GATLINBURG, TN — Join us this summer and fall for a series of exciting, family-friendly programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, starting June 7. Visitors are invited to take a hike with a ranger, learn about mountain life, meet some of the creatures that call the Smokies’ home, trek into the dark and much more.
The full schedule of programs, with details about locations, topics and how to arrive prepared can be found on the park’s online event calendar and will be published in the summer edition of the Smokies Guide newspaper.
Additionally, one day each month, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and students from the University of Tennessee and Maryville College will collaborate with park staff to present programs. Funding for these programs was provided by the National Park Foundation.
ASL-interpreted programs will include:
Saturday, June 28: Portraits from the Past (9 a.m. at John Oliver parking area in Cades Cove); Drop-In History (10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Cable Mill Historic Area).
Sunday, July 20: Kuwohi Guided Hike (9 a.m. at Kuwohi parking area); Mingus Mill program (2 p.m. at Mingus Mill).
Sunday, August 17: Walker Sisters Hike (11 a.m. at Little Greenbrier School); Stream Splashers (2 p.m. at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area).
Friday, September 12: Bear Aware Drop In (1-3 p.m. at Cades Cove Orientation Shelter); Cove After Dark Walk (8 p.m. at the Cades Cove Orientation Shelter).
Tuesday, October 7: History of Daisytown (11 a.m. at Jakes Creek parking area); Hiking 101 (1 p.m. at Little River Trailhead).
Friday, November 7: Down on the Farm drop-in (10 a.m.-noon at the Mountain Farm Museum, Oconaluftee); Wild About the Smokies (3 p.m. at Oconaluftee Visitor Center).
Programs are family-friendly and are open to all park visitors. Visitors are welcome to participate on as many days as they choose and may opt to attend one or both programs on each day. No reservations are required.
A Sevier County man is facing charges after he stabbed his brother to death and “drowned, mutilated and incinerated” the family dog.
Deputies with the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 1000 block of Indian Gap Road Wednesday and found 36-year-old Thomas Carter.
Carter killed the dog and left the house, before returning with his brother, 41-year-old Jeffrey Todd, who he got into a fight with and stabbed multiple times.
Todd was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Carter is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated animal cruelty.
The investigation continues by the sheriff’s office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Seventh-ranked Tennessee battled hard all game, but a 3-run walk-off home run for No. 2 Oklahoma handed the Lady Vols a heart-breaking 4-3 loss in their first game of the 2025 Women’s College World Series at Devon Park.
The Big Orange (45-16) led the majority of the game thanks to a 2-run first inning. However, it was a two-homer day for the Sooners’ Ella Parker, who drove in all four Oklahoma (51-7) runs.
Karlyn Pickens fought hard on the mound against OU’s potent offense, striking out eight batters and keeping the Sooners to five hits. The Tennessee offense had eight base knocks and drew four walks but left seven stranded.
The Lady Vols gained the early momentum, as a Gabby Leach single over the shortstop’s head followed by a double to right center by Pannell had the Big Orange with a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. Leach and Pannell each crossed the plate thanks to a passed ball and then a sac fly to right field by Sophia Nugent. The Sooners got one run back in the bottom half of the opening frame thanks to Parker’s first long ball of the game.
In the top of the third, Dodge drew her first walk after getting behind in the count. That patience at the plate was rewarded two batters later, when McKenna Gibson blasted a ball to the left-center gap that bounced off the glove of OU’s left fielder. Dodge’s heads-up running just beat out a bang-bang play at the plate to give Tennessee a 3-1 advantage.
Up next, the Lady Vols will play Florida in an elimination game on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department out with some good news Thursday following high-visibility traffic enforcement operations over the Memorial Day weekend.
KPD reporting there were NO fatal crashes within city limits during the enforcement period which ran from 4:00 p.m. Friday, May 23 through Memorial Day Monday, May 26.
Other highlights from the report include 10 motor vehicle crashes involving injury and four arrests for driving under the influence.
Check out the full traffic enforcement report here:
Townsend, TN (WOKI) After more than a decade with the organization, the executive director of the Appalachian Bear Rescue is stepping down.
ABR announcing via social media that Dana Dodd would be stepping down from her role as executive director to spend more time with family and friends in Nashville.
Dodd, who lives in the mid-state, joined ABR as president of the board in 2011 before moving into her current position in 2017.
Greg Grieco will serve as interim executive director while the rescue works towards its next phase.
The announcement comes as ABR is working with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to get back up and running after a pneumonia outbreak late last year.
Dana Dodd will be stepping down as the executive director of Appalachian Bear Rescue after working with the group since 2011. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Tellico Plains, TN (WOKI) Visitors to the Cherokee National Forest just outside of Tellico will soon be able to enjoy a major hot spot for waterfall watchers.
Bald River Falls Bridge reopens, officially, Friday, May 30 after a years-long renovation.
In October of 2023, crews closed the bridge to overhaul it completely, even adding a platform for safe waterfall viewing. The renovation has involved the complete disassembly and rebuilding of the bridge, which was nearing 100 years old.
Area leaders held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new bridge Thursday, May 29.
Bald River Falls Bridge Project Rendering (Courtesy: U.S. Forest Service – Cherokee NationalForest)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) On the heels of apparent retaliatory firings at the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center, one of whom is the facility’s only nurse, Knox County’s mayor wastes no time in calling for change.
“My office is recommending that the Knox County Commission change the ordinance governing the juvenile detention center to place the center under the control of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and I will be speaking to Governor Lee to request immediate state intervention,” Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said Thursday over social media.
Mayor Jacobs says a meeting Wednesday, May 28 with Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin and Superintendent Bean, the facility’s namesake director, did result in the immediate reinstatement of the two employees but that he has “no confidence” in the center’s current leadership or its three member governing board to resolve issues moving forward.
According to Jacobs, the firings were in retaliation for the employees submitting complaints to the state, the nature of which has not been disclosed.
Per reporting from our news partner WVLT, the tail end of 2023 saw plenty of complaints about how the center was run; specifically, more than a dozen Tennessee lawmakers called for a state investigation over how long inmates were kept in solitary confinement.
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs says the county will look to take over the detention center. (Courtesy: WVLT)
The Morristown Police Department (MPD) has been made aware of another telephone scam trying to obtain money from citizens.
In this latest hoax, the number on caller ID displays as 423-585-2710. This is an MPD number; however, it will never show up on a legitimate call as all calls are routed through our switchboard.
The caller claims a warrant has been taken either for missed jury duty or an unpaid citation and demands immediate payment. As always, the MPD will never call asking for money for any type of warrant or unpaid citation.
Please do not fall victim to this or similar scams.
A New Market man is facing several charges after a missing 13-year-old girl from Iowa is found in Jefferson County. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputies received information from the West Des Monies (IA) Police Department on Monday about a missing teen that was possibly in Jefferson County.
Deputies went to two homes in an effort to find the teen when Jefferson County E-911 received a call on Fielden Store Road about a girl who went to a home and said she had been kidnapped.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the missing 13-year-old from Iowa. Investigators then discovered that 37-year-old Martin Sandoval, Jr. had been talking with her on social media and drove 13 hours to West Des Monies on Saturday to pick her up before driving back to Jefferson County.
Investigators say the victim and Sandoval had “several sexual encounters.”
He was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated statutory rape and is being held on a $500,000 bond. Further charges are expected in Iowa where the victim was taken.
