Cooler temperatures mean beautiful fall leaf colors around East Tennessee.
National Park officials say that the leaves have reached their peak for fall color in the highest elevations inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Color is beginning to show more and more in the valley as well thanks to a cooler stretch of weather.
Meanwhile, leaves in the middle to lower elevations are within a week of hitting their peak.
For the plateau, leaves are nearing their peak over the next week or so.
Due to the drier weather, a lot of leaves are falling off which means color this year may be a little more muted than normal due to the lack of rain through the summer and then Hurricane Helene’s winds knocking the leaves off the trees.
Knoxville – Wednesday, October 23rd marked the halfway point (seven days of fourteen) of early voting for the November 5, 2024 Presidential and Federal/State General Election.
Through the first seven days, a total of 80,845 early votes have been cast in Knox County, with an additional 5,067 votes cast by absentee ballot and in nursing homes.
There are 336,151 registered voters (318,311 active; 17,840 inactive) in Knox County as of Wednesday, October 23, 2024.
COMPARISON TO PRIOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AT MIDWAY POINT *
*Does not include absentee ballots
November 2024 – 80,845 (total votes cast – TBD)
November 2020 – 65,723 (total early votes cast – 153,197)
November 2016 – 66,992 (total early votes cast – 135,749)
NEW VOTERS
A total of 7,921 first-time voters through the first seven days (halfway point) of early voting.
CITY OF KNOXVILLE VOTERS VS. KNOX COUNTY VOTERS
City of Knoxville voters 24,514
Non-City of Knoxville voters 61,398
AGE INFORMATION
REGISTERED VOTERS BY AGE
Age 18 to 29 64,173
Age 30 to 44 90,364
Age 45 to 54 50,570
Age 55 + 131,044
VOTES CAST BY AGE
Age 18 to 29 6,986
Age 30 to 44 13,045
Age 45 to 54 11,803
Age 55 + 54,078
GENDER INFORMATION
REGISTERED VOTERS BY GENDER**
** Not all voter’s genders are known, as the federal voter registration form does not ask for gender.
Male 140,524
Female 165,942
Unknown 29,685
EARLY VOTES CAST BY GENDER**
** Not all voter’s genders are known, as the federal voter registration form does not ask for gender.
Male 31,572
Female 39,891
Unknown 14,449
VOTES CAST BY TENNESSEE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT
District 14 16,616
District 15 6,268
District 16 14,609
District 18 13,078
District 19 13,727
District 89 13,470
District 90 8,144
ABSENTEE BALLOT DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, October 29.
Anyone wishing to vote absentee can call the Election Commission at 865-215-2480 or can download an absentee request at www.knoxvotes.org.
The teen charged with second-degree murder in the death of a 13-year-old girl in Powell is set to appear in court again today.
The 15 year-old suspect, whose identity has not been released, appeared in court yesterday and he is currently behind bars without bond and has a court-appointed attorney.
Investigators with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say that sometime in the early morning hours of Tuesday, the boy had used a pocket knife to stab the girl multiple times, killing her.
The court has some decisions to make, the first, whether or not it will release the boy’s name which is expected to be made today.
Second, whether or not to charge the boy as an adult. As it stands, the teen would face a maximum juvenile punishment up to his 19th birthday. After that, he’d move into the adult court system.
A Dandridge man is charged with multiple counts of child sex crimes.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Offices says 34 year-old Kyle Brown was arrested yesterday (Wednesday) after a year-long investigation into child pornography.
He is charged with 26 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
Newport, TN (WOKI) Several roads in Newport are closed after a railroad trestle collapsed into the Pigeon River.
Newport Police say the trestle spanned the river, which saw major flooding when Hurricane Helene moved through East Tennessee. It marks the latest in a series of damages caused by the storm.
River Road, Liberty Alley and Jimtown Road at East Broadway are all closed.
No word if this collapse will affect Norfolk Southern’s schedule to re-open their routes.
The trestle spanned the Pigeon River, which saw major flooding when Hurricane Helene moved through East Tennessee. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Athens, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: Five children at the center of an Endangered Child Alert out of Athens are found safe.
Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had issued the alert early Wednesday morning for the five boys saying that they may have been with their non-custodial parents.
TBI says all five children were later found safe in Georgia.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued an Endangered Child Alert for five missing children out of Athens.
The Athens Police Department says they are believed to be with their non-custodial parents, 30 y/o Kurtis Pendergrass and 30 y/o Sawana Pendergrass. Kurtis has brown eyes, brown hair, is 5’10” and weighs 180 lbs. Sawana has blue eyes, brown hair, is 5’ tall and weighs 140 lbs.
They are believed to be in a white 2018 GMC Acadia with a TN tag 521 BMMM.
If you have any information please call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
or the Athens Police Department at 423-745-3222 or 1-800-TBI-FIND with info.
One person was killed in a crash involving a motorcycle that happened on Tuesday night on Middlebrook Pike.
At around 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a crash on Middlebrook Pike at Whitehall Road. The crash involved a Suzuki motorcycle and a black Acura sedan.
Based on the investigation conducted at the scene and witness statements, it is believed that the motorcycle was traveling at a high speed on Middlebrook Pike when it collided with the passenger side of the black Acura, which was attempting to turn left into the Retreat at West Hills apartment complex parking lot.
The motorcycle driver, a 53-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Acura sedan was transported to the UT Medical Center via AMR to be treated for injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening.
KPD crash reconstruction personnel responded to the scene and are leading the investigation.
Knoxville (October 22, 2024)—MEDIC Regional Blood Center is partnering with the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians to promote civic engagement. MEDIC will have a mobile collection bus at the Girl Scouts parking lot (1567 Downtown West Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37919) on October 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This drive is planned specifically during the early voting period, so voters heading to the Downtown West location can donate blood and vote. Those doing both will receive a MEDIC gift and a sleeve of Girl Scout cookies.
“This is a great way for community members to perform their civic duty in one place,” said Kristy Altman, VP of Communications and Public Relations. “We have had great success working with the Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians this year, and rewarding those who take time to donate and give blood is a great way to wrap up the early voting season.”
“We are proud to partner with MEDIC Regional Blood Center to encourage the importance of both voting AND giving blood,” said Lynne Fugate, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southern Appalachians. “As we encourage the next generation to embrace their potential, it becomes crucial for all individuals, including Girl Scouts, to understand the significance of voting and civic participation. Girl Scouts can unlock a world of opportunities to create positive change, foster democracy, and contribute to the betterment of society. The same goes for donating blood. Every donation saves lives of all ages and helps people in our community. It is simple and fast to donate and can make a lifelong difference for someone else.”
Appointments for donations are preferred, but walk-in donors are welcome. Donors can call 865-524-3074 to schedule their appointment, visit medicblood.org/donate, or download the new MEDIC donor app to search for a drive closest to them and schedule their appointment. For more information on MEDIC Regional Blood Center, please visit our website at medicblood.org/eligibility/ or contact Vice President of Communications Kristy Altman at [email protected] or by phone at 865-805-2008.
UPDATE (10/23/24): On October 22, 2024, The Knox County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a body on a dirt walking trail behind a community pool in Broadacres Subdivision in the Powell Community. Deputies arrived at the 7700 block of Cranley Road a short time later and confirmed a deceased female on the dirt trail. Detectives from Major Crimes and Juvenile Crimes and the Knox County Medical Examiner arrived and began collecting evidence and processing the scene. Later in the evening, Detectives arrested a fifteen-year-old male from Powell and charged him with second-degree murder. The suspect is being held at the Richard L. Bean Detention Facility.
This is an active and ongoing investigation, and therefore, additional charges may be brought.
“I am grateful to everyone at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work and diligence in this case. I also want to thank the Knox County School System for their assistance and cooperation. We ask you to keep the family of the victim, the Powell community, and our responding personnel in your prayers. As law enforcement professionals, nothing can prepare us for days like yesterday.”
– Tom Spangler, Knox County Sheriff
KCSO officials say there is a court appearance expected tomorrow (Thursday) morning at 10:00 am for Judge Irwin to make a ruling on releasing of the suspect’s name. There are no other updates that I am aware of at this time.
Original story: The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after the body of a 13 year-old girl is found in Powell.
Sheriff Tom Spangler says the girl was found yesterday (Tuesday) on a trail off of Cranley Road in the Broadacres subdivision. She has not been identified.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the girl’s death.
The Sheriff says they are still looking at other possible leads and additional charges that may come about as a result of the investigation but says it was an isolated incident.
KCSO Major Crimes Division and the Juvenile Crimes Unit are investigating.
