Alcoa, TN (WOKI) The Alcoa Police Department is asking for help finding five suspects in an apartment vandalism.
APD says officers and detectives went to the Ardmore Apartments construction site on Monday, April 1 after receiving a report of vandalism.
Police say construction workers reported finding signs of vandalism in multiple buildings including the destruction of appliances and light fixtures, flooding through floors of several apartments, and paint on carpeting, hardwood flooring, and drains.
APD says the vandalism happened sometime after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 29 and before 3:00 a.m. on March 30, where security camera footage shows the five suspects (who police say appear to be juveniles) leaving the property.
Anyone with information leading up to the vandalism or about the suspects in the videos is asked to contact the APD Criminal Investigations Section at 865-981-4111 or East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Neighbors in South Knox County are calling on Heartland Development to stop a proposed plan to bring around 170 homes to the Tarklin Valley area.
Heartland Development plans to get the land rezoned by the Knox County Planning Commission to allow them to build single-family homes off Pickens Gap Road.
Most people living in the area are against the plan, and they have already organized a petition against the development which has garnered more than 100 signatures.
Residents opposing the plan are expected to attend the Knox County Planning Commission meeting on April 11.
This plan is not a part of Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ Growth Policy Plan that was voted down by Farragut last week.
An investigation is underway after a daughter is charged in her mother’s death in Cocke County.
Sheriff C.J. Ball says deputies responded to Battle Road in Newport after getting a call from 36 year-old Polly Fox saying she had found her mother dead in her home.
Deputies found Ola Schumacher dead with a “deep cut to her throat.” Police have charged 35 year-old Rayanna Keene and Fox with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
On Tuesday, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced that Tennessee has joined a multistate lawsuit against Mariner Finance over widespread violations of multiple consumer protection laws. The suit alleges that Mariner Finance charged consumers for hidden add-on products that consumers were not fully informed about or, in some instances, did not agree to buy. In doing so, Mariner illegally added hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars to the amounts consumers owed the company. In 2019 alone, Mariner charged consumers $121.7 million nationwide in premiums and fees for add-on products.
“My duty is to ensure that companies treat Tennessee consumers fairly and honestly,” Attorney General Skrmetti said. “Businesses that engage in deceptive practices deprive Tennessee consumers of making an informed choice, and that is illegal and wrong. I’m proud to join this bipartisan lawsuit on behalf of The Volunteer State.”
The lawsuit also alleges that Mariner engages in illegal, aggressive sales tactics to extend credit to new borrowers. These kinds of predatory sales practices can lead consumers into a cycle of debt that’s hard to overcome.
On April 1, 2024, the Court granted Tennessee’s previously filed joint motion to intervene, allowing The Volunteer State to intervene and join the litigation by filing a Second Amended Complaint that includes the intervening states as parties.
According to Mariner’s website, Mariner has 34 branches in Tennessee. Any consumer who believes they have been deceived by Mariner’s harmful practices can file a complaint with Tennessee. Consumers can find more information about how to submit a complaint to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/working-for-tennessee/file-a-consumer-complaint.html?
In addition to Attorney General Skrmetti, today’s Second Amended Complaint includes as Plaintiffs the attorneys general of Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Fire Investigation unit is investigating following a fatal house fire in Halls.
Rural Metro crews were called to the 4200 block of Eiffel Lane at Andersonville Pike yesterday afternoon (Tuesday). A man and two dogs perished in the fire.
Updated story: The National Weather Service in Sunbright yesterday (Wednesday) surveying damage caused by what they say is an EF1 tornado.
Sam Roberts with the National Weather Service says maximum winds of 105 mph were associated with this twister which was about 100 yards wide and it’s path 2.8 miles long.
Cleanup continues as several homes and businesses were damaged.
Original story: The National Weather Service says a tornado did touch down near Sunbright.
Morgan County E-911 says the tornado was confirmed just after 5:30 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday). No fatalities have been reported. Wartburg Police Chief Michael Cox says no injuries were reported during yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) twister.
Highway 27 was shut down and traffic was being rerouted because of downed trees, powerlines and debris on the roads. Most power has been restored after thousands were in the dark after the storm. Officials set up an emergency shelter at Central High School in Wartburg.
Several businesses suffered significant damage from the tornado including Schubert Funeral Home. It’s not known when the funeral home will reopen but services will continue in Wartburg.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The second annual Vol Village Music Festival surrounding pregame and postgame festivities of the 2024 Orange & White Game will feature award-winning, chart-topping artist Lindsay Ell and Knoxville-raised singer/songwriter Greylan James on Saturday, April 13.
Vol Village opens at 10:30 a.m. in Lot 9 and is free admission. For fans unable to make it into Neyland Stadium, big screens will be stationed in Lot 9 and the amphitheater outside Gate 21 to watch the Orange & White Game live, as well as the Vols’ 5:30 p.m. baseball game versus LSU.
Vol Village will feature food trucks, vendors, beverage stations, an appearance by the Spirit Squad, Smokey and VFL Sterl The Pearl. There will be free sponsor giveaways, interactive displays, face painting and fun activities for all ages.
Prior to entering Neyland Stadium, the 2024 Vols will take part in the Vol Walk beginning on Phillip Fulmer Way at the corner of Peyton Manning Pass at 11:10 a.m.
The free pregame concert begins at 11:15 a.m. in Lot 9 with Ell, one of country music’s most celebrated female voices, taking the stage. Ell has been lauded as one of the most exciting and talented young artists and holds a No. 1 platinum single with Brantley Gilbert in 2019.
The free postgame concert starts at 3:15 p.m. with James taking the Lot 9 stage. The Knoxville-raised singer/songwriter has written multiple No. 1 songs for Kenny Chesney and Jordan Davis. Greylan was nominated for CMA Song of the Year “Next Thing You Know” with Davis. A rising country artist in his own right, Greylan just wrapped up his run supporting Scotty McCreery’s CAB IN A SOLO TOUR and will open on select dates of Adam Doleac’s WRONG SIDE OF A SUNRISE TOUR beginning on April 25.
On-campus parking lots will open at 7 a.m. on gameday. Season ticket holders will receive information regarding on-campus parking availability. Free parking will be available at Ag Campus with shuttles to and from beginning at 9:30 a.m. Free parking will also be offered at the White Avenue and 11th Street parking garages. Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed from Lake Loudoun Blvd. to Cumberland Ave.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Dalton Knecht of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is a finalist for the elite John R. Wooden Award, given to the national player of the year, as announced Tuesday night on ESPN2.
The five finalists, as determined by the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s voting committee, are Knecht, North Carolina’s R.J. Davis, Purdue’s Zach Edey, Connecticut’s Tristen Newton and Houston’s Jamal Shead.
In addition, those five individuals are on the Wooden Award All-American Team, which is comprised of the top 10 vote-getters in award voting. The other five designees are Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek, San Diego State’s Jaedon LeDee and Arizona’s Caleb Love.
A fifth-year guard, Knecht is also one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy and among 30 finalists for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award. He is also one of the five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, given to the nation’s best small forward.
The fourth consensus First Team All-American in Tennessee history, Knecht claimed SEC Player of the Year plaudits from both the league’s head coaches and the Associated Press, the latter unanimously. He helped lead Tennessee to its 11th SEC regular season title and its second Elite Eight appearance.
Knecht concluded his lone season as a Volunteer with 780 points, the second-most in a single campaign in program history. He averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 39.7 percent beyond the arc and 77.2 percent at the stripe. His scoring average puts him eighth nationally, including third among Power Six players and first in the SEC.
In SEC play alone, Knecht put up 25.5 points per game, the second-best mark of any individual in the last 22 seasons (2002-24) and the top league-only scoring average in Division I this season.
A 6-foot-6, 213-pounder from Thornton, Colo., Knecht scored 35-plus points six times this season, setting a program record. Only one other player in the nation, Edey, did so on even four occasions. Knecht’s eight 30-point games put him third nationally in 2023-24 and co-fourth on Tennessee’s single-season list.
Voting for the Wooden Award took place from March 18-25. As insisted upon by coach Wooden at the Award’s creation 47 years ago, all players were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the criteria of the John R. Wooden Award. The 48th annual John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Men’s Player of the Year will be announced on April 9 on SportsCenter on ESPN.
The John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal Gala will honor the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners. It will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, this year given to John Calipari. The Gala will take place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 12.
Knecht is the second John R. Wooden Award finalist from Tennessee in the last six years, joining Grant Williams, a 2018-19 selection.
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.
2023-24 WOODEN AWARD ALL-AMERICAN TEAM R.J. Davis, North Carolina Hunter Dickinson, Kansas Zach Edey, Purdue Kyle Filipowski, Duke Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Tyler Kolek, Marquette Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State Caleb Love, Arizona Tristen Newton, Connecticut Jamal Shead, Houston
2023-24 JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD FINALISTS R.J. Davis, North Carolina Zach Edey, Purdue Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Tristen Newton, Connecticut Jamal Shead, Houston
Jefferson County, TN (WOKI) Police in Jefferson County have identified the suspect in a deadly shooting Tuesday morning in Strawberry Plains.
Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office say the report of a shooting came in around 10:00 a.m., and multiple agencies were dispatched to the scene in the 100 block of Thorngrove Pike.
The sheriff’s office responded to the scene, which is near Thorngrove Pike in the Strawberry Plains area, with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, JCSO said. (Courtesy: WVLT)
When deputies arrived, they found two people outside of a camper with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene; the other was taken to UT Medical Center. Their identities have not yet been released.
JCSO says after a short standoff, 31-year-old Jonathan Mays was taken into custody; he is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville teen is facing a slew of charges after stealing a car and leading police on a brief chase.
Knoxville Police Department officials say the chase happened around 4:30 p.m. Monday after officers spotted a Hyundai that was reported stolen in the area of E. Hill Avenue and Summit Hill Drive. When officers attempted to stop the car, it sped away.
KPD says the driver led police on a chase to Lula Powell Drive before leaving the car and running on foot.
The suspect, a 16-year-old, was taken into custody near the Vistas apartment complex.
Officers also recovered two guns during the incident: one discarded by the juvenile during the chase and one found inside the car.
The juvenile was charged with auto theft, evading arrest and multiple firearm offenses.
