The Monroe County Sheriff’s office needs your help finding a man wanted for first degree murder.
On October 18th, a man called 911 claiming to be a distressed hiker named Brandon Andrade who said he had fallen off a cliff while running from a bear.
The call was pinged to a bridge on the Cherahola Skyway in Tellico Plains. Search and rescue teams responded and found the body of a man with personal identification listed as Andrade.
“Detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and the Monroe County Violent Crime Task Force reviewed the scene and after further investigation, determined that the deceased subject was not Mr. Brandon Andrade and that the identification had been stolen and used on multiple occasions. Furthermore, a male that was using stolen identification of Mr. Andrade was discovered to be a Mr. Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who was wanted out of the State of Alabama on a parole violation.”Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Detectives said Hamlett used a false name when talking to Knox County law enforcement after making the call about the hiker and fled from his Tennessee address.
Nicholas Hamlett, who is wanted out of Alabama on a parole violation, has been identified as the man who made the call about the hiker.
Police say he is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him should call 911 and not approach him.
Operations back to normal following an ammonia chemical leak at U.S. Foods.
Alcoa city officials ordered a shelter in place following the leak Friday night.
The City of Alcoa Fire Department along with a hazmat trailer were taking readings with meters in the area and they never got readings outside of the plant facilities. They say the road closure was a precaution and at no time was the public in danger.
A drone video showed a valve malfunction and after the valves were shut off, the shelter in place order was lifted.
When the liquid is released, it turns to vapor so no cleanup that has to be done, unlike an oil spill or gas fuel leak.
An investigation is underway in Greene County after a couple is found dead and their son is charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
The Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents were called to a home in the 500 block of Hartman Lane Friday where they found 68-year-old Cassandra Wilhoit and 60-year-old Ray “Allen” Wilhoit dead.
Deputies arrested their son, 35-year-old Jessie Wilhoit, his bond was set at $2 million and his arraignment is set for today (Monday) at 8:30 a.m.
The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a house fire in East Knoxville.
Crews were called to the 3000 block of Linden Avenue yesterday (Sunday) morning for smoke coming from the home.
Upon arrival they found smoke coming from the front of the home and a man was injured in the street in front of the home. Crews found a small fire in the kitchen but had difficulty establishing a water supply because a car was parked in front of the closest fire hydrant so crews had to break out windows in the car to hook up their hose through the car.
Everyone make it out okay but the injured man was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Two man and a woman lived in the home which suffered significant smoke, water, and fire damage.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dropped a 66-62 decision Sunday afternoon to No. 17/18 Indiana at Food City Center in a season-opening charity exhibition affair benefitting the John McLendon Foundation.
No. 12 Tennessee, in its first-ever home exhibition contest against a Division I foe, did not face a second-half deficit until fewer than seven minutes remained, but could not hold on for the win. Senior guard Zakai Zeigler paced the Volunteers with 13 points and a game-high eight assists in the setback.
After Tennessee scored the opening basket, Indiana notched the next four to go ahead, 8-2, with 16:16 on the clock. The visitors’ lead sat at 16-11 after the opening 12.5 minutes, during which the Volunteers went 1-of-15 from 3-point range.
Tennessee, however, then hit back-to-back long-range shots, one each from Jordan Gainey and fellow senior guard Zakai Zeigler, and followed them with an alley-oop dunk by fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier—off a lob from Zeigler—to go ahead, 19-16, with 6:03 left in the frame. The Volunteers soon thereafter, aided by a personal 5-1 run from junior forward Felix Okpara, took a five-point edge, 26-21, with 1:57 on the ticker.
The Hoosiers scored the last four points of the session and Tennessee took a 26-25 margin into the break. Both teams struggled from distance in the opening 20 minutes, as the Volunteers shot 3-of-20 (15.0 percent) and held their opponent without a single make on 11 attempts. Tenth-year head coach Rick Barnes‘ team made all seven of its first-half free throws.
Tennessee took a game-best six-point edge, 41-35, exactly four minutes into the second session, but Indiana responded with six straight points to level the score at 41 with 13:40 to play. The lead remained four with under seven minutes left, but Indiana went on a 10-0 run in 2:37 to go ahead, 60-54, with 4:17 on the clock, matching its largest lead of the day.
The Volunteers, 27 seconds later, snapped a 5:08 scoreless drought—it included seven straight misses—on a 3-pointer by senior guard Jahmai Mashack that cut the deficit in half. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr. hit two free throws with 2:08 to play, making it a one-point game, but the Hoosiers responded at the other end and the Volunteers never got closer than two the rest of the way.
In addition to Zeigler, who shot 7-of-8 at the stripe, two other Volunteers scored in double figures. Gainey registered 12 points and Lanier posted 10, adding two blocks. Mashack scored nine points and co-led all players with three steals, Milicic had eight points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Okpara totaled seven points, six rebounds and a game-leading four blocks.
Junior forward Malik Reneau led all scorers with 21 points—14 of them came after the break—on 8-of-12 shooting for the Hoosiers, adding eight rebounds and a co-game-high three steals. Redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice tallied 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and a co-team-best four assists. Sophomore forward Mackenize Mgbako had 12 points, all in a second half during which he shot 5-of-7 after missing all five of his first half-attempts, while graduate center Oumar Ballo logged six points and a game-best 11 rebounds.
The Volunteers recorded a 13-2 advantage in bench points, but Indiana posted an 18-9 edge in fast-break points and a 32-20 margin in the paint. Tennessee, which finished 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) on free throws, held the Hoosiers to just 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) 3-point shooting, but they made four of their first seven attempts of the second half.
Tennessee officially begins the 2024-25 campaign Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. when it hosts Gardner-Webb at Food City Center, live on SEC Network+.
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 • To learn more about the John McLendon Foundation, the charity to which proceeds from Sunday’s game will benefit, visit www.minorityleaders.org. • Although not an official game, Sunday marked the first time Tennessee and Indiana have ever met at one side’s campus arena, as all four prior meetings came at neutral sites, each between 1967 and 1985. • Tennessee fell to 87-19 all-time in exhibition games, including 65-12 in the United States, 62-10 in Knoxville, 56-8 in preseason contests (games just before the start of the regular season), 28-2 against United States colleges and 2-1 versus Division I teams. • Tennessee is now 15-1 in exhibition affairs under Barnes, including 9-1 against United States colleges and 7-1 in Knoxville. • The Volunteers’ 25-game exhibition winning streak—which went back to Nov. 3, 2011, versus Carson-Newman—came to an end. • Sunday marked the third consecutive year Tennessee has played a Division I team—all were ranked top-20—in a preseason exhibition contest after never previously doing so. • Just as he did in the 2023-24 exhibition affair at Food City Center, Gainey scored the first points of the game, this time via a layup with 17:50 on the clock. • Mashack, who made multiple 3-pointers in a regular season game four times in his first three years, shot 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. • Sophomore forward Cade Phillips pulled down five rebounds, third-most on the team, after never eclipsing three in an official game during his inaugural campaign. • Five Volunteers saw their first action at Food City Center: Lanier, Miličić Jr., Okpara, freshman guard Bishop Boswell and fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football moved up one spot to No. 7 in the Coaches poll and remained No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 following the Volunteers’ open weekend.
In addition, Tennessee’s SEC contest against Kentucky next Saturday will kick off at 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network, the league office announced.
The Vols (6-1) sit in a three-way tie with Texas and LSU for third place in the league standings at 3-1 with four conference games remaining. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5 SEC) has dropped three in a row, including a 24-10 loss to Auburn on Saturday night in Lexington.
Tennessee is the third-highest ranked SEC team currently behind only No. 2/2 Georgia and No. 6/6 Texas. The Vols own a victory over current No. 14 Alabama and will travel to take on No. 2 Georgia on Nov. 16.
Tennessee has been ranked in the Coaches poll for 40 consecutive weeks dating back to Sept. 11, 2022. It’s the eighth straight week that the Vols have been ranked in the top 10 of at least one poll.
The first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings will be announced on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s contest against Kentucky will mark the 18th straight sellout of Neyland Stadium.
Associated Press Top 25 (Oct. 27) 1. Oregon (61) 2. Georgia (1) 3. Penn State 4. Ohio State 5. Miami 6. Texas 7. Tennessee 8. Notre Dame 9. BYU 10. Texas A&M 11. Iowa State 11. Clemson 13. Indiana 14. Alabama 15. Boise State 16. LSU 17. Kansas State 18. Pittsburgh 19. Ole Miss 20. SMU 21. Army 22. Washington State 23. Colorado 24. Illinois 25. Missouri
AFCA Coaches Poll (Oct. 27) 1. Oregon (53) 2. Georgia (1) 3. Penn State 4. Ohio State 5. Miami 6. Texas 7. Tennessee 8. Clemson 9. Notre Dame 10. Iowa State 11. Texas A&M 12. BYU 13. Indiana 14. Alabama 15. Kansas State 16. LSU 17. Pittsburgh 18. Ole Miss 19. Boise State 20. SMU 21. Army 22. Washington State 23. Missouri 24. Illinois 25. Memphis
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) – Thursday, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development released data outlining unemployment rates in Tennessee.
East Tennessee’s Sevier County ranked lowest in unemployment in the state, joined by Moore County at 2.7%.
East Tennessee county ranks No. 1 for lowest unemployment(Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
That being said, Sevier County’s unemployment rate increased from August, a trend that affected much of the state.
Unemployment rates in 77 counties across Tennessee increased, according to the data. Rates decreased in five counties and stayed the same in 13.
Two counties in southeast Tennessee ranked high for unemployment, however. McMinn County and Meigs County both sit at a 4.7% unemployment rate, ranked 87 and 89 respectively among Tennessee’s 95 counties.
Those looking for help finding a job can check out the American Job Center, which has many centers across the state.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Fire Department is investigating a West Knoxville Apartment fire.
Crews called to the 2400 block of Piedmont Street last night (Thursday) and found heavy fire coming from a two-story apartment building. The crew was pushed back from the interior due to the heavy volume of fire.
A ladder truck was set up to provide water on the fire and once it was under control, KFD crews were able to enter the building and extinguish the blaze.
The building had four apartments, and six adults and two children were displaced but no one was injured. Three dogs also escaped without injury.
The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupants.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The long-awaited upgrades to Lindsey Nelson Stadium, the home of Tennessee baseball, saw another budget increase following Friday’s meeting of the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees Finance and Administration Committee.
The committee approving the nearly $10 million increase ($9,300,000) which project representatives say is necessary to cover costs associated with unforeseen soil and utility conditions.
The approval brings the total cost of the project to over $105 million dollars ($105,100,000) and follows a 2023 budget increase which was approved that June.
University representatives claim the money won‘t come from the university’s budget directly, but from gifts and donations.
For comparison, Knoxville’s other stadium project — the downtown multi-use stadium — has been billed at around $114 million.
Dollywood’s Splash Country water park recently received the Al Turner Memorial Commitment to Excellence Award, presented annually by the World Waterpark Association (WWA).
According to the WWA, this honor is awarded to individuals, parks or organizations that provide leadership or fostered a sense of community.
“We are so proud of our entire Splash Country team and their commitment to giving every guest the best experience they can,” said Jordan Leach, Dollywood’s Splash Country Director of Operations, who was in Las Vegas to accept the award at the World Waterpark Association Symposium & Trade Show on Oct. 9. “We’re honored to receive this award, but we don’t do it for the awards. We simply want to provide all families with a safe and fun time at our water park.”
Dollywood’s Splash Country has been a consistent family-favorite vacation spot for more than two decades and is known as the Most Trusted Water Park in the Smokies. Opened by Dreamer-in-Chief Dolly Parton in 2001, the water park was built into the natural landscape of the Smokies. Splash Country spans 35 acres and immerses guests in the shaded beauty of the area to help them beat the summer heat in East Tennessee.
The water park is home to the only platinum award-winning lifeguards in the East Tennessee region. Splash Country lifeguards recently were honored with back-to-back Ellis and Associates’ Platinum International Safety Awards which recognizes organizations for achieving the highest quality of lifeguard operations. Splash Country also hosted its 14th annual Water Safety Day this year, with more than 700 people attending the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson.
Dollywood’s Splash Country is open annually from May to September and offers a variety of water slides and other attractions, as well as delicious summertime treats and meals for every appetite. For more information about Splash Country, please visit https://www.dollywood.com/waterpark/.
