Knox County Engineering and Public Works received $1.5 million from TDOT as part of the Transportation Alternatives Program Grant. The funding from this grant will go towards the construction of the Powell Greenway and Pedestrian Bridge.
The greenway will connect the sidewalks of Powell Drive with the existing greenway on W Emory Road near Powell High School, Crown College to the high school, and the kayak launch on the northside of the river to the southside of the river. It will also include a pedestrian bridge that will cross Beaver Creek.
“Recreation is one of my top Knox County Priorities. The grant will help connect several outdoor recreation areas and make Powell more walkable,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
EPW will work with the Legacy Parks Foundation, Knox County Parks and Recreation, and Enhance Powell to design the greenway. The project is estimated to cost $2.2 million; the grant will cover 80 percent of construction costs.
Another important milestone for Dollywood’s newest resort property, the much-anticipated Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort, takes place on June 26 as guests can begin making reservations for stays this fall. The earliest available stay date is November 3, 2023.
On June 26, guests can visit Dollywood.com/HeartSong and search available dates to plan their visit to the Smokies’ newest premium resort.
Created with the same award-winning service and attention to detail made famous at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, HeartSong Lodge & Resort adds to the welcoming hospitality offerings guests have come to expect when visiting Dollywood Parks & Resorts.
“The opening of the booking window really starts to make things feel real,” said Eugene Naughton, Dollywood Parks & Resorts President. “To know we’re just a few short months away from welcoming our first guests to this magnificent new property is really exciting. Each time I walk through HeartSong Lodge & Resort, it changes and evolves so much; it causes my anticipation of opening day to increase more and more. I believe everyone is going to be in awe as soon as they walk through the front doors. The hardest decision for our guests probably is going to be trying to decide which of our world-class resorts to stay at next!”
With its location in the rolling foothills of the majestic Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort offers a place where awe and inspiration await guests thanks to thoughtful details that emerge around every turn. From spacious accommodations to well-planned amenities, guests can enjoy a variety of spaces to recharge and relax within the 302-room lodge. Welcoming the outdoors in with high ceilings, exposed beams and natural layered textures, Dollywood’s newest resort offers lodging options for multi-generational families and couples. Spacious family suites and bunk rooms feature lovely touches that are inspired by the beauty of the Smokies, inviting guests of all ages to gather for meaningful connections.
For one-of-a-kind getaways, the five-story resort also features themed suites and loft rooms tucked into the dormers. Many of the rooms include balconies with sweeping views of the vast resort property. This Smoky Mountain lodge features four-story, lantern-inspired windows in the resort’s welcoming atrium, epic indoor and outdoor pools that provide guests a refreshing escape in all seasons, and a picture-perfect outdoor cove with family gathering spaces. With 26,000 ft. of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space, the property can accommodate gatherings for several hundred guests. The resort offers numerous options to provide a unique setting for groups, including the two-story HeartSong Event Center, numerous outdoor meeting spaces and an event lawn.
Guests can discover delicious new dining options, created by resort chefs, in the full-service restaurant, lounge, private dining room, and Songbird Market Grab & Go eatery. In addition, Honeysuckle & Pine Storied Goods Mercantile offers unique gifts and treasured keepsakes from this very special place.
All Dollywood resort guests also receive priority access to Dollywood parks, as well as Saturday early park entry for exclusive ride time on one of Dollywood’s world-famous attractions. Additionally, resorts stays include complimentary Dollywood TimeSaver passes, door-to-door transportation and package delivery for items purchased inside Dollywood theme park. All privileges only are available for guests with valid park admission.
OMAHA, Neb. – For the second time this postseason, Tennessee battled back from a four-run deficit to stave off elimination after rallying past No. 8 seed Stanford for a 6-4 victory on a hot Monday afternoon at Charles Schwab Field.
A four-run fifth inning and another incredible relief outing from Chase Burns propelled the Volunteers to their first College World Series win since 2001, snapping a six-game skid in Omaha.
Burns was nearly unhittable in six shutout innings out of the bullpen, retiring 18 of the 20 batters he faced, including the final 10 Cardinal hitters in order to end the game and finish off his fifth win of the year. The sophomore flame thrower allowed just two hits and did not issue a walk while finishing with nine strikeouts, tying Todd Helton for the most punchouts in a CWS game in program history (June 3, 1995 vs. Clemson).
UT’s offense applied pressure on Stanford’s pitchers throughout the afternoon, cranking out 13 hits in the game, which was the third most ever by the Big Orange in a CWS game.
Leadoff man Maui Ahuna, along with three-hole hitter Jared Dickey, led the way with three hits apiece. Dickey also scored and drove in a run in Tennessee’s tide-turning four-run fifth inning.
Christian Moore’s two-run single with the bases loaded tied the game at four before the Vols added two more runs in seventh to take their first lead. Zane Denton drove in the eventual game-deciding run with an RBI groundout before Blake Burke – who also had a pair of hits – raced home from third on a wild pitch to give UT a 6-4 lead it would not relinquish.
It was the Cardinal who jumped out to the early lead with two runs in the first and two more in the third to pull ahead 4-0. Alberto Rios drove in two of Stanford’s four runs with an RBI double and a sacrifice fly, while Braden Montgomery also had a run-scoring single in the third.
Quinn Mathews started for the Cardinal and was able to work out of a couple of early jams in the first and second innings before retiring the Vols in order in the third and fourth. The senior lefty did not make it out of the fifth, however, and ended up allowing four runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings of work.
Reliever Matt Scott was stuck with the loss after giving up two runs in a third of an inning before making way for Brandt Pancer.
UP NEXT: The Vols (44-21) will take on the loser of Monday night’s game between No. 1 Wake Forest and No. 5 LSU in another elimination game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) People are staying in their city of Knoxville jobs following citywide wage increases last year, but newbies aren’t diving into the applicant pool.
That’s the finding of Knoxville’s Civil Service Director Vicki Hatfield in a report to the Civil Service Merit Board indicating the 6% across-the-board salary increase and $15 per hour minimum wage policy that went into effect on July 1 of last year have helped with retention — but not so much recruitment.
Hatfield points to low applicant numbers even after the compensation changes (they went down another 10% since last July) and applicants dropping out of consideration between the time they apply and exams, such as the ones required to join the Knoxville Police Department.
An investigation is underway after six people were taken to the hospital following a car accident in Seymour which shut down Hendon Chapel Road for hours.
The wreck, which involved two cars, happened yesterday afternoon (Sunday) at Sevierville Pike. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office along with the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department responding and say the six were taken to the hospital but their conditions have not been released nor have any details on what caused the crash.
The Tennessee Department of Education releases data about third grade retention appeals, marking approximately two weeks left for families to submit a form to the department appealing decisions about their student’s potential retention in third grade. The appeals window will remain open until June 30, 2023, and the form is accessible at https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/thirdgradeappeal.
Since the appeals window opened on May 30, 2023, the department has received 9,205 appeal forms representing 8,206 unique students, as of Monday morning at approximately 7:00 a.m. CT. Of appeals received, 6,698 unique students have received approval on their appeal, 642 students have received a denial of their appeal, and 434 student appeals are still in process. Additionally, 432 appeal forms that were submitted were not applicable due to student eligibility.
If a third grade student receives “approaching” on the ELA portion of the TCAP, the child’s parent may also submit an appeal within 14 days of local notification of receiving the decision of potential retention from their child’s school, documenting their child’s academic attainment on one of Tennessee’s approved Universal Reading Screeners or an event that impacts a child’s ability to perform well on the TCAP.
“Parents across the state are engaging in their child’s education and choosing the best pathway to ensure they are set up for success,” said Interim Commissioner Sam Pearcy. “We will continue to provide resources and supports as districts and schools have essential conversations with families of students who are not yet proficient and may benefit from additional learning supports like summer camp or tutoring throughout next school year.”
Legislation proposed this year by Governor Bill Lee and passed by the Tennessee General Assembly expanded summer camp opportunities to more students, including rising kindergarten through rising ninth grade students, providing additional learning supports to more grades and meeting the participation requirements, https://www.tn.gov/education/learning-acceleration.html including summer programming and tutoring supports, for promotion to fourth grade for eligible third grade students.
Fourth Grade Promotion Timelines
Beginning this summer, third grade students scoring “approaching” or “below” on the ELA portion of the spring TCAP assessment have multiple pathways to fourth grade promotion, including the TCAP retake opportunity, free summer camp and/or tutoring in the upcoming school year. Students who participated in the retake opportunity and did not score proficiently are also able to participate in other pathways to promotion to fourth grade, including summer camp and/or tutoring in the upcoming school year.
On May 22nd, the department released statewide averages for third grade TCAP ELA scores ahead of previous years’ timelines, highlighting historic gains in third grade reading after the launch of a new, comprehensive K-3 literacy strategy for Tennessee public schools. Then, on May 24th, the department released district-level 2023 TCAP performance averages for third grade English Language Arts (ELA). Access the 2023 TCAP ELA average scores for each district here.
On June 7th, the department released data about student participation in the TCAP retake opportunity. The data, accessible here, included district-level percentages of third grade students who were eligible to take the retake, who participated in the TCAP retake, and who improved their performance on the TCAP retake, benefitting from participating in this pathway to promotion to fourth grade in the upcoming school year. Of 44,395 Tennessee third grade students eligible to participate in the TCAP retake, 26,239 eligible students took the TCAP retake assessment. Statewide, 12.77% of retakers scored proficient and successfully completing the requirements of this pathway to promotion to fourth grade.
Families can find critical timeline information posted on the department’s website and should coordinate with their student’s school to ensure they can make informed decisions about their student’s education. The annual, full TCAP release, including all grades and subjects for state-level and district-level results, will be released in separate announcements this summer.
Photo of one of the many bales of paper removed from the industrial fire
The Knoxville Fire Department continuing their investigation into a fire on Proctor Street involving industrial equipment.
It happened Friday and the initial investigation shows a large piece of industrial equipment used for chopping paper caught fire. The building’s commercial sprinkler system helped to keep the fire from spreading to other equipment and KFD personnel were able to extinguish the fire in about 45 minutes.
A fire is also being investigating by the Knoxville Fire Department at an abandoned home in West Knoxville.
Crews called to the 2500 block of Dayton Street after a call came in Saturday that smoke was coming from the window and found heavy fire and smoke conditions. Crews remained on the scene for hours to cool numerous hotspots throughout the structure.
If you have any information concerning trespassers in that home you are asked to contact the Knoxville Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit at 865-637-1386.
OMAHA, Neb. – Ready for the Greatest Show on Dirt, the Tennessee baseball team begins the 2023 Men’s College World Series on Saturday night at Charles Schwab Field, taking on familiar foe in No. 5 national seed LSU at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Vols (43-20) have had a long road to get to Omaha, grinding through the NCAA Clemson Regional before taking the final two games of the NCAA Hattiesburg Super Regional at Southern Miss. Tennessee has been propelled by its ability to battle through games and do what it must to win.
The Vols are making their sixth trip to Omaha in program history and second in the last three seasons. Tennessee will look to reverse its fortunes at the final stage of the NCAA Tournament as the Vols are looking for their first win at the CWS since 2001.
Below fans can find a schedule of games and links on every facet of the tournament. This page will be updated as the tournament progresses. For the tournament homepage, click HERE.
2023 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
Friday, June 16 Game 1 – Oral Roberts vs. TCU, 2 p.m. | ESPN Game 2 – Virginia vs. Florida, 7 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, June 17 Game 3 –Wake Forest vs. Stanford, 2 p.m. | ESPN Game 4 – LSU vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m. | ESPN
Sunday, June 18 Game 5 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 2 p.m. (Elimination game) | ESPN Game 6 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 7 p.m. | ESPN
Monday,June 19 Game 7 – Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 2 p.m. (Elimination game) | ESPN Game 8 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7 p.m. | ESPN
Tuesday,June 20 Game 9 – Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6, 2 p.m. (Elimination game) | ESPN Game 10 – Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8, 7 p.m. (Elimination game) | ESPN
Wednesday, June 21 Game 11 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9, 2 p.m. | ESPN Game 12 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN
Thursday, June 22 Game 13 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9, 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. (If necessary) | ESPN or ESPN2 Game 14 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10, 7 p.m. (If necessary) | ESPN2
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Saturday, June 17 (7 p.m. ET) [ESPN] TBD vs. TBD
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
With lots going on at the most coveted event in college baseball, information on numerous different aspects of the facility and event can be found by visiting the pages below.
There’s so much to do at the FREE Men’s College World Series Fan Fest Present by Capital One! Be sure to check out the amazing activities brought to you by our NCAA Corporate Champions & Partners. Spend some time at the batting cages, sip on a cold beverage and enjoy fan contests and giveaways from the Fan Fest Main Stage!
Fan Fest Location: Lot C and Northeast corner of Lot B
Hours of operation and a list of Featured Fan Fest Attractions can be found by visiting HERE.
BROADCAST INFO
TV/Stream: ESPN
Talent: Mike Monaco (PxP), Kyle Peterson (Analyst), Chris Burke (Analyst), Kris Budden (Field Reporter)
National Radio: Westwood One (SiriusXM Ch. 84 & SiriusXM App)
NCAA COLLEGE WORLD SERIES HISTORY
Appearances: 6 (Most Recent: 2021)
College World Series Record: 8-10 (.444)
College World Series Appearances: 5 (1951, 1995, 2001, 2005, 2021, 2023)
The Vols have made it back to the College World Series for the second time in the last three years, the shortest time between appearances in program history. Tennessee is looking to break a five-game losing skid in the tournament which dates back to 2001. UT is looking for its first win at Charles Schwab Field, which replaced the original Rosenblatt Stadium in 2011.
SERIES HISTORY
vs. LSU Overall: LSU leads, 61-29 In Knoxville: LSU leads, 20-18 In Baton Rouge: LSU leads, 38-9 at Neutral Sites: LSU leads, 3-2 Last Meeting: W, 14-7 (April 1, 2023, in Baton Rouge)
Tennessee and LSU have never faced each other in the College World Series.
NOTABLE
HEY OMAHA, THE VOLS ARE BACK! For the second time in three years and the sixth time overall, Tennessee is back in Omaha for the NCAA Men’s College World Series (2023, 2021, 2005, 2001, 1995, 1951).
UT is the only program in the SEC and one of just four teams in the nation to appear in two of the last three College World Series, joining Stanford (2021, 2022, 2023), Texas (2021, 2022) and Virginia (2021, 2023).
The Big Orange advanced to Omaha after winning the Hattiesburg Super Regional against Southern Miss. UT won back-to-back elimination games over the Golden Eagles after dropping the series opener, 5-3. The Vols are now 9-3 overall record in super regional games, and have won four of the five super regionals they’ve participated in, with last season being the lone exception (lost to Notre Dame). UT has won all three of its super regional appearances away from home, posting a 6-1 record in matchups against Southern Miss (Hattiesburg, Miss.), East Carolina (Kinston, N.C. in 2001) and Georgia Tech (Atlanta in 2005).
After going undefeated in the Clemson Regional two weekends ago, the Vols have now won nine straight NCAA Regional games, the longest streak in program history and second longest current streak in the nation (Texas – 12). Tennessee and Texas are the only two programs in the country with current win streaks of nine games or longer in NCAA Regional play. This year’s regional championship marked the program’s first away from Knoxville.
VOLS ARE BATTLE TESTED Tennessee has had no shortage of games against top-end competition this season after playing eight series and 25 total games against ranked foes this year. UT won five of those eight series, including taking two of three on the road against No. 9 Southern Miss in the Hattiesburg Super Regional last weekend.
The Big Orange is 15-10 overall against ranked teams this season, including six victories on the road after toppling No. 9 ranked Southern Miss in the super regional and No. 4 national seed Clemson in a 14-inning thriller in the NCAA Clemson Regional.
Earlier this season, the Vols completed a grueling stretch of five straight weekend series against top-15 teams with a sweep of No. 2 Vanderbilt (April 21-23). The Vols played four consecutive series against top-five foes, facing No. 2 Vandy, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 2 Florida, No. 1 LSU and No. 12 Texas A&M in five straight weekend series, posting an 8-7 record during that stretch.
Since Vitello became UT’s head coach in 2018, the Vols have posted 31 victories over teams ranked in the top 10 and seven wins over top-ranked teams – LSU in 2023, Ole Miss (x3) in 2022, Arkansas in 2021, Texas Tech in 2020 and Florida in 2018.
POSTSEASON PEN ON POINT A major reason for Tennessee’s run to Omaha has been the dominance of the bullpen. In six NCAA Tournament games, the Vols’ bullpen has allowed just two runs in 23.2 innings, posting a 0.76 earned run average. UT’s relievers have combined for 29 strikeouts while issuing just 10 walks and have held opposing hitters to a .143 batting average during that span, as well.
During last weekend’s Hattiesburg Super Regional at Southern Miss, Tennessee’s relievers allowed just one run in nine innings of work, posting 12 strikeouts and allowing just one walk as the Big Orange held the Golden Eagles scoreless over the final 15 innings of the Super Regional
POSTSEASON ZANE Senior third baseman Zane Denton has been arguably the most clutch hitter in Tennessee’s lineup during postseason play. Though he has just five hits, four of those have been round-trippers and almost all of those home runs have come in the most impactful of moments.
Denton had a two-homer game in the biggest of moments at Clemson, homering in the seventh inning before belting a three-run homer in the top of the ninth with the Vols down to their final strike.
He continued the strong showing at the plate in the regional finale against Charlotte, launching a homer high off the batter’s eye in the fourth inning.
Denton came through yet again in game three of the Hattiesburg Super Regional. With the Vols up just a run in the fifth, Denton crushed a 2-0 fastball high into the night sky that sailed over the fence for a three-run blast, giving the Vols some distance and quieting the home crowd.
For his performance during the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Denton was named to the NCAA Clemson All-Regional Team and his four home runs in the tournament currently rank tied for third among all players.
OPPONENT SCOUT
LSU Tigers
2023 Record: 48-15 (19-10 SEC)
Head Coach: Jay Johnson (second season)
Postseason Honors:
Paul Skenes: Dick Howser Trophy Winner; SEC Pitcher of the Year; First Team All-America (NCBWA); First Team All-SEC
Dylan Crews: Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger of the Year; SEC Player of the Year; First Team All-America (NCBWA); First Team All-SEC; SEC All-Defensive Team
Tommy White: First Team All-America (NCBWA); First Team All-SEC
Jared Jones: Second Team Freshman All-America (NCBWA); SEC All-Freshman Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Tennessee basketball sophomore Tobe Awaka was named to the 2023 USA Basketball U19 National Team Friday. The physical forward made the 12-man roster after being among 35 elite players invited to take part in training camp.
Awaka will travel with Team USA from Colorado Springs to Hungary, where the FIBA U19 World Cup will be contested June 24-July 2.
The Hyde Park, New York, native is one of only two SEC players on the U.S. roster, joining incoming Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin.
Awaka led the Vols in offensive rebounding vs. league opponents (1.83 orpg) as a freshman last season, logging double-figure scoring twice on the year. He tallied a career-high 11 rebounds in Tennessee’s win over Austin Peay on December 21, 2022.
Tennessee redshirt freshman Freddie Dilione V also was a Team USA training camp participant. He advanced through multiple rounds of cuts before being one of the final two players trimmed from the roster.
Along with the USA and host Hungary, teams taking part in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup are Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Korea, Madagascar, Slovenia, Turkey, Brazil, China, France, Japan, Lebanon, Serbia and Spain.
The USA was drawn into Group B, alongside Lebanon, Madagascar and Slovenia for the June 24-27 FIBA U19 World Cup preliminary round. The USA will open play against Madagascar on June 24, followed by Slovenia on June 25 and close preliminary play against Lebanon on June 27.
The USA will face off against Lebanon and Madagascar for the first time at a 2023 FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup, owning a 2-0 record against Slovenia at the U19 World Cup.
The United States has won the competition eight times, including three of the last four events—in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Former Tennessee point guard and 2022 NBA Draft pick Kennedy Chandler was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. squad in 2021.
Current Vol Josiah-Jordan James has experience winning international gold with USA Basketball. James was a member of the United States’ gold-medal-winning team at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
The Tennessee basketball team is traveling to Italy July 31 through Aug. 9 for a three-game exhibition tour filled with cultural immersion and exciting sight-seeing experiences.
The Volunteers have scheduled games against the Lithuanian U21 National Team in Florence on back-to-back days Aug. 4-5. Tennessee also will face Italian club team A.S. Stella Azzura in Rome on Aug. 7.
Video of all three games will be streamed live on the subscription video service FloSports and can be accessed through a one-month subscription.
After spending the first days of the trip in the Lake Como region, the traveling party will bus to Florence for a multi-day stop before boarding a train to Rome on Aug. 6.
In addition to the games, other activities throughout the trip include a boat tour of Lake Como, a tour of the Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and stops at the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum and Vatican City.
Fans interested in supporting this once-in-a-lifetime educational and athletic experience for the Tennessee basketball program are encouraged to contact the Tennessee Fund at [email protected].
Tennessee owns an all-time international exhibition record of 19-7.
The Vols have previously made similar international trips to Spain in 1976 (2-1), France/Italy in 1997 (5-3), the Dominican Republic in the fall of 2003 (1-1), Czech Republic/Slovakia/Austria in 2007 (4-1), Italy in 2012 (4-0) and Spain/France in 2017 (3-0).
The program’s most recent international excursion, in the summer of 2017, served as a valuable team-building experience, as those Vols went on to win the 2018 SEC championship.
The Vols added three newcomers with Division I experience via the NCAA Transfer Portal in guards Jordan Gainey (USC Upstate) and Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado) and forward Chris Ledlum (Harvard).
Tennessee also welcomes three freshmen newcomers in guard Cameron Carr and forwards J.P. Estrella and Cade Phillips.
Italy Exhibition Schedule Friday, Aug. 4 vs. Lithuania U21 National Team – 7 p.m. local / 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 5 vs. Lithuania U21 National Team – 7 p.m. local / 1 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 7 vs. A.S. Stella Azzurra – 7:30 p.m. local / 1:30 p.m. ET
