CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN (TWRA / WOKI) — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has released the identity of the victim involved in a fatal boating incident that occurred on Norris Lake near Springs Dock on the afternoon of Saturday, July 19.
Christopher Scott Mount, 58, of Coal Grove, Ohio, died after falling overboard and being struck by the vessel he was on. Campbell County 911 received a call shortly before 4 p.m. reporting that a male had entered the water and had not resurfaced.
TWRA wildlife officers responded to the scene and located the vessel involved. Preliminary investigation indicates that as the boat was preparing to leave a cove, Mount—who was not wearing a life jacket—moved to the rear of the vessel, climbed onto the swim platform, and entered the water, where he made contact with the propeller.
Following an extensive search, the victim’s body was located using a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), and divers with the Knox County Rescue Squad recovered him around 8 p.m.
Mount’s body was transported to the Knoxville Regional Forensic Center for autopsy. The incident remains under investigation.
This marks the 14th fatal boating incident in Tennessee this year. TWRA urges all boaters to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times, never allow anyone on the swim platform or in the water while the engine is running or the vessel is in motion, and to exercise caution whenever swimmers are near a boat.
USA Basketball announced Saturday the women’s 2025 USA 3×3 Nations League Team set to compete at the 2025 FIBA 3×3 Nations League Americas Conference July 21-27 in Punta Arenas, Chile, and University of Tennessee rising senior Zee Spearman is a member of that squad.
The 6-foot-4 forward from Dacula (duh-CUE-luh), Ga., joins four other current NCAA Division I athletes, including Taylor Bigby (TCU), Joyce Edwards (South Carolina), MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU) and Rachel Ullstrom (Richmond). Serena Sundell, who recently graduated from Kansas State, will round out the roster.
In May, Bigby, Edwards, Fulwiley, Spearman and Ullstrom participated in 2025 USA Basketball 3X Nationals in Mesa, Arizona, with Spearman and Fulwiley winning the women’s tournament with Team Chaos.
Each member of this year’s women’s squad will be donning the red, white and blue for the first time in FIBA 3×3 competition. Edwards, who is coming off a recent gold medal at the 2025 Women’s AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile, also has won gold at the 2024 FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup and 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup. Bigby, Fulwiley, Spearman, Sundell and Ullstrom will make their USA Basketball competitive debuts.
Julia Ford will serve as head coach after participating as a coach at the 2025 USA Basketball 3×3 development camp in Phoenix in April.
The 2025 FIBA 3×3 Nations League Americas Conference will feature six three-game tournaments over seven days. The competition will run in a ‘stops’ format, with multiple stops held over the course of the weeklong event. Teams will accumulate points based on their performance at each stop. Team members can substitute as needed for each day’s four-person entry.
The FIBA 3×3 Nations League will be a qualification route to the FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup 2025. Conference winners will qualify for the event, set for Sept. 17-21 in Xiong An, China. China’s men and women will receive automatic qualification along with the reigning champions (Germany men and USA women). The rest of the teams will come from the winners of each conference and the next teams in the FIBA 3×3 Nations League 2025 final standings.
3×3 is played on a half court with a 10-minute clock and a 12-second shot clock. The first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner.
In 2024-25, Spearman arrived at Tennessee after playing two seasons at the University of Miami. She appeared in all 34 games, starting 23 of them, and helped UT fashion a 24-10 record, advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 and wind up at No. 15 in the AP Top 25 after beginning the year unranked.
Her junior campaign saw her finish as the Lady Vols’ leading rebounder (6.0 rpg.) and third-leading scorer (11.7 ppg.). She also had the team’s highest field goal percentage (51.5) among regulars and finished second in blocked shots (23).
Additionally, Spearman tied for second on the team with 23 double-figure scoring efforts and was fourth with 10 games of 15+ points. She scored a career-high 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting vs. Samford, carding the No. 2 all-time total in a Lady Vol debut.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee program and its players, follow Lady Vol basketball on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Tennessee had three players named to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC teams by the media, which were announced on Friday following the conclusion of SEC Media Days in Atlanta.
Junior cornerback Jermod McCoy was a first-team selection while fellow defensive standouts Arion Carter and Boo Carter were tabbed as third team picks at linebacker and defensive back, respectively.
McCoy enters the year widely regarded as one of the nation’s top corners after a breakout sophomore season for the Volunteers that earned him first team All-SEC recognition as well as second team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated. The Texas native and Thorpe Award semifinalist finished third on the team with 44 total tackles and led the team with 13 passes defended, which ranked fourth in the conference. He also tied for the team lead with four interceptions in 2024, two of which occurred in the end zone and prevented touchdowns.
Arion Carter returns for his junior season after starting all 13 games at linebacker in 2024 and leading UT with 68 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss. The in-state product also had six pass breakups and an interception to go along with three quarterback hurries as a sophomore to help lead the Big Orange to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
An SEC All-Freshman team selection last year, Boo Carter showcased his impressive instincts and athleticism throughout the 2024 season while emerging as the Vols’ starter at STAR in the second half of the year. The Tennessee native played in all 13 games and made five starts while also demonstrating his impressive playmaking ability as a punt returner, leading the league in punt return average (16.5). Carter finished sixth on the team with 38 total tackles and added three tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries and recorded one interception during his debut season on Rocky Top.
The complete Preseason All-SEC teams and preseason poll can be seen HERE.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Over 100,000-square-feet in size and 13 stories tall, a historic downtown Knoxville office building has hit the market.
The newly-available building is at 607 Market Street. Co-Listing Agent Taylor Thompson says the offering “is a rare opportunity to own and reimagine a prominent piece of downtown Knoxville.”
Built in 1965, the University of Tennessee, downtown, the Tennessee River and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are among the views from this 13-story building.
According to a press release, the property does not currently have an asking price.
“With the momentum behind downtown’s growth, 607 Market St. and 413 Clinch Ave. are perfectly positioned for someone to create something impactful in the heart of the city,” said Thompson.
This newly-available building is at 607 Market Street and is 13 stories tall. (Courtesy: TDOT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knoxville man has been sentenced in the shooting death of his girlfriend in April of 2024.
According to court records, Michael Merrick shot his then girlfriend, 49-year-old Nicole Fanney, also known as Nicole Stewart, 13 times at their shared Knoxville apartment before fleeing to Kentucky.
Knoxville Police Department officers found Fanney dead at the apartment on Atchley Ridge Way.
Announcing Merrick’s sentencing Friday, District Attorney Charme Allen said prosecutors presented evidence that showed that Merrick and Fanney had been arguing prior to the murder.
Merrick was charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He will serve 25 years in prison and will not be granted parole.
Knoxville man sentenced for shooting girlfriend 13 times, DA says. (Courtesy: DA Charme Allen)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Friday the team’s non-conference slate for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The Volunteers, coming off a campaign in which they won 30 games and reached the Elite Eight in the same year for the first time, will take the floor for 13 non-conference affairs between Nov. 3 and Dec. 30. The schedule features six consecutive outings against Power Five opponents, including five away from home, and eight games at Food City Center.
Fans looking for season tickets are encouraged to complete the 2025-26 Tennessee Basketball Season Ticket Interest Form HERE. This will allow individuals to get their names on a list and stay informed about future opportunities to secure seats for each game.
“Each year, we work to create a non-conference schedule that best sets our team up for success and prepares us for SEC competition. We feel we have once again done just that,” Barnes said. “In addition to four tough games we’ll get on planes for, we look forward to playing nine here in the Volunteer State, including eight on our home court, in front of our incredible fans.”
To begin the 2025-26 campaign, Tennessee hosts Mercer in a Nov. 3 matchup at Food City Center. Tennessee is 4-4 all-time versus the Bears, including 3-1 at home, and has won each of the past four meetings. The last game was an 84-60 Tennessee home win on Nov. 29, 2017.
Tennessee continues a five-game homestand Nov. 9 versus Northern Kentucky. This will be the first clash between the two sides, as well as the first time Barnes faces the Norse in his soon-to-be 39-year head coaching career.
Up next for the Volunteers is a Nov. 12 game against North Florida, for a second straight first-time series meeting. Barnes, though, has faced the Ospreys once, collecting a 70-48 home triumph on Dec. 14, 2010, during his tenure at Texas.
Tennessee welcomes former assistant Rob Lanier back to Knoxville during a No. 17 outing versus Rice, where he is now the head coach. Lanier worked under Barnes during his first four seasons on Rocky Top, 2015-19. Tennessee sports a 1-3 series record, including a 1-2 home mark, but the sides have not met since Dec. 6, 1963, when Rice tallied a 61-56 home win.
The Volunteers wrap up the homestand Nov. 20 when they face Tennessee State. This will be the seventh matchup between the in-state foes, with Tennessee winning each of the first six, all at home. The Tigers last came to Knoxville for the 12th game of the Barnes era, a 74-69 result on Dec. 29, 2015.
Tennessee then heads to Las Vegas, where it will compete in the Players Era Men’s Championship. It opens action with the first game of the event Nov. 24 against Rutgers, against which it is 2-0 all-time and last played on Nov. 19, 1992, when it earned an 87-79 road triumph. The Volunteers then face Houston, against which they are 3-3 overall and 0-2 at neutral sites, the next day. Tennessee fell to the Cougars, 69-50, last season, as the sides met March 30 in the 2025 Elite Eight. The Volunteers’ final game of the 18-team tournament will take place Nov. 26 or Nov. 27 against a to-be-determined opponent.
Next, Barnes takes his team to Syracuse, N.Y., where it plays Dec. 2 in a second straight ACC/SEC Challenge matchup with Syracuse. Tennessee is 5-3 against the Orange, including 1-1 on the road. This will be the third consecutive season the teams square off, as Tennessee claimed a 73-56 win on Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu and registered a 96-70 home triumph on Dec. 3, 2024.
Tennessee will then face another team, Illinois, in non-conference play for the third season in a row. The Volunteers and Fighting Illini will meet Dec. 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee owns a 4-1 series record, with this set to be the first neutral-site meeting, and swept the home-and-home the last two years. It posted an 86-79 home decision on Dec. 9, 2023, and then a 66-64 buzzer-beating victory Dec. 14, 2024, in Champaign, Ill.
To conclude the six-game stretch versus Power Five foes, Tennessee hosts Louisville in a Dec. 16 affair at Food City Center. It is the second leg of a home-and-home series, with Tennessee notching a dominant 77-55 road victory on Nov. 9, 2024. That result moved Tennessee to 9-12 all-time against the Cardinals; it is 1-5 at home.
The Volunteers next take the court Dec. 21 when they face Gardner-Webb at home for the second straight season. Tennessee logged an 80-64 win on Nov. 4, 2024, in last year’s season opener to improve to 3-0 in the series.
After eight days without a game, the Volunteers finish the 2025 calendar year with their non-conference finale, Dec. 30 versus South Carolina State at Food City Center. It will be the first matchup between the two programs, but Barnes has coached against the Bulldogs twice before. He led Clemson to a pair of home victories during the 1997 calendar year, first a 63-44 final on Jan. 4 and then an 84-60 decision on Dec. 28.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
FULL 2025-26 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Nov. 3 – MERCER Nov. 9 – NORTHERN KENTUCKY Nov. 12 – NORTH FLORIDA Nov. 17 – RICE Nov. 20 – TENNESSEE STATE Nov. 24 – vs. Rutgers (Players Era Men’s Championship – Las Vegas) Nov. 25 – vs. Houston (Players Era Men’s Championship – Las Vegas) Nov. 26/27 – vs. TBD (Players Era Men’s Championship – Las Vegas) Dec. 2 – at Syracuse (ACC/SEC Challenge) Dec. 6 – vs. Illinois (Nashville, Tenn.) Dec. 16 – LOUISVILLE Dec. 21 – GARDNER-WEBB Dec. 30 – SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
Tennessee and UCLA, each ranked in the top 10 of preliminary preseason polls, announced on Friday a two-game series in women’s basketball, beginning with the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
The Bruins, ranked No. 3 in ESPN’s “Way Too Early” Top 25, will play host to the No. 7 Lady Vols in a contest at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial on Nov. 30. UCLA is slated to travel to Knoxville for a contest at Food City Center during the 2026-27 campaign.
The match-up in Westwood this season will open a two-game West Coast swing for the Big Orange, who have a previously-announced visit to Stanford on Dec. 3 as part of the ACC/SEC Women’s Basketball Challenge. This will mark the fifth time Tennessee has faced both teams on the same journey out west and the third-straight occasion the Lady Vols-Bruins match-up has opened such a trip. UT has fashioned a combined 5-3 record in the previous back-to-back battles, including a 4-0 worksheet in Los Angeles.
In the all-time series with the Bruins, UT owns an 18-3 record, including 9-0 in L.A., 8-1 in Knoxville and 1-2 at neutral sites. UCLA, however, has won the last two meetings between the programs, defeating the Lady Vols, 89-77, in College Park, Md., on March 23, 2019, in the NCAA First Round and 80-63 on Nov. 20, 2022, at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
In Kim Caldwell‘s first season on Rocky Top and as a Power 4 head coach in 2024-25, she guided the Lady Vols to a 24-10 record, NCAA Sweet 16 finish and No. 15 final AP ranking with a fast-paced attack on both ends of the court. Her squad set records for scoring and three-point shooting during the campaign and picked up victories over UConn, Ohio State, Iowa and Florida State along the way.
Tennessee returns three of its top four scorers and rebounders from a year ago. That group includes redshirt junior guard and All-SEC Second Team/SEC All-Defensive Team performer Talaysia Cooper (16.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 3.2 apg., 3.1 spg.), senior forward Zee Spearman (11.7 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and senior guard Ruby Whitehorn (11.6 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 1.7 apg.).
Caldwell adds a transfer portal class rated No. 1 by ESPN’s Charlie Creme and a high school signing group rated No. 1 or No. 2 in the nation by most analysts. The transfer class includes 6-foot-4 forward and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year Janiah Barker (7.4 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 1.4 apg.), who played for UCLA last season, 5-7 guard and All-ACC Second Team selection Nya Robertson of SMU (18.5 ppg., 62 3FGs, 111 FTs) and 6-5 forward Jersey Wolfenbarger of LSU (4.6 ppg., 3.4 rpg., 63% FG).
The stellar prep class includes McDonald’s All-Americans Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil, as well as Mia’s twin sister, Mya Pauldo, and Lauren Hurst, all of whom rank among espnW’s top 60 recruits in the class of 2025. Mia Pauldo (No. 9), Prawl (No. 17) and Civil (No. 20) make UT the only school with three players rated among the top 20 in the 2025 class by espnW.
UCLA, meanwhile, finished at No. 3 in the final 2024-25 Associated Press poll, compiling a 34-3 overall record and 16-2 mark in the Big Ten. It advanced to its first-ever NCAA Final Four, falling to eventual champ UConn, 85-51, in the semifinals.
Head Coach Cori Close’s squad returns five of its top six leading scorers, including 6-foot-7 senior center Lauren Betts (20.2 ppg., 9.5 rpg.), 5-11 senior guard Kiki Rice (12.8 ppg., 5.0 apg.) and 6-0 senior guard Gabriela Jaquez (9.6 ppg., 5.3 rpg.). The Bruins also added the No. 12 prep class to that mix, including 6-4 forward Sienna Betts, the younger sister of Lauren and the nation’s No. 2-ranked recruit, as well as the No. 4-ranked transfer in 6-0 graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens of Utah (19.3 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 3.0 apg.).
For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Lady Vol basketball on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
KNOXVILLE, TN ( Story courtesy of WVLT) – The Blount County Register of Deeds Office is getting a lot of calls and people walking in to talk about letters homeowners are receiving in the mail.
A group has asked people to send them money so they’re able to get their property deed. The group is charging people $89, which is causing some concern for the register of deeds.
“It’s heart wrenching. It really is,” Phyllis Crisp said.
Crisp is the register of deeds and said people would be able to do it for a lot cheaper if they go through her office.
“It’s a dollar a page, so one to two dollars and you have an original,” Crisp said.
The letters also have Nashville and St. Petersburg, Florida addresses along with the wrong county seal on them.
Crisp said several people are impacted by this but feels they’re targeting the older generation most.
“Senior citizens, they think it’s someone trying to take their property. So we’ve had several of them come in and had several phone calls from them,” Crisp said.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WVLT News it is technically not illegal since the group eventually sends homeowners the deeds.
Crisp is asking homeowners in the county to reach out to them directly if they need their property deed.
“I don’t want them relating that to my office and them think that I’m ripping them off,” Crisp said.
WVLT News reached out to the group sending the letters, Clerk’s Property Office. They told us they only deal with home warranties even though the letters clearly indicate them asking about property deeds and property deed transfers.
Over the course of the past year, Summit Medical Group (Summit) has engaged in good-faith negotiations with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST). Despite its best efforts, Summit has been unable to reach a fair and sustainable agreement.
As a result, Summit has sent a formal notice of non-renewal to BCBST. Without an updated contract, Summit providers will be out-of-network for BCBST commercial and Medicare Advantage products starting Jan. 1, 2026.
Summit Medical Group was founded with a clear mission: to provide patient-first care rooted in independent, community-based medicine. Summit’s providers are neighbors embedded in the communities they serve, committed to delivering personalized, relationship-focused care.
“Issuing the notice of non-renewal was a necessary step to protect the future of independent medicine and ensure patients continue to have access to high-quality, personalized care,” Summit Medical Group CEO Ed Curtis said. “We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement that supports our providers and the communities we serve.”
Summit wants to assure patients that nothing changes for now and they can continue to seek care at Summit as usual. While Summit is hopeful an agreement can be reached before the contract expires to avoid any disruption, there is a strong possibility Summit may be out-of-network starting in 2026.
Patients will be kept informed with updates as negotiations continue in the coming months.
About Summit Medical Group:
Summit Medical Group is one of Tennessee’s largest independent health care organizations, with more than 500 providers at 96 locations in 23 counties. Summit also consists of four diagnostic imaging centers, mobile diagnostic services, eight physical therapy centers, four express clinics, central laboratory, and sleep services center. Summit provides healthcare services to more than 435,000 patients, averaging over two million encounters annually. For additional information, visit https://www.summitmedical.com/
