Johnson City, TN (WOKI) An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a now-former Johnson City officer.
In June 2024, at the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, TBI agents began investigating allegations of misconduct involving Connor Cooper. Michael Dunavant was appointed by the Court to serve as District Attorney General Pro Tem upon the recusal of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney. During the investigation, agents learned that in April 2024, while serving as an officer with the Johnson City Police Department and after being involved in a vehicle pursuit, Cooper intentionally disabled his police cruiser’s in-car video system and his body-worn camera, and instructed a trainee riding with him to turn off his body-worn camera in an effort to unlawfully tamper with, destroy, conceal, or limit the availability of the video footage.
On July 3rd, the Washington County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Connor Cooper (DOB: 12/4/97) with two counts of Official Misconduct and one count of Tampering with Governmental Records. Today, he turned himself in and was booked into the Washington County Jail on a $3,000 bond.
The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.
Knox County Schools is announcing its policy for free and reduced-price meals for children served in schools under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program.
The 2025-26 school year begins on Aug. 7, and families that are unable to pay for breakfast and lunch meals at school – or do not attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school – can now apply for free and reduced-price meals.
Families can apply for meals through the LINQ Connect portal, and more information about LINQ Connect is available on this FAQ page. Paper applications are also available.
All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP or Families First can get free meals regardless of their income. In addition, children can get free or reduced meals if their household’s gross income is within the free or reduced limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. However, the application for free and reduced-price meals must be filled out annually.
For School Year 2025-26, KCS will continue to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at select schools. All children at CEP schools will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge under this provision. A complete list of CEP schools as follows:
CEP Schools:
Adrian Burnett Elementary
Fountain City Elementary
Pond Gap Elementary
Amherst Elementary
Fulton High
Powell Elementary
Austin East High
Gap Creek Elementary
Powell High
Bearden Middle
Gibbs Elementary
Powell Middle
Beaumont Magnet
Gibbs High
Richard Yoakley
Belle Morris Elementary
Gibbs Middle
Ridgedale
Bonny Kate Elementary
Green Magnet
Ritta Elementary
Career Magnet
Gresham Middle
Sarah Moore Greene Magnet
Carter Elementary
Holston Middle
South Doyle High
Carter High
Inskip Elementary
South Doyle Middle
Carter Middle
Karns Elementary
South Knoxville Elementary
Cedar Bluff Elementary
Karns Preschool
Spring Hill Elementary
Cedar Bluff Middle
KAEC
Sterchi Elementary
Cedar Bluff Preschool
Lonsdale Elementary
Sunnyview Primary
Central High
Maynard Elementary
Vine Middle
Chilhowee Intermediate
Mooreland Heights Elementary
West Haven Elementary
Christenberry Elementary
Mount Olive Elementary
West Hills Elementary
Copper Ridge Elementary
New Hopewell Elementary
West View Elementary
Dogwood Elementary
Northwest Middle
Whittle Springs Middle
East Knox Elementary
Norwood Elementary
Fair Garden
Paul L. Kelley Volunteer
Fort Sanders
Pleasant Ridge Elementary
CEP is a key provision of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, which allows schools in low-income areas to eliminate school meal applications and serve breakfast and lunch at no charge to all enrolled students. Breakfast and lunch meals will follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for healthy school meals, so please encourage students to participate.
If students do NOT attend a CEP school, families are encouraged to submit a free and reduced-price meal application to determine their eligibility for free and reduced-price meals. A list of non-CEP schools is as follows:
NON-CEP Schools:
AL Lotts Elementary
Farragut Middle
Karns Middle
Ball Camp Elementary
Farragut Primary
Mill Creek Elementary
Bearden Elementary
Halls Elementary
Northshore Elementary
Bearden High
Halls High
Rocky Hill Elementary
Blue Grass Elementary
Halls Middle
Sequoyah Elementary
Brickey-McCloud Elementary
Hardin Valley Academy
Shannondale Elementary
Corryton Elementary
Hardin Valley Elementary
STEM Academy
Farragut High
Hardin Valley Middle
West High
Farragut Intermediate
Karns High
West Valley Middle
Children need healthy meals to learn. Knox County Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Breakfast and lunch meals will follow the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for healthy school meals, so please encourage students to participate. “In the operation of child feeding programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, sex, color, national origin, age or disability.”
Parents or guardians who need further information may contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at 865-594-9563.
1. How do I know if my children qualify as homeless, migrant, or runaway?
Do the members of your household lack a permanent address? Are you staying together in a shelter, hotel, or other temporary housing arrangement? Does your family relocate on a seasonal basis? Are any children living with you who have chosen to leave their prior family or household? If you believe children in your household meet these descriptions and haven’t been told your children will get free meals, please call or (865) 755-6248 (homeless), (865) 594-1760 (migrant) or (865) 755-6248 (runaway).
2. Do I need to fill out an application for each child?
No. Use one Free and Reduced Price School Meals Application for all students in your household. We cannot approve an application that is not complete, so be sure to fill out all required information. Return the completed application to: Knox County Schools Nutrition Department, PO Box 2188, Knoxville, TN 37901, ATTN: Federal Application Verification Clerk. You may also send it to the school cafeteria or apply online at www.linqconnect.com.
3. Should I fill out an application if I received a letter this school year saying my children are already approved for free meals?
Please read the letter you got carefully and follow the instructions. Please make sure the letter you received is referring to the current school year. If any children in your household were missing from your eligibility notification, contact Mona Underwood at (865) 594-9563 or [email protected] immediately.
4. Can I apply online?
Yes! You are encouraged to complete an online application instead of a paper application if you are able. The online application has the same requirements and will ask you for the same information as the paper application. Visit LINQ Connect (www.linqconnect.com) to begin or to learn more about the online application process. Contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at (865) 594 -9563 if you have any questions about the online application.
5. My child’s application was approved last year. Do I need to fill out a new one?
Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of this school year, through September 19, 2025. You must send in a new application unless the school told you that your child is eligible for the new school year. If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price for meals.
6. I get WIC. Can my children get free meals?
Children in households participating in WIC may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Please send in an application.
7. Will the information I give be checked?
Yes. In accordance with program regulations, school officials will be verifying the income of some households at some time during the school year. Selected households will be requested to provide income documentation in order to continue receiving free and reduced-price meals.
8. If I don’t qualify now, may I apply later?
Yes, you may apply at any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible for free and reduced-price meals if the household income drops below the income limit.
9. What if I disagree with the school’s decision about my application?
You should talk to school officials. You also may ask for a hearing by calling or writing to: Knox County Schools Nutrition Department, Attn: Brett Foster, PO Box 2188, Knoxville, TN 37901; (865) 594 -3640.
10. May I apply if someone in my household is not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. You, your children, or other household members do not have to be U.S. citizens to apply for free or reduced-price meals.
11. What if my income is not always the same?
List the amount that you normally receive. For example, if you normally make $1,000 each month, but you missed some work last month and only made $900, put down that you made
$1,000 per month. If you normally get overtime, include it, but do not include it if you only work overtime sometimes. If you have lost a job or had your hours or wages reduced, use your current income.
12. What if some household members have no income to report?
Household members may not receive some types of income we ask you to report on the application or may not receive income at all. Whenever this happens, please write a 0 in the field. However, if any income fields are left empty or blank, those will also be counted as zeroes. Please be careful when leaving income fields blank, as we will assume you meant to do so.
13. Do I have to provide my social security number?
Only the last 4 digits of the social security number of the household’s primary wage earner or another adult household member (or an indication of “none”) is required.
14. May I decline benefits?
Yes. Households notified of their children’s eligibility must contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department if they choose to decline the free or reduced meal benefits.
15. What if all children eligible for benefits are not on the notice of eligibility letter?
If children or households receive benefits under Assistance Programs or Other Source Categorically Eligible Programs and are not listed on the notice of eligibility and are not notified by the school of their free meal benefits, the parent or guardian should contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department or should submit an income application.
16. We are in the military. Do we report our income differently?
Your basic pay and cash bonuses must be reported as income. If you get any cash value allowances for off-base housing, food, or clothing, it must also be included as income. However, if your housing is part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, do not include your housing allowance as income. Any additional combat pay resulting from deployment is also excluded from income.
17. What if there isn’t enough space on the application for my family?
List any additional household members on a separate piece of paper and attach it to your application. Contact Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at (865) 594-9563 to receive a second application.
18. My family needs more help. Are there other programs we might apply for?
To find out how to apply for TN SNAPor other assistance benefits, contact your local assistance office at (865) 594-6151 or call (866) 311-4287.
If you have other questions or need help, call Knox County Schools Nutrition Department at (865) 594-9563.
USDA NONDISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
The Knox County Schools Board of Education passing a new cell phone policy plan on first reading.
The school board decided during last night’s (Thursday) meeting they want to ban cell phone use across all grades.
This is happening due to a new State Law requiring all school districts to have a plan in place for cell phone use in schools.
KCS’s previous plan allowed students to use their phones for educational purposes during class. Now this new plan would allow students to keep their phones turned off and use their phones during emergencies only.
This policy does require another approval before it goes into effect .
Also during last night’s (Thursday) meeting, Knox County Schools says the District is cutting almost 30 jobs due to a recent freeze in federal funding.
These jobs are from the District Office and include more than a dozen Regional Content Facilitators, 11 Students Staff Support and 3 Family Center Liaisons.
Their Human Resource team is working to put these people in other open positions.
The Knox County School Board has approved its contract with the construction company chosen to renovate Sterchi Elementary School.
Renovations include building new encore spaces, a special education space as well as more offices.
It’s expected cost 8 million dollars but the money had already been squared away for Sterchi improvements in 2024 as part of KCS’s Capital Improvement Plan. That money was carried over into the current budget.
Knox County Schools announced applications are now open for students to receive free and reduced-price meals for the 2024-2025 school year.
A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper is involved in a crash on Highway 62, also known as Knoxville Highway, which is under investigation.
THP officials say the crash happened near Oliver Springs on a stretch of the highway that has seen four people die in crashes in less than a month. Yesterday’s (Thursday) crash shut down the highway for several hours. It has since re-opened.
THP Sergeant Richard Conatser told WVLT News last week that the agency had upped its presence in the area because of the uptick in deadly crashes.
The response was prompted by a crash involving an accused drunk driver and another crash which involved a senior living facility’s bus.
THP says that all the people involved in yesterday (Thursday’s) crash are uninjured.
Jefferson City is asking residents to help conserve water.
Officials say the demand during high summer temperatures is putting strain on the utility system.
Jefferson City Manger James Gallup says the city is just looking to ease the demand on the utility system and there is no issue with utility infrastructure or equipment.
He asked that people limit extra water use which means holding off on things like using lawn sprinklers or washing cars.
Also, quickly report any leaks by calling public works at 865-475-6617 or the water plant at 865-475-3251.
UPDATE: The victim from a fatal motorcycle crash in northeast Knoxville has been identified.
Knoxville Police say 21 year-old Kodie Morocco was killed Tuesday morning in the crash at Broadway and Rose Drive.
Officers responded to a crash involving a SUV and motorcycle and preliminary reports show it appears that the SUV was attempting to cross all four lanes of Broadway from the intersection with Old Broadway when the motorcycle struck the passenger side of the SUV. Morocco was pronounced dead at the scene.
This investigation is on-going.
Original Story: An adult man was killed after his motorcycle collided with a vehicle at the intersection of Broadway and Rose Drive.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at around 8:45 A.M., officers responded to a crash involving a black Nissan Xterra and a black Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The motorcyclist died at the scene.
Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that the Xterra was attempting to cross all four lanes of Broadway from the intersection with Old Broadway and pull into the shopping center located at 2901 Tazewell Pike.
The motorcycle was traveling north on Broadway and struck the passenger side of the Xterra. The Xterra then struck a building in the shopping center and rolled back into the parking lot. The driver of the Xterra was transported to the hospital for treatment. No other injuries were reported.
KPD crash reconstructionist responded to the scene and are continuing to investigate.
Funds are available for local power companies, for-profit or non-profit organizations, and government entities, including local governments or public institutions of higher education based in Tennessee.
TDEC and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) initially partnered in 2021 to develop a statewide electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging network designed to power the growth of EVs across Tennessee and reduce barriers to transportation electrification, leveraging various funding sources.
This solicitation is funded through the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust (EMT), from settlements resolving allegations that Volkswagen violated clean air standards in sales of vehicles in model years 2009-2016. The purpose of the trust is to execute environmental mitigation projects that reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides. Under the current solicitation, $2.8 million in EMT funding is available for eligible projects.
Projects implemented under this solicitation will support the continued development of the Fast Charge TN Network, building out direct current fast charging infrastructure at least every 50 miles along prioritized corridors. Following the first round of solicitation, 35 Fast Charge TN Network sites are now live and operational, and 18 sites are currently under development, but charging infrastructure gaps remain.
The Fast Charge TN Network program is managed by TDEC’s Office of Energy Programs and is intended to complement the State’s implementation of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Grant Program, which seeks to build fast charging EV infrastructure along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors. The national program is administered in the state by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
To avoid duplicative efforts, the prioritized areas for buildout under this second round of funding are areas that TDOT, TDEC, and TVA anticipate the State’s NEVI program will not address in Alternative Fuel Corridor buildout.
Priority will be given to locations within designated infrastructure gap zones as defined in the interactive infrastructure gap areas map. However, these areas are subject to change prior to final award announcements. More information on eligibility considerations and application requirements may be accessed in the application manual.
Applications must be received by Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. CDT. TDEC will announce awards after conducting a comprehensive review and evaluation of all complete and eligible grant applications. Grant contracting efforts will occur shortly thereafter.
TDEC will host a mandatory application workshop webinar on July 14 from 1-3 p.m. CDT. Registration can be accessed online. The workshop will be recorded and posted on the TDEC website for applicant reference.
Applicants will be required to attend the virtual application workshop prior to application submission, either by participating during the initial webinar session or viewing the recording. The application workshop will provide guidance on the application process and program terms and conditions, including project eligibility, timelines for implementation, and reporting requirements.
Interested individuals and organizations are advised to sign up for the TDEC VW Settlement email list to be kept apprised of all future and related announcements.
KNOXVILLE – Motorists traveling on I-275 in Knox County should be aware of upcoming road construction activities that will have a significant impact on traffic.
Beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 11, I-275 will be closed in each direction as crews work to replace the bridge over Elm Street and Bernard Avenue. Motorists can bypass the work zone by using I-40 and I-640. This closure will be in place until 6 a.m. on Monday, July 14.
Motorists should be aware that I-275 will also be closed beginning on Friday night, July 18, through Monday morning, July 21. A third weekend closure of I-275 will be necessary in the Fall.
This project employs Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) techniques, including innovative planning, design, materials, and construction methods. ABC works safely and cost-effectively to reduce the onsite construction time that occurs when building new bridges or replacing and rehabilitating existing bridges. ABC improves site constructability, total project delivery time, and work-zone safety for the traveling public.
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.
A multi county police chase which started with a robbery suspect in Knox County and ends in Loudon County.
The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office says the suspect was taken into custody early Sunday morning after firing shots following the chase on Highway 70.
A suspect wanted on robbery charges led deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office on a chase into Loudon County and when the suspect turned onto Highway 321 they hit a Lenoir City Police Department cruiser.
The suspect was boxed in and safely taken into custody. Fortunately, there were no injuries.
