Officials said it should take around two years to complete once it is passed. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville’s City Council is addressing fixing a busy Knoxville road that’s known for being a hotspot for car crashes.
The Council approved a new project Tuesday for Washington Pike with the goal to add more lanes.
They also want to create a new sidewalk and bicycle paths to make it safer.
The next steps include a community meeting with home and business owners along the road to learn what they think about the project which should take around two years to complete once the property is purchased.
The federal government is funding 80% of this project since the city plans to bid out the construction.
The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a house fire in the Fountain City area.
Crews were called to the 3800 block of Garden Drive just after 11 this morning for a bedroom fire which was reported by a man who lives there that returned home after leaving for work to retrieve something he’d left there. Two adults and a dog lived in the home which has suffered significant fire, smoke, and water damage.
No smoke alarms were present in the house and KFD is reminding if you own a home in the city to call 311 and they will come and install a smoke detector in your home.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported and the American Red Cross is assisting the residents.
Misuse of heat lamps being used to warm a chicken coop inside of an RV is the cause of an early morning fire that left at least two chickens dead.
The investigation by the Knoxville Fire Department has revealed that no one was living in the camper in the 5500 block of Stoneleigh Road, which was under renovation and has been completely destroyed.
A tractor-trailer trailer was in the backyard next to the camper, and the fire extended into that trailer. The home was not affected by the fire.
Pigeon Forge, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 2/8/24: Police identify the victim at the center of a vulnerable adult abuse case in Pigeon Forge.
Pigeon Forge Police Department officials say vulnerable adult, 46-year-old Joseph Blevins of North Carolina, died in connection to alleged abuse from two people.
PFPD officers served warrants for abuse of a vulnerable adult on Dustin Lee Suttles and Katelyn Renee Elliott.
A vulnerable adult is defined in Tennessee as anyone over 18 who cannot care for themselves because of some sort of mental or physical disfunction.
The investigation remains ongoing.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Pigeon Forge Police Department is investigating after the death of a vulnerable adult.
PFPD officers have obtained warrants for abuse of a vulnerable adult on two people, identified as Dustin Suttles and Katelyn Elliott.
A vulnerable adult is defined in Tennessee as anyone over 18 who cannot care for themselves because of some sort of mental or physical disfunction.
This investigation comes after PFPD was told by a North Carolina Sheriff’s Department about the victim, who was from there.
Morristown, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 2/6: The Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office reporting that a missing Hamblen County girl has been found safe.
12-year-old Elana Sawyers was reported missing on Monday after she was last seen on Sunday in the area of Meadow Run Road in Morristown.
Officials with the sheriff’s office expressing gratitude over social media Tuesday for everyone who spread the word about the missing girl with special thanks to the TBI, the Grainger County Sheriff’s Office and the Rutledge Police Department for their assistance.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is asking for help finding a missing Hamblen County girl.
12-year-old Elana Sawyers was last seen on yesterday (Sunday) in the area of Meadow Run Road in Morristown.
If you have any information please call 1-800-TBI FIND.
Cumberland County, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway in Cumberland County after a K-9 with the Sheriff’s Office is killed by an unknown driver in a hit-and-run accident over the weekend.
Officials with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office say K-9 Shadow was struck and killed by an unknown driver in a hit-and-run early Saturday morning on Highway 70 North; the officer was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This devastating incident has left the entire law enforcement community and our local community in mourning. Deputy Shadow was a dedicated and beloved member of our team, serving with loyalty and distinction,” the department said. “Sheriff Casey Cox expressed the department’s deep regret at the loss of Deputy Shadow and conveyed gratitude for his unwavering service to our community.”
CCSO says investigators are actively working to identify the dark-colored sedan and the individual involved in the incident.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at 931-484-6176.
Prescribed burning underway in Cades Cove (Courtesy: GSMNP)
Townsend, TN (WOKI) The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Service plans to burn approximately 1000 acres of fields in Cades Cove between now and the end of March.
The next prescribed burn is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7, 2024.
These seasonal prescribed fires help to safely reduce fuels, restore meadow habitats and maintain the historic landscape of Cades Cove.
(Courtesy: GSMNP)
The loop road and historic structures will remain open to visitor use, but brief delays and temporary closures may occur to ensure public safety during burn operations.
Visitors should also expect to see fire activity and smoke in the area, and motorists are urged to roll up windows and turn on headlights.
Toby Keith, a hit country crafter of pro-American anthems who both riled up critics and was loved by millions of fans, has died. He was 62.
The “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” singer-songwriter, who had stomach cancer, died peacefully Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on the country singer’s website. “He fought his fight with grace and courage,” the statement said. He announced his cancer diagnosis in 2022.
The 6-foot-4 singer broke out in the country boom years of the 1990s, writing songs that fans loved to hear. Over his career he publicly clashed with other celebrities and journalists and often pushed back against record executives who wanted to smooth his rough edges.
He was known for his overt patriotism on post 9/11 songs like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,” and boisterous barroom tunes like “I Love This Bar” and “Red Solo Cup.” He had a powerful booming voice, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and range that carried love songs as well as drinking songs.
Among his 20 No. 1 Billboard hits were “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “As Good As I Once Was,” “My List” and “Beer for My Horses,” a duet with Willie Nelson. His influences were other working class songwriters like Merle Haggard and he tallied more than 60 singles on the Hot Country chart over his career.
Throughout the cancer treatments, Keith continued to perform, most recently playing in Las Vegas in December. He also performed on the People’s Choice Country Awards in 2023 as he sang his song “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
“Cancer is a roller coaster,” he told KWTV during an interview aired last month. “You just sit here and wait on it to go away. It might never go away.” Story courtesy Associated Press
In this April 7, 2014, file photo shows Toby Keith performs at ACM Presents an All-Star Salute to the Troops in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Keith worked as a roughneck in the oil fields of Oklahoma as a young man, then played semi-pro football before launching his career as a singer.
“I write about life, and I sing about life, and I don’t overanalyze things,” Keith told The Associated Press in 2001, following the success of his song “I’m Just Talking About Tonight.”
Keith learned good lessons in the booming oil fields, which toughened him up, but also showed him the value of money.
“The money to be made was unbelievable,” Keith told the AP in 1996. “I came out of high school in 1980 and they gave me this job December of 1979, $50,000 a year. I was 18 years old.”
Toby Keith arrives at the People’s Choice Country Awards on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
But the domestic oil field industry collapsed and Keith had not saved. “It about broke us,” he said. “So I just learned. I’ve taken care of my money this time.”
He spent a couple seasons as a defensive end for the Oklahoma City Drillers, a farm team for the now-defunct United States Football League. But he found consistent money playing music with his band throughout the red dirt roadhouse circuit in Oklahoma and Texas.
“All through this whole thing the only constant thing we had was music,” he said. “But it’s hard to sit back and say, ‘I’m going to go make my fortune singing music, or writing music.’ I had no contacts.”
Eventually his path took him to Nashville, where he attracted the interest of Mercury Records head Harold Shedd, who was best known as a producer for the hit group Alabama. Shedd brought him to Mercury, where he released his platinum debut record “Toby Keith,” in 1993.
“Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” his breakout hit, was played 3 million times on radio stations, making it the most played country song of the 1990s.
But the label’s focus on global star Shania Twain overshadowed the rest of the roster and Keith felt that the executives were trying to push him in a pop direction.
“They were trying to get me to compromise, and I was living a miserable existence,” Keith told the AP. “Everybody was trying to mold me into something I was not.”
After a series of albums that produced hits like “Who’s That Man,” and a cover of Sting’s “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying,” Keith moved to DreamWorks Records in 1999.
That’s when his multiweek hit “How Do You Like Me Now?!” took off and became his first song to cross over to Top 40 charts. In 2001, he won the male vocalist of the year and album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, exclaiming from the stage: “I’ve waited a long time for this. Nine years!”
Keith often wore his politics on his sleeve, especially after the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil in 2001, and early on he said he was a conservative Democrat, but later claimed he was an independent. He played at events for Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, the latter giving him a National Medal of the Arts in 2021. His songs and his blunt opinions sometimes caused him controversy, which he seemed to court.
His 2002 song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” included a threat — “We’ll put a boot in your ass — It’s the American way” — to anyone who dared to mess with America.
That song got pulled from a patriotic ABC Fourth of July special after producers deemed it too angry for the show. Singer-songwriter Steve Earle called Keith’s song “pandering to people’s worst instincts at a time they are hurt and scared.”
Then there was the feud between Keith and The Chicks (formerly called the Dixie Chicks), who became a target of Keith’s ire when singer Natalie Maines told a crowd that they were ashamed of then-President George W. Bush. Maines had also previously called Keith’s song “ignorant.”
Keith, who had previously claimed that he supported any artist’s freedom to voice their opinion about politics, used a doctored photo of Maines with an image of Saddam Hussein at his concerts, further ramping up angry fans.
Maines responded by wearing a shirt with the letters “FUTK” onstage at the 2003 ACM Awards, which many people believed was a vulgar message to Keith.
Keith, who had acknowledged that he holds onto grudges, walked out of the ACM Awards in 2003 early because he had gotten snubbed in earlier categories, causing him to miss out when he was announced as entertainer of the year. Vince Gill accepted on his behalf. He came back the next year and won the top prize for a second year in a row, along with top male vocalist and album of the year for “Shock ’n Y’all.”
His pro-military stance wasn’t just fodder for songs, however. He went on 11 USO tours to visit and play for troops serving overseas. He also helped to raise millions for charity over his career, including building a home in Oklahoma City for kids with cancer and their families.
After Universal Music Group acquired DreamWorks, Keith started anew again, starting his own record label, Show Dog, in 2005 with record executive Scott Borchetta, who launched his own label Big Machine at the same time.
“Probably 75% of the people in this town think I’ll fail, and the other 25% hope I fail,” he said that year.
Later the label became Show Dog-Universal Music and had Keith, Trace Adkins, Joe Nichols, Josh Thompson, Clay Walker and Phil Vassar on its roster.
His later hits included “Love Me If You Can,” “She Never Cried In Front of Me,” and “Red Solo Cup.” He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.
He was honored by the performance rights organization BMI in November 2022 with the BMI Icon award, a few months after announcing his stomach cancer diagnosis.
“I always felt like that the songwriting was the most important part of this whole industry,” Keith told the crowd of fellow singers and writers. Story courtesy of Associated Press
The victim in a fatal West Knoxville shooting is identified.
Knoxville Police have charged 38 year-old Daniel Arwood with first-degree murder for shooting and killing his boss, identified as 29 year-old Aaron Russell, at a school bus hub on Middlebrook Pike yes.
KPD says Arwood was an employee at the bus lot and had been using a room at the warehouse as a home. He was reportedly fired from the job and was supposed to have left the business on Monday. Russell had fired Arwood, and when he arrived to work Monday, Arwood reportedly shot him then fled.
Arwood is also charged with driving on a suspended license and evading arrest.
McGhee Tyson Airport is expanding, announcing a new partnership with Avelo Airlines Tuesday. Avelo will offer flights to New Haven, Connecticut, twice weekly.
The flights start on May 9 and will run on Thursdays and Sundays. One-way fares will start at $62.
“Knoxville – say hello to Avelo! We’re excited to introduce Knoxville to Avelo’s low fares, travel-friendly convenience and industry-leading reliability,” Avelo Airlines Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said. “Getting to Southern Connecticut and everything the greater New England and New York regions have to offer will now be easier than ever. This exclusive nonstop service will also make exploring the abundance of vibrant urban and outdoor experiences Knoxville and The Great Smoky Mountains offer a fast and seamless journey for Connecticut visitors.”
The flights will head to Tweed-New Haven Airport. Best known for being the home of Yale University, New Haven is also part of the New York metropolitan area.
“The addition of Avelo Airlines to McGhee Tyson Airport is a reflection of the overall growth of our community and the demand for new flights and destinations,” said Brian Simmons, Chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority’s Board of Commissioners. “Today’s announcement is a meaningful step forward in our efforts to recruit flights that are affordable, convenient and important to the tourism growth of our region. We welcome Avelo Airlines to East Tennessee and look forward to building this new service together.”
McGhee Tyson also offers nonstop, roundtrip flights to New York City via Allegiant.
