Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Country music superstar Blake Shelton is coming to Knoxville!
Shelton’s “Friends & Heroes 2025” tour will play Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on February 28, 2025. His performance will include special appearances by Craig Morgan, Deana Carter, Trace Adkins and Emily Ann Roberts.
American Express Card members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Tuesday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m. The general on-sale will begin Friday, September 13 at 10:00 a.m.
“The ‘Friends & Heroes’ Tour is one of my favorite tours because as a fan, I can’t think of a cooler concert to see,” Shelton said. “I get spoiled every night seeing these icons come out and do four or five of the biggest hits of their storied careers. And then get introduced to new talent like Emily Ann. I can’t wait.”
If you can’t make it to the Knoxville show, Shelton’s tour also stops by Lexington and Atlanta.
Shelton’s “Friends & Heroes 2025” tour is slated to stop in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2025. (Courtesy: Food City Center)
Grainger County, TN (WOKI) A Morristown man suspected of killing and dismembering two people in Bean Station last spring has now been indicted.
The Grainger County District Attorney’s office confirms Aaron White was indicted on August 28 on two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse.
White was arrested in connection to a double homicide that happened in May. According to investigators, White killed 49-year-old Jon Atkins and 32-year-old Deven McDaniel, whose bodies were discovered along Rocky Springs Road in Bean Station on May 25.
The DA says White’s next court appearance is set for December.
Aaron White was accused of killing two men in Grainger County before dismembering their bodies. (Courtesy: Grainger County Sheriff’s Office)
Sevier County, TN (WOKI) The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing man.
SCSO officials say 26-year-old Shawn Odell was reportedly last seen in Kodak Wednesday morning. The office has not released a description of Odell at this time.
Those with information are asked to call Detective Sergeant Graham Brantley at 865-868-1748.
Sweetwater, TN (WOKI) An shooting investigation is underway following a home invasion Thursday morning in Monroe County.
Officials with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office say deputies were called to a home on Brunner Road in Sweetwater early Thursday morning after the break-in, which prompted the investigation.
MCSO says a person was forced from the home before deputies arrived on the scene, adding that the person had tried to reenter the home, but was shot and killed by the homeowner.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office officials said deputies were called to a home on Brunner Road in Sweetwater early Thursday morning after the break-in. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Jamaican man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for his role in defrauding a 76-year-old Lenoir City woman.
Department of Justice officials say 24-year-old Morice Armani Brown and other co-conspirators bilked the woman out of nearly $700,000 by convincing her to pay various fees and taxes to claim winnings from a bogus sweepstakes competition.
Court records reveal Brown and his accomplices reportedly travelled to Lenoir City to collect the money from the victim, splitting the proceeds between themselves and others.
Brown pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to serve 63 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to repay nearly $700,000 in restitution.
The charges were the result of an investigation by the Lenoir City Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
So far, Brown’s co-conspirators, Marklyn Antonio Forrester, Jamali Jermaine Ramsay, and Jahmarley Kiboki McFarlane were sentenced to 63 months, 36 months, and 57 months in prison, respectively. A fifth individual, Tessa Nicole Hines, is scheduled to be sentenced in October for her role in laundering money related to the scheme.
Jamaican man sentenced for role in defrauding Lenoir City woman out of nearly $700,000.(Credit: Frankly Media)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee volleyball returns home this week for a pair of matchups at Food City Center, including a third-straight contest against a top-25 opponent.
After seeing a record-breaking crowd last Friday against No. 7 Penn State, the Lady Vols host 25th-ranked UCLA this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. That match will be televised on SEC Network. On Friday, the Big Orange will take on reigning Northeast Conference champions LIU. First serve for the contest will be at 6:30, and it can be streamed on SEC Network+.
After another fun summer of camps, Friday’s contest will be the Camper Reunion match. All campers in their 2024 camp shirt will receive a complimentary ticket at the gates. At the conclusion of the match, we will host a postgame camper clinic.
Doors open one hour before each match, and fans can purchase tickets on AllVols.com. Parking is available in G3, G4 and G5 lots beside the arena. Gate B will be the entrance for general fans, while students and player guests are encouraged to use Gate C. The clear bag policy is in effect for all matches. Additional items to know before coming out for a competition can be found on the Volleyball Gameday Page.
UT Fans Shatter Program Attendance Record During the season opening match against Penn State, Vol Nation showed up in full force to support the Lady Vols. A total of 6,193 fans packed into Food City Center to set the program record for a single home match, soaring past the previous record of 3,376 against Kentucky on Oct. 27, 2021. For the first week of NCAA volleyball, the crowd marked the eighth largest in the country and was the highest total for an SEC home match.
New Look Lady Vols in 2024 The 2024 edition of Tennessee volleyball will look much different than last season’s team. The Lady Vols lost five starters and several bench players, while only Caroline Kerr and Kiki Granberry return in their starting roles. Plenty of new faces have joined the program, as the Big Orange added nine players with their signing class and through the transfer portal. Some of them will see major playing time starting Day One, while others could see their roles increase as the season progresses.
Kerr Named to Preseason All-SEC Team After establishing herself as one of the best setters in the country last year, Tennessee’s Caroline Kerr earned a spot on the 2024 Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team. During the 2023 campaign, Kerr received All-America Second Team recognition from AVCA and was a Fourth Team selection by VolleyballMag.com, joining Julie Knytych (2004-05) and Mary Pollmiller (2011) as the only setters in program history to earn All-America honors. The Champaign, Illinois, native ranked third nationally, second in the SEC and led all NCAA freshmen in assists per set at 11.75, recording 14 40-assist efforts and five 50-assist performances on the year.
Who’s the Next Great Tennessee Outside Under Rackham Watt? A major storyline going into this season is how the Lady Vols replace the All-American outside duo of Morgahn Fingall and Jenaisya Moore. While that will be a tall task, head coach Eve Rackham Watt and her staff have consistently found success offensively since arriving on Rocky Top, ranking inside the top 15 nationally in kills per set in three out of her first six seasons. Now, the question becomes, who will replace that duo? The top options are transfers Nina Cajic, who earned 2023 CAA Player of the Year honors at Towson, and Hayden Kubik, the former top-ranked recruit from Nebraska. Several other individuals will also factor into the rotation as well.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball programs will host the third annual Market Square Madness event Oct. 18, as announced Wednesday morning.
Held at Market Square in downtown Knoxville, fewer than 1.5 miles north of the Tennessee campus, festivities will officially begin at 7:30 p.m.
Starting 30 minutes earlier, at 7 p.m., fans will have the chance to take photos with Smokey and members of the Tennessee Spirit Squads, as well as visit face painting stations and compete in on-court contests for prizes. DJ Sterl will be on-site, as well.
After a performance by the Tennessee dance team, DJ Sterl will introduce the 2024-25 Volunteers and Lady Volunteers, with skill challenges and fan contests to follow.
Admission to Market Square Madness is free. Attendees are encouraged to park in the Market Square Garage, State Street Garage or Locust Street Garage, each of which will be free to access after 6 p.m.
Fans interested in purchasing season tickets to see the women’s basketball team in action this season can do so HERE. Men’s basketball season tickets are already sold out, but fans interested in learning more about season tickets for future years can do so by clicking HERE. Additionally, fans seeking to bring a large group to Food City Center this season can begin that process HERE.
Single-game tickets for both programs will go on sale at AllVols.com at a later date.
The Lady Vols enter the 2024-25 campaign under the direction of first-year head coach Kim Caldwell. The UT women feature six experienced players returning from last season, including starters Jewel Spear and Sara Puckett, and welcome five additions from the transfer portal as well as a pair of highly-regarded redshirts. The squad will employ Caldwell’s trademark high-octane offense and intense pressure defense, looking to propel Tennessee to its 43rd-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Coming off arguably its best season ever, the Tennessee men’s basketball team brings back seven players, including senior guard Zakai Zeigler, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The Volunteers went 27-9 (14-4 SEC) in 2023-24, won an outright SEC regular season title, reached the Elite Eight and finished a program-best fifth nationally in both major polls. Tenth-year head coach Rick Barnes welcomes five new scholarship players, including a quartet of Division I transfers, to this year’s roster.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team on social media, follow @LadyVol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /BallWithTheLadyVols on Facebook.
For news and information about 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.
Dandridge, TN (WOKI) A two-month long investigation results in the arrest of an East Tennessee man charged with multiple child sex crimes.
Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office say the investigation into exchanges on Snapchat ended in the arrest and charging of 39-year-old William “Nick” Edens of Dandridge.
Edens faces 20 counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of solicitation of a minor to observe sexual conduct.
He is being held at the Jefferson County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.
Blount County, TN (WOKI) Two people are facing numerous drug charges following a multi-agency execution of a search warrant at a home in Blount County.
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say roughly half a dozen different drugs, to include suspected fentanyl pills, were confiscated at the home on Russell Road in Rockford shared by suspects 53-year-old Jamie Henry and 54-year-old Amanda Whitehead.
BCSO says drug paraphernalia and $8,300 in cash were also recovered from the residence.
Henry and Whitehead were arrested and face multiple charges including “maintaining a dwelling where drugs are used or sold.”
Two people were arrested after a multi-agency drug bust, according to officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. (Courtesy: BCSO)
