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 “I am looking forward to bringing our outdated regulations into alignment with the work we have already completed, and the input from the community and various stakeholders over the past several years.”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)
Loudon County, TN (WOKI) The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is asking for information after the victim in a 2019 cold case out of Loudon County is identified.
TBI officials announcing Monday that scientists at Othram, a forensics lab in Texas that specializes in identifying cold case victims, conducted DNA matching of individuals related to a man whose remains were found by a Tennessee Department of Transportation crew in August of 2019 while mowing along I-75 in Philadelphia.
TBI says scientists identified the man as John Arthur Troutman who was originally from Herndon, Pennsylvania. Troutman’s family members told investigators they had not seen their older brother since the 1980s.
Those with information are now being asked to come forward by calling the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office at 865-986-4823 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
On August 20, 2019, the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of human remains found in a wooded area by a Tennessee Department of Transportation crew mowing along Interstate 75 in Philadelphia. (Courtesy: TBI)
Oliver Springs, TN (WOKI) Oliver Springs Road at Old Batley Road in Anderson County is currently closed as multiple agencies respond to a crash involving a tractor-trailer.
Officials with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office say the Tennessee Highway Patrol has also responded to the scene where a tractor-trailer crashed and is reportedly hanging from a small bridge.
There is no word on how long the road will remain closed or the condition of the driver.
Oliver Springs Fire and Rescue along with Police are working a truck that ran off Oliver Springs Highway. (Courtesy: OSPD / Chief Laxton)
Dollywood’s parent company is cited following an investigation after an employee was injured working on a ride.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration says an employee was helping adjust a belt on the Smoky Mountain River Rampage lift on March 10th and as he tried to hand a tool to another worker, his jacket got caught in a coupling and entangled his arm.
The employee had to be flown to a nearby hospital and the incident prompted TOSHA to visit the park. TOSHA’s investigation resulted in two “serious” citations and a fine against Herschend Family Entertainment, Dollywood’s parent company.
According to the citations, the ride had pulleys that were not guarded as required and shaft couplings were “not constructed as to present no hazard from bolts, nuts, setscrews, or revolving surfaces.” “It was determined that this task commonly requires technicians to work within a foot of an unguarded rotating shaft and that there is room to guard it without interfering with the ride,” TOSHA said in its referral. As a result, Dollywood was fined $3,200 for each citation, a total of $6,400.
UPDATE: Knoxville, TN (KPD / WOKI) – UPDATE: The victim of the fatal crash that happened early Saturday morning on Northshore Drive has been identified as Jessica Rainwater, 28 of Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Dodge Durango driver, identified as 43-year-old Beth Cardwell of Knoxville, exhibited signs of intoxication at the scene. Following further investigation, Cardwell was taken into custody on charges that include vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, driving under the influence and driving while license suspended.
Original Story: A motorcycle passenger was killed following a collision on Northshore Drive early Saturday morning.
At around 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to the area of S. Northshore Drive and Wilda Place to investigate a two-vehicle crash.
The investigation revealed that a Dodge Durango and motorcycle had collided while traveling south on Northshore Drive. The motorcycle passenger, an adult woman, died at the scene. The motorcycle driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries.
The circumstances that led to the crash remain under investigation. KPD crash reconstruction personnel are leading the investigation.
21-year-old Kevin Zaragoza, of Knoxville, was taken into custody on multiple charges, including vehicular homicide, following a fatal early-morning crash on Western Avenue.
At just after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 20, 2025, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a two-car crash at the intersection of Western Avenue and Keith Avenue.
The investigation at the scene revealed that a speeding silver Ford Mustang had crashed into a white Nissan Altima. The passenger in the Altima, a 78-year-old woman, died at the scene. The Nissan driver, a 58-year-old man, was transported to the hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
The Mustang driver, identified as Zaragoza, exhibited signs of intoxication, while witnesses also reported that Zaragoza was driving at high speeds prior to the crash.
Zaragoza was treated for injuries sustained in the crash at an area hospital and has since been booked into the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility on charges that include vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular assault and driving under the influence.
The crash is being investigated by KPD crash reconstruction personnel.
