Cumberland County, TN (WOKI) A person is dead following a motorcycle crash Wednesday in Cumberland County.
The crash happened on I-40 East around 8:00 p.m. near mile marker 336, between Rockwood and Crab Orchard.
Tennessee Highway Patrol officials say a Ford F-150 was heading west in the eastbound lane when it hit the motorcycle head-on.
THP says the driver of the motorcycle died, and the driver of the truck was uninjured.
They add that charges are pending for the truck driver.
A TBI Amber Alert remains active for missing, now 8 year-old Summer Wells out of Hawkins County.
This Saturday marks three years since then five-year-old Summer Wells disappeared from her home on Ben Hill Road in the Beech Creek Community. Hours later, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Endangered Child Alert for her that would turn into an AMBER Alert the following day.
They have released an age-progressed photo of Summer and officials have not received any tips that have led to finding her.
Her parents believe someone took Summer and her brothers were removed from their custody shortly after her disappearance. Her father spent almost a year in jail after pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge.
Anyone who has any credible information about the whereabouts of Summer Wells is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating an early morning (Thursday) fire in South Knoxville.
When crews were responding to the call for a house fire at the corner of Eddington Road and Willoughby Road they found a structure fire a short distance away on Maple Lane, a county address, which turned out to be a detached garage.
The fire had spread to nearby vegetation and debris but crews were able to quickly put everything out.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the drowning death of a 2-year-old girl in Tellico Plains.
First responders were dispatched to a home yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon for a drowning. Officials say some children were playing outside with their mother when she went inside for a restroom break. When she returned outside, she was searching for the children when she saw the girl floating in the pool.
She got the child out of the pool and performed CPR until first responders arrived and took over CPR until EMS arrived and took her to the Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Rockford, TN (WOKI) The suspect at the center of Tuesday’s shooting of two Blount County Sheriff’s Office deputies and standoff with police now faces over a dozen charges in the incident.
BCSO says 59-year-old Ronald Millsaps is charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, two counts of attempted criminal homicide, one count of especially aggravated kidnapping and four counts of reckless endangerment after firing upon law enforcement who were called to his residence on Jacob Springs Boulevard in Rockford for a domestic dispute.
Deputies Corbin Smith and Edward Walker were each shot in the leg during the exchange but have since been released from the hospital.
According to BCSO, Millsaps is in custody at the Blount County Correctional Facility on a $2.2 million bond. He is due in court on Monday, June 17.
Pensacola, FL (WOKI) The biological mother of Abigail Velez, the 16-year-old Tennessee girl who went missing in Pensacola, Florida last week, is facing charges.
Pensacola police say Crystal Hornsby was arrested for interference with child custody in St. Petersburg. She’s currently in Pinellas County Jail.
Police add that Hornsby helped Velez travel from Pensacola to St. Petersburg.
Velez is the daughter of an East Tennessee police officer. She went missing Thursday night while on vacation in Florida after last being seen at Baptist Hospital. She was found safe Tuesday.
Vonore, TN (WOKI) One man is dead after drowning at Fort Loudon State Historic Park in Vonore.
Officials with the Vonore Police Department say the drowning occurred around 5:30 Tuesday evening.
They add that the man’s body was recovered, and the department does not suspect foul play at this time.
The victim’s age and identity have yet to be released. The investigation remains ongoing.
The Knoxville City Council approves a resolution that would unlock $150,000 to nonprofits and organizations focused on revitalizing East Knoxville.
That money would be provided through a grant from the city’s African American equity restoration task force which was established by the council in 2020. The resolution will split the money among eighteen groups who applied for the grant.
Here’s how the proposal breaks that funding down:
City Council also approved the first reading of a proposal that would rezone the Sunsphere as a historic building.
This would not change its base zoning classification. The Sunsphere is back open after construction was being done on its observation deck.
Community members in three Tennessee cities will have open houses to discuss their thoughts on the proposed Ridgeline Pipeline.
In April, TVA announced plans that the Kingston Fossil Plant would be converted into an energy complex consisting of natural gas, solar and battery storage.
The plans would include a 122-mile pipeline that would span across eight Tennessee Counties including Smith, Jackson, Overton, Fentress, Morgan and Roane.
There will be a meeting tonight, (Wednesday) at Cookeville High School in Cookeville from 6 – 8 p.m. central time and the final meeting is tomorrow (Thursday) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. central time at Trousdale Community Center in Hartsville.
Officials say the majority of the route for the proposed pipeline would be located within the existing system’s right-of-way where possible to minimize impacts to landowners and the environment.
If approved, construction would start by the fall of 2025.
UPDATE: Some good news this morning as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the Endangered Child Alert for 5 year-old October Cooper out of Claiborne County has ended after the little girl was found safe.
She was with her non-custodial mother, Victoria Cooper, who is facing charges.
Claiborne County, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued an Endangered Child Alert for a Claiborne County girl.
TBI issued the alert on behalf of the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday for 5-year-old October Cooper.
October is described as 3′2″ tall and 50 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes.
TBI says October is believed to be with her non-custodial mother, Victoria Cooper, who is wanted by CCSO for custodial interference.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to contact CCSO at 423-419-0531 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
