Nashville, TN (WSMV) – We are now hearing from law firms representing Impact Plastics workers and their families. One of them, Litson PLLC, is based in Nashville.
Alex Little with Litson is a former federal prosecutor. He said he is looking into several things, like whether the plant had a working surveillance system that day, to get to the bottom of what happened.
Johnny Peterson, 55, was a longtime supervisor at Impact Plastics who did not make it out alive.
“Look, it should have never happened,” Little said.
Little is now representing Peterson’s family and several surviving employees. They allege workers were not allowed to leave work in time to escape flooding from Hurricane Helene.
“The Peterson family wants to know what happened and who ultimately is responsible to make sure this never happens again,” Little said.
Impact Plastics said last week that ‘there was still time to escape’, but still, Impact Plastics said two employees were killed. Little said that number is now five.
“I think one was found yesterday,” Little said.
Bertha Mendoza, 56, was also among those who lost her life. The class action law firm, Milberg, is now representing the Mendoza family.
“My heart is broken,” Mendoza’s son said. “My father lost his wife of 38 years. We are not okay.”
Both firms agree this was a senseless tragedy for workers. The firm representing the factory’s founder, Gerald O’Connor, told us that he is also grieving those who were lost.
“Our focus is on our employees,” O’Connor said in a video statement last week. “Thank you for your hard work, as we all try to recover from this tragedy.”
Unicoi County, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Department of Health confirms there has been another “weather-related” fatality in East Tennessee.
TEMA says 16 have died in the state as a result of Helene. There are now eight dead in Unicoi County as well as one death each reported in Knox, Johnson and Greene Counties, two in Cocke County and three in Washington County.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says there are still nine people missing in areas impacted by flooding; that is down from a peak that exceeded 100.
As of Friday, there was one person missing each in Carter, Hawkins and Knox counties, seven in Greene, three in Union, six people in Unicoi County and three people in Washington County.
Newport, TN (WOKI) In the wake of Hurricane Helene comes a bit of good news Tuesday for folks in Newport.
Officials with Newport Utilities report that the boil water advisory has been lifted for all customers.
The utility company, taking to Facebook with the announcement, says that tap water is now safe for consumption and household activities.
In their post Newport Utilities stated it has “thoroughly tested and evaluated the water samples taken throughout our service area and concluded that all water within our system meets all safety standards set by health authorities.”
Newport Utilities adds that for customer awareness:
All customers can resume normal use of tap water effective immediately
If you have previously boiled water for consumption, it is now completely safe to consume un-boiled tap water
Run your faucets for a few minutes to clear any remaining water in your pipes.
A suspect in a stand-off in Karns is arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says 46 year-old Russell Kline was arrested after deputies responded to the 7900 block of Oak Ridge Highway yesterday (Monday) and found Kline inside the home with at least two children.
SWAT and KCSO’s Negotiation Team got Kline to release the children unharmed into deputy’s custody, he was then taken into custody.
The Tennessee Department of Health confirms there are more “weather-related” fatalities in East Tennessee.
TEMA says 15 have died in the state as a result of Helene. There has been one death each in Knox, Johnson and Greene County in addition to seven in Unicoi County, two in Cocke County and three in Washington County.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says there are nine people missing in areas impacted by flooding which is down from a peak exceeding 100.
As of Friday, there was one person missing each in Carter, Hawkins and Knox counties, seven in Greene, three in Union, six people in Unicoi County and three people in Washington County.
NEWPORT, Tenn. (WVLT/WOKI) – For the fourth time in the last week, Governor Bill Lee surveyed storm damage in East Tennessee.
On Monday afternoon, it was I-40 in Cocke County that Gov. Lee and fellow state leaders went to as they observed some of the areas of the interstate that were washed away from the storm.
Currently, I-40 is closed at Exit 447 for westbound drivers and Exit 440 for eastbound drivers.(TDOT/Mark Nagi)
The part of the interstate impacted directly impacts people from East Tennessee trying to travel toward Asheville, North Carolina.
I-40 between North Carolina, Tennessee to remain closed until fall 2025, NCDOT estimates
“The repairs that have to be made on the North Carolina side of I-40 will have to be delivered through Tennessee and through an I-40 stretch that runs through our state. So, there’s a tremendous need for those roads to be repaired,” said Gov. Lee.
Lee said that a portion of I-40 will be temporarily opened by the end of next week as crews utilize the other side of the interstate to have traffic flowing one lane in each direction.
A long-term solution for the road being rebuilt entirely is still not clear at this time.
“What we have to do right now is accelerate everything we can, certainly before the next big storm comes through,” said Sen. Bill Hagerty.
Part of I-26 also washed away in Erwin, but a portion of that interstate will open again on Tuesday. It will be from the North Carolina state line to Exit 40 but only local traffic will be allowed.
A look at the I-26 bridges at MM 39.6 in Unicoi County. Both bridges were destroyed during the Helene flooding.
Most people will have to continue using the detour from I-81 North to I-77 South.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a pair of hard-fought SEC road battles, No. 8/9 Tennessee returns home for the first of four consecutive conference games inside of Neyland Stadium when it hosts Florida on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The Volunteers will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, falling on the road to Arkansas in what turned out to be a low-scoring battle.
UT has been dominant in front of its home fans over the past two-plus years, posting an impressive 15-1 record in Knoxville since the start of the 2022 season with its only loss in that span coming to No. 1 Georgia last November.
Saturday’s night game will also feature the iconic checkerboard pattern throughout the stands as Checker Neyland presented by Pilot, Tennessee’s popular fan-driven initiative, returns for the eighth time in program history. The Vols have won their last two #CheckerNeyland games, topping Florida, 38-33, in 2022 and defeating Texas A&M, 20-13, last season.
“It’s been a month since we got the chance to play in there and see our fans,” head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday afternoon. “We are looking forward to seeing them. We need to create a great environment, and I know we will like always.”
Tennessee will be hoping the raucous environment of Neyland Stadium, which will be sold out for the 16th consecutive contest, can provide a boost to the Big Orange, especially on the offensive side of the ball after an uncharacteristic performance last weekend in Fayetteville.
“We need the Neyland Effect to be in effect on Saturday night,” Heupel said. “It’s our responsibility as a football team to prepare and practice the right way to go play. Our fans need to be a huge part of the environment and the football game.”
Videos and quotes from Monday’s availability with Heupel and select players can be seen below.
Opening statement… “I hope everybody is doing great. The morning got off to a good start with the guys. It’s obviously the opportunity and time of the week where you look back at the football game and figure out how we get better, whether you win or lose. It’s important by the time that you go out on the field with the guys, you flush it and move on. As competitors, you’re only as good as your next one. Everybody in the building is disappointed with the outcome on Saturday night. You can’t do anything about that at this point other than take the lessons, push forward and continue to grow as a football team. In that way, no matter what happened the previous week, you have to move on. Guys were good, took the information and had good demeanor out on the practice field. It’s important for us that we get off to a good start and prepare the right way just like it is every single week.
“For us this week coming back home, we are excited to be back in Neyland Stadium. It’s been a month since we got the chance to play in there and see our fans. We are looking forward to seeing them. We need to create a great environment, and I know we will like always. We need the Neyland Effect to be in effect on Saturday night. It’s our responsibility as a football team to prepare and practice the right way to go play. Our fans need to be a huge part of the environment and the football game. Looking forward to it. Florida is playing its best ball right now. They continue to get better throughout the course of the season. That’s really in all three phases. Defensively, they are long, athletic and have speed. Offensively, both of their quarterbacks are playing really good football right now. The offensive line is really solid.”
On what’s prevented the offense from getting tempo lately and the areas of offensive struggles recently… “This past week, offensively, you look at the football game and there were so many self-inflicted wounds: pre-snap penalties, playing penalties, missed communication. At times, you aren’t playing on tempo. In the course of drives when we’ve wanted to play with tempo, we’ve been able to do it and play efficiently. There was Dylan Sampson’s big run and multiple instances of it. At the end of the day, you have to play smart and effective football. The prior week, I certainly slowed things down in the second half and played a different style because of the flow of the football game. I try to play all three phases together. For us, we have to do the ordinary things at a really high level. Last week, we didn’t do that very well. The game before that, we did a lot of things really well.”
On if the issues were more pre-snap or post-snap and why odd number fronts have given the offense issues… “Structurally, the odd-numbered fronts have been what our last couple opponents have decided to play against us. We are certainly capable of attacking it and performing better than we did in the run game and pass game. I’m not taking anything away from Arkansas, but some of the things that we control, we did not handle very well. You heard me say it already, but communication was a big part of it. The penalties just change the way the game is played. Too many third and longs. We have to be ready to go attack what we see on gameday.”
On if Oklahoma and Arkansas did anything to confuse Nico Iamaleava with their defensive scheme… “No, Nico played really well a week ago. He was clean in his decision making and was decisive and accurate with the football. This past week, he rips a nice ball on the first play of the ball game. Some evolved parts as the game went on, we didn’t play as clean. Some of that is Nico, and some of that is the guys around him. The quarterback position takes 10 other guys around you playing at a high level too. All 11 doing ordinary things at a really high level consistently was the difference in the ballgame the other night.”
On playing different defensive fronts and structures… “The last couple of years, we’ve seen four down, five down and three down. We’ve seen those structures. We have to go attack it and play well.”
On how he would assess Lance Heard and John Campbell Jr. at tackle and what the next step is for them… “I love those guys and believe in those guys. Those two, and pretty much everybody offensively, can perform at a higher level as we go, and have performed at a higher level than they did the other night. Some of that’s just ordinary things: fundamentals, technique, alignment-assignment and technique.”
On if Arkansas’ pass rush success was due to poor communication or one-on-one battles… “Some of that’s just one-on-one battles.”
On if he wishes he would have called a timeout in the last minute of the game… “In hindsight, yeah, for sure. As I recognized that we weren’t immediately ready, I thought about going to a timeout and I thought we were ready to get the ball off in the next couple of seconds. Every timeout at the end of the game creates a different scenario where you are not forced to push the ball into the end zone. So, yeah, absolutely.”
On the challenges of preparing for two quarterbacks in preparation for Florida… “I think both of them have played smart football. They’ve been accurate with the football in particular the last couple of weeks. They both operate within the system extremely well. They both have the ability to run the football, move, extend and make plays. The young kid (DJ Lagway) is dynamic with the ball in his hands.”
On the game plan to get ready for the blitz against Florida… “They’re multiple in what they do. That’s their fronts. That’s their coverages in the backend. It’s the pressures they apply. They can get to the quarterback in just a four-down front too. For us, communication, understanding where we’re working to, recognizing the pressure—that can be front five guys. It’s your back, it’s your tight end at times as well, they all have to be in sync. Then, you have to play good football. You have to play with good fundamentals and technique and win your one-on-ones. Another part of that is going and winning on the outside, doing it quickly and the quarterback being decisive. All 11 guys have to play together.”
On if he sensed anything different in last week’s preparation coming off a bye week… “I thought Tuesday’s practice of bye week was really good. Wednesday’s was a different type of practice. I thought our preparation was solid last week. At the end of the day, we didn’t go perform how we needed to. So, that’s personal accountability and team accountability.”
On if there are any updates on Bru McCoy’s or Squirrel White’s injuries… “None of the injuries are long-term season ending injuries. As we go through the week, we will find out exactly where everybody is at. You guys can look forward to the injury report Wednesday night.”
On the defensive fronts they were facing against Arkansas, and how they changed it up.. “It wasn’t anything we haven’t blocked before. I think the pre-snap movement was a big thing. Obviously, looking back at the penalties, pr- snap penalties. Just being able to adjust when we are out there. Shifting from four-down to three-down or vice versa. Just being able to go block it like I said, nothing I haven’t blocked before. Just have to clean it up and get ready for the same thing this week.”
On what he has seen from the guys in getting ready for this week… “I think the response has been great. Everybody in the building, we believe in each other, and we know Saturday we didn’t get the job done. We know we didn’t play to our standard, so just coming back in, learning from the game, learning from the mistakes and being ready for this week.”
On his GoFundMe for disaster relief to Northeast Tennessee and Western North Carolina, the region where he is from… “A little story I just want to say about that. Obviously, a lot came through my region back home. I was able to go yesterday, back to Neva, Tennessee, just above Mountain City, which is probably a good two-and-a-half, two hours and 45 minutes, it’s a good little drive. We took about 4,500 dollars’ worth of groceries and other items that were needed to Elizabethton and Parks & Recreation. One of my best friends who I fish with a lot in the offseason … His family owns a farm, they have lost four houses on that farm that were swept away by what was about a six-foot wide creek. Just to see the videos and everything. We were able to drive up there yesterday. You are just driving up the mountain and you look off of the side of the road, and there is a car wrapped around a tree, there’s a house that has been completely ripped off its platform. There’s a lot of people up there that need help. It’s just really sad to see what’s come to the region, so I’m just trying to use my platform to help those people back home. If there are people out there that are able to donate, there are people that really need it.”
On if he sensed a different vibe from the team during practice today… “Yeah. Definitely just came into the building today with an emphasis that everything that we want, all of our dreams and our goals are still in front of us. Learn from this, get past it, flush it and onto the next week.”
On how important it is for skill positions to help in pass protection against a tough Florida defense… “Just details and everything. Being on the same page, knowing who we are working to and knowing our assignments are going to be everything. Just diving into preparation.”
On Florida’s rushing defense… “They have a good front, and they have good linebackers. Their safeties are going to fit in the run. They play really hard. They’re really physical. It’s just going to be another week of diving into it, getting our minds right and ready to roll.”
On what led to breakdowns in coverage against Arkansas… “We just didn’t execute. I think we prepared really well for that receiving corps last week, and we went into the game prepared very well. We just didn’t execute. We didn’t stick to the code. We just didn’t play like ourselves last week.”
On the defense’s ability to adjust during the game, especially for Florida that plays two quarterbacks… “They do have two quarterbacks. Two really good athletic quarterbacks, so we have to prepare well for that. I think we adjusted really well last week. You know, back to what I just said, we didn’t execute as much as we wanted to. It kind of caught up to us, so going into this week we are going to do our best and prepare just the same way we did. This time we are coming out there executing.”
On Arkansas’ ability to attack the center of field and what led to that success… “They attacked some of our zones, and they hit some. There’s not much to say about it, but they hit us in weak spots we weren’t defensively in, in the DB room. We weren’t in the right spots when we needed to be in the right spots, and we gave up a couple of explosive plays. Those are the things we have to go back and watch on tape today, tomorrow, and whatever we need to do to get those things fixed because teams are going to attack those spots for us now.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Checker Neyland presented by Pilot, Tennessee’s popular fan-driven initiative, returns Saturday for the eighth-ranked Volunteers’ SEC home opener against rival Florida in Neyland Stadium.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
#CheckerNeyland showcases Tennessee’s iconic checkerboard pattern through Neyland Stadium, which will be sold out for a 16th consecutive game. This will be the eighth #CheckerNeyland in program history. The Vols have won the last two thrillers, topping Florida, 38-33, in 2022 and defeating Texas A&M, 20-13, last season.
Fans are encouraged to wear orange or white, depending on their seat location. To find out if your seat section is orange or white, go to CheckerNeyland.com and enter your section/row/seat number as it appears on your digital ticket. Fans in the Yee-Haw Ole Smoky Social Deck are encouraged to wear white.
Gates to Neyland Stadium open at 5 p.m. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee football are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, Neyland Stadium Will Call and Ticketmaster. For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
Tennessee is off to a 4-1 start and ranked in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive week.
In addition, Tennessee Athletics announced that fans can now purchase t-shirts, hats and stickers featuring the “Mountain Strong” helmet decal that the Vols are wearing. The proceeds from all of the merchandise sales will go to charity and honor those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Items are available for purchase at the Vol Shop and Alumni Hall.
Nashville, TN (WSMV) Tennesseans whose job was affected by Hurricane Helene can apply for Disaster Unemployment, according to the Tennessee Department of Labor (TDOL) and Workforce Development.
TDOL said those affected can apply regardless of if the “federal government has approved Disaster Unemployment Assistance yet.”
“If an individual is not eligible for state unemployment, and DUA is eventually approved for an individual’s county, they must go back to jobs4TN and apply for DUA at that time,” TDOL said in a release. “Even if a person is receiving state unemployment, they must go back and apply for DUA so they are eligible for the additional weeks of benefits the federal government provides.”
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) – 10/8 UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identifies man killed in an officer-involved shooting in West Knox County.
They say 57 year-old Bryan Testerman, Jr. was reportedly shot by a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy after KCSO was called to the 8900 block of Isherwood Lane yesterday.
KCSO responded to a report of gunshots being fired outside of the home and preliminary information shows deputies saw a man with a gun who refused to drop the weapon. At some point during the encounter, the man was shot by a deputy. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to that shooting.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating following a fatal officer-involved shooting Monday morning in West Knox County.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say deputies responded to the 8000 block of Isherwood Lane just after 6:30 a.m. for reports of a possible prowler, and that shots were heard in the neighborhood shortly after. When deputies arrived, they reported finding an armed man.
TBI says the man refused to comply with verbal commands to drop the weapon, leading to a response from the Knox County SWAT team.
According to TBI, the suspect was shot by a KCSO deputy during the encounter; he was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Per KCSO policy for officer-involved shootings, TBI is leading the investigation into the incident.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating following an officer-involved shooting Monday morning in West Knox County.
Officials with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office say deputies responded to the 8000 block of Isherwood Lane shortly after 6:30 a.m. for reports of a possible prowler, and that shots were heard in the neighborhood shortly after. When deputies arrived, they reported finding an armed male suspect.
KCSO says SWAT and the negotiations unit were called to the scene, and the suspect was shot by a KCSO deputy a short time later.
Per KCSO policy for officer-involved shootings, TBI is leading the investigation into the incident.
This is a developing story.
The suspect was shot by a KCSO deputy while responding to reports of a prowler, according to officials. (Courtesy: WVLT / WSMV)
