KNOXVILLE, TN. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The Knoxville City Council met Tuesday night to discuss and approve two major agreements totaling nearly $20 million for Phase II of a project on Pleasant Ridge Road.
Councilmembers approved two contracts for improvements to Pleasant Ridge Road from Merchant Drive to the city limits.
According to the city, turn lanes will be added at Walnoaks Road, Sullivan Road and Murray Drive. Additionally, sidewalks and a new 1,25 mile greenway will be constructed and utilities will be upgraded.
Pleasant Ridge Road Phase II Project(City of Knoxville)
Charles Blalock & Sons, the contractor, will receive $17,686,117, and Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson will provide construction engineering and inspection services for $1,223,187.
City officials said this project complements earlier work on Pleasant Ridge Road that added turn lanes, sidewalks and utility upgrades on a 1.3 mile section between Merchant Drive and I-640.
Construction is slated to begin this fall and wrap up by the end of 2027. Before the start of construction, the city will hold a public meeting to answer residents’ questions.
The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a house fire in South Knoxville.
Crews were called to the 200 block of Colonial Drive last night (Tuesday) and found light smoke coming from the side of the home. They were able to quickly put the fire out and officials say the home was empty and was under renovation.
Strawberry Plains, TN (WOKI) The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration says roof material fell onto a miner’s loader at Young Mine in Jefferson County killing him.
Their report says it happened on July 12, killing 36-year-old Alan Whitaker who had been working at the mine for just over three years.
Young Mine is located near Strawberry Plains and is owned by Nyrstar East Tennessee. An in depth investigation into the incident is ongoing, and Nyrstar is cooperating fully with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”).
In 2021, the company’s Immel mine was cited for safety concerns before an employee was killed in a mine collapse.
The Labor Department released the report Monday, outlining some of the details about the mine cave-in. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 7/22: Keith Conley, a missing Knox County man, has been found dead.
The announcement Tuesday afternoon coming from officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation after the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said the man’s truck had been found crashed with a body inside.
According to KCSO, Conley’s truck was found Monday evening crashed near Highway 129 close to Topside Road.
While there has been no word that the body inside was Conley, TBI confirmed Tuesday that he had died.
Conley, 65, was last seen on Friday, July 11 leaving South Knox County at around 5:00 a.m. to head to work in Solway; however, he never arrived at this destination.
“The community rallied together during the search efforts,” KCSO said. “We are grateful for the assistance of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, and the Alcoa Police Department, who helped with the search, the many citizens who also gave their time, and our media partners who helped spread the word.”
An autopsy is slated to be performed by the Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death and to positively identify the person in Conley’s truck.
Additionally, the Alcoa Police Department is leading the investigation into the crash and the cause of death.
UPDATE 7/21: Sheriff Tom Spangler confirms that the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Tracking team, Aviation & Detective Division, discovered the truck belonging to the missing Knox County man, Keith R. Conley. The truck, which had crashed near Highway 129, close to Topside Road, contained an individual who, due to extenuating circumstances, could not be positively identified at the scene.
The community rallied together during the search efforts. We are grateful for the assistance of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, and the Alcoa Police Department, who helped with the search, the many citizens who also gave their time, and our media partners who helped spread the word.
The Alcoa Police Department will lead the investigation into the crash and the cause of death. An autopsy will be performed by the Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death and to positively identify the single occupant.
The TBI Silver Alert will Remain in Effect for Conley pending identification of body found in his truck.
ORIGINAL STORY: A TBI Silver Alert has been issued for a Knox county man.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says 65-year-old Keith Conley was last seen leaving South Knox County on July 11, heading for work in Solway but he never arrived.
He drives a 2003 White Ford Ranger XL Cab with Tennessee license plate BFN1492.
The truck has a distinctive blue toolbox in the bed. It was last sighted on Alcoa Highway near Topside Road.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has been employing various resources, including Air Watch and the KCSO dive team to find Conley.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND or contact Major Crimes at 865-215-2243 or send tips through tip 411.
Newport, TN (WOKI) All personnel are accounted for following a fire just before noon Tuesday) at the Cocke County Highway Department.
According to Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis, the fire, at the department’s facility on Lower Quarry Road in Newport, was brought under control around 1:00 p.m., adding that the building contained “dangerous explosives” inside.
Mathis says the county also evacuated the nearby Keurig Dr. Pepper plant as a precaution.
He urges the public to avoid the area as smoke is still thick and emergency responders will remain on scene for several more hours.
The University of Tennessee is one of 37 NCAA Power Five programs, including nine from the Southeastern Conference, to earn academic recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the WBCA announced on Tuesday.
The Lady Vols earned “Special Mention” status for their collective 3.323 grade point average as part of the WBCA’s 2024-25 Academic Team Honor Roll. That was an improvement over the 3.301 recorded in 2023-24. Earlier this summer, the UT women placed 11 members of their 15-player 2024-25 roster on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2024-25 season is the 30th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor roll.
“The WBCA is pleased to recognize those women’s basketball programs that have committed themselves to excellence on the court and in the classroom,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “The 119 teams we honor this year strive to achieve all-around success and we commend their efforts. Congratulations!”
The University of Tennessee is one of 37 NCAA Power Five programs, including nine from the Southeastern Conference, to earn academic recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the WBCA announced on Tuesday.
The Lady Vols earned “Special Mention” status for their collective 3.323 grade point average as part of the WBCA’s 2024-25 Academic Team Honor Roll. That was an improvement over the 3.301 recorded in 2023-24. Earlier this summer, the UT women placed 11 members of their 15-player 2024-25 roster on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2024-25 season is the 30th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor roll.
“The WBCA is pleased to recognize those women’s basketball programs that have committed themselves to excellence on the court and in the classroom,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “The 119 teams we honor this year strive to achieve all-around success and we commend their efforts. Congratulations!”
KNOXVILLE, TN (WOKI)—Knox County and Knoxville-Knox County Planning have embarked upon the third and final stage of Advance Knox – the creation of a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The purpose of this process is to update the County’s development regulations to better reflect the goals and place types set forth in the Comprehensive Plan by creating a modern, efficient, user-friendly document.
The final document will include standards for site design and building development that include zoning, street standards, subdivision regulations, stormwater regulations, and fire and building codes. Providing these in a single document will allow the County to review developments effectively, avoid overlapping regulations, and be more accessible and easier to navigate for all users.
To begin this work, a consultant team led by Orion Planning + Design has started a comprehensive audit to assess the County’s current development regulations. They have also started meeting with technical and community stakeholders and will host a series of public events later this fall. To receive updates about upcoming meetings and other news, you can sign up for newsletter updates at advanceknox.org/subscribe.
“The creation of the UDO is the last step in the process that will help guide growth and development for years to come,” said Mayor Jacobs. “I am looking forward to bringing our outdated regulations into alignment with the work we have already completed, and the input from the community and various stakeholders over the past several years.”
For more information, visit advanceknox.org for news updates, a timeline, upcoming meeting information, and opportunities to get involved. For other inquiries, please contact the project team at [email protected].
Knoxville, TN (KFD / WOKI) – At 3:15 PM (Monday), the Knox County Emergency Communications district received a 911 call from a female reporting her home at 1601 Freemont Place was on fire and that she was exiting the house.
Upon the arrival of the first KFD engine company, a fire was reported from the second floor of the home, visible from the front windows. KFD crews attempted an initial attack but were unable to reach the fire floor due to the heavy contents of the house. KFD crews had to back out and attempt entry through a second-floor window. Soon thereafter, KFD crews were able to reach the fire and extinguish it quickly.
One female was rescued from the home along with her pet dog.
The female was transported to a local hospital.
The home has sustained heavy fire, smoke, and water damage.
Knoxville Fire Investigators are on the scene working to determine a cause.
Longtime Vol Network announcer and local Knoxville sports radio host John Wilkerson will be inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 26 during a ceremony in Franklin, Tennessee.
Sponsored by the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Wilkerson joins an exclusive list of previous honorees with Tennessee Athletics and Vol Radio Network ties.
The original Vol Network announcer Lindsey Nelson (1948-50) and the legendary “Voice of The Vols” John Ward (1968-98) were members of the inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 2012. In 2013, another Vol Network announcer George Mooney (1952-67) was inducted. Others include UT public address announcer Bobby Denton (1967-2013) and Vol Network basketball analyst Lowell Blanchard (1966-68), both enshrined in 2015.
The newest inductees aside from Wilkerson include current “Voice of the Vols” and former Tennessee Titans play-by-play broadcaster Mike Keith, who was inducted in 2020, as well as the recently retired and longtime “Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, who was inducted just last year as part of the class of 2024.
For 35 years, Wilkerson has been involved with the Vol Radio Network, fulfilling numerous roles throughout his impressive career. Most notably, Wilkerson has been the Voice of Tennessee Baseball for the past 27 years, serving as the lead play-by-play voice of the Vols.
Wilkerson’s time with Tennessee baseball dates back to 1988 (the same year he graduated from UT) and has run consecutively since the 1991 season. His duties have ranged from doing public address at the ballpark to moving over to the broadcast booth where he joined Keith.
Boasting a nearly unmatched baseball IQ and an encyclopedia-like knowledge of the Vols’ program, Wilkerson has called six of Tennessee’s seven trips to the NCAA Men’s College World Series (1995, 2001, 2005, 2021, 2023, 2024), including the program’s first national championship in its most recent trip to Omaha in 2024.
In addition to Tennessee baseball, Wilkerson has been the scoreboard host for the Vol Network on both football and basketball broadcasts throughout the years.
Formerly morning sports anchor for WIVK and WNOX, he received the Associated Press award for Best Sportscast in the state five times over a six-year period and has been named best play-by-play in the state by the Associated Press on multiple occasions. In addition to his Vol Network assignments in the fall, Wilkerson—who resides in Knoxville with his wife, Pennye—also calls football games for Knoxville Catholic High School on WNML.
Monday through Friday, Wilkerson hosts SportsTalk from 6-9 a.m. on WNML 99.1 The Sports Animal (AM 990/FM 99.1), which is the flagship station for Tennessee baseball as well as numerous other shows and events covering UT athletics.
Saturday’s 2025 Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Battleground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee at 4 p.m. (CT). Tickets to the event are available to anyone and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
