Knoxville, TN (WOKI A 14-year-old South Doyle High School student is facing serious charges following a fire Thursday afternoon in a trash can at the school.
Deputies and juvenile detectives responded around 2:00 p.m. to the trash fire; officials said they believed it was set intentionally.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested later in the day in connection to the fire; he is facing charges of attempted aggravated arson, setting fire to personal property, and vandalism.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) We’re just over a month into Knox County’s school year, and the number of people facing charges for threatening schools is steadily growing.
Wednesday, District Attorney Charme Allen said 17 people in Knox County were being charged in connection to school threats. Thursday morning, that total had jumped to 23.
However, that news came early Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office reported that it had responded to five more threats, arresting a 12-year-old Cedar Bluff Middle School student. More arrests could be coming, according to KCSO.
The news of charges comes after the school district saw a major spike in threats, which prompted increased police presence at Knox County schools.
WVLT News sat down Thursday morning with Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, who said keeping students safe is a priority.
“School shootings and and these things are top of mind,” Jacobs said. “This is not a joke. It’s not a prank. It’s not funny. It’s not cute. It’s a crime, and if you’re caught, and most likely you will be caught, there are serious penalties, so please don’t do this.”
Jacob’s comments echo a lot of what Sheriff Tom Spangler told WVLT News leading into the school year. New state legislation is upping the seriousness of mass violence threats, and Spangler made it clear that he intends to crack down on school threats.
”If it happens and if you’re caught, we’ve made it very clear,” Spangler said. “I’m going to sound redundant, but it’s that important to me that we hold these individuals accountable.”
Knox County isn’t the only school system to see a jump in threats this week. Several counties and school systems across East Tennessee placed more officers inside schools Wednesday as a precaution.
A McMinn County man is facing felony charges for making school threats, according to the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office.
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Thursday that Tennessee women’s tennis coach Alison Ojeda has agreed to a contract extension through June 30, 2029, to remain on Rocky Top.
“Our women’s tennis program has continued to show phenomenal growth under Alison’s leadership,” White said. “It’s remarkable that in our history, we have been to two Final Fours – the first with Alison as a player and the most recent historic run last season as a coach – she really is the embodiment of a Lady Vol!”
Ojeda, the 2024 National ITA Wilson Coach of the Year, has elevated the women’s tennis program to unprecedented levels of success. The Lady Volunteers have finished six of the last seven full seasons inside the ITA top 25 and have made the NCAA Team Championship every year under her watch, with the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Lady Vols’ final ranking of No. 12 in 2024 marked their highest finish since 2010.
“I feel both honored and lucky to be working for such and an incredible chancellor and athletic director,” Ojeda remarked. “My family, staff and program are so thankful to Donde Plowman, Danny White and Cam Walker for their unmatched support and for the continued opportunity to coach our Lady Volunteer tennis team. We take great pride in our program and make sure to do the best job we can at recruiting student-athletes who will represent the University of Tennessee well.”
During the 2024 season, Ojeda guided her team to 22 victories, the second straight year the team set a new top mark of her tenure. Tennessee beat 12 ranked opponents, including seven in the top 25, notably defeating No. 1 Oklahoma State. The Lady Vols have now produced back-to-back seasons of at least 21 victories for the first time since 2002-03. This is the winningest two-year stretch for the program since those two campaigns.
Under Ojeda’s leadership, the Lady Vols ended No. 1 Oklahoma State’s 29-match winning streak with a 4-2 victory, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2010. They continued their impressive performance by defeating No. 8 UCLA and reaching the Final Four for the second time in program history, matching the achievement of the 2002 team. At No. 16 nationally, Tennessee became the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the NCAA semifinals in the 64-team era, which dates back to 1999.
“Every day is a great day to be on Rocky Top,” Ojeda added. “I have been feeling that since I was an 18-year-old freshman at UT back in 2002 and 22 years later, I feel it more than ever. Winning matters. Not just on the scoreboard, but every day in life too.”
Beyond her achievements on the court, Ojeda has shown remarkable ability in developing student-athletes into leaders, both academically and in the community. Last season, Esther Adeshina was honored as the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. In the classroom, Ojeda’s student-athletes have maintained a perfect Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for the past eight years.
Throughout her career on Rocky Top, Ojeda has developed four All-Americans (two in 2024), as well as 15 All-SEC, All-SEC Newcomer or SEC All-Freshman honorees (three in 2024). She has also earned the second National ITA Wilson Coach award in program history (2024) and the third SEC Coach of the Year award in program history (2023). Ojeda is a four-time recipient of the ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year.
The 2024-25 campaign will mark Ojeda’s ninth season as the head coach at her alma mater.
For all the latest information from Lady Vol Tennis, follow the team on Twitter/X @Vol_WTennis, Instagram @vol_wtennis or Facebook.
(Knoxville, TN- WOKI / KPD) 47-year-old Antonio Fontaine, of Memphis, has been charged with five counts of aggravated assault as well as one count of felony reckless endangerment following a shots fired incident that happened on Clinton Highway late Wednesday night.
At around 10:50 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a report that a man was firing a gun at multiple people. Responding officers quickly located the man, since identified as Fontaine, in the parking lot of the McDonald’s at 6715 Clinton Highway. Fontaine, who was armed with a loaded handgun, was immediately taken into custody.
An employee of the McDonald’s reported that he heard five or six shots being fired and also saw Fontaine fire shots into the McDonald’s. Fontaine also allegedly pointed his firearm at multiple McDonald’s employees as they attempted to run from the store to safety. No injuries were reported in the shooting.
It is believed that Fontaine was involved in a domestic-related shooting prior to his arrival at the McDonald’s. No injuries were reported in that shooting, which remains under investigation by KPD detectives.
Fontaine, a previously convicted felon, was also charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon in addition to the five counts of aggravated assault and one count of reckless endangerment. Additional or upgraded charges are possible as the investigation progresses.
A Jefferson County is facing charges after the sheriff’s office says he went on a multi-county burglary string.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says 48-year-old Christopher Driggers was taken into custody after deputies were called to Lakeside Drive in White Pine for a burglary call, where a neighbor told them they had seen a U-Haul truck in the area. That neighbor reportedly had pictures of the truck, which investigators used to track down who had rented it: Driggers.
JCSO investigators and detectives from the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office went to a home in Newport, where they found Driggers and several of the stolen items.
Investigators say items were taken from not only the burglary on Lakeside Drive, but three other jurisdictions. “These items were taken from not only the burglary on Lakeside Drive, but three other jurisdictions which included the Cocke and Sevier County Sheriff’s Offices and the Pittman Center Police Department,” JCSO said.
Driggers is being held at the Jefferson County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.
(Knoxville, TN – WOKI) An investigation is underway following a school bus crash in South Knoxville.
Knoxville Police say no one was injured after the school bus crash on Chapman Highway at Dick Ford Lane this morning, one lane of the road was closed.
KPD says there were 15 elementary school students on the bus at the time of the two-vehicle crash.
(Knoxville, TN – WOKI) An investigation is underway following a school bus crash in South Knoxville.
Knoxville Police say no one was injured after the school bus crash on Chapman Highway at Dick Ford Lane this morning, one lane of the road was closed.
KPD says there were 15 elementary school students on the bus at the time of the two-vehicle crash.
Tennessee soccer is prepped for its third match in the four-game homestand and are set to take on No. 5/7 Memphis on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
Admission is free for all preseason and regular-season soccer matches. Additionally, For fans planning to attend, we will have one shuttle (ADA accessible) picking up at Ag Campus and dropping off at the top of Cronan and Stephenson. Shuttles will begin at 5:30pm (6:00pm gates, 7:00pm start), and run until 1 hour postgame. Please note that Tennessee’s clear bag policy will be in effect.
GAME PROMOTIONS:
Tennessee’s last few matches have been defensive masterclasses claiming their fifth consecutive clean sheet after Sunday night. The Lady Vols have only let 10 shots on frame in total after the last five as well.
The Big Orange has also been firing on the offensive side of the ball as well, almost doubling their opponents in shots and having a 1.33 goal per game average.
Midgley, after coming off an impressive offensive performance in the game before, got her first goal of the season in the third minute with a curling shot from outside the 18. Reese Mattern and Kate Runyon assisted on the goal, which marked both of their first on the season.
Sammi Woods kept her offensive campaign going by sliding it past the keeper in the 63rd minute to tally her second goal of the year.
THE MAC ATTACK: Mac Midgley got the scoreboard working early for the Lady Vols against FAU after a beautiful goal that came outside the 18 in the third minute. Reese Mattern got the initial ball into the box, and Kate Runyon got the extra touch to leave it to Midgley. That marks Midgley’s first goal of the season after impressive offensive showings the past two games.
SAMMI IN THE ORANGE: In addition to Midgley, Woods tallied a goal against FAU in the 63rd minute, which marks her second of the season. The Saline, Michigan, native now leads the team in goal contributions with three.
KEEPIN’ IN CLEAN: Following their 2-0 victory over Florida Atlantic, the Lady Vols now have posted five consecutive clean sheets.
PROTECTING THE NET: Tennessee goalkeeper Ally Zazzara was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Team of the Week, the organization announced. Zazzara was unbeatable with five saves in a 0-0 draw with No. 7 UCLA and then secured her fifth consecutive clean sheet as the Lady Vols beat Florida Atlantic 2-0.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS: The instate-rival is coming off a 20-win season last year, they were only one of four schools. The Tigers returned 2023 AAC Midfielder of the Year Momo Nakao, AAC Goalkeeper of the Year Kaylie Bierman, AAC Co-Rookie of the Year Anna Hauer and AAC Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player Sarah Hagg. Memphis is looking to extend their nine-game road winning streak, which marks the best in the country. Through 5 games – 450 minutes of action – the Tigers are one of 10 teams yet to trail at any point this season. Memphis extended their nation-high home winning streak to 15 games last Sunday, and they have a chance to extend the longest active road winning streak in the nation to 10 games against Tennessee. The Tigers rank 14th in the country with 8.2 corner kicks per game. They have scored twice from 41 corners in five games.
MATCHUP HISTORY: This marks the fourth-ever matchup between two of the state’s biggest soccer programs and the first since 2009. Tennessee leads Memphis, 2-1, having collected a 2-1 victory almost 15 years ago to the date on Sept. 11, 2009, in Knoxville.
UP NEXT: Following its match versus the Tigers, Tennessee will play Ole Miss to open SEC play and close out its four-game homestand.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference unveiled the 2025 league schedule for all 15 softball teams on Wednesday afternoon.
The two-time defending SEC champion Lady Vols begin their title defense on the road against Georgia March 7-9. Tennessee’s remaining road series will feature contests with Oklahoma (March 28-30), Texas (April 11-13) and Ole Miss (April 25-27).
Tennessee’s home slate starts with Arkansas on March 21-23, followed by Mississippi State (April 4-6) and Auburn (April 18-20) before wrapping up the regular season with Texas A&M (May 1-3).
The 2025 SEC Tournament will be held at Georgia’s Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 6 with the championship game slated to be played on Saturday, May 10.
All eight of the Lady Vols’ SEC opponents played in an NCAA regional last season with four of those teams advancing to Super Regionals. Two teams – Oklahoma and Texas – advanced to the 2024 Women’s College World Series where they faced each other in the WCWS Championships Series.
The SEC added Oklahoma and Texas to the nation’s premier softball conference in 2025. Tennessee will visit both schools for the first time since 2014 and 2012, respectively, this upcoming season.
UT is coming off a 2024 season that saw it win the SEC regular season title in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. Tennessee earned a No. 3 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament – the highest seeding in program history. The postseason appearance was its 21st overall and 20th consecutive – advancing to the postseason every year since 2004 and hosting 19 straight regional rounds in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols return 15 players from last season’s squad and welcome in the nation’s No. 4 ranked signing class by Extra Inning Softball. Tennessee also added four transfers in a class ranked No. 7 by Softball America.
The Lady Vols’ 2025 SEC schedule can be seen below. All series are currently slated to be played Friday-Sunday except for the final series of the season which will be played Thursday-Saturday. The first seven series are subject to change to Saturday-Monday based on television. Those altered dates will be announced when the TV schedule is released in January or February.
Tennessee’s full 2025 schedule will be released later this fall.
Tennessee Softball 2025 SEC Schedule (home series in BOLD)
March 7-9 – at Georgia
March 21-23 – Arkansas
March 28-30 – at Oklahoma
April 4-6 – Mississippi State
April 11-13 – at Texas
April 18-20 – Auburn
April 25-27 – at Ole Miss
May 1-3 – Texas A&M
May 6-10 – SEC Tournament (Athens, Ga.)
Don’t complain, contribute. Don’t complain, contribute.
The closing remarks from Inky Johnson echoed throughout the football team room as the former Vol letterman concluded his annual speech in front of the 2024 squad.
Contribute – to this team, to your unit, to this facility, to this organization. It’s a blessing to do it, and it’s a privilege to do it at the University of Tennessee. Do me a solid, and respect it.
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Johnson delivered 23 minutes of powerful, inspirational messaging during his visit to Knoxville in mid-August. The world-renowned motivational speaker and two-time Tennessee graduate makes a point to impact the next generation of Volunteers and return to his alma mater every offseason – personifying what it means to be a ‘Vol For Life.’
“I come back every year not only because this place means a lot to me, but also just for the opportunity to be part of the whole organization and what they are building and creating,” Johnson said. “When you speak ‘Vol For Life,’ the lineage of that and the way it’s interconnected is phenomenal. I come back because I consider myself a Vol For Life. The interconnection and opportunity that brings in terms of being a part of this program, it means the world to me.”
The VFL was a two-year captain for the Vols and entered his junior season projected as a first-round draft pick. Unfortunately, his promising career ended abruptly on Sept. 9, 2006, due to a devastating injury that left him permanently paralyzed in his right arm. From that day on, Inky has had a burning desire to use his situation and experiences to add value to people’s lives.
“I speak all across the country, and it’s humbling for me,” Johnson said. “I’m extremely grateful, because people come up to from time to time, just in terms of sharing different things I’ve said and stories I’ve shared. For me, it’s confirmation that I’m walking in my purpose. That means a lot to me and makes me take what I do very seriously.”
Johnson’s message to the Vols during fall camp resonated with several team leaders, including redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava as he was set to embark on his first season as Tennessee’s starting quarterback.
Inky is truly inspiring to me, everything he has been through and his story he’s shared with us, what I really took from his talk with the team was to cherish the game – really loving the game of football and not taking it for granted.
Nico Iamaleava
Inky’s visit to Rocky Top was timed perfectly as the Vols were two weeks into the grind of preseason training camp. Starting wide receiver Bru McCoy took a full page of notes, and the speech helped refresh his sense of urgency heading into his third and final year with the Vols.
Each and every time I’ve had the opportunity to hear Inky speak, it kind of breathes life back into you. He came in the dog days of fall camp … Guys start to feel sorry for themselves as a collective, and then you have a guy like Inky Johnson come in. He hits that reset button.
Bru McCoy
As one of Tennessee’s most significant leaders on the field and in the community, McCoy looks up to Johnson and came away from his message honored and inspired.
Not only is Inky an unbelievable motivator, but he’s an unbelievable person. The way he gives back to the community, the way he gives back to the university, it’s just truly an honor to be able to sit there and hear him speak about what he speaks about.
A point of emphasis during Johnson’s visit was his appreciation for the ‘VFL Brotherhood’ and the strong network of former Vols across the country. He cherishes those relationships daily and keeps up with former teammates in a group chat as VFLs from his era grow and progress through various stages of life. That chat includes current coaching assistant Robert Ayers Jr.
Johnson’s values on brotherhood are paralleled by a Tennessee football culture built on trust, accountability and relationships that has been instilled by head coach Josh Heupel over the last four seasons. In the fall of 2022, Heupel established the Inky Johnson Spirit of Courage Award – recognizing individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of adversity.
“The relationship that I have with (Inky) – and our team does, too – it’s so important,” Heupel said. “For us, that’s also why we created an award – the Inky Johnson Spirit of Courage Award – because of who he is and how he’s impacted the people around him.”
We wanted to recognize who he was as a Tennessee Vol. You talk to any of his teammates, they talk about his maturity, his focus, his competitiveness, his willingness to help pick up a brother and make such an impact on the people around him.
Josh Heupel
The award seeks to honor individuals who have faced significant challenges in their lives – whether physical, emotional, or mental – and have overcome those challenges with grace and determination. Past winners include defensive end Byron Young in 2022 and offensive guard Ollie Lane in 2023.
“I’m so honored that Coach Heupel chose to name an award after me,” Johnson said. “If I can be honest, it’s hard to put into words. It’s something that I’ve thought about a lot, just in terms of the gratitude that goes along with that.”
That’s something my children can see, something my wife and family can see, but also something the guys that I played with and the guys that come through this institution can be a part of. I’m forever grateful for it.
Inky Johnson
