Amazon hopes to have its second facility in East Tennessee up and running by the end of the year.

Amazon announced it would open a distribution site in East Knoxville on the former site of East Towne Mall in 2021 with plans to open in 2022.

Since then, it has sat empty, but an Amazon spokesperson says internal construction is ongoing and hopes to open before the 2024 holiday season.

However, an opening date has not been finalized.

This will be the second Amazon facility in East Tennessee. A fulfillment center opened in Alcoa last year.

The latest data on homelessness in Knoxville suggests that high rent prices and a low number of housing options are contributing to the problem.

The Knoxville Homeless Management Information System is a partnership between the city, the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Knox County Homeless Coalition. The group tracks homeless data and recently released 2024′s second-quarter numbers.

According to KnoxHMIS, homelessness in the area is on the rise with a reported increase in homeless people from the beginning of this year into the second quarter up over 100 people.

KnoxHMIS tracks those numbers by counting how many people use their homeless services.  42% of the people in Knoxville who cannot find a place to live say there aren’t enough affordable options available.  Rising rent prices are making the problem worse, in 2022, the National Association of Realtors listed the Knoxville market as number one for rent price increases.  On average, over the last five years, 13% of Knoxville’s homeless population who worked with homeless services returned to homelessness after getting permanent housing.

Overall, the group claimed the problem would not be fixed until more and cheaper options became available in and around Knoxville. 

To view the full report, please go to: https://knoxhmis.sworpswebapp.sworps.utk.edu/dashboard/index.html

Knox County Schools on Monday highlighted new security measures that are being implemented to enhance school safety in the 2024-25 academic year, as part of the district’s ongoing “Safe Schools, Safe Students” initiative.

At a news conference, Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk and Security Department Chief Jason Periard outlined three strategies to keep schools safe:

• Staffing highly trained, armed officers in every school. This year, KCS has 120 School Security Officers (SSO’s) in district schools, as well as School Resource Officers (SRO’s) from partner agencies.
• Individualizing safety plans to meet the specific needs of every school; and
• Launching a new Text-A-Tip app to allow anonymous reporting of safety information and a timely response.

In connection with these strategies, KCS is taking several steps.

• The Board of Education approved $600,000 in salary increases for SSO’s, which means starting pay will increase from $17.24 per hour to $19.16 per hour. The number of salary steps for SSO’s also increased from 14 to 20, which will allow for increased earnings over their career.
• An additional $7 million in grant funding is being allocated to increase security. This includes funding to provide intrusion-resistant window reinforcements to every school by the end of the school year.
• The district has identified a goal of adding 50,000 feet of perimeter fencing at schools, and last year installed more than 17,000 feet of fencing. That work will continue this year.
• More than 25% of our schools will also begin the year with new, steel-reinforced concrete security bollards designed to protect students and staff during pick-up and drop-off.
• More than 450 KCS staff members completed training for the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) certification for threat assessment, training that equips more individuals to focus on school safety and provide proactive supports for students.
• The district is launching a new Text-A-Tip app, and a link has been pre-loaded on every student’s Chromebook. Reports will be monitored on a 24/7 basis by the KCS Operations Center to ensure the district is responding rapidly and intentionally to every notification. In addition, parents, students, and community members can download the app through Google Play and soon through the Apple Store.
• On August 5, the KCS Security Department and school teams at Carter High and Fulton High are participating in active shooter drills with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Knoxville Police Department.

“We never lose sight of the fact that school safety is essential – for our students and our employees,” said Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk. “As Superintendent, my most important responsibility is maintaining safe and secure environments for every student and every school. I’m grateful for the work of Chief Jason Periard, of the KCS Security Division, along with the strong support of our partners at KCSO and KPD. Working together, they are committed to seeking continuous improvement in every aspect of our security operations.”