The Tennessee Valley Authority is sharing its findings after its evaluation of the Nolichucky Dam.
Crews were running inspections to see what needs to be fixed after massive flooding from Helene.
Crews say they used high-tech equipment like underwater remote control cameras and drones around the dam and engineers will continue to evaluate the area but so far no major damage to the dam structure has been found.
Nearly three weeks after severe flooding devastated parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, people are still pouring into the impacted areas and offering help.
Brian Minton owns a farm in Dandridge and has been to Asheville for several days over the last two weeks. He‘s shared what he’s seen on social media, and immediately received messages from people across the country offering their help.
Minton has trained mules on his farm and felt it would be a big help to bring them along on his trip to North Carolina. He then heard from several others who have specialized in training mules who wanted to join in and help.
“I told them I said, ‘Guys you can’t imagine what it‘s like, your life is going to change when you see this,’” said Minton.
There will be more than 25 miles and more than 25 people making the trip to Asheville first thing Thursday morning. People from Delaware, Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee help make up the group looking to help.
Each of the farmers going has significant experience with mules and training them to help in a situation where they need to access a hard-to-reach area in the aftermath of a disaster.
“They’re very tough, and they’re very strong, and these are some very nice mules. And they can carry in 250 to 300 pounds of gear for everybody per mule easily,” said Arkansas farmer Max Bishop.
Bishop said the mules will help when they‘re in areas with washed-out roads because they’ll take the mules through the woods and steep terrain as they go to help others in need and work alongside first responders with recovery efforts.
It’s a group of cowboys from across the country who all heard about the devastation from the storm and wanted to put their area of expertise to good use.
“I’m blessed to have them I’m thankful for them being here and dang glad they’re on my team. Because we’re going to go up there and make a difference,” said Minton.
The group will leave Thursday morning and plan to stay in North Carolina for about a week. They‘ve also collected donations from across the country which they’ll be bringing to impacted communities.
(story courtesy of WVLT)
The City of Knoxville says crews would be beginning the final phase of renovations for Cradle of Country Music Park this fall.
The park is located at Gay Street and Summit Hill Drive near the Arts District. It’s a half-acre green space in the center of downtown that will soon be getting a large piece of public art and several new mature trees.
The sculpture was designed by a New York studio and marks a more than $1 million investment for the space between the art and the landscaping.
This park pays tribute to Knoxville’s role in shaping country music and soon will be able to host music and small concerts under the trees and is expected to reopen in full late fall.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (TDOSHS) is issuing free replacement identification licenses and driver licenses to citizens directly impacted by the East Tennessee floods at the Elizabethton Driver Services Center, Unicoi Police Department and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency’s (TEMA) three Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs).
Driver Services are available at the MARCs located at 466 Learning Road (or Learning Way) in Newport; 1749 HWY 19E in Elizabethton and 306 Forest Drive in Jonesborough. At the MARCs, individuals affected by Hurricane Helene can also access available resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal, state and regional partners. The MARCs are open Monday through Saturday from7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT.
The TDOSHS Driver Services mobile unit is at the Elizabethton Driver Services Center, 1741 Hwy 19E Bypass, while the center is temporarily closed due to the storm. In addition to the free duplicate licenses for flood victims, any Tennessean can complete a road skills and vision test, obtain a regular driver license, commercial driver license, REAL ID, photo ID, or update, replace, or renew their driver license at the mobile unit. The mobile unit is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. EDT and can only accept payment by credit or debit card.
The TDOSHS temporary location at the Unicoi Police Department, 3600 Unicoi Drive, provides Driver Services including free duplicate licenses to flood victims. This location is not serving the general public. The Unicoi Police Department temporary location is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT and can only accept payment by credit or debit card.
Due to storm damage, Driver Services are currently unavailable at the Greene County and Cocke County Clerk’s offices.
Citizens may also be able to complete many Driver Service transactions online. Visit tn.gov/safety/driver-services/online.html to learn more about the TDOSHS’s online services.
For more information about East Tennessee flood recovery resources, visit tn.gov/tema/updates/hurricane-helene.html.
Rural Metro Fire is investigating a house fire in Halls.
The fire was along Hallsdale Road overnight (Thursday) and when crews arrived they found a bedroom on fire, with flames spreading into the attic.
The residents were safely outside, and officials say the home suffered smoke and heat damage to the majority of the house.
Officials reminding people to stay safe when using portable heaters or candles as the weather gets colder.
Three people are in custody after a shooting in Greene County.
Deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office were called to the 7000 block of Old Stage Road for a burglary call on Friday.
Not long after the initial call, a woman called from the home saying she had been shot twice. When deputies got inside, they reportedly found a 24-year-old who had been shot in the hand and back, she is in stable condition.
GCSO says 23 year-old Mikaila Chapman-Delotto, 20 year-old Stephen Turner and 29 year-old Trevonde Conner are in custody.
Chapman-Delotto and Turner are facing charges for especially aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, theft and criminal responsibility for attempted first degree murder.
Conner is facing charges for attempted first degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, especially aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and theft.
Knoxville Police Department detectives are investigating a shooting and robbery that happened late Wednesday night at a West Knoxville bar.
At around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, KPD officers responded to the BucketHead Tavern on Ray Mears Boulevard.
Officers arrived on scene, where man had been shot multiple times in the parking lot. The victim, a 61-year-old man from Florida, was transported to the UT Medical Center for treatment for injuries that are not expected to be life-threatening.
Detectives learned that the victim exited the bar and was confronted at gunpoint by at least two currently unidentified suspects. The victim was shot, and the suspects left the scene in the victim’s car, a red Cadillac XT6.
The victim’s vehicle was found abandoned this morning on Atlantic Avenue. Efforts remain ongoing to identify the suspects.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is encouraged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 865-215-7165.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Detroit man is facing drug charges after multiple Knoxville-area agencies executed a search warrant Tuesday on an Oldham Avenue home.
Officials with the Knoxville Police Department say 57-year-old Sean Johnson was taken into custody and charged with maintaining a dwelling for drug purposes and manufacture/sale/delivery of schedule I, II and VI narcotics.
KPD says authorities found more than 30 grams of cocaine, a gram of heroin, two marijuana plants and over $17,000 in cash.
Additionally, a 43-year-old woman at the home was taken into custody for an unrelated charge.
According to KPD Communication Manager Scott Erland, KPD Organized Crime Unit detectives and members of the Drug-Related Death Task, which included KPD, Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation personnel searched the house at 900 W. Oldham Avenue.
Erland says the search warrant originated from an investigation into a series of suspected overdose deaths that occurred in and around the Lonsdale area in 2023.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Police Department detectives are seeking information regarding a vehicle allegedly involved in a shooting Sunday on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
KPD says shots were fired around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, October 13 from what appears in surveillance footage to be a GMC Yukon, at another car in the area of Lakeside Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
A 41-year-old man who was outside of his home at the time of the shooting was struck in the leg by the gunfire.
Anyone with information is urged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Sevier County, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man is arrested for child sex crimes following a sting operation in Sevier County.
Officials with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office say an internet crimes against children investigator with the office, posing as a 13-year-old, chatted online with the man. During the investigation, investigators reportedly identified the man as 34-year-old Howard Rupprecht.
SCSO says Rupprecht went to Seymour to meet with the “teen” for a “sexual encounter.” Instead, deputies took him into custody.
Rupprecht was booked into the Sevier County jail on a $2,500 bond and has been charged with solicitation of a minor.
