The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Silver Alert for 87-year-old Jack Ballard missing out of McMinn County.
According to TBI, Ballard is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He is bald with brown eyes and was last seen wearing blue plaid pajamas in the area of Country Road 804 in Etowah.
Ballard also reportedly has a medical condition that may impair his ability to return home safely without assistance.
TBI said Ballard may be traveling in a gray 2020 Jeep Renegade with Tennessee tag 4IL 374.
Those with information are asked to call the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office at 423-745-3222 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
A woman is recovering after she is scratched by a bear in Gatlinburg.
It happened over the weekend at the Super 8 Motel on Historic Nature Trail. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency says the woman left her hotel room and a bear was outside eating from an unsecured trash can and scratched her leg. The bear also had cubs and officials were able to get the bears out of the area.
TWRA says this is the second time something like this has happened at this motel. Just eight days ago, a man left his room and was scratched on his arm. The motel has been issued citation and provided with information on how to securely store their trash.
Black bear takes unexpected ride to Knoxville waste center, Tennessee wildlife agency says (Pexels / Aaron J. Hill)
A person is arrested and charged with aggravated arson following an early morning (Monday) fire at home in Northwest Knoxville where people were illegally living.
Knoxville Fire Department Crews called to the 1500 block of Massachusetts Avenue and the home was on fire as well as a small fire in the yard near the home.
Crews quickly extinguished the outside fire but the home suffered significant fire damage and is a total loss.
It had been uninhabitable a long time prior to the fire. The home did not have electricity. Three people, two women and a man were living in the home without permission.
No injuries have been reported. An investigation is underway.
Update: Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say 18 year-old Lucia Ogburn has been found safe. She was found last night and no other information has been released.
Original story: The Knox County Sheriff’s Office needs help to find a missing Knox County Teen.
18 year-old Lucia Ogburn of Knoxville was last seen in the Crosswood Blvd. area at approximately 1 a.m. this morning (Sunday).
Detectives want to contact Ms. Ogburn for a welfare check.
She was last seen wearing a white hoodie, black Nike shorts, and white Vans tennis shoes.
If you have any information on Ms. Ogburn’s whereabouts, contact Major Crimes Detectives at 865-215-2243.
An escaped Tennessee inmate, who may be connected to a missing Carter County man’s disappearance, has been taken into custody in Greenville County South Carolina.
Billy Fletcher was arrested Thursday night after waling off from his work detail at the Carter County Detention Center here in Tennessee on June 20th.
Authorities are still investigating how Fletcher is connected with the disappearance of Victor Birchfield.
Birchfield’s daughter reported him missing on June 21st along with his silver 2004 Toyota 4Runner which was found in South Carolina.
The search for 61-year-old Victor Birchfield is ongoing with a TBI Silver Alert still in effect.
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says the 11th boating related fatality has occurred on Tennessee waters this year.
TWRA officers and local authorities responding to a call Friday about a man, reportedly in his 70’s, who was fishing with a friend and believed to have suffered a medical emergency and fell into the water where the Hiwassee and Tennessee Rivers meet in Meigs County.
He was not wearing a life jacket and the man still on board tried to save him and called 911, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Motorists traveling on Alcoa Highway (US 129/State Route 115) in Knox County should be aware of upcoming road construction activities that will have a temporary impact on traffic.
Beginning on Monday, July 8 and continuing through Friday, July 12, the contractor will perform rolling roadblocks on Alcoa Highway (US 129/State Route 115) between Woodson Drive and Cherokee Trail. These rolling roadblocks will take place in short intervals (approximately 20 minutes each) and will be spaced out to allow traffic to return to normal flow between operations. These rolling roadblocks will be intermittent daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and are necessary to allow crews to safely mobilize equipment and perform rock excavation and clearing activities.
In addition, beginning on Monday, July 8, and continuing through Friday, July 12, crews will be conducting flagging operations on the ramp from northbound Alcoa Highway (US 129/State Route 115) at the traffic signal at Cherokee Trail and along Cherokee Trail between the Alcoa Highway interchange and Medical Center Way. The flagging operations will take place daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and are necessary to allow crews to unload materials and for trucks to safely enter and exit the work areas.
This schedule is contingent on favorable weather conditions. Motorists are advised to expect delays and use extreme caution in this area as workers will be present.
As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and “Know Before You Go!” by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.
An investigation into a deadly domestic shooting is underway after Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a Linden Avenue home early Saturday morning.
At just after 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 6, 2024, KPD officers were dispatched to a home in the 2700 block of Linden Avenue in response to reported shooting with a victim.
Officers arrived on scene, where an adult man had been shot. Responding Knoxville Fire Department personnel attempted life-saving care, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Based on the investigation being led by KPD Homicide Unit detectives, it is believed that the victim was engaged in a domestic dispute with family members when he pulled out a gun. The victim was then shot by an individual inside the home, who remained on scene. There were no other injuries reported.
No charges have been filed at this time and the investigation remains ongoing.
The 2024 World Rowing Senior, Under 23 and Under 19 Championships will be a combined event, taking place August 18-25 in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
The top event of the year for the Under 23 classic rowers is the World Rowing Under 23 Championships. There are 22 boat classes to compete in, including eight lightweight boat classes. The Championships usually attract up to 1,000 rowers from around the world.
The Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course is the site of this year’s U23 Championships. This world class rowing facility is located in the historic waterfront village of Port Dalhousie.
The facility has a fully buoyed, eight-lane, 2000-meter course that was built on the location of the first Welland Canal. The course has a total length of 2,300 meters and is surrounded and sheltered by tree-lined shores and the historic homes of Port Dalhousie.
Pidgeon, a rising junior from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, capped the 2024 spring season with an impressive season boat record of 44-4, racing solely in the Tennessee First Varsity Eight crew. In that 1V8+ boat, Pidgeon aided the crew to Big 12 Boat of the Week honors on April 24, following multiple dominant performances at the Big Ten Invitational.
Abrams, a senior for Tennessee in 2023-24 who is originally from Maitland, Australia, earned CRCA First Team All-America recognition in 2024, after posting a 44-4 season record in the 1V8+ boat. She was also on the All-Big 12 Rowing Team, a Big 12 Academic All-Conference First Team honoree and a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete in 2024.
A rising junior for UT from Nelson, New Zealand, Campbell posted a 45-4 overall boat record in 2024, competing primarily in Tennessee’s First Varsity Eight crew. She earned CRCA National Scholar-Athlete honors to cap a stellar sophomore campaign.
Fahey, a native of Wellington, New Zealand, was named a CRCA First Team All-American for a second consecutive year in 2024, posting a spring season record of 44-4 as a junior, primarily in the 1V8+ boat. She was also a member of the 2024 All-Big 12 Rowing Team, along with earning recognitions as a CRCA National Scholar-Athlete and Big 12 Academic All-Conference First Team member in 2024. Last summer, Fahey was a silver medalist in the women’s coxed four for Team New Zealand at the 2023 World Rowing Under 23 Championships.
There is opportunity for additional Lady Vols to qualify for the 2024 running of the U23 Championships later in July.
The following events are offered on the women’s side at the 2024 World Rowing Under 23 Championships: Under 23 Women (BW): 1x, 2x, 2-, 4x, 4-, 4+, 8+ Under 23 Lightweight Women (BLW): 1x, 2x, 2-, 4x
For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee rowing on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
