Update: Knoxville Police say missing 75-year-old Bobbie Julian who left her assisted living facility in the middle of the night has been found safe at the Day’s Inn on Asheville Highway.
Julian left the facility in the 4600 block of Asheville Highway early this morning (Friday) on foot.
Original story: The Knoxville Police Department is looking for a missing 75-year-old woman who left her assisted living facility in the middle of the night.
Bobbie Julian left the facility in the 4600 block of Asheville Highway early this morning (Friday) on foot around and she does have a medical condition which could keep her from returning on her own.
She was last seen wearing a long-sleeve orange UT shirt with a gray UT shirt over it.
Greeneville, TN (WOKI) The assistant police chief in Greeneville is back on duty after being acquitted in a 2022 assault.
Greeneville Police Department officials announcing Thursday, March 14 that Assistant Police Chief Stephen Hixson has been acquitted of a domestic violence charge, a jury finding Hixson not guilty on all charges at trial.
“In light of the verdict, I, along with Assistant Chief Hixson and the Greeneville Police Department are committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability and integrity within the department. This outcome reaffirms his innocence throughout the entire process and continues to show the importance of a fair and impartial judicial system in addressing allegations of misconduct.” Greeneville Chief of Police Steve Spano said.
A Greene County grand jury indicted Hixson in March 2023 for simple assault in connection to allegations that he had assaulted his stepdaughter after an argument at a home on Sunnyside Ridge Drive in December of 2022.
Greeneville city manager Todd Smith placed Hixson back on full-duty status after the trial.
Jamestown, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating after a Jamestown Police officer fatally shoots a man during a domestic dispute call Wednesday night.
TBI says officers responded to the 200 block of N. Smith Street around 9:00 p.m., where they found a man armed with a machete who reportedly refused to comply with their verbal commands; officers then used a Taser on the man which was not effective.
TBI says at some point during the confrontation, an officer fired his service weapon, striking the man who was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Wednesday’s incident marks the second officer-involved shooting involving the Jamestown Police Department in 2024.
The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission has launched an investigation into whether missing college student Riley Strain was overserved alcohol at Luke Bryan’s Broadway bar in Nashville.
The TABC is investigating whether the bar had any legal obligations to protect patrons who were overly intoxicated.
State law prohibits serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is visibly intoxicated. A violation is a class A misdemeanor. The TABC is investigating this matter to see if any violations have occurred.
Strain was seen on surveillance video wandering around downtown Nashville after he was kicked out of Luke’s 32BRIDGE on Friday night. He remains missing. Now, Country Music Star Luke Bryan is calling for help on social media to find Strain.
The City of Knoxville and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC) have been awarded a $42.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement a civic infrastructure plan intended to begin the restoration of cultural and economic opportunity to communities impacted by urban renewal initiatives. The seven-phase project will create nearly 10 miles of connectivity improvements to link East Knoxville residents to economic, cultural and recreational amenities.
“This is the largest federal grant award in Knoxville’s recent history, and it will make a significant impact by prioritizing disadvantaged communities, allowing residents to move safely to jobs, schools, healthcare and parks,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “This is an example of the transformative effect of President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the tremendous impact it has on local communities. The City of Knoxville and KCDC are committed to historical investment in an area that historically has been deprived of sufficient economic opportunities to thrive.”
The DOT’s Neighborhood Access and Equity Program funds plans that reconnect formerly displaced communities, improve access to daily needs and foster equitable development and restoration.
The grant will significantly expand the greenway system to link East Knoxville, Morningside Park and the Old City to the Urban Wilderness, Baker Creek Preserve and neighborhoods of South Knoxville that were separated by past infrastructure projects, including the James White Parkway, that affected predominantly Black neighborhoods in downtown and East Knoxville.
“The greenway expansions funded by this grant will offer residents of East and South Knoxville sustainable connectivity to improve overall quality of life, “KCDC Executive Director and CEO Ben Bentley said. “The civic infrastructure also will reestablish critical links that improve access to education, economic mobility and recreation. The improvements made possible by this grant will enable the creation of multi-modal transportation pathways that reconnect underserved communities and form the foundation for increased walkability and non-vehicular development patterns for the next hundred years of Knoxville.”
The massive undertaking includes several phases and segments. A greenway will begin at the Old City and end at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, traveling through neighborhoods and Harriet Tubman Park.
A Cultural Corridor will connect Summit Hill Drive, Dandridge Avenue, Hill Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to support elementary and middle school crossings, as well as churches, the Knoxville Family Justice Center and affordable housing sites.
“The connectivity will provide equitable access for East Knoxville residents to new economic centers and the downtown area,” said Knoxville City Councilwoman Gwen McKenzie, who represents the Sixth District where much of the initiative will take place. “Also, we are working alongside the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to create a pathway that includes markers, maps and monuments to illustrate some of Knoxville’s African American history which was impacted by Urban Renewal.”
The Cultural Corridor plan outlines 10 historical sites along the greenway, including the only remaining ancestral home of renowned artists Beauford and Joseph Delaney. The plan also features curated exhibitions, which showcase digital storytelling that connects history and culture to the places that once housed a thriving Black community, complete with businesses, churches and schools.
The plan also provides a link to South Knoxville, including the Urban Wilderness and Baker Creek Preserve.
“The South Knoxville Bridge has been a critical connection between South Knoxville and downtown and East Knoxville for decades, and the Bridge Connector provides a new opportunity for safe connection for people on foot or bike,” said Knoxville Vice-Mayor Tommy Smith, who represents the First District. “It will connect two communities and provide highly sought amenities to more residents.”
The grant funds nearly half the cost of the project, the rest of which is covered by previously expended or allocated funds. Construction will be completed in multiple phases, with phasing determined by project readiness. Work is expected to begin in 2025.
A missing Claiborne County man at the center of a TBI Silver Alert is found dead in Kentucky.
Police say 86-year-old Curtis Mason was last seen on February 26th in Harrogate. His van was spotted in Kentucky in the days after he went missing in Middlesboro, Pineville and along Highway 92.
He was found dead in the Goldens Creek area of Knox County, Kentucky.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Zakai Zeigler of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, as announced Wednesday afternoon by Atlanta Tipoff Club/Naismith Awards.
The prestigious list features just 10 individuals on a national level, including two—Auburn’s Johni Broome is the other—from the SEC.
This is the second consecutive year Zeigler is a semifinalist for the elite honor. Three others who made the cut this year also did so in 2022-23: Purdue’s Zach Edey, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr.
Recently named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Zeigler ranks fourth in the league in steals per game (1.87). He finished second in that category in league play (2.11).
Zeigler has snatched multiple steals in 15 of 31 outings this season. On seven occasions, he has recorded four-plus steals, a figure that puts him top-15 nationally, seventh at the Power Six level and second in the SEC.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler has 58 steals this year, already just two shy of the top 10 on Tennessee’s single-season leaderboard. His 177 steals in 96 collegiate appearances put him co-sixth in program history and fifth among active SEC players. Additionally, Zeigler’s career steals average of 1.84 per game is fourth all-time at Tennessee and second among active SEC competitors.
Per College Basketball Reference, Zeigler has the eighth-best career defensive box plus/minus (5.00) of any SEC player over the last 14 years (2010-14) and the fifth-most defensive win shares (1.8) in the SEC this season alone.
Zeigler and fifth-ranked Tennessee (26-7, 14-4 SEC) begin play in the SEC Tournament, in which they are the top seed, with a quarterfinal matchup Friday at 1 p.m. ET against a to-be-determined opponent, live on ESPN from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
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.
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALISTS Adrian “Ace” Baldwin Jr., Penn State Reece Beekman, Virginia Johni Broome, Auburn Devin Carter, Providence Zach Edey, Purdue Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas Jamal Shead, Houston Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 5/5 Tennessee finished off its 15-game homestand unbeaten after trouncing Eastern Kentucky, 17-2, in a run-rule victory on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The win extended the Volunteers winning streak to 16 games, which is tied for the second-longest in program history.
Tears got the scoring started with an RBI single in the bottom of the first to extend his hitting streak to 16 games before adding a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to finish 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs on the night.
Moore, Dreiling and Ensley also had round trippers for the Vols before Stark punctuated the evening with a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning.
UT (17-1) used seven pitchers in the game, led by starter Zander Sechrist, who gave up just one hit over 3.1 scoreless innings while striking out three batters. Graduate transfer lefthander Chris Stamos made his return to the mound after dealing with some soreness by posting 0.2 shutout frames to earn his third win of the season.
Kirby Connell came on after the Colonels (2-15) had plated a pair of runs in the fifth inning and was able to limit the damage by stranding two runners on base. Redshirt freshman Brady Robertson made his collegiate debut in the sixth inning, retiring two straight batters after allowing a leadoff single.
The freshman duo of Matthew Dallas and Luke Payne combined to record the final four outs of the game with Payne retiring the side in order in the seventh to end the game.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is scheduled to open Southeastern Conference play on Friday night when it begins its weekend series at No. 12/14 Alabama at 7 p.m. ET in Tuscaloosa.
STAT OF THE GAME: With Stark’s grand slam in the sixth inning, the Vols have now hit four grand slams in their last six games (one week span). Those four grand slams have come from four different players: Dean Curley, Reese Chapman, Robin Villeneuve and Stark.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The City of Knoxville Housing and Neighborhood Development held a meeting Tuesday night to allow community members to weigh-in on a Fair Housing Equity Plan.
The Plan aims to address patterns of racial and ethnic segregation, concentrations of poverty and areas of opportunity.
Additionally, the plan analyzes public policies and programs, identifies issues with fair housing and proposes measurable solutions.
Knoxville has partnered with Community Solutions Collaborative (CSC) to create the plan with the help of residents.
Rob Breymaier with CSC was at Tuesday night’s meeting to discuss how equity plans strive to reduce disparities and improve overall prosperity and equitable outcomes related to housing.
“Generally, we would hope that after five years, there will be less disparity across the community both by its geography and by the different protected groups within the Federal Fair Housing Act. The idea is that in the end, everybody will have benefited from the program,” Breymaier said.
The Knoxville Fair Housing Equity Plan is scheduled to be finalized and submitted in June of this year.
Cumberland County, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office are investigating following a shooting Monday, March 11 in east Cumberland County.
TBI officials say the sheriff’s office responded around 4:45 p.m. to the shooting call in the 2000 block of Smith Mountain Road where deputies found a woman who had been shot.
Officials say the woman, who has not been identified, was airlifted to a hospital in Knoxville for treatment.
