TDEC encouraging residents to test their homes for radon during ‘Radon Action Month’ (Courtesy: TDEC Facebook)
Nashville, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation encourages residents to identify and address radon problems in their homes by providing free radon test kits through the Tennessee Radon Program.
Governor Bill Lee has proclaimed January as “Radon Action Month.”
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is released during the natural decay of uranium, which is found in most rock and soil. It is odorless, invisible and without taste and is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
For your free test kit and to learn more, please click here.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville pastor out for his morning jog Monday finds a man lying dead outside of Edgewood Chapel AME Zion Church.
Knoxville Police Department officials say the pastor came across the deceased man around 7:30 a.m. outside of the church located at 2440 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
Officers dispatched to the scene determined that the 73-year-old man had been staying at an address on MLK Jr. Avenue earlier this week. KPD says he was last seen around 3:00 p.m. on January 21.
The body was taken to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center for further investigation and to determine the cause of death. KPD reports no apparent signs of foul play at this time.
Officers called to the 1400 block of Beaumont Avenue after a woman reported her car was taken at gunpoint yesterday (Sunday) afternoon.
Officers spotted the car which eventually crashed at Texas Avenue and Sherman Street and the man, identified as 18 year-old Shaun Sullivan, ran from the car and was caught behind the Emerald Youth facility with a loaded handgun.
Sullivan is charged with carjacking, reckless driving, possession of a firearm with intent to go armed and leaving the scene of an accident.
Updated Information: The victim from the fatal crash that happened on Rutledge Pike on Sunday morning has been identified as Michael Eastridge, 52 of Knoxville, Tennessee. The victim was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Crash reconstruction investigators also believe that the poor condition of the vehicle’s tires was a contributing factor in the crash.
Original Story: Knoxville Police are investigating a deadly shooting at a home in North Knoxville.
Officers responding to the 5700 of Chesswood Drive early this morning (Monday) on reports of shots fired in the home and they found a man who had been shot at least once, who was pronounced at the scene.
KPD says the suspected shooter was known to the victim. The suspect was detained at the scene then taken in for questioning.
The circumstances that led to the shooting remain under investigation.
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | January 21, 2024 | Kimberly Hood
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee won for the eighth time in its last nine games and improved to 5-1 in SEC play on Sunday afternoon, defeating in-state rival Vanderbilt in front of a season-best crowd of 9,088 in Food City Center, 73-64.
The win marked Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper‘s 100th triumph while leading the program at her alma mater. Adding more meaning to the milestone was getting a victory in UT’s “We Back Pat” game that honored Harper’s (Jolly’s) college coach, Pat Summitt.
The Lady Vols (12-6, 5-1 SEC), who remain in a tie for second place in the SEC standings, were led by fifth-year seniors Rickea Jackson and Jasmine Powell, who each put up 16 points. Jackson added 10 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season, and Powell dished out a game-high eight assists. Senior Jewel Spear also had a productive outing with 12 points, and redshirt-senior Tamari Key put up a season-high 10.
Iyana Moore was the top scorer for Vanderbilt (17-3, 4-2 SEC) with 19 points, and Jordyn Cambridge was also in double figures with 12.
Vanderbilt won the jump and netted a baseline three on its first possession, but Spear answered with a trey of her own to tie the game up just over a minute into play. Moore hit the first of a pair of free throws on the next possession, but UT launched into a 9-2 run to lead 12-6 by the 6:22 mark. The Commodores responded with six straight points to tie the game at 12-all before a jumper by Jackson gave the Lady Vols the lead, which they clung to through the end of the quarter to take a 20-17 advantage into the second.
Tess Darby led off the second quarter with a three-pointer, but Moore countered with a Vandy three on the other end. Powell and Darby combined for six points to push the Big Orange on top by seven at the media timeout. VU outscored UT 9-2 following the timeout to knot the game up at 31 with 1:20 left in the half. Jackson got a steal and turned it into two points on the other end, but Oliver got loose and hit a reverse layup at the buzzer to send the game into halftime with the score tied at 33.
Vanderbilt reclaimed the lead off a Justine Pissott three-pointer 32 seconds into the second half, but the Lady Vols rattled off six straight points to lead 39-36 by the 7:34 mark. Pissott hit another trey to tie things up on the next possession, but Key and Spear combined for four quick points to provide UT a 43-39 advantage with 5:51 left in the third. Back-to-back buckets by Moore put the Commodores on top by one at the 3:53 mark, but UT outscored VU 8-3 over the closing minutes to take a 51-47 lead into the final stanza.
Cambridge opened the fourth with a three to pull Vandy within one, but Darby swished a trey on the other end to restore UT’s four-point margin. Moore scored a layup for Vandy, but Powell tallied four unanswered points for Tennessee to extend its lead to six with 7:03 to play. With 4:48 on the clock, Cambridge knocked down a layup to set off a 6-0 Commodore run that tied the game at 62-all and forced UT to call a timeout. Spear swished a three following the break to reclaim the lead for UT. Cambridge hit a jumper 30 seconds later to make it a one-point game, but UT strung together eight straight points while forcing Vanderbilt turnovers on three possessions to close out the win.
UP NEXT: After enjoying a Thursday open date on Jan. 25, the Lady Vols head back on the road for two more games and continue a stretch that includes four out of five away from the friendly confines of Food City Center. UT ventures to Oxford next Sunday to take on the Rebels at 2 p.m. CT (3 ET) on ESPN. The Big Orange will then journey to Athens to face Georgia on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
HARPER NOTCHES 100TH WIN AT TENNESSEE:Kellie Harper notched her 100th win as the head coach at her alma mater. With her team winning eight of its last nine contests, Harper’s record on Rocky Top now stands at 100-45 in her fifth season. She improved to 48-19 in SEC games, including 29-5 at home in league play. She also moved to 8-2 all-time vs. Vanderbilt, including 7-0 as head coach of the Lady Vols.
BIG NET VICTORIES: Tennessee entered the game at No. 57 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and is sure to climb higher when those rankings update on Monday after defeating No. 50 ranked Vanderbilt on Sunday. The win marks the Lady Vols’ second straight over a Top-50 NET opponent after knocking off No. 32 Mississippi State on Thursday night in Starkville.
JACKSON POCKETS THIRD DOUBLE-DOUBLE: In all 10 games she has played this season, Rickea Jackson has scored in double figures. On Sunday, she turned in her third double-double of the year and 13th of her career, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds in only 29 minutes. She also tied her career high with four steals. UT’s leading scorer and rebounder sat out the final quarter after suffering from asthma symptoms.
JP SWISHING AND DISHING AGAIN: Jasmine Powell tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points and dished out a game-high eight assists while pulling down five rebounds vs. Vanderbilt on Sunday. It marked Powell’s second-straight game and seventh overall of scoring in double figures, and she ran her total of assists to 15 over the last two games after notching seven at Mississippi State. Over the past eight contests, Powell has accumulated 46 dimes to average 5.8 apg. during that span.
TK IS ON FIRE: Tamari Key scored a season-most 10 points on Sunday afternoon on five-of-five accuracy from the field. That pushes the redshirt senior center to eight of eight over her last two contests and to 16 of 21 marksmanship in SEC play for a stellar 76.2 percent. In all games, Key is now up to 65.1 percent in 17 games, connecting on 28 of 43 shots from the field.
ACCURATE AT THE LINE: Tennessee was once again sharp at the free-throw line, firing in a season-best 94.4 percent of its shots. The Lady Vols were 17 of 18 for the game, including 10 of 11 (90.0 pct.) in the decisive fourth quarter. With the effort vs. Vandy, UT improved to 79.6 percent as a team in SEC play and 74.8 in all games.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In a matchup of two teams in the top seven of the KenPom national rankings, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team turned in an impressive 91-71 victory Saturday afternoon over Alabama.
Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht dropped 25 points, becoming the first SEC player in over three years with four straight 25-point outings, as No. 6/7 Tennessee (14-4, 4-1 SEC) claimed a wire-to-wire triumph at a sold-out Food City Center.
The Volunteers scored 16 of the game’s opening 23 points, en route to building a 14-point edge, 30-16, with 8:44 on the first-half ticker. At that time, Knecht (nine) and junior forward Jonas Aidoo (10) had more combined points than the Crimson Tide, which then had just one point and four turnovers—already tied for his second-most in a full game this season—from senior guard Mark Sears, the SEC’s leading scorer.
Alabama (12-6, 4-1 SEC) twice cut the deficit to nine, but Tennessee responded to thrice stretch it all the way to 16. The Crimson Tide scored six consecutive points in 91 seconds to get within three, but a 3-pointer by junior guard Jordan Gainey, who had 13 first-half points off the bench, made it a 13-point margin, 50-37, at the break.
Tennessee committed just four turnovers and went 19-of-40 (47.5 percent) in the first half to tie its most makes in any frame this season, while also notching nine steals and forcing 13 Crimson Tide turnovers at the other end.
The Volunteers held Alabama scoreless for a stretch of 3:48 early in the second half and scored six straight points in 1:58 during that span to claim a then-game-best 18-point advantage, 59-41, with 15:18 to go.
Tennessee eclipsed the 20-point margin for the first time, 73-52, with 8:36 remaining and pushed its edge all the way to 27, 81-54, with 5:29 to go after scoring eight straight points in 1:46. The Crimson Tide never got any closer the rest of the way, as Tennessee earned its third SEC home win by 19-plus in as many opportunities.
The Volunteers led for all but 37 seconds and held a double-digit advantage for the final 26:18 of the contest. Their 20-point win was the largest by any SEC team over the Crimson Tide since Feb. 2, 2019.
Knecht, who went 8-of-8 at the line just four days after hitting all nine of his free-throw attempts, led a quartet of double-digit Tennessee scorers. He scored 17 of his points in the first half alone.
Aidoo recorded 19 points for the second consecutive contest, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, while also blocking a game-high four shots. Gainey totaled 15 points, a season-high five rebounds and a season-best three steals. He went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line.
Fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi, who moved into ninth place on the SEC’s all-time 3-point leaderboard, added 10 points, a co-season-best five assists and two steals, with no turnovers. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler notched eight points, a game-best six assists and a season-high-tying four steals, while also committing no giveaways.
Sears finished as the lone player with over eight points for Alabama, KenPom’s top-ranked offense in the country. After Tennessee held him scoreless for the first 10-plus minutes, Sears ended up with 22 points, although he went just 1-of-3 from 3-point range. The Volunteers also forced him in to seven turnovers, his co-second-most as a collegian and his highest mark in two seasons at Alabama.
Tennessee forced 22 Alabama turnovers in total, the highest ledger for the Crimson Tide in a regulation affair since Feb. 12, 2022. It also marked the first time in nearly 17 years Alabama committed 20-plus turnovers with a margin of -15 or worse, with the last occurrence also at Tennessee on Feb. 21, 2007, in a game that went to overtime.
The victors, meanwhile, committed just seven turnovers and dished out 21 assists on their 32 made baskets, as well as registered a 23-4 edge in points off giveaways. Additionally, Tennessee held Alabama to just 4-of-21 (19.0 percent) 3-point shooting, its second-lowest mark of the season.
The Volunteers now have a midweek bye before resuming play Saturday at 6 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tenn., against Vanderbilt, live on SEC Network from Memorial Gymnasium.
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 793 victories in his career, 10 behind John Calipari—the lone active DI coach above him—for No. 14 on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years at a Division I school). • The Volunteers’ 20-point win marked their largest margin of victory over Alabama in SEC play since a 36-point decision, 100-64, on Jan. 30, 1999. • The last time Tennessee defeated Alabama by 20-plus in any game—its only time doing so since the turn of the century—was on March 13, 2009, when it won by 24, 86-62, in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Tampa, Fla. • Alabama’s last loss by 20-plus to an SEC team was a 21-point decision, 84-63, at Auburn nearly five years ago, on Feb. 2, 2019, the year before head coach Nate Oats’ arrival. • The only other team to defeat Alabama by 20-plus in Oats’ five seasons was Oklahoma in a 24-point result, 93-69, on Jan. 28, 2023. • The last time Alabama had 22 turnovers was in a quadruple-overtime game against top-ranked North Carolina in Nov. 27, 2022, in Portland, Ore., while the last time it hit that mark in regulation was on Feb. 12, 2022, when it posted 24 at home against Arkansas. • This is just the first time the Crimson Tide committed 20-plus turnovers and had a turnover margin of -15 or worse, with the other instance also at Tennessee in an overtime affair on Feb. 21, 2007, when it recorded 26 and forced just 10. • The only team to limit Alabama to a lower 3-point percentage this season was Creighton on Dec. 16, 2023, when the Crimson Tide went 4-of-22 (18.2 percent). • The is the first time Tennessee has recorded 85-plus points in three straight games, with all in SEC play, since doing so nearly 46 years ago, on Feb. 4, 6 and 11, 1978. • The last time the Volunteers scored 85-plus points five times in a six-game span was over 17 years ago, as it last happened from Dec. 16, 2006, to Jan. 7, 2007, per Elias Sports Bureau. • The only other times in the last 47 seasons (1977-2024) Tennessee had multiple three-game spans with 85-plus points in a single campaign were in 2007-08 and in 1990-91. • Tennessee improved to 14-1 on non-Wednesdays this season, with the lone setback a four-point defeat against then-second-ranked Purdue during the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21, 2023, in Honolulu. • At least one Volunteer has scored 20-plus points in eight of the past 10 games, with a total of 10 such performances in that stretch. • The 19 first-half made field goals for Tennessee matched its second-half tally at North Carolina on Nov. 29, 2023, for its most in a session this season. • Sears’ seven turnovers surpassed his prior season high of six set Jan. 6, 2024, at Vanderbilt, as well as matched the second-most of his career on Jan. 21, 2022, during his time at Ohio, with an eight-turnover tally on Dec. 4, 2021, versus St. Francis (PA), also while with the Bobcats, his only higher ledger. • Three Tennessee players—Knecht (17), Gainey (13) and Aidoo (10)—scored double-digit points in the first half, while no Crimson Tide player had greater than seven. • Vescovi tied Chris Lofton (2004-08) and Allan Houston (1989-93) for the most starts in program history with 128. • Vescovi also became the fourth individual to play 4,000 minutes in a Tennessee uniform, joining Houston, C.J. Watson (2002-06) and Tony White (1983-87). • Additionally, with two made 3-pointers, Vescovi passed Vanderbilt’s John Jenkins (2009-12) for ninth on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard, now owning 307 makes. • Zeigler has 25 steals over the last nine games, becoming just the second Volunteer in Barnes’ nine-year tenure to achieve that feat, alongside Kennedy Chandler, who had 26 from Nov. 26, 2021, to Jan. 8, 2022. • With 19 points, the third-most of his career, in each of the last two games, Aidoo has now scored 15-plus in back-to-back contests for the first time as a collegian. • From the second half of the game at Mississippi State (Jan. 10, 2024) through the first half Saturday, Knecht scored 16-plus points in six consecutive halves with a total of 118 points in those 120 minutes. • Over at least the last 20 seasons (2004-24), Knecht is the only Tennessee player to reach 25 points in four consecutive contests. • Knecht is just the fifth SEC player in the last 14 seasons (2010-24) to score 25-plus points in four straight outings, joining LSU’s Cameron Thomas (Dec. 26, 2020-Jan. 6, 2021), Arkansas’ Mason Jones (Feb. 26-March 7, 2020), Georgia’s J.J. Frazier (Feb. 18-March 1, 2017) and Auburn’s Chris Denson (Feb. 5-Feb. 15, 2014). • Knecht is the first Volunteer with 20-plus points in four straight games since Kevin Punter Jr., logged 20-plus in seven consecutive outings from Nov. 11-Dec. 19, 2015, during the first two months of games in Barnes’ tenure at Tennessee. • Prior to Knecht, the last SEC player with 20-plus points in four consecutive affairs was Vanderbilt’s Liam Robbins, who did so from Feb. 11-Feb. 22, 2023. • Over the last 15 seasons, Knecht is one of just two SEC players to score at least 128 points in a four-game stretch, joining Arkansas’ Mason Jones, who had 129 from Feb. 26-March 7, 2020. • The last Power Six players to record 128 points in a four-game span in a single season were Jones in aforementioned stretch and Marquette’s Markus Howard, who had 128 in that same date range. • Knecht is the only Division I player this season to have a four-game span in which he reached 128 points, with Liberty’s Darius McGhee (once) and Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis (eight times), the second-leading scorer in DI history, the only players to do so last season. and is the first to do so since Detroit Mercy’s Antoine Davis, the second-leading scorer in DI history, and Liberty’s Darius McGhee had nearly concurrent streaks, with the former doing so Feb. 11-Feb. 23, 2023, and the former Feb. 11-Feb. 22, 2023. • Knecht came just five points shy of being the first Volunteer with back-to-back-to-back 30-point performances since Bernard King from Nov. 30-Dec. 13, 1974, in the first three games of his freshman year. • The last time an SEC player had back-to-back outings with eight-plus made free throws and no misses in league play was Feb. 26 and March 2, 2022, when LSU’s Tari Eason did so. • The last Tennessee player, before Knecht, to make at least eight free throws in back-to-back games without a miss was Trae Golden nearly 12 years ago, as he did so on Feb. 29 and March 3, 2012, with that the lone other occurrence in at least the last 19 years (2005-24). • Before Knecht, the last time an SEC player attempted 20-plus field goals in three straight outings was Jan. 23-Jan. 30, 2021, when LSU’s Cameron Thomas did so. • Knecht became the first Tennessee player in at least the last 19 seasons (2005-24) to record 20-plus field-goal attempts in three consecutive contests.
Jerrod Martin (Courtesy: Newport Police Department)
Newport, TN (WOKI) Newport police arrest a murder suspect Thursday, January 18 after finding the body of a missing woman along a highway in Cosby.
Murder suspect Jerrod Martin was arrested Thursday in connection to the disappearance and murder of Michelle Johnson of Newport who was reported missing on January 9.
Newport Police Department officials say Martin lead NPD and TBI investigators to the location where he disposed of Johnson’s body; her body was recovered along US-321 near Limestone Way in Cosby.
Martin is charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. He is being held in Hancock County for charges out of that county, and a hold has been placed on his transfer to Cocke County.
No further details have been released as the investigation is still ongoing.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Officials with the Knoxville Police Department are confirming the discovery of a dead woman outside of an apartment complex near Old City.
Officials say police along with the Knoxville Fire Department and the Medical Examiner’s Office responded around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 17 to the complex at 246 Hall of Fame Drive. They say the woman was 50 years old.
Her cause of death has not been released; however, police say no initial signs of foul play were found.
KAT buses suspend operations due to dangerous road conditions (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) announces it is suspending operations for the rest of the day Friday due to dangerous road conditions.
KAT representatives say safety is their number one priority, and the roads are too icy to operate city buses safely.
KAT says it plans to operate severe snow routes tomorrow Saturday, January 20 with the first lineup at 11:15 a.m. and the last lineup at 8:15 p.m.; however, the schedule is subject to change after road conditions are re-evaluated on Saturday.
To stay updated on the latest from KAT, click here.
Updated Story: The weather related deaths from the snow and ice that hit our area a week ago has risen.
The state says the death is now at 27, four of those in Knox County, two in Roane County, one in Anderson County and two in Washington County.
The state says weather related deaths include many different situations like hypothermia, exposure, falling through ice and drowning which is determined by the Medical Examiner.
How much will clearing the streets and Knox County cost?
Crews across East Tennessee have been hard at work plowing streets and laying down salt as snow fell last Monday and cold temperatures hampered progress.
Jim Snowden with Knox County says they estimated they spent nearly $250,000 on salt alone, and after the reviews of equipment damages and equipment repairs, the expenditures would most likely top $300,000.
Officials with the City of Knoxville say preliminary numbers were only available through this past Wednesday and were only for public services like employee overtime and resource purchases which were more than $335,000 with totals expected to be released mid-week.
Original Story: The Tennessee Department of Health says more people have died due to below freezing temperatures after a winter storm hit Tennessee this week.
The TDH says two new deaths occurred in Marshall County and one in Roane County, bringing the total of weather-related deaths to 17.
Extreme cold weather is expected to linger through the weekend, with temperatures in the teens on Saturday. Ice also continues to be a problem on the roadways.
Officials continue to urge residents to stay off the roads and out of the frigid temperatures.
