Category Archives: Local News

Ft. Kid Park Re-Opens in Downtown Knoxville

Ft. Kid Park Re-Opens in Downtown Knoxville

Fort Kid Park reopens in Downtown Knoxville after getting some much needed improvements. Fort Kid offering new ADA improvements, connectivity to the Knoxville Museum of Art and a play structure designed following extensive community input. Some other improvements include an accessible play surface, fort tower and slide, fully-accessible merry-go-round and more. The upgrades cost nearly…MORE

Rural Metro is Investigating a North Knoxville House Fire

Rural Metro is Investigating a North Knoxville House Fire

Rural Metro fire officials are investigating an early morning house fire in North Knoxville. Crews called to the 8700 block of Stanley Road in Halls this morning (Monday). Officials say one resident told them she turned on a light and heard an odd sound then later discovered smoke in the attic. All residents and pets…MORE

Evacuation Order Lifted for Parrottsville in Cocke County Following Propane Spill

Evacuation Order Lifted for Parrottsville in Cocke County Following Propane Spill

The evacuation order is lifted for Parrottsville in Cocke County following a propane leak caused by an overturned propane truck which closed State Route 340 for hours at Allen Chapel Road. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says a one mile evacuation was ordered yesterday for homes on South Highway 340 and lasted for several hours.…MORE

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Recruiting Volunteers to Adopt a Plot

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Recruiting Volunteers to Adopt a Plot

Local volunteers needed to help track seasonal changes of trees   Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently recruiting local volunteers to ‘Adopt-A-Plot’ and track the seasonal change of trees, also called phenology.    Members of the public who visit the Smokies often are encouraged to sign up to adopt a plot of trees near the roadside…MORE

High Wind Warnings in Effect for East Tennessee and Kentucky

High Wind Warnings in Effect for East Tennessee and Kentucky

High Wind Warning …HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 3 AM EST SATURDAY… * WHAT…Southwest winds 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph expected. * WHERE…Northern Plateau and Central Tennessee valley. * WHEN…From 10 AM this morning to 3 AM EST Saturday. * IMPACTS…Damaging winds will…MORE

Metro Drug Coalition Hosting a Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Youth Substance Misuse

Metro Drug Coalition Hosting a Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Youth Substance Misuse

Metro Drug Coalition assembles panel of experts to answer community questions about youth substance misuse at a virtual town hall meeting. On March 23, 2023, Metro Drug Coalition will host a virtual town hall meeting on youth substance misuse, and they are calling for questions surrounding the issue from Knox County community members. The panel,…MORE

Knoxville Police Identify the Victims from a Fatal Interstate Accident

Knoxville Police Identify the Victims from a Fatal Interstate Accident

Knoxville Police have identified the victims from the fatal crash on I-40 West at Midway Road. 58 year-old Randall Ball and 56 year-old Latisha Beck of East Tennessee. The third victim, a 48-year-old man, remains hospitalized with critical injuries. That crash happened Monday morning and the preliminary investigation says a pick-up crossed the median hitting…MORE

Another Big Musical Group is Coming to Knoxville

Another Big Musical Group is Coming to Knoxville

Another big group is coming to Knoxville. KISS announcing the absolute final shows of their final tour, The End of the Road Tour, with stop at Thompson Boling Arena on November 24th. Tickets go on sale for a KISS Army presale on Monday at 10am local time. Additional presales will be available throughout the week…MORE

The Knox County Health Department Offering Free Heart Health Class

The Knox County Health Department Offering Free Heart Health Class

The Knox County Health Department is wrapping up Heart Health Month by encouraging those who are interested to sign up for KCHD’s FREE Heart Health Classes. It’s a free two-part series were you work with a Registered Dietitian to learn about healthy eating and exercise, weight management, goal setting and more. Heart disease is a…MORE

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has Second Busiest Year Ever

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has Second Busiest Year Ever

Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced its second busiest year ever in 2022 with 12,937,633 visits. Last year’s visitation was more than 1.5 million above the park’s ten-year average, and more than the visitation of Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon national parks combined. This marks the fourth time the park has exceeded 12 million yearly…MORE

AMBER Alert Issued for a 16 Year-Old Girl Missing Out of Knoxville

AMBER Alert Issued for a 16 Year-Old Girl Missing Out of Knoxville

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issuing an AMBER Alert for a 16 year-old girl last seen in Knoxville. Holly Piper was last seen at Cook Out on Cumberland Avenue on February 19th. She is believed to be with her boyfriend William “Dylan” Usry who may have coerced her into leaving against her will. They are…MORE

A Major Highway in Loudon County Reopens After Closing due to Large Gas Leak

A Major Highway in Loudon County Reopens After Closing due to Large Gas Leak

Updated Story: The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office says Highway 70 West is back open at Highway 321 following a large gas leak in Lenior City earlier today. Lenoir City Utilities Board officials say electric crews hit a six-inch gas line. The leak in the area of Highway 321 and Old America Road. Officials were monitoring…MORE

Historic Airplane Filling Station Could be Yours

Historic Airplane Filling Station Could be Yours

The Airplane Filling Station on Clinton Highway is for sale. The owner, Knox Heritage, hopes someone will operate the building in a way it can be utilized by the public. The airplane was built in 1931 by brothers Henry and Elmer Nickle. The design was meant to mimic Charles Lindberg’s Spirit of St. Louis. The…MORE

More Details in the Case of a Man Charged with Murder, Rape and Kidnapping

More Details in the Case of a Man Charged with Murder, Rape and Kidnapping

A Knoxville man is facing murder, rape and kidnapping charges after police conducted a welfare check at a home on Bellevue Street. 57 year-old Joe Whitaker is accused of killing 76 year-old Julius Parker and keeping a woman hostage in the home for five days. According to an incident report, Whitaker left his job at…MORE

Guns N’ Roses to Play Thompson Boling Arena

Guns N’ Roses to Play Thompson Boling Arena

Guns N’ Roses return to the road on a massive 2023 World Tour will be making a stop in Knoxvlle. The band will play Thompson Boling Arena on September 12th. Tickets will be available starting with the band’s Nightrain Presale, beginning tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10am local time. The general on-sale for all dates will start…MORE

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Looking Into a Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Looking Into a Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the circumstances leading to a fatal officer-involved shooting in Greene County. Deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on someone at a home on Bolton Road in Greeneville yesterday (Sunday). Reports say shots were fired at deputies from inside the…MORE

A Student is Charged for Making a Possible Threat at a Jefferson County School

A Student is Charged for Making a Possible Threat at a Jefferson County School

Authorities are investigating after a student is charged with making a possible threat at Jefferson Middle School. This morning, staff at the school received the call about a threat so School officials along with the School Resource Officer immediately began an investigation. Investigators with Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson City Police Department assisted in this…MORE

Two Knox County School Students are Arrested for Making Threats at Two Schools

Two Knox County School Students are Arrested for Making Threats at Two Schools

Two Knox County School students are arrested for making threats at two schools. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Crimes Unit took a student at Gibbs Middle School and Powell High School into custody yesterday (Wednesday) for “threats of mass destruction. Both students were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center and officials reiterated that parents…MORE

Bill Proposing Tougher Penalties on Tennessee’s Hands-free Law Introduced

Bill Proposing Tougher Penalties on Tennessee’s Hands-free Law Introduced

Tennessee’s Hands-free law may come with harsher penalties if a new bill proposed by some Lawmakers becomes law. It will establish a number of points that may be charged to a person’s driving record after two or more violations of the Hands Free Law. Lawmakers say adding more consequences to distracted driving will help save…MORE

KCHD Releases 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey 

KCHD Releases 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey 

The Knox County Health Department released the 2022 Knox County High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which is designed to track behaviors that negatively affect the physical and mental health of high schoolers. The survey, which is also conducted on a state and nationwide level, focuses on issues such as self-harm and violence, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, and weight control and diet. The full report can be found here.  “As…MORE

Knoxville Police Searching for Suspects in a Fatal West Knoxville Shooting

Knoxville Police Searching for Suspects in a Fatal West Knoxville Shooting

Knoxville Police are investigating a fatal shooting in West Knoxville. Officers responding to Badgett Drive near Goins Drive last night (Tuesday) and found 21 year-old Rahleik Garcia, of Johnson City suffering from at least one gunshot wound, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe there are multiple possible suspects who ran from the…MORE

Authorities Arrest a Suspect in a Deadly Shooting in Sweetwater

Authorities Arrest a Suspect in a Deadly Shooting in Sweetwater

Updated Story: A suspect wanted in a deadly shooting on Hawkins Road in Sweetwater is taken into custody. The 26 year-old suspect was arrested last night by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and US Marshal’s Smokey Mountain Fugitive Task Force. He is facing three counts of attempted first degree murder, attempted aggravated burglary, aggravated assault,…MORE

The Chicks Coming to Knoxville this Summer

The Chicks Coming to Knoxville this Summer

Grammy Award winning group The Chicks announcing their world tour this year with a stop at Thompson Boling Arena on July 29th. Maren Morris, Ben Harper and Wild Rivers are set to join as support on select dates. Wild River scheduled to join them on stage in Knoxville. Tickets go on sale in the U.S.…MORE

A Cocke County Jail Inmate Hospitalized Following Escape Attempt

A Cocke County Jail Inmate Hospitalized Following Escape Attempt

A Cocke County Jail inmate is airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after he attempted to escape. Cocke County Sheriff C.J. Ball says 33 year-old Michael Smith was in Sessions Court with six other inmates and got up from the bench “numerous times” to get a tissue yesterday (Monday) afternoon and jumped out…MORE

TBI Issues a Silver Alert for a Missing Sevierville Man

TBI Issues a Silver Alert for a Missing Sevierville Man

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issuing a Silver Alert on behalf of the Sevierville Police Department. 74 year-old Carl Palmer has a condition that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance. He may be driving in a green Ford Taurus with a TN tag and a missing passenger side window. You are asked…MORE

Multi-Vehicle Crash in Loudon County Shuts Down I-75 South for Several Hours

Multi-Vehicle Crash in Loudon County Shuts Down I-75 South for Several Hours

The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are investigating a crash on Interstate 75 South. Crews are working a crash involving six vehicles, minor injuries are reported from at least one of the cars involved. It happened near Sugarlimb Road near mile marker 76. TDOT reporting all lanes have re-opened.MORE

An Off-Duty Knoxville Police Officer is Released from the Hospital Following Multi-Vehicle Crash that injured Several People on I-140 West

An Off-Duty Knoxville Police Officer is Released from the Hospital Following Multi-Vehicle Crash that injured Several People on I-140 West

An off-duty Knoxville Police Department officer is released from the hospital after suffering a broken arm and other injuries following a multi-vehicle crash near the Blount County line. It happened Saturday night, investigators say a car was traveling eastbound on I-140 West caused the crash which involved five cars with multiple individuals suffering injuries of…MORE

Prescribed Burns Begin in Great Smoky Mountains

Prescribed Burns Begin in Great Smoky Mountains

Spring prescribed fires planned in Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Appalachian Piedmont Coastal Fire Management Zone staff plan to burn approximately 925 acres of fields in the Cades Cove area. Weather permitting, burn operations will occur between today, February 13 and March 3. Deer, turkeys, ground-nesting birds, and other species benefit when…MORE

Great Smoky Mountain Park Officials Announce Greenbrier Road Closure

Great Smoky Mountain Park Officials Announce Greenbrier Road Closure

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced that Greenbrier Road at U.S. 321 and access into the Greenbrier area will be closed to all use starting February 13. The closure will allow contractors to repair road damage and replace washed out culverts caused by significant rainfall in July 2022. Work is scheduled to be completed…MORE

Knoxville Sets Hotel Revenue Record

Knoxville Sets Hotel Revenue Record

Knoxville set a record in hotel revenue in 2022, by nearly 30% from the year before. ”These are numbers just that Knoxville pre-COVID, we just didn’t experience, and it’s just a great high. I think the hotels and restaurants everyone is happy, how long can we maintain it but what does the dip look like,…MORE

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