Strawberry Plains, TN (WOKI) The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration says roof material fell onto a miner’s loader at Young Mine in Jefferson County killing him.
Their report says it happened on July 12, killing 36-year-old Alan Whitaker who had been working at the mine for just over three years.
Young Mine is located near Strawberry Plains and is owned by Nyrstar East Tennessee. An in depth investigation into the incident is ongoing, and Nyrstar is cooperating fully with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”).
In 2021, the company’s Immel mine was cited for safety concerns before an employee was killed in a mine collapse.
The Labor Department released the report Monday, outlining some of the details about the mine cave-in. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 7/22: Keith Conley, a missing Knox County man, has been found dead.
The announcement Tuesday afternoon coming from officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation after the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said the man’s truck had been found crashed with a body inside.
According to KCSO, Conley’s truck was found Monday evening crashed near Highway 129 close to Topside Road.
While there has been no word that the body inside was Conley, TBI confirmed Tuesday that he had died.
Conley, 65, was last seen on Friday, July 11 leaving South Knox County at around 5:00 a.m. to head to work in Solway; however, he never arrived at this destination.
“The community rallied together during the search efforts,” KCSO said. “We are grateful for the assistance of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, and the Alcoa Police Department, who helped with the search, the many citizens who also gave their time, and our media partners who helped spread the word.”
An autopsy is slated to be performed by the Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death and to positively identify the person in Conley’s truck.
Additionally, the Alcoa Police Department is leading the investigation into the crash and the cause of death.
UPDATE 7/21: Sheriff Tom Spangler confirms that the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Tracking team, Aviation & Detective Division, discovered the truck belonging to the missing Knox County man, Keith R. Conley. The truck, which had crashed near Highway 129, close to Topside Road, contained an individual who, due to extenuating circumstances, could not be positively identified at the scene.
The community rallied together during the search efforts. We are grateful for the assistance of the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, and the Alcoa Police Department, who helped with the search, the many citizens who also gave their time, and our media partners who helped spread the word.
The Alcoa Police Department will lead the investigation into the crash and the cause of death. An autopsy will be performed by the Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death and to positively identify the single occupant.
The TBI Silver Alert will Remain in Effect for Conley pending identification of body found in his truck.
ORIGINAL STORY: A TBI Silver Alert has been issued for a Knox county man.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says 65-year-old Keith Conley was last seen leaving South Knox County on July 11, heading for work in Solway but he never arrived.
He drives a 2003 White Ford Ranger XL Cab with Tennessee license plate BFN1492.
The truck has a distinctive blue toolbox in the bed. It was last sighted on Alcoa Highway near Topside Road.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has been employing various resources, including Air Watch and the KCSO dive team to find Conley.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call 1-800-TBI-FIND or contact Major Crimes at 865-215-2243 or send tips through tip 411.
Newport, TN (WOKI) All personnel are accounted for following a fire just before noon Tuesday) at the Cocke County Highway Department.
According to Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis, the fire, at the department’s facility on Lower Quarry Road in Newport, was brought under control around 1:00 p.m., adding that the building contained “dangerous explosives” inside.
Mathis says the county also evacuated the nearby Keurig Dr. Pepper plant as a precaution.
He urges the public to avoid the area as smoke is still thick and emergency responders will remain on scene for several more hours.
The University of Tennessee is one of 37 NCAA Power Five programs, including nine from the Southeastern Conference, to earn academic recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the WBCA announced on Tuesday.
The Lady Vols earned “Special Mention” status for their collective 3.323 grade point average as part of the WBCA’s 2024-25 Academic Team Honor Roll. That was an improvement over the 3.301 recorded in 2023-24. Earlier this summer, the UT women placed 11 members of their 15-player 2024-25 roster on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2024-25 season is the 30th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor roll.
“The WBCA is pleased to recognize those women’s basketball programs that have committed themselves to excellence on the court and in the classroom,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “The 119 teams we honor this year strive to achieve all-around success and we commend their efforts. Congratulations!”
The University of Tennessee is one of 37 NCAA Power Five programs, including nine from the Southeastern Conference, to earn academic recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the WBCA announced on Tuesday.
The Lady Vols earned “Special Mention” status for their collective 3.323 grade point average as part of the WBCA’s 2024-25 Academic Team Honor Roll. That was an improvement over the 3.301 recorded in 2023-24. Earlier this summer, the UT women placed 11 members of their 15-player 2024-25 roster on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The WBCA Academic Top 25 recognizes college women’s basketball teams across the nation in their respective divisions that carry the highest combined GPAs inclusive of all student-athletes on their rosters for the entire season. The 2024-25 season is the 30th in which the WBCA has compiled the honor roll.
“The WBCA is pleased to recognize those women’s basketball programs that have committed themselves to excellence on the court and in the classroom,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “The 119 teams we honor this year strive to achieve all-around success and we commend their efforts. Congratulations!”
KNOXVILLE, TN (WOKI)—Knox County and Knoxville-Knox County Planning have embarked upon the third and final stage of Advance Knox – the creation of a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The purpose of this process is to update the County’s development regulations to better reflect the goals and place types set forth in the Comprehensive Plan by creating a modern, efficient, user-friendly document.
The final document will include standards for site design and building development that include zoning, street standards, subdivision regulations, stormwater regulations, and fire and building codes. Providing these in a single document will allow the County to review developments effectively, avoid overlapping regulations, and be more accessible and easier to navigate for all users.
To begin this work, a consultant team led by Orion Planning + Design has started a comprehensive audit to assess the County’s current development regulations. They have also started meeting with technical and community stakeholders and will host a series of public events later this fall. To receive updates about upcoming meetings and other news, you can sign up for newsletter updates at advanceknox.org/subscribe.
“The creation of the UDO is the last step in the process that will help guide growth and development for years to come,” said Mayor Jacobs. “I am looking forward to bringing our outdated regulations into alignment with the work we have already completed, and the input from the community and various stakeholders over the past several years.”
For more information, visit advanceknox.org for news updates, a timeline, upcoming meeting information, and opportunities to get involved. For other inquiries, please contact the project team at [email protected].
Knoxville, TN (KFD / WOKI) – At 3:15 PM (Monday), the Knox County Emergency Communications district received a 911 call from a female reporting her home at 1601 Freemont Place was on fire and that she was exiting the house.
Upon the arrival of the first KFD engine company, a fire was reported from the second floor of the home, visible from the front windows. KFD crews attempted an initial attack but were unable to reach the fire floor due to the heavy contents of the house. KFD crews had to back out and attempt entry through a second-floor window. Soon thereafter, KFD crews were able to reach the fire and extinguish it quickly.
One female was rescued from the home along with her pet dog.
The female was transported to a local hospital.
The home has sustained heavy fire, smoke, and water damage.
Knoxville Fire Investigators are on the scene working to determine a cause.
Longtime Vol Network announcer and local Knoxville sports radio host John Wilkerson will be inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 26 during a ceremony in Franklin, Tennessee.
Sponsored by the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Wilkerson joins an exclusive list of previous honorees with Tennessee Athletics and Vol Radio Network ties.
The original Vol Network announcer Lindsey Nelson (1948-50) and the legendary “Voice of The Vols” John Ward (1968-98) were members of the inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 2012. In 2013, another Vol Network announcer George Mooney (1952-67) was inducted. Others include UT public address announcer Bobby Denton (1967-2013) and Vol Network basketball analyst Lowell Blanchard (1966-68), both enshrined in 2015.
The newest inductees aside from Wilkerson include current “Voice of the Vols” and former Tennessee Titans play-by-play broadcaster Mike Keith, who was inducted in 2020, as well as the recently retired and longtime “Voice of the Vols” Bob Kesling, who was inducted just last year as part of the class of 2024.
For 35 years, Wilkerson has been involved with the Vol Radio Network, fulfilling numerous roles throughout his impressive career. Most notably, Wilkerson has been the Voice of Tennessee Baseball for the past 27 years, serving as the lead play-by-play voice of the Vols.
Wilkerson’s time with Tennessee baseball dates back to 1988 (the same year he graduated from UT) and has run consecutively since the 1991 season. His duties have ranged from doing public address at the ballpark to moving over to the broadcast booth where he joined Keith.
Boasting a nearly unmatched baseball IQ and an encyclopedia-like knowledge of the Vols’ program, Wilkerson has called six of Tennessee’s seven trips to the NCAA Men’s College World Series (1995, 2001, 2005, 2021, 2023, 2024), including the program’s first national championship in its most recent trip to Omaha in 2024.
In addition to Tennessee baseball, Wilkerson has been the scoreboard host for the Vol Network on both football and basketball broadcasts throughout the years.
Formerly morning sports anchor for WIVK and WNOX, he received the Associated Press award for Best Sportscast in the state five times over a six-year period and has been named best play-by-play in the state by the Associated Press on multiple occasions. In addition to his Vol Network assignments in the fall, Wilkerson—who resides in Knoxville with his wife, Pennye—also calls football games for Knoxville Catholic High School on WNML.
Monday through Friday, Wilkerson hosts SportsTalk from 6-9 a.m. on WNML 99.1 The Sports Animal (AM 990/FM 99.1), which is the flagship station for Tennessee baseball as well as numerous other shows and events covering UT athletics.
Saturday’s 2025 Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Battleground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee at 4 p.m. (CT). Tickets to the event are available to anyone and can be purchased by clicking HERE.
Nashville, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) have reached a new partnership agreement for black bear rehabilitation in Tennessee.
In a release to media Monday, TWRA outlined the inroads made between the two agencies leading to the new agreement:
Duringthe course of 2023 and 2024, the presence of pneumonia raised initial concerns about the health of bears being housed at ABR. After a difficult decision in December 2024 to euthanize 13 bears, the Agency temporarily paused the placement of bears at the facility.
In the months that followed, TWRA staff sought input from bear managers, wildlife veterinarians and disease pathologists in other states on best management practices and pen sanitation measures such as discing, burns, and leaving pens empty on an annual rotational schedule. ABR staff immediately started working to implement extensive modifications and upgrades to the facility to align with the recommendations of these professionals.
TWRA leadership also began working with ABR to draft an official operating agreement to strengthen the relationship between the two entities, set clear expectations for best management practices for bear rehabilitation, and provide transparency to members of the public invested in wildlife conservation.
The final agreement was approved by the ABR Board of Directors on July 7 and publicly signed by both parties on July 21. With the agreement in place, TWRA will resume placing bears at ABR as allowed in the scope of the agreement.
“The process of developing this working agreement has created a stronger partnership between TWRA and Appalachian Bear Rescue,” said TWRA Executive Director Jason Maxedon. “We applaud the ABR Board of Directors and staff for their diligent commitment to providing the highest quality care possible for bears in need of rehabilitation. Together, we can continue to ensure the future of wildlife conservation is effective and based on best management practices.”
“I’m proud to say that, like many of the cubs we’ve cared for, we are persistent and resilient,” said ABR Interim Executive Director Greg Grieco. “We have faced this ordeal head-on, and there are still some challenges ahead. However, with this new cooperative agreement, facility upgrades, and the unwavering commitment of our dedicated supporters we can ensure that there will continue to be an option to rehabilitate orphaned and injured bear cubs in Tennessee for the foreseeable future.”
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is the state agency tasked with preserving, conserving, managing, protecting, and enhancing the fish and wildlife of the state and their habitats for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of the citizens of Tennessee and its visitors. TWRA is also the permitting agency that regulates animal rehabilitation facilities.
Appalachian Bear Rescue is a wildlife rehabilitation facility that has cared for more than 400 black bear cubs and yearlings from nine states and multiple National Park sites over the course of its 29-year history. Countless other wild bears have benefited from educational outreach and research initiatives.
In East Tennessee, black bears are abundant and actively expanding across their historic native range in Tennessee. Bears have large home ranges which can overlap into multiple states and cross paths with numerous other bears. TWRA biologists manage at the population level to ensure conservation goals are met.
Rockford, TN (WOKI) A Maryville woman is dead and a Georgia man is in custody following a shooting Sunday at a home in Rockford.
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say the shooting happened around 2:00 p.m. at the residence on Triple Oak Street where responding deputies found the woman, 34-year-old Shelby Williams, shot.
BCSO says despite administering life-saving measures, Williams later died at the hospital.
Investigators have tied the death to 48-year-old Charles Scott of Tunnel Hill, Georgia; he is charged with reckless homicide and unlawful possession of a firearm and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong said a Maryville woman is dead and a Georgia man is in custody following a shooting that occurred at a home in Rockford.(Courtesy: BCSO)
