Eight unclaimed veterans in East Tennessee will be buried at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.
The majority of these unclaimed veterans were homeless and no family members were able to be contacted. Each of these eight men will receive full military honors including a procession, flag presentation, and burial at the cemetery. he services will take place on Thursday, May 9, at Noon and is open to the public to attend to show support.
We have the full list of Veteran’s to be laid to rest on our website newstalk987.com
“It’s heartbreaking to think that these guys served our country and that they’re out there without any support or homes,” said Knowles.
The veterans and details about their service are listed below:
Sgt. Billy Walter Sharbono who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1972-1978
Airman Richard Remine who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1967-1968
Airmen Basic Michael Anthony Scales who served in the U.S. Air Force in 1980
Airmen Recruit Ray Harrison Cate who served in the Navy from 1973-1974
Gunners Mate Seamen Apprentice James Leonard Murrell who served in the Navy from 1976-1981
Pvt2 Michael David Sharpe Jr. who served in the Army from 1989-1992
John Paul Butler Jr. who served in the Marine Corps
William Hernandez who served in the Navy from 1957-1962..
Jeff Berry at Berry Funeral Home said he would spend a week calling on potential family members of these unclaimed veterans before ultimately not having any luck finding someone.
Each of these eight men will receive full military honors including a procession, flag presentation, and burial at the cemetery.
“This ensures that this person or that veteran won’t be forgotten,” said Knowles.
The services will take place on Thursday, May 9, at Noon and is open to the public to attend to show support.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Thursday the signing of Hofstra transfer guard Darlinstone Dubar.
The 2023-24 Second Team All-CAA designee will join the Volunteers in 2024-25 with one year of eligibility remaining.
“We are pleased to welcome Darlinstone and his supportive family into the Tennessee basketball program. He is already an accomplished collegian who will add a lot to our team,” Barnes said. “Darlinstone is a true competitor and you know what you will get from him every day. A versatile player who can excel at multiple positions, he is an excellent 3-point shooter who can also knock down midrange shots and finish at the rim. Darlinstone brings toughness and a strong work ethic, both of which will mesh well with the players already in our locker room.”
A 6-foot-8, 211-pounder, Dubar comes to Tennessee after three seasons at Hofstra and one at Iowa State. He owns 1,359 points and 580 rebounds in his four-year career, good for averages of 11.7 and 5.0 per game, respectively.
Dubar owns a career field-goal clip of 52.3 percent on 8.7 attempts per game, including a 38.1 percent 3-point ledger on 3.5 shots per contest. He has scored in double figures 72 times in 116 outings, with 15-plus points on 41 occasions and 20-plus in 16 affairs. In addition, he possesses 10 double-doubles.
The Charlotte, N.C., native is coming off his finest collegiate campaign in 2023-24, averaging 17.8 points 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 34.6 minutes per game. He shot 53.9 percent from the floor on 12.5 attempts per outing, including a stellar 39.9 percent on 5.5 3-pointers per game.
Dubar scored in double figures in 31 of the team’s 33 contests, each of which he started, while notching 16-plus points in 21 of them, 20-plus in 12 and 24-plus in seven. He twice scored 30 points, first doing so on 12-of-16 shooting against Buffalo in Estero, Fla., on Nov. 20, 2023, and then on an 11-of-14 clip at Stony Brook on Jan. 22, 2024, adding 11 rebounds.
Additionally, Dubar registered eight double-doubles in 2023-24, as well as made multiple 3-pointers on 23 occasions, with four-plus six times. He led Hofstra to a 20-13 record and a third-place finish in the CAA at 12-6.
In the Pride’s game at Duke on Dec. 12, 2023, Dubar scored 24 points on 7-of-11 3-point shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. Eighteen days later, he amassed 23 points on a 10-of-17 field-goal ledger at St. John’s.
Dubar led the CAA in field-goal percentage, while placing sixth in scoring, ninth in 3-pointers per game (2.21), No. 10 in rebounding and No. 10 in blocks per game. He also placed sixth in minutes average and ninth in defensive rebounding (5.21).
Only six players in the country, including Dubar, posted at least 585 points, 220 rebounds, 45 assists, 35 steals and 30 blocks this past season. The others were Providence’s Devin Carter (BIG EAST Player of the Year), Cleveland State’s Tristan Enaruna (First Team All-Horizon League), Duke’s Kyle Filipowski (consensus Second Team All-American), Morehead State’s Riley Minix (Ohio Valley Player of the Year) and Utah State’s Great Osobor (Mountain West Player of the Year). Of that group, only Dubar had fewer than 50 turnovers and/or shot over 38.0 percent from deep, while just he and Carter made 70-plus 3-pointers.
In 2022-23, Dubar averaged 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for Hofstra, shooting a dazzling 40.4 percent from long range. His play aided the Pride to a 25-10 mark and a share of the CAA regular season title at 16-2.
In his first year at Hofstra, Dubar put up 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, helping the Pride go 21-11 under first-year head coach Speedy Claxton, including notching a 13-5 league record to place third.
Dubar began his college career at Iowa State, averaging 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. He started seven contests for the Cyclones in 2020-21.
A graduate of Scotland Campus in Pennsylvania, Dubar placed No. 150 in Rivals’ class of 2020 recruiting rankings. He played for B. Maze Elite on the AAU circuit.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: Knoxville police identify the driver in a deadly motorcycle crash Wednesday in East Knoxville.
The crash happened in the 6400 block of Asheville Highway near Rich Road involving a motorcycle and an SUV. The man driving the motorcycle, 31-year-old Bradley Evans of Maryville, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Based on the preliminary investigation, Evans’ motorcycle was going east on Asheville Highway and the SUV was attempting to pull left into the westbound lanes of the roadway from Domino’s Pizza when the motorcycle struck the driver’s side of the SUV.
Speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.
ORIGINAL STORY: Knoxville Police are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash in East Knoxville.
It happened Wednesday in the 6400 block of Asheville Highway near Rich Road involving a motorcycle and SUV. The man driving the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene.
Based on the preliminary investigation, the motorcycle was going east on Asheville Highway and the SUV was attempting to pull left into the westbound lanes of the Highway from Domino’s Pizza when the motorcycle struck the driver’s side of the SUV.
Speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating and has identified the suspect in Wednesday’s fatal officer-involved shooting in Fountain City.
Knoxville police responded to a disturbance in the 5300 Block of North Broadway at the Exxon gas station where investigators say 41-year-old William Charles McBride Jr. was “allegedly acting erratically and potentially aggressively.” McBride, who was armed with two knives, left the store and confronted an officer in the parking lot; that confrontation resulted in the officer firing at McBride, hitting him once.
McBride was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he died from his injuries. The officer was placed on routine administrative leave.
UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting in Fountain City.
Knoxville Police responding to a disturbance in the 5300 Block of North Broadway at the Exxon gas station. Officers found a man, who was armed with two knifes, leaving the store and confronted an officer in the parking lot. Police say the man was “allegedly acting erratically and potentially aggressively.”
The confrontation resulted in the officer firing at the man, hitting him once. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he died from his injuries.
No officers were injured. The officer was placed on routine administrative leave.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting in Fountain City.
Knoxville Police responding to a disturbance in the 5300 Block of North Broadway at the Exxon gas station across from the Duck Pond. They found a man with a knife inside the store who came outside and that’s when shots were fired. There is no information in to what lead up to shots being fired.
No officers involved in the shooting sustained any injuries. The man shot was taken to the hospital where he died.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The man convicted of second-degree murder in a woman’s overdose death at a Knox County motel has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison.
The Knox County District Attorney’s Office sharing that 52-year-old Wesley Allen Lacey was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison in the overdose death of a woman at a motel in Carter on April 2, 2022.
The DA’s office says the two-day trial included evidence of Lacey admitting to giving the woman the drugs, namely fentanyl, that killed her during an interview with a Knox County Sheriff’s Office detective.
“Fentanyl and it’s analogues have been the number one drug found in overdose deaths in our community since 2016,” said DA Charme Allen in the release Thursday. “Our work with the Drug Related Death Task Force aims to reduce the amount of fentanyl coming into Knox County in order to save lives.”
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) An herb sold at Trader Joe’s locations nationwide has been linked to a salmonella outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing a food safety alert Thursday for contaminated basil distributed by Infinite Herbs and sold at Trader Joe’s stores in Washington and 29 states, including Tennessee and Kentucky.
According to the CDC, there’s been 12 cases of illness and one hospitalization related to the basil.
The CDC also said that Trader Joe’s had pulled the contaminated product from shelves and the distributor, Infinite Herbs, is cooperating with the Food and Drug Administration to initiate a voluntary recall.
The CDC is recommending that people do not eat any of the contaminated basil.
East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers is asking for help to identify two suspects accused of stealing allergy medication.
The two entered a business on Town and Country Boulevard in Knoxville and reportedly stole over 29 boxes of allergy medicine from the pharmacy. They were seen leaving in a silver mini van.
We have their photos on our website newstalk987.com.
If you recognize either or both, please call Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165.
The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Catalyst Sports, Knox County, Kampgrounds of America Foundation, and Friends of the Smokies, is pleased to announce the expansion of adaptive ranger-led programs in 2024. Using assistive technology, the ranger-led programs are designed for visitors of all abilities and their families to learn about the natural and cultural history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
“We strive to create equal and accessible experiences for visitors of all abilities in Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “And we are thrilled to work with our partners to expand the adaptive programs and offer off-road wheelchairs.”
Expanding on the adaptive programs offered in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time in 2023, this year’s lineup includes three opportunities for hiking, two for biking, one for kayaking and one overnight camping trip:
June 8-9: Hiking Cooper Rd Trail and camping at backcountry campsite #1
June 22: Kayaking from Fontana Marina
July 13: Hiking at Hazel Creek Hike/Boat Tour
September 7: Hiking at Bradley Fork Trail
September 14: Biking at Deep Creek Trai
September 15: Biking at Forge Creek Road
October 5: Hiking at Middle Prong Trail or Little River Trail
Register for the programs at https://www.catalystsports.org/great-smoky-mountain-adaptive-hike-bike? and find more information at Catalyst Sports, a non-profit organization that provides outdoor adventures for people with physical disabilities. Registration is required to ensure equipment and volunteers are available for the programs. Registered participants are welcome to bring their own adaptive equipment. Information about volunteering can be found below.
“These programs connect individuals with nature, promoting environmental awareness and stewardship. Expanding offerings and experiences will enhance inclusion for all,” said Eric Gray, CEO of Catalyst Sports.
Outside of the scheduled programs, four GRIT Freedom Chairs, a type of off-road wheelchair, will be available for visitors to check out and use on park trails evaluated for the equipment, like the Little River trails or Deep Creek trails.
The programs and GRIT Freedom Chairs were made possible through the generous support of Friends of the Smokies, Kampgrounds of America Foundation and National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF).
Serving as the philanthropic partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Friends of the Smokies raises money to support special park projects, including accessibility initiatives, education opportunities, historic preservation and wildlife management.
Would you like to volunteer for the adaptive programs?
The NPS is expanding opportunities for visitors of all abilities with the help of volunteers. Accessibility Awareness and Adaptive Equipment Training is required before volunteering with the adaptive programs. The NPS will offer volunteer training with Knox County and Catalyst Sports on Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sugarlands Visitor Center Training Room, near the Gatlinburg entrance to the park. This volunteer position requires moderate to high fitness levels.
To register to volunteer, contact Katherine Corrigan at [email protected].
