MEDIC and Bruster’s are teaming up for the annual Pint for a Pint event on June 28 – 29. Donors will receive a voucher for a pint of ice cream for donating during those two days.
Donors will also receive a MEDIC T-shirt, Texas Roadhouse coupon, and a Rowdy Bear Snow Park ticket for one wristband for an hour of fun. Excludes snow tubing.
Finally, through the 30th, MEDIC has teamed up with Blood Centers of America and other independent blood centers to promote the End “Less” Blood Summer event. Donors should take a selfie and post on social media with hashtag #endlessblood and then enter the contest via the website.
MEDIC needs to collect at least 4,023 red blood cell units to meet the demand needs for the month of June.
MEDIC is the primary blood product provider for 25 hospitals in 22 counties including Blount Memorial, Covenant Health, East TN Children’s Hospital, Tennova Healthcare, and UT Medical Center.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (Governor’s Office Video Message)
Nashville, TN (WOKI) In a video appeal to education leaders across Tennessee Wednesday, Governor Bill Lee announced that nearly $200 million in grants aimed at increasing student safety is now available to both public and non-public schools.
The money will come from two programs established in the “School Safety Bill” passed by the General Assembly this year.
“The first will provide funding to place a full-time armed SRO in each public school, and the second will provide critical funding to make physical security upgrades at public and non-public Tennessee schools,” said Lee.
A breakdown of the dollars sees $140 million going towards funding the SRO positions. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security has opened applications for law enforcement agencies. They’re eligible for up to $75,000 per year, per school with an SRO from those departments.
Additionally, $40 million is going towards public school budgets for increased security, training and violence prevention programs. A final $14 million is available to non-public schools.
Lee says schools across Tennessee can apply for the grants now. For more information, including important application deadlines, and to apply go online to https://www.tn.gov/.
Roane County, TN (WOKI) A suspect in a Roane County shooting that happened in March has been indicted and charged by a Roane County grand jury.
One woman died and two other people were injured in the attack by 46 year old Brian Wilson at Midtown Auto Body on Roane State Highway in Harriman. Wilson was also shot and injured attempting to flee a Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper.
Wilson is charged with first degree murder, attempted first degree murder (three counts), aggravated assault (three counts), burglary, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon (two counts) and possession of a firearm with intent to go armed.
An investigation is underway after a fisherman from South Carolina dies after he fell from a boat into the Holston River in Grainger County.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says it happened yesterday (Tuesday) downstream of Smoky Island near Mary Lane in Rutledge. 75 year-old Robert Cogan fell overboard from a drift boat while on a guided trout fishing trip with another fisherman.
The guide was able to pull him to shore and performed CPR until EMS arrived but efforts were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
This incident marks the 14th fatal boating accident in the state this year.
A LaFollette woman allegedly has stolen more than $15,000 in lawn decorations outside of Food City stores across East Tennessee.
According to the Loudon Police Department, Ginger Smallwood went to Food City locations in Knoxville, Vonore, Lafollette and Anderson County and took Bear statues and Big Foot displays as well as other items. It is believed she stole more than 200 items.
Smallwood was caught on video loading the items into a pickup truck making several different trips.
“Believe it or not, she kept most of them. They were on her porch, her neighbor’s porch, the people across the street’s porch. She pretty much decorated her whole neighborhood,” According to Detective Brian Jenkins.
How did she manage to steal all those items? Investigators said Smallwood was caught on video loading the items into a pickup truck. She had to make several different trips, Jenkins said.
Smallwood is facing multiple felony charges but the investigation is ongoing as other agencies determine what charges may be filed in those counties.
Lenior City Police asking for help to find the suspect that fired shots in a Walmart.
It happened last night at the Walmart on Highway 321 a little after 8 p.m. Police say the shots were fired at the ceiling and no injuries were reported.
Mayor Tony Aikens says he’s hopeful someone will come forward with information about the shooting. Officials are offering a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announces the launch of Project Milkweed, a new mail-order resource aimed at restoring and preserving habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinator species across Tennessee. Project Milkweed provides free native milkweed seeds to Tennesseans upon completion of an online form. Orders are taken on a rolling basis and will be fulfilled during September and October just in time for fall planting. To order seeds, get planting tips, and learn more about the benefits of milkweed, visit https://tnpollinators.org/milkweed/
“Pollinators are vital to life, growing food, and the economy of Tennessee,” TDOT Commissioner Butch
Eley said. “This effort is an excellent way to educate the public about their critical importance and the threats they face and expand pollinator-friendly practices from TDOT-owned rights-of-way to neighborhood backyards.”
Contrary to its name, milkweed is a flowering plant that serves a critical role as a host plant in the lifecycle of monarch butterflies. Host plants are necessary for the survival and growth of another organism. Milkweed provides a place for monarchs to lay their eggs and serves as food for their larvae and caterpillars. The natural toxins within the milkweed leave build-up in the body of the caterpillar and give the adult butterfly a bitter taste for protection against predators. Both the monarch butterfly population and milkweed habitats have experienced a 90% decline since 1992, and efforts like Project Milkweed are critical to restoring these pollinators and host plants.
Project Milkweed is a subset of TDOT’s Pollinator Habitat Program, a partnership between multiple state agencies and nonprofits that aims to conserve native pollinators and pollinator habitats. Pollinators are more diverse than just bees and butterflies and can include birds, bats, beetles, moths, and more. They are important not only for the growth of native wildflowers but also contribute an estimated $24 billion to the economy by pollinating food crops. Pollinators around the world are experiencing large population declines because of habitat loss, disease, pesticide use, and changing climate.
This announcement is made in conjunction with National Pollinator Week; a nationwide celebration and awareness effort that calls attention to the steps everyone can take to protect and restore pollinator populations. More information about National Pollinator Week can be found at https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator-week
OMAHA, Neb. – Another memorable season came to an end as Tennessee fell to No. 5 seed LSU, 5-0, in Tuesday’s NCAA Men’s College World Series elimination game at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
The Volunteers created multiple opportunities to tie the game or even take the lead, but we unable to find the big hit they needed against the Tigers’ pitching duo of Nate Ackenhausen and Riley Cooper, who combined to allow just six hits while totaling nine strikeouts over nine shutout innings.
Drew Beam kept UT within striking distance with 5.2 quality innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits and two walks while striking out nine, but was stuck with the loss. AJ Russell was also impressive in 1.1 innings of relief, retiring all four batters he faced. The freshman All-American finished his impressive debut campaign with a 0.89 ERA and 47 strikeouts while allowing just nine hits in 30.1 innings pitched.
Maui Ahuna was the only Vol with multiple hits on the night, finishing 2-for-4 with a double from the leadoff spot to extend his hitting streak to six games to end the year.
Dylan Crews led off the game with a walk and eventually came around to score on a single by Cade Beloso to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead, but Beam struck out Jordan Thompson with runners on second and third to prevent any further damage in the first.
Cal Stark started a two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth, reaching on a hit by pitch before advancing to third on a double by Ahuna, but Ackenhausen was able to get a fly out to right field to get out of trouble and keep LSU’s 1-0 lead intact.
After escaping the jam, the Tigers took advantage of a throwing error to double their lead. Tre’ Morgan led off the top of the sixth with a double before moving to third on a bunt single and scoring on the play when the throw to first sailed into foul territory. Beam walked the next batter but retired the next two before making way for Russell, who got Alex Milazzo to pop up to strand two runners in scoring position and limit the damage to just one run.
Tennessee’s best chance to tie the game came in the bottom of the seventh when the Vols loaded the bases with two outs, but Cooper was able to wiggle out of the jam with a groundout to first base to strand all three runners and preserve the two-run lead.
After LSU tacked on another run in the top of the eighth to pull ahead 3-0, UT tallied a pair of hits in the bottom of the inning, but a double play and another groundout ended the threat.
A Crews’ two-run homer in the top of the ninth sealed the win for LSU (50-16), who will go on to face top-seeded Wake Forest on Wednesday.
The Vols ended the year with a 44-22 overall record and finished 16-14 in the SEC despite starting league play 5-10. Tennessee has now won 40-plus games in each of the last four full seasons excluding the 2020 COVID year.
Fox News reporting that President Biden’s son Hunter has reached a tentative agreement with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes including failing to pay federal income tax and admit to the facts of a gun charge under terms that would likely keep him out of jail, according to court papers filed today in U.S. District Court in Delaware.
Any proposed plea deal would have to be approved by a federal judge, and it is not immediately clear what day Hunter Biden will appear in court to enter his guilty plea.
The agreement caps an investigation that was opened in 2018 and has generated intense interest and criticism since 2020 from Republican politicians who accused the Biden administration of reluctance to pursue the case.
