Knoxville Police say a serial rapist with crimes dating back to last summer is in custody. 37-year-old Aaron Gray is suspected in multiple sexual assaults against several victims in the Mission District of Knoxville. Following extensive investigation by the Violent Crimes Unit, the Criminal Investigation Division and Homeless Outreach officers, Gray has been charged with nine…… MORE
A girl from Oklahoma is believed to be missing in Blount County. 13-year-old Selena Reeanna Nicole Bivens was visiting her grandmother’s house when she went missing. It’s possible she is a runaway. If you have any information on her whereabouts you’re asked to call the Blount County Sheriff’s Office Investigations during normal business hours at…… MORE
Knox County will start mowing more of the parks themselves saving over $83,000 a year. Mayor Glenn Jacobs asked all the county offices to look for cost-saving options as they deal with the financial burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parks and Rec Department says they were able to reassign work and create a second…… MORE
State officials are pausing most construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes for Memorial Day Weekend. The state Department of Transportation says the hiatus on lane closures will start on Friday at noon and run through early Tuesday, May 26. Drivers may still see some lane closures or restrictions while traveling through long term…… MORE
A Virginia man is dead after a boating accident on Cherokee Lake. The TWRA says 71-year-old Edward McMillan from Gate City Virginia was fishing when his boat flipped Saturday. Witnesses say the boat was about 60 yards from the bank when it flipped. A teen with Edward was able to pull him to shore, but he…… MORE
Knoxville Police are asking for help identifying a car suspected in several vehicle burglaries. Officials say someone stole numerous catalytic converters from Budget rental trucks at a parking lot on Centerline Drive. Surveillance cameras showed a black car at the scene. If you have any information on the case you’re asked to call 865-215-7212 or email propertycrimes@knoxvilletn.gov.… MORE
West Town Mall is opening Friday. The biggest mall owner in the U.S. is preparing to open a number of its properties across the country. CNBC reports Simon Property Group is reopening 49 of its malls and outlet centers Friday through Monday. Officials say they will offer free CDC-approved masks and hand sanitizing packets to…… MORE
More than 15,600 insurance claims seeking more than $1.1 billion have been filed in Tennessee over deadly tornadoes that tore through the state early last month. State Department of Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Hodgen Mainda told reporters Thursday that out of those claims, 7,400 had been paid out more than $370 million as of April…… MORE
The Veterans Administration’s Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is hiring health care workers to staff its hospitals and clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a news release, the system is offering both temporary and permanent assignments. It is also recruiting recent retirees with experience in high-need areas. In addition, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is seeking…… MORE
President Trump is getting push back from his own party after criticizing the compensation of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s president, suggesting the executive’s pay was too high. The president, who appoints the TVA’s board, was asked a question at his daily coronavirus briefing Wednesday, and the questioner said the head of TVA “made $8 million…… MORE
A clothing company based in East Tennessee is giving away 500 dresses as a way to thank healthcare workers. Altar’d State and their sister company A’Beautiful Soul are celebrating World Health Day and want to thank the Doctors, Nurses, Medical on Hospital workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sizes are available from 00…… MORE
(WVLT) A group in Knoxville is doing what they can to help combat COVID-19. They got together on Facebook and the Knoxville Area MASK MAKERS are sewing and delivering protective face masks for essential workers. Sandra Sacco says it started as a small Facebook Group and has quickly taken off. She says they’ve been asked…… MORE
Foul play is not suspected after crews located the body of a missing Jefferson County Woman. Tiffany Trull was reported missing last week and her car was found parked at Cherokee Farms on UT’s campus. An extensive search of the Tennessee River was unsuccessful last week. However, a fisherman found her body yesterday on Fort…… MORE
The Justice Department says a professor at the University of Tennessee has been arrested on charges that he hid his relationship with a Chinese university at the same time he received research grants from the federal government. Anming Hu was charged with three counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements. The…… MORE
Three boaters, including two high school students, are missing after a fishing tournament in Hardin County. The group was part of the Obion County Central High School fishing team. They were fishing on Pickwick Lake and reported missing Sunday. They were having engine trouble at the start of the tournament. Officials thought they’d pulled their…… MORE
Outraged Tennessee lawmakers have been grilling state education officials over the handling of a much-debated school voucher program. Republican Rep. Matthew Hill of Jonesborough demanded answers Wednesday from the education agency, comptroller’s office and finance officials on who approved the contract and why and why legislators didn’t get a chance to review it. The program…… MORE
A mudslide has closed The Spur in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The slide happened in the northbound lanes of the Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Monday. The slide was just past the Westgate Resort and covers about 100 feet of both northbound lanes. A detour is in place…… MORE
A new bill has been introduced into the state legislature to make the Bible Tennessee’s State Book. Sen. Mark Pody and Rep. Jerry Sexton introduced HB 2696/SB 2778 last week. A similar measure was passed in 2016, making it all the way to the governor’s desk. Then Governor Haslam vetoed the measure.… MORE
An 11-year-old Loudon County girl was found safe this morning. Hannah Major went missing around 7:30 this morning around Malone Road, but was found a few hours after.… MORE
Attorney General William Barr has tapped two former KPD Chiefs to join a new presidential panel on law enforcement. David Rausch and Phil Keith will be on the 18-member Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Keith will chair the Commission. Nashville Police Sergeant James Smallwood was also selected. President Donald Trump signed…… MORE
Everyone is okay after a house fire in East Knoxville overnight Tuesday. The Knoxville Fire Department was called to a fire on the 3300 block of Skyline Drive around 1:30 a.m. Two adults and a child were able to make it out of the home safely. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The…… MORE
Three counties have had their chronic wasting disease (CWD) status changed due to the confirmation of the disease (CWD) in new areas of southwest Tennessee. Haywood and Chester counties have been reclassified from high-risk counties to CWD-positive counties after deer tested positive in the respective counties. Lauderdale County has been added as a high-risk county…… MORE
An investigation is underway after officers rescued a puppy that was thrown from an overpass this morning along Alcoa Highway near Tyson Park. Thankfully officers were in the area and were able to locate the injured animal. The pup was rushed to the UT Veterinarian Medical Facility. They say the injuries are not life-threatening and…… MORE
Attorneys for Tennessee death row inmates argue that mental issues, poor legal representation, newly surfaced evidence, and racism in the use of Tennessee’s death penalty are among the reasons not to schedule nine more executions. Attorney General Herbert Slatery is seeking to set dates for the nine men to die. Slatery says he’s just following…… MORE
(AP) Reversing course, Tennessee’s Department of Education says school vouchers won’t be taxable. Department spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said Wednesday the law’s intent is that the money be considered scholarships not subject to taxation, and the department intends to structure the program accordingly. Officials aim to resolve confusion after Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said Monday her understanding…… MORE
Alcoa Police are investigating after a fatal roll over crash this weekend along Alcoa Highway. It happened just after 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning in front of the airport. All four occupants were ejected from the vehicle. 25-year-old Leah Scroggins was killed. 31-year-old Lorenzo Bingham, 25-year-old Tania Bennett are in critical condition and 18-year-old Gregory Kontour…… MORE
(AP) – Forestry officials in Tennessee say a strike team is being created to perform prescribed burning on public and private forest land in the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Division of Forestry officials said Tuesday that a $200,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be used to expand forest fire use and management…… MORE
Officials with the TWRA say a hunter was seriously injured in a boating incident over the weekend. Officials say three deer hunters were in a small aluminum boat Saturday morning heading to a management area on Melton Hill Lake when they ran aground. 47-year-old Christopher Beckler was at the front using a spotlight to help…… MORE
State health officials say a second person in Tennessee has died from a vaping-related respiratory illness. The death in West Tennessee was confirmed Thursday by the state Department of Health. No other details about the victim were immediately available. Tennessee’s first confirmed vaping-related death was reported last week. The victim was a 26-year-old Nashville man.…… MORE
A landmark in Crossville is in ashes after a fire Tuesday night. Cumberland County Fire Rescue have confirmed they responded to a fire at the Minister’s Tree House on Beehive Lane. The fire started around 11:30 p.m. and burned to the ground in about 15 minutes. Officials say the fire is under control. The structure…… MORE
Medic Regional Blood Center says they’re critical for O Negative blood. Whether you’re O Negative or not they’re asking everyone to stop by and donate this week. Officials say O Negative blood is used for trauma situations in critical patients. They can only use the blood that’s already on the shelf and it takes three…… MORE
A Tennessee man died canoeing on a river in Alabama Friday night. 51-year-old Gregory Lawson form Hixon Tennessee drowned when his canoe capsized. He was on the Tennessee River near Scottsboro Alabama Friday night. A woman with Lawson was able to swim to shore for help.… MORE
(AP) – Tennessee health officials say they have received 49 cases of serious lung injury in people who use electronic cigarettes or other vaping devices. The Department of Health said Monday that no single product has been linked to the cases and the specific ingredient causing the lung injuries remains unknown. The state is recommending…… MORE
(AP) – Country superstar Dolly Parton is still working “9 to 5,” and doing what she loves as she celebrated her 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member. The 73-year-old actress, singer and songwriter, who first played the Opry when she was just a teenager, played the longstanding radio show Saturday night in Nashville…… MORE
Dollywood is being sued for unauthorized use of a copyrighted song. The lawsuit claims the park has been performing “Christmas Time is Here” during their Twas the Night Before Christmas show since 2007, if not earlier. It’s the song from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special written by Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi. The Lee Mendelson Film Productions…… MORE
A Roane County man sought by the TBI has surrendered. 31-year-old Christopher Allen Taylor was wanted for Especially Aggravated Kidnapping, Rape and Aggravated Assault. Officials say Taylor turned himself in to a state trooper in Cumberland County Tuesday morning. Previous Story The TBI is asking you to be on the lookout for a Roane County…… MORE
(AP) – A former Buffalo Bills player is accused of pulling a gun on teens who were ding-dong ditching homes in his Tennessee neighborhood. 43-year-old Jimmy Robinson Jr. was arrested last week and charged with aggravated assault. Mt. Juliet police Lt. Tyler Chandler says authorities responding to a report of an armed man Thursday night…… MORE
A car billowing smoke and flames inside Cades Cove. Dramatic video was posted to social media of the fire around 1:00 o’clock Wednesday. Lori Tomblin says she could feel the heat of the flames as she drove by. No one was injured and the fire was contained. However, crews had the loop closed for several…… MORE
A Knoxville man is believed to be another victim of pulmonary illness related to vaping. Family says Dylan Collins was vomiting out of control. He was taken to the hospital and they found pneumonia in the lower half of his lungs and he said he was septic. Dylan was intubated and put on life support…… MORE
The beards are coming back. After raising over $11,000 for charity last year KPD officers will again don the beard starting October 1st. Typically, officers are prohibited from having a beard, but those rules will be relaxed for the final three months of 2019. Officers wanting to grow a beard will make a donation for…… MORE
(AP) – A housing market report says prices keep rising across Tennessee’s metro areas, while construction permits are slightly down year over year. A Middle Tennessee State University news release says the quarterly report shows promising mixed signals. It found home prices were up 6.4% statewide from a year ago, with the biggest metro statistical…… MORE
(AP) – The Tennessee governor is refraining from weighing in on the attorney general’s request to schedule executions for nine death-row prisoners and restore a 10th inmate’s death sentence. Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Thursday that it is Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s prerogative to request the execution dates and to challenge a court’s decision commuting…… MORE
Knoxville Police are investigating a pair of shootings overnight. A 16-year-old girl showed up at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm a little before 9:00 o’clock. Witnesses say the shooting happened near East 5th Avenue. No other details have been provided. A few hours later, around 11:00 p.m., patrol officers…… MORE
Tennessee’s attorney general has asked the state Supreme Court to set nine execution dates. Attorney General Herbert Slatery filed the request last week, with seven of the nine men being represented by the federal public defender’s office. Assistant Federal Public Defender Kelley Henry said she was surprised by the request and would oppose the motion.…… MORE
No injuries, but a lot of damage after a car crashed into a building in Dandridge. Deputies were called to the Indian Creek Market and Deli Monday. Investigators say the 62-year-old woman was trying to park, but hit the accelerator instead of the break and went through glass doors. Jefferson County EMS, the Chestnut Hill…… MORE
(AP) – A federal judge is set to hear opening statements in a lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period before abortions. In Nashville, lawyers for five of the state’s seven abortion clinics will try Monday to prove the law places an undue burden on women seeking abortions. Tennessee is one of 14 states with laws…… MORE
Authorities in Jefferson County are searching for an inmate who escaped in a stolen car. They say 35-year-old Jason Carr broke into the Jefferson County School Bus Garage around 11:00 Thursday morning and took off in a ’99 red Chevy Impala. Carr was last seen on Highway 25 near Deep Springs Road. He was being…… MORE
There is more help for people impacted by the historic floods earlier this year. The Federal Department of Agriculture is giving out grants to people impacted by flooding across East Tennessee. The money is to help with repairs for homes and businesses damaged by the flooding. Congressman Chuck Fleischmann says grants totaling $150 Million will…… MORE
Authorities searching for a teen out of West Tennessee. The TBI issued an Endangered Child Alert for 16-year-old Gregory Shelton out of Haywood County Tennessee, that’s near Jackson. Officials say Shelton has a medical condition and doesn’t have his medication. Anyone with information that could help find Shelton should call the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office…… MORE
(AP) – A group of wounded soldiers from Army posts in Kentucky and Georgia are biking 101 miles beginning at Fort Campbell later this month. Fort Campbell says the event is called “Where Heroes Rendezvous” and will begin on Sept. 27. The ride will include more than 70 wounded, ill and injured soldiers from Fort…… MORE
Returning talent, newcomers result in top-notch roster
Seattle, San Francisco, LA Rams, Philadelphia and New Orleans have most current UT players with 3
Renowned QB coach did not mince words in criticism of Butch Jones; also talks Deshaun Watson
UT would host Ole Miss format SEC is looking into, plus teams like Texas A&M have it worse than others
You’ll also see series records, 2019 records and my view of each game for UT football
We want to celebrate the Class of 2020 senior athletes that didn’t get to complete their seasons due to school cancellations. Submit a 2020 senior athlete here to recognize them! Presented by Brandon’s Awards.
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