A tractor-trailer carrying Pop-Tarts overturns on I-640 west in Knoxville.
The accident happened early this morning (Tuesday), reducing the interstate to one lane. As of 10:45 a.m. the left lane remains blocked.
The crash happened before 7 a.m. around mile marker six in the Whittle Springs area of North Knoxville.
Mark Nagi with the Tennessee Department of Transportation says the truck has been pushed to the side of the interstate to allow the unloading of around 40,000 Pop-Tarts.
The Pop-Tarts are Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavored.
Knox County is excited to announce the kickoff of the Plumb Creek Park Stream Enhancement Project, a strategic effort aimed at revitalizing the water quality and ecosystem of Plumb Creek, a tributary of Beaver Creek, supported by federal funding.
Plumb Creek Park, located at 1517 Hickey Road, features a disc golf course, playground, shelter, walking trails and an 8-acre dog park.
The project, which began this month, is expected to wrap up in December and include a comprehensive set of restoration activities. Work includes removing obstructions such as culverts and debris; controlling invasive species; stabilizing stream banks; and installing stream structures to improve habitat quality, erosion, and sediment control measures.
Some sections of the park will close temporarily during construction. However, the dog park will remain open for our furry friends.
This project is funded in part by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal initiative to aid state and local governments in mitigating the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, email [email protected] or call Knox County Engineering & Public Works at 865-215-5800.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After a solid opening weekend in Arlington, Texas, No. 7/9 Tennessee returns to Knoxville for its home opener on Tuesday afternoon against UNC Asheville, followed by an in-state battle with ETSU on Wednesday at the newly-renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols were declared tournament champions of the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field to open the season after snagging victories over No. 18/21 Texas Tech and Baylor.
TICKET INFORMATION
Limited single-game tickets for non-conference home games can be purchased through AllVols.com.
If you’re a season ticket holder and can’t make it to a baseball game this season, you now have the option to donate your non-conference tickets. Your tickets will be donated back to Tennessee Athletics and will be distributed to the military and/or local charities in the Knoxville area.
All non-conference ticket donations will be accepted until 5 PM the business day before a game. After donating your tickets a gift receipt equal to the ticket value will be emailed to you. You may save that receipt for your tax records.
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LINDSEY NELSON STADIUM
As we prepare for the next phase in renovations please pardon our progress… and our dust. Once completed, Lindsey Nelson Stadium will offer fans an unrivaled experience and be among the nation’s finest college baseball venues. We appreciate your support and patience when you enter Lindsey Nelson Stadium this season. Please be advised changes may occur from game to game.
BROADCAST INFO
Both midweek games this week will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app with Andy Brock handling play-by-play duties. Former Tennessee softball player Caylan Arnold will join Brock for Tuesday’s contest as an analyst.
Fans can also listen to John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.
SERIES HISTORY
Vols vs. UNC Asheville Overall: 31-7 in Knoxville: 27-7 in Asheville: 4-0 at Neutral Sites: 0-0 Last Meeting: W, 5-0 in Knoxville (March 28, 2023)
UT has won nine straight against the Bulldogs dating back to 2015.
Vols vs. ETSU Overall: 69-20 in Knoxville: 39-10 in Johnson City: 29-10 at Neutral Sites: 1-0 Last Meeting: W, 4-1 in Knoxville (March 1, 2022)
Seven of the last eight meetings between the Vols and Bucs have been decided by four runs or fewer. UT is 4-3 in those contests.
NOTABLE
Vols in Home Openers Tuesday’s game will mark the 113th home opener in Tennessee baseball history. The Vols are 90-20-2 all-time in home openers, including a 5-1 mark under head coach Tony Vitello with five straight wins (2019-23).
Rocky Top Round Trippers UT has been the nation’s most prolific home run hitting team over the past three seasons, leading all NCAA Division I programs with 386 long balls during that span (2021-pres). In the previous decade before that (2010-2020), the Volunteers totaled just 376 home runs. The Vols have surpassed the 100-homer mark in each of the past two years, including a program record 158 in 2022, which ranks fourth in NCAA Division I history and is the most by any team in the BBCOR bat era (since 2011).
The Big Orange blasted four homers last weekend and hit 126 home runs in 2023, which is the second highest tally in program history and ranked sixth in the country. Tennessee also hit 98 long balls in 2021. The Vols went deep in 53 of their 66 games last season with 36 multi-homer performances on the year.
Billy Barrels Highly-touted transfer newcomer Billy Amick’s Tennessee career is off to a hot start after a successful opening weekend where he batted .308 with four hits and led the Vols with four runs, two homers and five RBIs. Amick homered in both of UT’s wins over No. 18 Texas Tech on Friday and Baylor on Sunday.
The Batesburg, South Carolina, native went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and two RBIs in a season-opening 6-2 win over the Red Raiders. His two-run home run in the fourth inning opened the scoring. He capped the weekend with another 2-for-4 performance against the Bears, scoring twice and driving in three runs with a solo home run and a two-run triple.
OPPONENT SCOUT
UNC Asheville Bulldogs
2023 Record: 26-26 (12-15 Big South)
2023 Postseason: N/A
2024 Big South Preseason Poll: T-4th
Head Coach: Scott Friedholm (10th season)
Preseason All-Conference Selections (3):
OF Robbie Burnett (Preseason Player of the Year)
OF Dylan Bacot
RP Justin Honeycutt
ETSU Buccaneers
2023 Record: 26-29 (10-11 SoCon)
2023 Postseason: N/A
2024 SoCon Preseason Poll: 5th
Head Coach: Joe Pennucci (7th season)
Preseason All-Conference Selections (5):
1B Cameron Sisneros (1st Team)
SS Ashton King (2nd Team)
3B Cody Miller (2nd Team)
OF Tommy Barth (2nd Team)
DH Nick Iannanton (2nd Team)
ON DECK
The Vols continue their 15-game homestand with their first weekend series in Knoxville this season as they host Albany for a three-game series Friday through Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police have identified the suspect in a deadly East Knoxville shooting.
Knoxville Police Department officials say warrants have been issued for 40-year-old James Perry III, charging him with voluntary manslaughter and weapon offenses in connection to the February 14 shooting death of 50-year-old Sherwin Harris on McCalla Avenue.
Police say Perry shot Harris then fled the scene around 11:00 p.m. following a fight at the Magnolia Cafe which spilled over to the lounge at 2223 McCalla Avenue.
Anyone with information concerning Perry’s whereabouts is urged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) The lawsuit against the City of Knoxville in the deadly shooting of Austin-East Magnet High School student Anthony Thompson Jr. has been dismissed.
WVLT news reporting Monday afternoon the judge ruling in favor of the city in the lawsuit filed in April of 2022 by the mother of Anthony Thompson, Jr. which also listed the Knoxville Police Department and a number of others as culpable in her son’s death.
Thompson Jr. was an Austin-East Magnet High School student who was shot and killed at the school by Knoxville police officers in April of 2021 after he brought a gun into the school.
Thompson Jr.’s mother filed the lawsuit in 2022. In the suit, she and other plaintiffs claim that KPD ignored policies on how and when officers engage with students inside schools. The suit also claims that Knox County Schools and KPD did not give officers or school administrators the proper training needed to follow those procedures.
The suit also claims that there were several operational issues specific to Thompson Jr.’s killing that, if remedied beforehand, could have saved his life. The filing claims that several people violated a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which was entered into by the Knox County Schools, the Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Knox County Board of Education two years before the shooting.
Those listed in the suit as not following the MOA are School Security Officer Adam Willson, who was injured in the shooting, and Austin-East’s Principal Nathan Langlois. Several others face blame in the lawsuit as well.
Officer Adam Willson, Officer Brian Baldwin, Lt. Stanley Cash, and Officer Jonathon Clabough were the officers involved in the shooting. None of them faced criminal charges after District Attorney General Charme Allen found it was reasonable for Clabough to feel their lives were in danger and shoot Thompson Jr. During the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the officer-involved shooting, it was found that Clabough also shot Willson, which sparked the shooting in the first place.
In the latest filing, the court dismissed the case with prejudice, granting judgment in favor of the City of Knoxville. The plaintiffs have appealed the decision, however.
While many government offices will be closed on Monday, February 19th in observance of Presidents’ Day, all Knox County early voting locations will be open from 10 am until 6 pm.
The schedule for the remainder of early voting is as follows:
Monday, February 19 10 am to 6 pm
Tuesday, February 20 10 am to 6 pm
Wednesday, February 21 10 am to 6 pm
EXCEPTION – Clear Springs Baptist Church – 10 am to 4 pm
EXCEPTION – Meridian Baptist Church – 10 am to 5 pm
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | February 18, 2024 | Eric Trainer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee scored a season-high 30 points in the first quarter and never looked back, racing past Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium, 86-61, on Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Vols (16-9, 9-4 SEC) shot a sizzling 76.9 percent in the first frame, including an eye-popping 83.3 percent from the three-point arc, to seize a 15-point lead in the first 10 minutes en route to their eighth straight victory in the series with the Commodores (19-8, 6-7 SEC). The Lady Vols finished the game at 52.5 percent from the floor, marking their second-best percentage of the season behind a 53.3 rate vs. Kentucky on Jan. 7.
Fifth-year forward Rickea Jackson enjoyed an 11-for-15 day from the field to lead the Big Orange in scoring, with 24 points, as well as in rebounds (7), assists (4) and steals (1). Senior guard Jewel Spear connected on three of six three-point attempts and contributed 16 points, while fifth-year point guard Jasmine Powell tossed in 12.
Vanderbilt was led by Iyana Moore’s 25 points, while Jordyn Cambridge and Sacha Washington added 14 and 13, respectively.
The Lady Vols were sizzling from the field in the opening quarter, shooting 71 percent from the field early to build a 17-7 lead by the media timeout at the 4:17 mark. Jackson, Spear and Powell all drained three-pointers during that stretch, helping UT ride a 12-2 run into the first break. UT extended a 9-0 scoring spree to 12 straight with a Tess Darby trey to push the lead to 20-7 before Vanderbilt answered with a Jordyn Oliver layup with 3:52 to go. UT closed out the quarter by outscoring VU, 10-6, with Spear contributing a three-pointer and an old fashioned three-point play. Her efforts helped the Big Orange finish the period with 10 made field goals in 13 attempts (76.9), including five of six from long range (83.3), to propel UT to a 30-15 lead.
Tennessee expanded its advantage to 18 by the 6:48 mark in the second quarter, forcing the Commodores to call a timeout. Darby’s second three, sandwiched by inside buckets from Tamari Key, provided the juice for UT’s 7-4 opening surge in the stanza. Vandy scored the next seven points to cut its deficit to 11, 37-26, with 4:38 to go before Jackson answered to push the lead back to 13. Jackson would counter VU surges twice more, hitting a three and a layup to close out the first half scoring and send her squad into the locker room with a 44-29 lead.
The Lady Vols and Commodores exchanged buckets through the first five and a half minutes of the third frame, heading into the media break with UT up, 56-41. Spear drew first in the period, hitting a layup 29 seconds in, before Jackson connected for eight straight points and Kaiya Wynn added a driving layup to put her team back up by 15. Following the break, the Lady Vols increased the lead to 19, 62-43, on the strength of Jackson and Kaiya Wynn putbacks, and then headed to the fourth with a 66-48 advantage as Wynn drained a short jumper to end the stanza just before the buzzer sounded.
Vanderbilt burst out on a 6-2 run to open the final frame, but Jewel Spear drained her third three of the game to force the Commodores to call a timeout with UT leading 71-57 with 6:24 to go. A Jackson layup and Powell jumper put the game out of reach at 75-58 with 3:34 to go, and UT outscored VU, 11-3, the rest of the way on the strength of a Darby three and pairs of free throws by Powell, Karoline Striplin and Avery Strickland.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will be idle on Thursday before welcoming #13/11 LSU to Food City Center on Feb. 25 for a noon test vs. the Tigers. The game will be televised by ESPN and carried on Lady Vol Network stations statewide and via live stream on UTSports.com.
DOMINANCE ON ALL FRONTS: The Lady Vols never trailed in today’s contest and held their largest lead of 25 at the final buzzer. Tennessee possessed leads of 15,15 and 18 at the end of the first three quarters. Vanderbilt, which was shooting 41.8 percent heading into today’s game, shot 32.9 percent from the floor during the matchup. The Commodores allowed Tennessee to shoot 52.5 percent from the field, which is nearly 13 percentage points higher than Vanderbilt’s season defensive average of 39.7.
RICKEA RISING: With 24 points in today’s matchup, Rickea Jackson moved into seventh place on UT’s career scoring list, now having 2,078 points for her career. She surpassed Meighan Simmons, who tallied 2,064 points from 2010-14. Jackson also eclipsed the 700-rebound milestone for her career, tallying seven boards to bring her career total to 704.
JACKSON DROPPING 20+ AGAIN: Rickea Jackson delivered her seventh game with 20 or more points this season and the 23rd of her career. She tied Rennia Davis (2017-21) for fifth on the Lady Vol all-time list and stands four games behind Tamika Catchings (27), who starred from 1997-2001.
SPEAR RESPONDS: Jewel Spear bounced back from a tough outing vs. South Carolina to score 16 points against the Commodores. Spear, averaging 12.8 ppg. against all teams and 14.6 ppg. vs. SEC foes coming into the game, has now scored in double figures 16 times on the year.
DARBY FROM DEEP: With a trio of three-pointers made in the Vandy game, Tess Darby is now tied for seventh all-time in Tennessee history with 161 threes. She joins Brittany Jackson, who played for the Big Orange from 2001-05, on the career leaderboard.
KEY DENYING ACCESS: With two blocks against Vanderbilt, Tamari Key moved into a tie for sixth place all-time in SEC history with South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, totaling 330 total blocks for her career. The redshirt senior from Cary, North Carolina, now has 35 swats on the year.
EARLY OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: In the first quarter, the Big Orange shot 76.9 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from three-point range to jump out to a 30-15 lead at the end of the frame. That total is the most points that Vanderbilt has given up in a stanza this year, and it is the third-most points scored in a quarter, as the Lady Vols scored 31 in the third frame against Troy and 33 in the same frame versus Liberty.
VOLUNTEER STATE SUPREMACY: With today’s win, Tennessee moves to 263-62-1 in matchups against four-year in-state foes. Kellie Harper is 19-1 in those matchups, with a 3-1 record this year. The Lady Vols have now won the past eight outings against the Commodores, bringing the series total to 80-10 in favor of the Big Orange.
ARLINGTON, Texas – The runs came early and often for No. 5/9 Tennessee in Sunday’s 11-5 victory over Baylor to close out the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field.
After a frustrating night at the plate in Saturday’s extra-innings loss to Oklahoma, the Volunteers’ bats came to life in Sunday’s nightcap as the Big Orange cranked out 12 hits to improve to 2-1 on the year.
Kavares Tears and Billy Amick both homered, finished with multiple hits and three RBIs apiece on a night where eight different Vols had at least one base knock. Christian Moore also had another impressive all-around night at the dish, reaching base four times with a pair of doubles, two walks, two RBIs and two runs scored.
After falling into an early 2-0 hole in the first inning, Tennessee jumped in front with one swing of the bat in the top of the second as Tears hit a 387-foot opposite field blast to put the Vols ahead 3-2.
The Bears (0-3) briefly tied things back up with a run in the second, but UT answered right back with another three-spot in the top of the third after an Amick two-run triple and a Cannon Peebles sacrifice fly to take the lead for good.
Despite a shaky first inning in relief of starter Zander Sechrist, sophomore Nate Snead settled in nicely to give UT a solid performance out of the bullpen. The hard-throwing right hander struck out four in five innings of work while giving up two runs on four hits to pick up his first win as a Vol in his Tennessee debut.
Cal transfer Chris Stamos took over for Snead to start the eighth inning and pitched two scoreless frames with four strikeouts to close out the victory.
With four teams having finished this weekend’s tournament with a 2-1 record, the Vols were tabbed as the 2024 Shriners Children’s College Showdown Champions after having the best run differential of the four clubs (Tennessee – +6, Oklahoma – +3, Texas Tech – +3, Oregon – +1).
UP NEXT: The Vols return to Knoxville to kick off a 15-game homestand with their 2024 home opener on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. against UNC Asheville. UT will also host ETSU on Wednesday at the same time before welcoming Albany to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a weekend series starting on Friday.
STAT OF THE GAME: After being held off the board in the first inning, Tennessee scored at least one run in each of the next six frames to build an 11-5 advantage heading into the eighth inning.
The Jefferson County Police Department is searching for a man who allegedly assaulted a police officer.
Officers responded to a theft complaint at Walmart on E. Broadway Blvd. Saturday and found 53-year-old James Lee Rucker in the parking lot.
He fled in a Jeep but turned back into the parking lot at a high rate of speed and intentionally struck the patrol car head on, rendering it inoperable.
The jeep was found abandoned at exit 4 on I-81. Rucker is wanted for aggravated assault on a police officer, theft and other charges.
The officer was uninjured, if you see him please call 911 if you.
