donations.
For comparison, Knoxville’s other stadium project — the downtown multi-use stadium — has been billed at around $114 million.
