Knox County leaders are looking to honor the life of fallen U.S. Army Specialist Jeremy Daniel Evans.
Evans was killed in a rollover crash during a military training exercise in Alaska back in October.
He was a Gibbs High School graduate and now county Commission wants to rename part of East Emory Road to Specialist Jeremy Daniel Evans Memorial Highway.
They’ll vote on that proposal Monday.
Early morning widespread wireless service interruptions for many AT&T customers are ending as many are now seeing their service return.
Several East Tennessee E 911 agencies confirming the nationwide outage with Jefferson County and Knox County saying their E 911 centers are operational.
Verizon and T-Mobile customers are also reporting service issues but in connection with calling A T & T customers.
Courtest / UT Athletics
Game Recap: Baseball | February 21, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Coming off a slow night offensively in Tuesday’s win over UNC Asheville, No. 7/9 Tennessee had the bats working at full capacity in Wednesday’s 16-0 run-rule drubbing of ETSU at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols (3-1) finished with 13 base hits and blasted four home runs, three of which came in an 11-run third inning that busted open a 1-0 game.
Freshman infielder Dean Curley got the starting nod at shortstop and burst onto the scene in his UT debut, going 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and three RBIs, all of which came on a three-run homer in that aforementioned 11-run third inning. The California native also added a triple in the sixth inning.
Two other Vols finished with multiple hits on the night as Hunter Ensley led the way with a 3-for-3 day, scoring two runs and driving in a pair of runs. Christian Moore also scored two runs and had two RBIs on two hits from the leadoff spot.
Making his UT debut, redshirt junior Colby Backus provided an exclamation point on the win with a three-run blast in the bottom of the sixth inning, his first-career homer at the Division I level.
While the bats were on fire, the pitching was just as dominant, holding the Buccaneers (3-1) to just one hit on the day, a bloop single with two outs by Nick Iannantone in the sixth inning to break up the no-hit bid.
Tennessee used five different pitchers to stifle the ETSU lineup, three of which were true freshmen in Matthew Dallas, Dylan Loy and Brayden Sharp. Dallas got the start and tossed three no-hit frames with just one walk and three strikeouts before handing the ball off to Loy, who struck out two in one scoreless inning to record his first-career win.
Marcus Phillips, Sharp and JJ Garcia pitched the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to close out the victory.
UP NEXT: The Vols host UAlbany for a three-game set starting on Friday at 4:30 p.m. All three games will be streamed on the SEC Network+ and ESPN app and feature a live audio stream on UTSports.com and the UT Athletics app.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Vols exploded for 11 runs in the bottom of the third inning, their most in an inning since plating 15 in the bottom of the fifth during a 23-1 victory over Alabama A&M almost exactly one year ago to the day (Feb. 22, 2023). UT recorded 10 of its 13 total hits in the inning, five of which went for extra bases, and tallied 10 of the 11 runs with two outs.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) One family pet is dead, but the residents are safe following a house fire Wednesday afternoon in South Knoxville.
Officials with the Knoxville Fire Department say firefighters arrived shortly after 3:00 p.m. to a house at 2230 Knollcrest Lane to find fire coming from the front corner of the home. Six people, two adults and four children, were home at the time but were able to evacuate without injury.
Officials say one pet dog was unable to escape and succumbed to its injuries. No other injuries were reported, and fire officials have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.
Townsend, TN (WOKI) Emergency crews are on the scene of a fire in Townsend.
Townsend Fire Department officials reporting that the fire, which is about 20 acres in size, is located in the 900 block of Wears Valley Road.
As of 4:00 p.m., officials say the fire was about 20% contained. One structure was in danger, but it has since been taken care of.
The Tennessee Division of Forestry is also on the scene of this fire.
This is a developing story.
Morristown, TN (WOKI) Deemed a “total loss” following a devastating fire in January, what’s left of the historic Parks-Belk building in Morristown is coming down.
Crews have begun demolishing the structure located on Main Street which was destroyed in a massive fire which broke out shortly after the new year and kept fire crews busy for over 12 hours.
The building, valued at over $250,000, was set to be renovated as part of a plan to revitalize much of downtown Morristown.
Parts of downtown near the building have been closed since the fire. City of Morristown officials say those areas will continue to be closed while the building is demolished.
Jeffrey Scott Cicirelli was arrested in connection to the fire and charged with arson, reckless endangerment, burglary and vandalism.
According to court records, Cicirelli had planned to burn more buildings, with investigators finding fire-starting equipment stashed in buildings downtown.
Knoxville – At the halfway mark (six days of twelve) of early voting for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Preference/Knox County Primary Election, a total of 8,288 early votes have been cast, with an additional 724 votes cast by absentee ballot and in nursing homes.
REGISTERED VOTERS in KNOX COUNTY (as of Wednesday, February 21, 2024) – 299,140.
NEW VOTERS: A total of 189 first-time voters through the first six days (halfway point) of early voting.
EARLY VOTES CAST AT THE MIDWAY POINT COMPARED TO OTHER PPP/COUNTY PRIMARY ELECTIONS
EARLY VOTES CAST BY AGE (Does not include absentee ballots)
EARLY VOTING – PRIMARY CHOICE BY AGE (Does not include absentee ballots)
EARLY VOTES CAST BY COUNTY COMMISSION/SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT
ABSENTEE BALLOT DEADLINE FAST APPROACHING
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, February 27. Anyone wishing to vote absentee can call the Election Commission at 865-215-2480 or can download an absentee request at https://knoxcounty.org/election/
RISE AND SHINE ON SATURDAY WITH THE ELECTION COMMISSION
If 10 AM is too late for you, early voting at the City County Building in downtown Knoxville opens at 8 AM on Saturday, February 24– early birds can take advantage of early hours!
PRE-GENERAL CAMPAIGN FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
All candidates on the ballot have a Pre-Primary Campaign Financial Disclosure due on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. It will cover the period from January 16 to February 24, 2024.
These reports will be posted upon receipt by the Election Commission at: https://knoxcounty.org/election/candidate_info/index.php
POLLS OPEN UNTIL 7 PM ON THE LAST TWO DAYS OF EARLY VOTING
For more information, visit https://knoxcounty.org/election/
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: A large brush fire that broke out Tuesday night in the Halls community is fully contained by firefighters.
Rural Metro Fire officials reporting the three-acre blaze on Mynatt Road near Maynardville Highway was 100% percent contained by firefighters Wednesday morning.
ORIGINAL STORY: Fire crews are working a brush fire in the Halls community of Knox County.
Rural Metro Fire and Tennessee Division of Forestry personnel are fighting a three-acre fire on Mynatt Road near Maynardville Highway. Rural Metro Fire spokesperson Jeff Bagwell says no structures were threatened as of 9 p.m. last night. (Tuesday)
It is a slow-moving fire fueled by dead undergrowth and a slight breeze and a dozer is digging a fire line.
Bagwell says the fire was started by a man in a tree stand that had to be escorted out of the danger by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
He was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
Courtesy / UT Athletics
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Facing a seven-point deficit with under 16 minutes to play Tuesday night at Missouri, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team answered the call and stormed back to claim a 72-67 road victory.
Sophomore forward Tobe Awaka posted a career-high 18 points and a co-game-best 10 rebounds for fifth-ranked Tennessee (20-6, 10-3 SEC).
Neither team made a field goal until the 15:31 mark, when junior guard Jordan Gainey’s fast-break dunk put the Volunteers ahead, 2-1, after the two sides combined to miss their first 10 shots and commit seven giveaways in the opening four-and-a-half minutes. Tennessee held Missouri (8-18, 0-13 SEC) without a field goal for the first nine minutes, as the home team missed its first 11 attempts and notched six giveaways.
Neither offense found its groove in the first half, but the Tigers went 3-of-10 (30.0 percent) from beyond the arc and 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) at the line, while Tennessee missed all nine of its 3-point attempts and shot 8-of-13 at the stripe (61.5 percent). Those differentials helped Missouri, despite logging 10 turnovers, take a 29-26 edge into the locker room after leading by as many as five points.
The Volunteers scored the opening four points of the second session, including junior guard Zakai Zeigler drilling a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19:15 on the clock for the team’s first long-range make. The Tigers, though, hit three 3-pointers in 99 seconds to spark a 13-5 run in 3:26, giving them a game-high seven-point edge, 42-35, with 15:23 left.
Tennessee responded with a dominant 32-12 surge over the course of 11 minutes, featuring a trio of 7-0 runs and seven straight made field goals, to go from down seven to up by a game-best 13, 67-54, with 4:03 left. Fifteen of the first 23 points came from fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, who shot 6-of-8 during a five-minute stretch after not previously making a shot from the floor.
The Volunteers’ lead remained in double digits with under 100 seconds left and at nine with 60 ticks left, but the Tigers scored the final four points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, to make it a five-point final margin in their 20th win of the season.
Awaka’s team-best point total came on a 6-of-8 clip from the field and a 6-of-7 ledger at the line, as he set career highs in both makes categories, as well as in free-throw attempts. His 10 rebounds, half of which came on the offensive end, gave him his second collegiate double-double.
Knecht finished with 17 points and grabbed a season-best 10 rebounds to notch his first double-double in a Tennessee uniform. Junior forward Jonas Aidoo, who eclipsed 100 blocked shots in his career, totaled 14 points and a game-best four blocks. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler added 10 points in the victory.
Graduate student guard Sean East II led all players in both points (24) and assists (six), as he went 7-of-15 from the floor, 3-of-6 on 3-pointers and 7-of-11 at the line. Graduate student forward Noah Carter scored 20 points, shooting 3-of-4 beyond the arc and 7-of-8 at the line, while adding a team-best seven rebounds.
Graduate student guard Nick Honor scored 10 points for the Tigers, although Tennessee held him to 2-of-9 3-point shooting. The Volunteers also limited Missouri’s top scorer in SEC play, junior guard Tamar Bates, to seven points on a 3-of-15 field-goal clip.
Despite having half as many made 3-pointers—the Volunteers went 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) and Missouri shot 10-of-27 (37.0 percent)—Tennessee used its strong interior play to claim the result, as it had a 32-22 advantage in paint points. The victors also had a commanding 26-6 cushion in bench points, good for its third-highest margin (plus-20) of the season.
The Volunteers now head home to Knoxville, Tenn., where they face Texas A&M at Food City Center, live on ESPN, Saturday at 8 p.m.
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.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes now owns 799 victories in his career, six behind Rick Byrd for No. 14 on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years at a Division I school).
• Barnes has now defeated every other SEC head coach at least once, as Missouri’s Dennis Gates—who joined the league last season—was the lone outlier entering Tuesday.
• Barnes now has 24 total 20-win seasons in his 37-year Division I head coaching career, tying Jim Calhoun and Kelvin Sampson for No. 13 all-time, as well as matching the latter for fifth-most among active coaches.
• Tennessee has now reached 20 victories in five of the last seven seasons, including each of the past three.
• The Volunteers extended their road winning streak against Missouri to five in a row, stretching back to Jan. 17, 2018.
• Tuesday marked the ninth time in their last 10 meetings with Missouri the Volunteers were ranked after never holding a ranking in the first 12 matchups.
• The Volunteers are now 72-22 (.766) as an AP top-10 team and 31-9 (.775) as an AP top-five team in Barnes’ nine-year tenure, all in the past seven seasons.
• Tennessee snapped a nine-game losing skid when recording fewer assists than its opponent.
• The last time Tennessee had two players log double-doubles in the same game was 17 days ago, Feb. 3, when Aidoo and Zeigler did so.
• The Volunteers last had two double-digit rebounders on Nov. 20, 2023, against Syracuse when Aidoo and fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James both hit that mark in double-double showings.
• Tennessee’s plus-margin in bench points, 26-6, trailed only its plus-33 ledger, 36-3, on Nov. 6, 2023, against Tennessee Tech and its plus-23 mark, 26-3, on Nov. 21, 2023, against Purdue in Honolulu.
• The Volunteers’ five-point margin of victory was their smallest of the year, one below their six-point decision, 85-79, at Georgia on Jan. 13.
• Saturday’s affair marked just the fifth time in 26 games both the Volunteers and their opponent led for double-digit minutes.
• Over the last three games, Tennessee has recorded 17 dunks and allowed just one on the other end.
• Through the opening eight minutes, the two teams combined for 10 turnovers (six by Missouri) and a 1-of-17 field-goal clip (0-of-8 for Missouri).
• Missouri, after missing its opening 11 attempts, did not make its first field goal until 10:56 remained in the first half, when Bates hit his lone 3-pointer of the evening.
• The Tigers committed their seventh foul of the second half with 15:01 left, putting Tennessee in the bonus for the final 15 minutes.
• Fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi recorded two steals to give him 198 in his career, tying C.J. Watson (2002-06) for second place on the Tennessee’s all-time leaderboard.
• With his first point of the night, James became the 40th player in Tennessee history to amass 1,200 points and he ended the night at No. 38 on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,203 after passing both Howard Wood (1977-81) and Len Kosmalski (1971-74).
• With his first of four blocks on the evening, Aidoo became the 18th individual to record 100 as a Volunteer.
• Awaka’s prior career-best point total was 11 on Dec. 5, 2023, versus George Mason, while his previous top mark in made field goals was four, recorded on four occasions.
• The prior single-game high for Awaka in free-throw makes was five, registered thrice, while the lone other time he attempted seven shots at the line was on Nov. 14, 2023, against Wofford.
• Awaka registered his fifth double-digit scoring performance and fifth double-digit rebounding total as a collegian, including his third of each in 2023-24.
• Awaka’s lone previous double-double came on Jan. 2, 2024, when he amassed 11 points and 10 rebounds versus Norfolk State.
• Saturday marked the first time in Awaka’s 59 outings that he has led the Volunteers in scoring.
• Awaka doubled his season total in dunks, as he posted two on the night, his first time logging multiple slams in a game in 2023-24.
• Knecht is the 10th SEC player in the last 12 years (2012-24) to record 14-plus points in 12 straight league games in a single season and the only Volunteer to do so in at least the last 19 campaigns (2005-24).
• Over the last 13 seasons (2011-24), Knecht is one of just two SEC players to score 16-plus points in nine straight road games in a single campaign, alongside South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell (2016-17).
• Knecht is the seventh Division I player with 16-plus points in nine consecutive road outings this season, including the only one in a Power Six conference.
• Knecht, who surpassed his prior season high of eight rebounds on Jan. 16 versus Florida, recorded his seventh-career double-double and his first as a Volunteer.
Courtesy / UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/9 Tennessee came out on top in a low-scoring affair against UNC Asheville in Tuesday night’s home opener inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium, earning a 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs.
Pitching was the story of the game for the Vols (3-1) on a night where hits and runs were hard to come by. Freshman Derek Schaefer, sophomore Andrew Behnke and redshirt freshman Austin Hunley combined to pitch the entire game and strike out 10 while issuing just one walk on the night.
Schaefer got the start, the first of his career, and settled in nicely after a rocky first inning in which he allowed a run on two hits and a walk. The Arizona native retired all six batters he faced in the second and third innings before handing the ball off to Behnke to start the fourth.
Behnke led all pitchers in the contest with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work while allowing one run on four hits. Hunley held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 3.1 innings, scattering three hits and striking out a pair to earn the win in his collegiate debut.
Kavares Tears led the offense with his second straight multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run to tie the game at one in the bottom of the second inning. Christian Moore also drove in a run with an RBI single in the third to give UT a 2-1 lead.
After UNCA tied the game with a solo homer by Ben Hemphill in the fifth, it was Hunter Ensley who drove in the eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh to score pinch runner Bradke Lohry and make it 3-2 Big Orange. Hunley retired six of the final seven batters of the game to keep the Bulldogs from mounting any kind of comeback.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is right back at it with another midweek game on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. when it hosts in-state foe ETSU.
STAT OF THE GAME: Attendance for Tuesday’s contest was 4,699, which set a program record for highest attendance in a home opener, breaking the previous record of 4,550 versus Alabama A&M in 2023.
