Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knox County announced Tuesday that its “Park & Play” program will be visiting parks across the county this summer, beginning on Thursday.
The pop-up program offers a wide range of fun and activities, including board games, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, group games and athletic demonstrations.
“It’s a simple, fun way to bring families together, get kids moving and make the most of our amazing parks,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “We love being able to show up in neighborhoods and offer something active and free for everyone to enjoy.”
All events will take place on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the following parks:
June 5 – Plum Creek Park June 12 – Sterchi Hills Park June 19 – Tank Strickland Park June 26 – Mascot Park July 3 – Beverly Park July 10 – Maloney Road Park July 17 – Walker Springs Park July 24 – Corryton Park July 31 – Hardin Valley Community Park
The activities will be free and open to the public.
Nashville, TN (WOKI) Tennessee lawmakers are touting a new law recently signed by Governor Bill Lee that will combat the rise of AI-generated child pornography in the state.
The law makes it a criminal offense to knowingly possess, distribute, or produce any software or technology specifically designed to create or facilitate the creation of AI-generated child porn.
The law addresses the growing concerns over the misuse of advanced AI tools to generate realistic but entirely synthetic images of minors in pornographic contexts. Under the new law, possession of such tools is classified as a Class E felony; distribution is a Class C felony; and production of AI-generated child sexual abuse material is a Class B felony.
It’s set to take effect on July 1.
Governor Lee has signed a law that aims to curb the rise of AI-generated child pornography in Tennessee. (Courtesy: Governor Bill Lee’s Office)
For only the third time since 2000, the University of Tennessee Athletics Department finished second in the USA Today SEC All-Sports title race. The Vols and Lady Vols ranked second to Texas, ending Tennessee’s record-setting three-year streak as the top overall athletic program in the conference.
Tennessee claimed its first three SEC All-Sports titles for the 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 academic years. The Big Orange became only the second school in league history to win three consecutive titles, following Florida.
“Although we are disappointed not to have won our fourth straight SEC All-Sports title, finishing as runner-up in the largest and most competitive league in the country is still a remarkable testament to the strength of our athletic department,” said Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White.
The champion is determined based on a points system devised by the USA Today Network that rewards the highest points total based on the number of teams per sport competing for conference regular season championships.
Texas captured the top spot with 179.75 points, followed by Tennessee (149.5), Texas A&M (148.25) and Florida (148).
The second-place finish solidifies Tennessee’s most successful four-year run in the history of the SEC All-Sports title race.
A woman is charged after shooting a handgun at a man posing as an Xfinity salesman to scam her.
WVLT reporting that Lucinda Cameron-Cox says a man, identified as Mark, came to her house to scam her out of hundreds of dollars.
She says Mark came to her house and convinced her to change her service, pocketing $300. She later went to an Xfinity store, where she learned that Mark had stolen from her.
Knowing she’d been fraudulently scammed, “Mark” was called back in order to have him install the equipment she was supposed to receive from the Xfinity store.
Once “Mark” came back to her home, Cameron-Cox attempted to force him to stay at the residence but he managed to leave the house and she followed him outside and fired a shot at him.
No one was injured but she was charged with reckless endangerment.
Another incident in downtown Gatlinburg shuts down part of the Parkway.
The Gatlinburg Police Department was one of several departments to respond to a reported suspicious package last night (Tuesday) in the 700 block of Parkway.
As a precaution, officials rerouted vehicular and pedestrian traffic along this portion of Parkway and Maples Lane but it reopened shortly after 10 p.m. after no suspicious package was found.
Other responding agencies include the Sevierville Police Department, Pigeon Forge Police Department and the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional information has not been released. This comes just days after a crash in this same area injured seven.
Oak Ridge, TN (WOKI) Oak Ridge Schools is teaming up with Southwest Food Excellence to give free meals to anyone under 18 over the summer.
The meals will come from ETHRA Sunshine Busses at several locations across the region and will be served, Monday through Friday, through June 27.
The schedule is below:
The Blossom Center – 280 Royce Circle, Oak Ridge (10:30-11:00 a.m.)
Oliver Springs Library – 610 Walker Ave., Oliver Springs (11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool – 172 Providence Rd., Oak Ridge (12:30-1:30 p.m.)
Clinton Splash Pad – 110 S Charles G Seivers Blvd, Clinton (2:15-3:15 p.m.)
“We’re committed to supporting our students and families year-round,” said Kristina Barnard, SFE General Manager. “This partnership allows us to continue providing nutritious meals even when school is not in session, helping ensure no child goes hungry during the summer months.”
Those who cannot make it to a bus location can also go to Oak Ridge High School from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Oak Ridge program offers kids free meals over the summer. (Courtesy: Oak Ridge Schools)
Morristown, TN (WOKI) Hamblen County is getting ready to open their new jail this summer.
At the current Hamblen County Jail, Sheriff Chad Mullins says they’ve dealt with overcrowding issues for years.
At times, they’ll have as many as 400 inmates at a building that only holds about 250 beds so fighting happens every day with six to eight people in a cell.
The new jail next door will be much larger with at least 600 beds, with two-man cells.
The jail, which cost $100 million dollars to build, was supposed to be ready last October but they had some issues and delays with construction.
Now, officials say, the jail is expected to open this August.
The Sheriff says they need 30 new people and the Hamblen County Commission passed a first reading last week that would give sheriff’s office employees and jail staff a 10% raise, bringing their hourly pay to around $20 an hour.
That raise is not final and will have to pass a second reading later this month.
The new jail costs $100,000,000 and will create much needed space for inmates and staff. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Two people were arrested after KPD officers responded to shots fired at the Evape Tavern and Dispensary on North Central Street early Tuesday morning.
At around 2:40 a.m. on June 3, 2025, officers responded to a shooting at the Evape Tavern and Dispensary on North Central Street. Witnesses reported that 58-year-old Robert Vandergriff repeatedly tried to get the bar staff to serve his girlfriend, 59-year-old Glenda Savage. The bar staff had determined Savage was intoxicated and refused to serve her. The two were then told to leave.
After leaving, Vandergriff and Savage drove back to the bar. Vandergriff parked on Central Street, exited the vehicle and began shooting at the building’s exterior from the street. One person was outside the building. Two people were inside. Fortunately, nobody was struck or injured.
Vandergriff and Savage were quickly identified and, shortly after, both were located and arrested. Vandergriff was charged with three counts of aggravated assault, while Savage was charged with one count of aggravated assault.
If you’re seeing bear cubs around, leave them alone.
Appalachian Bear Rescue says it’s normal to see cubs this time of year and they have been getting calls about bear cubs that might be orphaned.
ABR says that mother bears will often leave their cubs in trees while they go and look for food.
They say the mom will eventually return to get her kids. ABR says rescuing cubs too soon can orphan them. June also is when family bear breakup season begins, moms push the cubs out alerting it’s time to learn on your own. If you see a bear, leave it alone.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is using part of its $80 million dollars in recurring and $1 billion dollars in non-recurring dollars to accelerate, leverage, and add new projects to the department’s fiscally constrained 10-Year Plan.
Some of those recurring dollars will lead to an additional 130 lane miles of resurfacing annually as part of their Pavement Preservation Program.
That work is being done this week on State Route 338 (Boyd’s Creek Highway) in Sevier County.
TDOT reminding drivers to always use extreme caution and slow down whenever you are driving through a work zone.
