Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Police are investigating a shooting at Ridgebrook Apartments in the Mechanicsville area.
Officers arrested 39 year-old Jacob Brown who reportedly fired a round at three people Monday night following an argument near the front entrance.
Officers confronted Brown who went into an apartment and jumped out of a second-floor window. He was found a short time later and officers recovered the firearm he used.
Brown has an extensive criminal history and a previous felony conviction from a 2003 theft.
He was charged with aggravated assault and felon in possession of a weapon.
According to KPD, the arrest happened Monday night outside of Ridgebrook Apartments.(Frankly Media)
Knoxville Area Transit is making some big changes to its bus routes.
You’ll see those take effect next month. KAT wants you to be able to take a look and see how the changes could affect you.
You can go to https://katbus.com/ to download their app to view KAT Reimagined Bus network preview.
KAT is planning to hold various events highlighting these changes. Leaders say they want to make things as smooth as possible for passengers so the new routes, which start on August 26th, will be free to ride for the first two weeks while riders get used to the new routes.
KAT buses suspend operations due to dangerous road conditions (Courtesy: WVLT)
DALLAS – Football season has arrived for Tennessee as the Volunteers take their turn at 2024 SEC Football Media Day on Tuesday at the Omni in downtown Dallas. Tennessee will be represented by fourth-year head coach Josh Heupel, senior center Cooper Mays, senior linebacker Keenan Pili and senior defensive tackle Omari Thomas.
The experienced trio of players has served as game captains, are members of the team’s leadership council and have combined to play 125 games with 87 starts in their collegiate careers.
SEC Network will have full coverage throughout the day. Heupel will be on the main stage at 11:35 a.m. ET and then the network set with guests at approximately 12:45 p.m. ET. Players will be in the main media room at 12:15 p.m. ET. SEC Now on SEC Network sets the stage for the day at 7 a.m. ET.
Heupel and players will visit with more than 1,000 media throughout the day, as well as ESPN and SEC Network programming content that will be used for the season. Tennessee is paired with Georgia in the morning session, and Oklahoma and Missouri are set for the afternoon portion. The expanded 16-team conference event is being held in Dallas for the first time.
Thomas is making his second straight media day appearance. The SEC’s student-athlete representative on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee enters his fourth straight season as a starter at defensive tackle, accumulating 88 tackles and 11 tackles for loss during his tenure.
Pili is entering his second season with the Vols as a starter at linebacker. The seventh-year senior suffered a season-ending injury in last year’s opener but is fully healthy entering the 2024 campaign. Pili was a two-time team captain at BYU, playing in 36 games before transferring to Knoxville.
Mays is the catalyst of Tennessee’s offensive line, which was named Joe Moore Award semifinalists in back-to-back years. A 2024 Walter Camp preseason first-team All-American, Mays will be the starter at center for the fourth consecutive season. He’s logged over 2,000 career offensive snaps during his career and carries a 14-game streak of not allowing sack into the Chattanooga opener on Aug. 31.
The Vols are coming off a nine-win season and a No. 17 final ranking after shutting out Big Ten West champion Iowa, 35-0, in the Capital One Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. Tennessee welcomed 18 early enrollees who participated in bowl practice and spring practice, including seven FBS transfers.
Heupel has guided the Vols to their winningest two-year stretch in school history and owns a 55-20 record in six seasons as a head coach. Heupel’s .692 winning percentage (27-12) at Tennessee is the second-highest by a Vol coach in the last five decades. His 27 wins are the third-most by a UT coach through his first three seasons, trailing only Bill Battle (31 from 1970-72) and Phillip Fulmer (29 from 1993-95).
Tennessee officially reports for camp on July 30 before going through its first practice on July 31.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Four more Tennessee Vols were selected on day two of the 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Monday, giving them an NCAA-best eight total draft picks through the first 10 rounds.
🚨MLB DRAFT PICKS BY SCHOOL (Thru Day 2)🚨
Tennessee 8 LSU 7 Arkansas 6 Florida State 6 Mississippi State 6 Oklahoma 6 Oklahoma State 6 Vanderbilt 6 Oregon State 5 Texas A&M 5 Wake Forest 5
The Volunteers’ eight picks are the program’s most ever through 10 rounds and are tied for the second most in any single draft with the 2023 and 1992 teams. Since the MLB Draft was shortened to just 20 rounds in 2021, UT has had at least seven players selected each year and leads the nation with 33 total players drafted in that span.
Three of the four Tennessee players drafted on Monday afternoon were pitchers as Drew Beam (Third Round – Kansas City Royals), AJ Causey (Fifth Round – Kansas City Royals) and Aaron Combs (Eighth Round – Chicago White Sox) were all taken to mark the fourth consecutive non-COVID year draft that the Vols have had at least three pitchers selected.
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Kavares Tears was the other Vol picked on Monday, going in the fourth round to the San Diego Padres.
UT led all programs with four picks on day one of the 2024 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, representing the most players selected through the first two rounds of any draft in program history.
⚾️MOST DRAFT PICKS ON SUNDAY⚾️
Tennessee 4 LSU 3 Wake Forest 3 FSU 2 Kentucky 2 Mississippi State 2 Oregon State 2 Texas A&M 2 Vanderbilt 2 Virginia 2— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 15, 2024
For the second time in the last three years, Tennessee had two players selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, as the Vols’ dynamic duo of Christian Moore (No. 8 overall – Los Angeles Angels) and Blake Burke (No. 34 overall – Milwaukee Brewers) joined the growing list of UT first rounders.
The Vols have had at least one player selected in the first round of the MLB Draft in four of the last five years, and with Moore’s selection, have now had players picked in the top-10 overall in back-to-back drafts for the first time in program history during the modern draft era after pitcher Chase Dollander went ninth overall to the Colorado Rockies last year.
Moore and Burke, who rank first and second in program history in career home runs, are the 20th and 21st first-round picks in program history and the fifth and sixth under head coach Tony Vitello and staff.
The Big Orange also boasted two second-round picks in third baseman Billy Amick (No. 60 overall – Minnesota Twins) and outfielder Dylan Dreiling (No. 65 overall – Texas Rangers), a duo that combined to drive in 140 runs this season while helping lead Tennessee to its first National Championship in program history.
DAY 1 (ROUNDS 1-2)
2B Christian Moore – Los Angeles Angels – First Round – No. 8 Overall
Moore is the highest drafted Tennessee player of the Vitello era (2018-pres.) and the highest selected Vol since Nick Senzel went No. 2 overall to the Cincinnati Reds in 2016. Moore is coming off a record-setting junior season for the National Champion Volunteers, receiving first-team All-America honors from D1Baseball.com, Baseball America and Perfect Game as well as first-team All-SEC acclaim.
The Brooklyn, New York, native became just the third player in Southeastern Conference history to win the Triple Crown with his stats in league play, leading the SEC with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs and 41 RBIs in conference play while also leading the league with 57 hits and 123 total bases.
Moore finished the year as the nation’s leader in hits (111) and total bases (236) while also ranking in the top-25 nationally in home runs (3rd – 34), runs (t-8th – 83) and slugging percentage (14th – .797).
Moore’s numbers from this season rank in the top 10 in UT single-season annals in multiple categories, including first in home runs (34), first in total bases (236), first in extra-base hits (55), second in hits (111), third in runs (83), seventh in slugging percentage (.797) and seventh in RBIs (74). Moore also finished his Tennessee career as the program’s all-time home run leader with 61 while ranking in the top-10 in slugging percentage (third – .697), extra base hits (third – 100), total bases (third – 438), runs (fourth – 179), walks (fifth – 115) and RBIs (sixth – 160).
Burke is coming off his best season at the collegiate level, leading the nation with 30 doubles and finishing second in the country with 108 hits. The junior slugger’s 30 doubles were tied for the most in program history while his 108 hits ranked fifth most in Tennessee single-season history. Burke also posted career highs in batting average (.379), runs (74), home runs (20), RBIs (61), walks (35), total bases (200) and stolen bases (11) in 2024. His 50 career home runs rank second all-time at UT.
The California native was a unanimous first-team All-American at first base, becoming the second UT player to do so in the Vitello era. Burke is now a member of an exclusive group of Volunteers to garner first-team acclaim from five or more outlets, joining the likes of program legends Todd Helton (1995), Jeff Pickler (1998), Chris Burke (2001), Luke Hochevar (2005) and Dollander (2022).
Amick made the most of his lone season on Rocky Top, ranking among the team leaders in a handful of offensive categories for the national champion Volunteers despite missing eight games due to injury. His 23 home runs were tied for second on the team while his 65 RBIs were third most for UT.
The Batesburg, South Carolina, native was tabbed a first-team midseason All-American by Perfect Game and was named the SEC Player of the Week on March 4. Amick played his first two years of college ball at Clemson where he was an All-American and All-SEC selection as a sophomore in 2023.
Dreiling was selected with the final pick of the second round after a breakout sophomore season for the Big Orange, hitting .341 with 19 doubles, 23 home runs and a team-leading 75 RBIs, which rank sixth most in program history.
The third-team D1Baseball.com All-American and first-team All-SEC outfielder also led the Vols with 53 walks and a .459 on-base percentage.
Dreiling saved his best performances for the biggest moments, earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the Men’s College World Series after leading the team with a .542 batting average, three home runs and 11 RBIs during the Vols’ championship run in Omaha. In the championship series, Dreiling went 7-for-12 with four runs and seven RBIs and became the first player in MCWS history to homer in all three games of the finals.
Beam capped his accomplished collegiate career with another productive season for the Vols, earning All-America honors for the second time in his career. The junior righthander was tied for the team lead with 19 starts and tossed a career-high 102.1 innings, posting a 9-2 record and career-best 99 strikeouts on the year.
Beam was especially big during UT’s title run in Omaha, going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts over two starts at the Men’s College World Series.
The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native finished his Tennessee career ranked among the program leaders in a handful of categories, including tied for second in starts (52) and third in victories (26). Beam also ranks tied for sixth in strikeouts (249) and ninth in innings pitched (262.2) in UT career annals.
A proven winner and consistent presence on the mound who played a major part in bringing the Vols their first National Title in program history.#GBO // #MLBDraftpic.twitter.com/CJIOeO1vRk— Tennessee Baseball (@Vol_Baseball) July 15, 2024
OF Kavares Tears – San Diego Padres – Fourth Round (Compensation Pick) – No. 134 Overall
After a breakout redshirt-sophomore season, Tears was recognized as an ABCA All-Southeast Region and All-SEC performer for the first time in his career. The athletic and powerful outfielder was seventh in the SEC with 73 runs scored while ranking among the Vols’ team leaders in most offensive categories.
Tears finished second on the team in walks (53) and third in runs scored while ranking fourth in batting average (.324), OPS (1.070), hits (79), doubles (16), home runs (20), RBIs (62), slugging percentage (.643) and on-base percentage (.427).
The Lewisburg, Tennessee, was also tabbed to the SEC All-Defensive team after posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 102 putouts while showcasing his incredible arm strength with four outfield assists.
Causey was a breakout star for the Big Orange in 2024 and earned third-team All-America honors from three different outlets after finishing the year tied for first in the country with 13 victories. The junior righthander earned a win or a save in 14 of his 19 outings with eight of his victories coming against SEC foes.
Causey posted a 13-3 record with a team-leading 125 strikeouts, a mark that ranked 11th nationally and third in the SEC. With his win over Evansville in the NCAA Super Regional opener, Causey moved into a tie for fourth on UT’s single-season wins list. His strikeout total finished as the sixth-highest in program history, as well.
The nation’s leader in wins this season joins teammate Drew Beam in KC!
Combs emerged as one of the nation’s most dominant relief pitchers during the second half of the 2024 season and played a major part in the Vols’ postseason success. The Sarasota, Florida, native recorded the final three outs of the Men’s College World Series championship game.
The redshirt junior righthander ended the season with a 3-1 record and 3.35 ERA in 24 appearances while finishing fourth on the squad with 66 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. His impact during conference play was even more impressive as Combs posted a 1.25 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP while holding opposing hitters to a .152 average in 11 SEC appearances.
Combs finished tied for the team lead and fifth in the SEC with six saves on the year, including saves in both the SEC Tournament Championship game and the final game of the MCWS finals.
A third oversized load will be on the move in East Tennessee this week.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation says there will be rolling roadblocks for the oversized load tomorrow (Wednesday) as it works its way from Knoxville to Kingsport.
They will be on I-40 East at Exit 398 (Strawberry Plains) from midnight-3 a.m., I-81 North at Exit 23 (Mosheim) from 3-6 a.m. and I-81 North at Exit 59 (Kingsport) from 6-9 a.m.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) is rescinding disciplinary action against Clinton High School.
The school reported that one of their players wasn’t eligible to play but it turns out he was eligible, so the school does not have to forfeit their wins for the 2023 season and they don’t have to pay the almost $12,000 they were ordered to pay for the violation.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) is rescinding disciplinary action against Clinton High School.
The school reported that one of their players wasn’t eligible to play but it turns out he was eligible, so the school does not have to forfeit their wins for the 2023 season and they don’t have to pay the almost $12,000 they were ordered to pay for the violation.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) An extension cord is reportedly to blame for a house fire Monday morning in East Knox County.
Rural Metro firefighters responding to the scene in the 3800 block of Strong Road around 8:20 a.m. reported seeing smoke coming from the home.
Rural Metro officials say firefighters quickly extinguished a fire found venting through a crawl space. They say the room in which the fire started suffered significant damage while the remainder of the house suffered smoke and heat damage.
Fire officials say an extension cord was noted as the possible source of the fire and that no one was home at the time of the incident.
Pigeon Forge, TN (WOKI) Firefighters in Pigeon Forge are grieving the loss of one of their own on Sunday.
Officials with the Pigeon Forge Fire Department say firefighter 20-year-old Aaron Huss died Sunday night, July 14 in a motorcycle crash on I-40 in Knox County.
The department, along with troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, escorted Huss Monday from the Knox County medical examiner’s office to a funeral home.
A Pigeon Forge firefighter died in a motorcycle crash Sunday night, according to the Pigeon Forge Fire Department. (Courtesy: Kyle Grainger, WVLT)
It’s no secret that 11-time Billboard Music Award-winner Morgan Wallen has remained loyal to his Tennessee roots throughout his career. Growing up in Sneedville, Tennessee, before moving to Knoxville as a teenager, Wallen’s affinity for the University of Tennessee Vols has inspired hits such as “Tennessee Fan” and “Had Me By Halftime,” while he continues to cheer on his favorite team between tour stops.
Now Wallen, celebrated by Philadelphia Inquirer as a “savvy showman,” is bookending his Pollstar and Billboard-awarded Country Tour of the Year, One Night At A Time, with a show he’s always wanted to headline: Neyland Stadium. Produced by Live Nation, on Sunday, Sept. 22, Wallen will be joined by special guests HARDY and fellow Tennessee-native ERNEST with tickets going on-sale at 11 AM EST this Wednesday, July 17. Available at MorganWallen.com.
“I’ve had the honor of playing in a lot of college, MLB and NFL stadiums the past two years, but getting to play to my hometown at Neyland Stadium, nothing tops this for a boy from East Tennessee,” shares Wallen, who reactivated his Instagram this morning to share the news.
Fans can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, guided backstage tour, group photo on the stage, invitation to the Morgan Wallen VIP Lounge, VIP-exclusive gift item and more. VIP package contents vary based on the offer selected. For more information, visit vipnation.com.
Wallen recently returned stateside following his BST Hyde Park London headlining debut alongside openers Riley Green, ERNEST, Ella Langley, Alana Springsteen, Zandi Holup and more. Becoming the largest country concert ever held in the U.K. with over 50,000 attendees, Wallen’s performance left The Times noting “America’s biggest country star charms Hyde Park” as Billboard added Wallen established himself “as a key figure in heightening country music’s global reach.”
While in the U.K., Wallen also released fan-favorite “Lies Lies Lies” after originally recording it at London’s Abbey Road Studios for his digital series Abbey Road Sessions on Dec. 5, 2023. With Music Row critic Robert Oermann declaring it a “lovelorn lament,” Billboard opined “the angst-fueled ballad offers a vessel for the soulful nuances in Wallen’s Tennessee twang.”
With a portion of every ticket purchased to his live shows benefiting The Morgan Wallen Foundation (MWF), the nonprofit recently donated $100,000 to the community of Jefferson City to improve and renovate two local baseball fields. With $80,000 going toward Roy Harmon Field via the City Parks Department and $20,000 toward New Market Field via Jefferson City Little League, the renovations include new infields, bases, dug outs, press boxes, backstop padding, fencing and more. Read more HERE.
With just ten dates remaining on One Night At A Time in the U.S., Wallen will kick-off his first-ever European tour on Aug. 28 in Stockholm, Sweden. The seven show run will include additional stops in Copenhagen, Denmark; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Glasgow, U.K. and more before concluding with two back-to-back nights in Dublin, Ireland.
Morgan Wallen One Night At A Time 2024 Remaining U.S. Tour Dates: Thurs, July 25 // Arlington, TX // AT&T Stadium* ~ @ = Fri, July 26 // Arlington, TX // AT&T Stadium* # @ = Thurs, Aug 1 // Kansas City, MO // GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium* ? @ < Fri, Aug 2 // Kansas City, MO // GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium* % @ < Thurs, Aug 8 // Las Vegas, NV // Allegiant Stadium* ~ @ < Fri, Aug 9 // Las Vegas, NV // Allegiant Stadium* % @ < Sun, Sept 22 // Knoxville, TN // Neyland Stadium * & $ Sat, Oct 5 // Tampa, FL // Raymond James Stadium* TBD Thurs, Oct 18 // Charlotte, NC // Bank of America Stadium* TBD Fri, Oct 19 // Charlotte, NC // Bank of America Stadium* TBD
