Cocke County, TN (WVLT) The Cocke County Emergency Management Agency said there were reports of flooding near the Walters Dam from the Pigeon River.
Director Joe Esway said he met with construction crews on Waterville Road who said seven pumps about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle were swept away and headed down the Pigeon River. The pumps were among several pieces of heavy equipment being used to work on the Walters Hydro Station near the Tennessee/North Carolina line.
Additionally, Esway said “large timbers” and other general construction materials were also swept away in the flooding.
Esway said everyone down river from Waterville Road should move a safe distance away from the water’s edge on the Pigeon River.
Esway added that the flooding had shut down Trail Hollow Road and the Lindsey Gap bridge because water had gone over the roadway.
Sunday afternoon, Esway said the dam, commonly known as the Waterville Dam, is releasing water due to heavy rains in North Carolina.
Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis told WVLT News vehicles were prepped earlier on Sunday and that Swift Water Rescue crews are on standby. He added that officials will know more about the situation after midnight.
Sunday evening, a spokesperson for Duke Energy sent WVLT News the following statement:
After Hurricane Helene, Duke Energy established a temporary barrier to isolate Walters Hydro Station from the Pigeon River to support our restoration work at the powerhouse. Today’s heavy rain did impact that temporary barrier. We are evaluating any potential damage or loss to our temporary restoration equipment and working to develop a recovery plan, if necessary.
We encourage all those that live near the river to pay close attention to changing weather conditions and take any necessary precautions. We are closely coordinating with our county emergency management partners. – Ben Williamson, Duke Energy spokesperson
Much of this area along the Pigeon River stretching from the dam into Newport was heavily affected by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
Monroe County, TN (WOKI) A deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is recovering after being shot Sunday afternoon while attempting to serve a search warrant.
MCSO officials say crews responded to a home on Reed Springs Road for a downed tree in the roadway.
The man living in the home, Richard Brown, had an active felony warrant for his arrest out of Loudon County.
A deputy tried to speak to Brown, but he went back into the residence and started making threats.
More crews were called in to execute the warrant; that’s when a deputy was shot in the arm. The deputy was taken to UT Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
Brown later surrendered and was taken to the Monroe County jail.
Monroe County deputy shot while serving warrant, sheriff says. (Courtesy: MCSO)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A missing toddler at the center of a late night AMBER Alert in Knoxville is found safe.
Knoxville Police Department officials say the 2-year-old child, identified as Elton Bailey, was found inside a Ford Explorer that was originally presumed stolen Sunday evening from a home on Old State Road.
According to police, Bailey’s grandfather stopped at the home briefly and left the car running with the child inside. When the grandfather came back out, the car was gone and he assumed someone had stolen it.
After an exhaustive search, Knox County deputies found Bailey inside the vehicle, unharmed, in a muddy construction site near where the car was reported stolen.
“The Special Crimes Unit is continuing their investigation to determine if somebody did briefly attempt to steal the vehicle or if it was potentially left in gear and rolled down several ravines into the construction area where it was found,” officials said.
Multiple agencies helped with the ground search and KPD thanked the public for their help.
Knoxville police searching for stolen car with two-year-old toddler inside. (Courtesy: KPD)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15/13 Tennessee improved to 12-0, shooting a season-high 53 percent from the field to run away from Winthrop on Sunday, 114-50, in front of a season-best crowd of 11,152 at Food City Center in the Lady Vols’ final game before SEC play.
Senior forward Sara Puckett matched her season high of 17 points that she recorded in the previous game vs. Tulsa on Dec. 21 and added a season-best eight rebounds to lead six Lady Vols scoring in double figures. Joining her in double digits were Ruby Whitehorn with 16, Jewel Spear and Kaniya Boyd with 15, Zee Spearman with 14 and Tess Darby with 10. Boyd’s point total surpassed her previous career scoring high of six vs. Richmond on Dec. 20, and her four assists equaled her personal best vs. Liberty on Nov. 16 and tied Samara Spencer for team honors vs. the Eagles on Sunday.
Winthrop, which fell to 6-7, featured only one player scoring in double figures. Amourie Porter contributed 14 points to her team’s cause, making most of them via an 8-for-8 day at the charity stripe.
The Lady Vols came out sizzling, bolting to an 11-0 lead out of the gate on a three-pointer and paint jumper from Puckett and back-to-back threes from Boyd and Spencer. After Winthrop got on the board via a Leonor Paisana trey at the 5:42 mark, a Darby long ball and Talaysia Cooper putback sent UT into the 4:07 media break with an 18-5 cushion. Another Spencer trey and two more from Spear enabled the Big Orange to finish the first quarter seven of 13 beyond the arc and push the score to 35-13 after one.
After the Eagles notched the first two scores of the second stanza to cut the gap to 35-17 with 9:18 to go, a Jillian Hollingshead old-fashioned three-point play and buckets by Whitehorn and Alyssa Latham lifted Tennessee to a 42-17 lead with 7:10 remaining. Layups by Darby and Cooper and a putback by Latham then propelled the Lady Vols into the 4:53 media timeout with a 48-20 advantage. After a pair of Winthrop free throws by Porter trimmed UT’s lead to 26, 48-22, the Big Orange got a layup from Whitehorn, a steal and score from Spear and single free throws from Spencer and Boyd to build the advantage to a game-high 32, 54-22, with 3:12 on the clock. WU managed to hold the home team without a three in the period, but UT nonetheless outscored the visitors 26-19 to possess a 61-32 edge at the intermission.
Tennessee pushed the lead to 34 by the 5:41 mark in the third quarter, getting a steal and layup from Darby and a bucket down low by Spearman before Olivia Wagner’s response made it 71-39 and elicited a timeout from the Winthrop coaching staff with 5:20 to go. Spear’s three with 5:12 to go extended the gap to a game-best 35 at 74-39, and that’s what the score remained until the 4:52 media break. UT increased it to a 37-point cushion through the end of the third, as Whitehorn’s layup with 50 ticks left sent the teams into the final 10 minutes with the Lady Vols up, 83-46.
The roll continued into the final frame, as Tennessee put together an 11-2 run to take a 94-48 lead at the 6:26 media timeout, coming on a pair of Spearman layups and another by Spear on the break. Thirteen of 14 Lady Vols who played would etch points in the official scorebook on the afternoon, with the Big Orange closing the game with a 31-4 blitz over the final 10 minutes that included a 17-0 spree from the 8:57 mark until 3:29 remained.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols open SEC play on Thursday, as they make the trip to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) at Reed Arena, with the contest being carried on SECN+ but paired with the Aggies’ radio broadcast. UT fans can turn down the SECN+ sound and listen to the Lady Vol Network radio broadcast by Brian Rice. Rice’s voice can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.
TWELVE STRAIGHT WINS: First-year head coach Kim Caldwell has led the Lady Vols to a 12-0 start, marking only the seventh time that has happened in program history. The 12-0 beginning is the best by Tennessee since it opened up at 15-0 in 2017-18. Caldwell has notched her second-best start to a season in her ninth year as a head coach. Top honors go to her 2021-22 GSU squad that started 29-0 on its way to 35-1 and an NCAA Division II national title.
PUCKETT MEANS BUSINESS: Senior guard Sara Puckett has produced back-to-back double-digit contests, draining six total field goals and one trey. Puckett finished with a season-high-tying 17 points, a season-best eight rebounds along with two steals. The Muscle Shoals, Ala., native logged her sixth double-digit game of the season. Her other 17-point contest came against Tulsa on Dec. 21.
ROCKING ON ROCKY TOP: A stellar crowd of 11,152 fans piled into Food City Center, cheering the Lady Vols to victory. It marked the first 10,000-plus crowd since Tennessee played LSU on Feb. 25, 2024, welcoming 15,281 fans. It was one of two contests during the 2023 season that compiled over 10,000 fans. The other game during the 2023 season came against South Carolina on February 15, 2023, with 11,073 fans in attendance. The last time a Tennessee squad eclipsed a 10,000-plus crowd before January was against Stanford (10,017) on Dec. 18, 2021. The last time the Lady Vols lured a 10,000-plus crowd against a non-power-four opponent before the month of January was against Stetson (10,705) on Dec. 30, 2015.
100-POINT DUB: Tennessee has reached 100 points six times in 2024-25. The all-time record for the Lady Vols is seven in 1987-88. That gives the program 93 all-time regular-season scoring efforts of 100 or more points through the Winthrop game. UT had 101 in the opener vs. Samford on Nov. 5, 109 vs. Liberty on Nov. 16, 102 vs. Western Carolina on Nov. 26, a school and SEC-record 139 vs. N.C. Central on Dec. 14 and 102 vs. Tulsa on Dec. 21.
12-0 WITH 11 DIFFERENT FIVES: The Lady Vols have begun the year 12-0 with 11 different starting lineups and 10 different players appearing in the first five. Tennessee repeated a previous quintet vs. Memphis but had new ones in the past three contests. Jewel Spear, Samara Spencer, Sara Puckett, Zee Spearman and Ruby Whitehorn opened Sunday’s contest. Spencer leads the team with 12 starts, Whitehorn follows with ten and Spearman notched her eighth. Spear tallied her sixth and Puckett added her sixth versus the Eagles.
FAST, FURIOUS AND FUN: The Lady Vols forced Winthrop to turn the ball over a total of 30 times during Sunday’s win, posting a 45-8 advantage on points off turnovers. Nine of Tennessee’s foes thus far have committed at least 22 miscues: NC Central (44), Samford (37), Western Carolina (37), UT Martin (31), Iowa (30), Winthrop (30), Liberty (25), Tulsa (23) and MTSU (22). Tennessee’s defensive efforts held the Eagles to only four points in the fourth quarter, the lowest point total in a quarter by a foe this season. The Lady Vols also held Winthrop to a 29-percent field goal percentage, the lowest of any opponent this season. Tennessee also collected a pair of 10-second violations versus the Eagles. This season, UT’s press has resulted in 15 10-second violations by opponents through twelve games.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Dylan Sampson produced the most prolific rushing season in Tennessee history in leading the Volunteers to their first College Football Playoff berth. On Friday, the junior running back and 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year officially began the next chapter of his football career by declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sampson announced his decision on social media and thanked his coaching staff, teammates and Vol Nation. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native was part of Josh Heupel‘s first signing class in December of 2021 and is seeking to become the third straight Vol starting running back to make an NFL roster in the Heupel era.
Sampson rewrote the record books in 2024, shattering school single-season records in rushing yards (1,491), rushing touchdowns (22), total touchdowns scored (22), points scored (132) and consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (11). His durability, toughness and leadership were on display the entire season as he collected 929 yards after contact and accounted for 40 percent (22 of 55) of the Vols’ offensive touchdowns.
Sampson was rewarded for his MVP efforts, becoming the second Tennessee player in three years to be named SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He also was a second-team All-America recipient by nearly every outlet and organization. Quarterback Hendon Hooker won the honor in 2022. Sampson was the sixth running back in SEC history to win the award.
Sampson led the SEC in nine different categories, including rushing attempts (258), rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, 100-yard rushing games (10), rushing yards per game (114.7), points scored, points per game (10.2), all-purpose yards (1,638) and all-purpose yards per game (126.0). In conference-only games, he also led nearly every rushing category, including yards (1,051) and touchdowns by a running back (12).
The junior finished his 2024 season tied for fifth place in SEC single-season history rushing touchdowns with LSU’s Leonard Fournette. His 22 rushing scores were the most by an SEC player since Alabama’s Najee Harris tallied an FBS-best 26 touchdowns in 2020.
Off the field, Sampson was a leader in the community and a scholar-athlete. He was a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, producing a 3.43 GPA while majoring in information sciences. He was a member of the 2023-24 VOLeaders Academy that visited South Africa in the summer of 2024. The trip was featured on a segment of ESPN College Gameday earlier this fall.
Sampson now begins his pro preparations. The 2025 NFL Combine is set for Feb. 27-March 2, and the 2025 NFL Draft is April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Where Sampson Finished In UT Single-Season Record Books Rushing Attempts – 258 (5th) Rushing Yards – 1,491 (1st) Rushing Touchdowns – 22 (1st) Rushing Yards Per Game – 114.7 (3rd) 100-Yard Rushing Games – 10 (2nd) Total Touchdowns Scored – 22 (1st) Points Scored – 132 (1st) All-Purpose Yards – 1,638 (7th) Consecutive Games With a Rushing TD – 11 (1st)
Where Sampson Finished In UT Career Record Books Rushing Yards – 2,492 (9th) Rushing Touchdowns – 35 (t2nd) 100-Yard Rushing Games – 13 (t3rd) Consecutive Games With a Rushing TD – 11 (1st)
2024 Sampson Honors SEC Offensive Player of the Year (AP, Coaches) SEC Player of the Year (USA Today) All-America Second Team (The Athletic, FWAA, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Walter Camp) All-America Third Team (AP) Maxwell Award Semifinalist Doak Walker Award Semifinalist All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches) SEC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. Alabama, 10/21)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) Food City will pay more than $8 million as part of a settlement with the federal government connected to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
It’s the latest news from the U.S. Department of Justice, which announced Monday that K-CA-T Food Stores, Food City’s parent company, had agreed to the settlement.
Court documents said that from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2018, 24 Food City stores dispensed opioids that were medically unnecessary.
“When pharmacies fill prescriptions for opioids and other powerful controlled substances without regard to their legitimacy or medical necessity it significantly contributes to the opioid epidemic, causing great harm to our citizens and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “This settlement agreement demonstrates that the United States Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, are using all tools available to address the opioid crisis.”
Our news partner WVLT News reached out to K-VA-T Food Stores for a statement, below:
The allegations focused primarily on circumstances from more than a decade ago. K-VA-T has continually disputed the validity of these allegations, and the settlement agreement clearly states there is no admission of liability by K-VA-T. This case is another example of the many cases nationwide brought against manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of opioid products. – K-VA-T Food Stores
In total, $8,488,378 will go to the federal government. Another $78,621 will go to the states of Virginia and Kentucky for claims paid to Food City through state Medicaid programs.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the third week in a row, the University of Tennessee is the top-ranked men’s basketball team in the nation.
Tennessee (11-0) yet again places first overall in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as released Monday afternoon.
This is the eighth time, across three campaigns, the Volunteers check in atop the AP Poll. They held the top spot once in 2007-08, four times in 2018-19 and now thrice in 2024-25.
Eight of Tennessee’s 10 all-time weeks in the AP top three, including seven of its eight No. 1 nods, are under the direction of 10th-year head coach Rick Barnes. One of just seven teams to claim the top spot in the AP Poll in more than one of the last seven seasons, Tennessee is 25-4 all-time while holding an AP top three spot (21-2 in the Barnes era), including 11-2 at No. 1 overall (10-1 in the Barnes era).
This is the 67th straight week the Volunteers are in the AP Poll, a streak extending across four campaigns and dating to the 2021-22 preseason release. The figure is 30 weeks greater than the program’s previous top tally and is the third-longest active mark in America, behind just Houston (93) and Kansas (72). No other team is at even 50-plus, while the next closest SEC program, Kentucky (29), is eighth nationally and 38 weeks shy of Tennessee.
The Volunteers are in the AP top 15 for the 41st time in the last 44 releases, dating to Nov. 28, 2022. This is the 63rd AP top-10 ranking for Tennessee in Barnes’ tenure, including its 31st top-five placement, with the latter mark 14 greater than the program’s entire total (17) before his arrival on Rocky Top in 2015. Additionally, Tennessee now has four times as many top-two rankings under Barnes (eight) as it had before his hiring (two).
Barnes has coached Tennessee to an AP top-five ranking in each of the last four seasons, a streak only matched by Kansas. He has also led Tennessee to an AP top-six ranking in each of the last five years, a figure only Alabama, Houston and Kansas can equal.
The Volunteers won their lone game last week, registering a dominant 84-36 victory Tuesday against Western Carolina behind a game-best 19 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier and a near triple-double by senior guard Zakai Zeigler. It marked the program’s seventh-largest win in the last 50 seasons (1975-2025) and co-second-fewest points allowed in that period.
Tennessee earned 1,528 of a possible 1,550 points in the AP Poll balloting, a slight nine-point decrease from last week, as well as claimed 41 of the 62 first-place votes. In the Coaches Poll, it amassed 764 of a possible 775 points, just one fewer than its total las week, and recorded 20 of the 31 first-place nods.
Tennessee leads a group of 10 SEC teams in the top 25 of at least one poll, with nine in the top 20 of both. It is joined by second-ranked Auburn, No. 5/6 Alabama, No. 6/5 Florida, No. 10 Kentucky, No. 12/11 Oklahoma, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 16 Ole Miss and No. 19 Mississippi State, while Arkansas places No. 23 in the AP Poll. The Razorbacks are receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, while Georgia and Missouri are featured in that category of both lists.
Among the last four undefeated teams in the nation, Tennessee also sits second in the NCAA NET rankings and third in KenPom’s rankings.
Tennessee resumes play Monday at 7 p.m. when it squares off with Middle Tennessee State at Food City Center, live on SEC Network.
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.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team increased its season-opening winning streak to a dozen for the third time in program history with an 82-64 win Monday night against Middle Tennessee State.
Facing a halftime deficit for the first time in 2024-25, top-ranked Tennessee (12-0) controlled much of the second stanza to claim the win in front of 20,706 fans at Food City Center. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier paced the victors with 23 points, while senior guard Zakai Zeigler posted his second straight double-double, notching 17 points and career-high 15 assists, tied for the fifth-most in program history.
The Volunteers scored eight straight points in just 94 seconds midway through the first half to take a 25-14 edge with 9:31 on the timer. However, Middle Tennessee State (9-4) soon put together a 13-2 surge, including seven unanswered points in 55 seconds by redshirt senior guard Camryn Weston, to go in front for the first time, 32-20, with 3:06 left before the break.
After Tennessee leveled the score just 18 seconds later, the Blue Raiders scored eight of the last 10 points in the frame, making it a 21-6 run over the final 6:33 of the frame, to earn a game-high six-point advantage, 40-34, at the intermission. Weston, who capped the scoring on a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, tallied 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the session.
Tennessee scored nine of the opening 12 points coming out of the locker room, evening the score at 43 with 16:01 to play. Middle Tennessee State thrice went back ahead by three before the Volunteers pulled ahead, 52-51, with 12:21 to go and never conceded the lead. It pushed the cushion to six, 57-51, with 11:09 remaining after making it a 9-0 burst over 1:44.
The Blue Raiders got the deficit down to one, 59-58, with 9:23 to go, but Tennessee then went 5:58 without allowing a field goal—that included 3:35 without a point—and posted a 14-2 run during 5:15 of that span to take a then-game-best 13-point edge, 73-60, with 3:39 left.
The Volunteers eventually won by their largest margin of the night, 18, after scoring the final seven points in the last 1:37 of action.
Lanier, who had his fifth performance of 22-plus points in the last eight games, shot 5-of-10 from 3-point range to lead the team in scoring for the ninth time, including the eighth outright. Zeigler, who logged his 11th-career double-double, scored or assisted on 19 of the team’s 27 made field goals, plus shot 8-of-9 at the line to set season highs in makes and attempts. His 15 assists marked the highest total by a Volunteer since Feb. 28, 1987, and the top figure by an SEC competitor in non-conference play since Nov. 15, 2019.
Junior forward Felix Okpara scored 12 points, including 10 in a first half during which he shot 4-of-4, all on dunks. Senior guard Jordan Gainey added 10 points, six rebounds and a game-best two blocks, while senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., paced all players with 12 rebounds.
Weston led all scorers with 24 points for the Blue Raiders, adding a game-high four steals. He shot 9-of-18 from the field, the most makes by a Tennessee opponent this season, despite missing his final six attempts and scoring just one point in the last 14 minutes. Junior guard Kamari Lands added 13 points on a 5-of-10 field-goal clip for Middle Tennessee State.
Tennessee limited Middle Tennessee State to 8-of-27 (29.6 percent) shooting in the second half, including a 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) mark from beyond the arc. The Volunteers shot 18-of-23 (78.3 percent) from the stripe in the win, while the Blue Raiders went just 7-of-14 (50.0 percent).
Following a one-week hiatus from game action, Tennessee wraps up its non-conference slate Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. against Norfolk State, live on SEC Network+ from Food City Center.
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.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES • Monday marked the 14th game in program history with Tennessee ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, as it improved to 12-2, including 11-1 in head coach Rick Barnes‘ tenure. • The Volunteers also upped their record to 26-4 all-time while ranked top-three in the AP Poll, including 22-2 under Barnes. • Tennessee remained one of the only four undefeated teams in the country and the lone school unbeaten in both men’s and women’s basketball. • Barnes is now 34-6 (.850) against in-state opponents during his Tennessee tenure, including 17-1 (.944) the last 18 such contests. • Barnes improved to 14-0 in his career against the current Conference USA membership, his third-most wins without a defeat against any league. • Middle Tennessee State is the 204th different current Division I program Barnes has defeated during his 38-year head coaching career. • Tennessee improved to 10-2 all-time versus Middle Tennessee State with the victories by an average of 21.7 points per game, including eight decisions by double digits. • The Volunteers moved to 12-0 to begin a season for the third time in program history, alongside 1922-23 (14-0) and 1915-16 (finished 12-0). • Tennessee now has its seventh winning streak of at least 12 games program history, including its fifth in a single season and first since 2018-19 when it claimed a program-best 19 consecutive victories. • The other four single-season winning streaks of at least a dozen games for Tennessee are as follows: 19 in 2018-19 (Nov. 28 to Feb. 13), 14 in 1922-23 (Jan. 8 to Feb. 20), 12 in 1915-16 (Jan. 8 to Feb. 26) and 12 in 1976-77 (Dec. 11 to Jan. 24). • As announced before tip-off, the Volunteers played without freshman guard Bishop Boswell (right shoulder injury), leaving them with eight available scholarship players. • The Volunteers improved to 89-33 all-time when playing in front of 20,000-plus fans at Food City Center, including 30-9 under Barnes, with 24 of the latter 39 over the past four years (2021-25). • Monday marked the first time in 2024-25 the Volunteers trailed at halftime and/or conceded 36-plus points before the break. • Weston’s 17 first-half points tied for the most in a frame by a Tennessee opponent this season, matching the mark by Baylor’s Norchad Omier after the break Nov. 22 in Nassau, Bahamas. • The seven made field goals by Weston in the first half set a new high in a session by a Volunteer foe this year, eclipsing the second-half mark of six by both Omier and his teammate, V.J. Edgecombe, in the matchup with Baylor. • Weston shot 9-of-12 in the first 26 minutes of the contest, already setting a new top mark for the most made field goals in a full game by a single player against Tennessee in 2024-25. • The Volunteers have led for 412:43 of a possible 480 minutes thus far in 2024-25, while trailing for only 43:39. • Tennessee has held a lead of 18-plus points in 11 of its 12 contests this season, including by 26 in all but three, and still has not faced a deficit larger than eight. • Eleven of Tennessee’s 12 wins thus far are by 13-plus points, with seven by at least 22, four by at least 35 and two by 40-plus. • Zeigler, who now has back-to-back double-doubles for the first time as a Volunteer, upped his career double-double mark to 11. • Ten of Zeigler’s 11 double-doubles are with points and assists, giving him twice as many in that category as any other player in program history. • Monday marked the 11th double-figure assist outing of Zeigler’s career, including his third of the 2024-25 campaign. • Zeigler’s previous career-best assist mark came on Feb. 24, 2024, when he registered 14 against Texas A&M. • The most recent SEC player to post 15-plus assists in a game was Kentucky’s TyTy Washington Jr., who notched 17 on Jan. 8, 2022, against Georgia, while the last to do so in non-conference play was Auburn’s J’Von McCormick on Nov. 15, 2019, against Cal State Northridge. • Over the last three seasons (2022-25) there are just four occurrences of an SEC player amassing 13-plus assists in a game, with Zeigler owning three of those performances, as he also did so Feb. 24, 2024, versus Texas A&M (14) and Feb. 2, 2024, at Kentucky (13). • Zeigler’s 15 assists matched Fred Jenkins’ tally on Feb. 28, 1987, against Georgia for the fifth-most in Tennessee history, with that also the most recent performance of 15-plus assists by a Volunteer. • Zeigler is one of just two players in program history to record 14-plus assists multiple times, joining Rodney Woods, who did so on Feb. 1, 1975, at Georgia (16) and Feb. 3, 1973, against Auburn (14). • Miličić recorded double-digit rebounds for the 19th time in his career, including the fifth in 12 outings as a Volunteer. • Lanier connected on at least four made 3-pointers for the 22nd time as a collegian, including the seventh in just 12 games at Tennessee. • In half of those 22 contests, Lanier has now hit at least five 3-pointers, with this his third such performance as a Volunteer. • Lanier now owns 20 total 20-point showing in his career, including five thus far in his lone year as a Volunteer. • Over the last eight games, Lanier has scored 22-plus points five times and led Tennessee in scoring on seven occasions. • Gainey has now tallied multiple blocks in three of the last four games, including each of the past two, after doing so five times in his first 108 outings.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) No one is injured but a home suffers significant damage following a house fire late Monday morning.
Knoxville Fire Department crews responded to the home in the 5500 block of Jacksboro Pike around 10:30 a.m. to find flames coming from the downstairs windows of the house.
KFD reported crews encountered a heavy amount of smoke and fire but were able to get the fire under control within 20 minutes.
“Upon the arrival of the first fire apparatus, the crew saw flames coming from the downstairs windows of the home,” KFD’s Timothy Woods said. “Firefighting efforts began immediately with first crew going inside to try and extinguish the fire. There was a heavy amount of smoke and fire, but the crews were able to get the fire under control within 20 minutes.”
KFD said no one was home at the time of the fire, and the house suffered significant fire, smoke and water damage.
KFD is investigating the fire’s cause.
Knoxville Fire Department responds to Jacksboro Pike house fire. (Courtesy: KFD)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police are asking for information after a car is caught on camera damaging Lakeshore Park.
KPD says a Nissan Xterra was caught on camera off-roading at Lakeshore Park and damaging the landscape just before midnight on December 19.
Anyone with information is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward.
KPD said a car was caught on camera off-roading at Lakeshore Park and damaging the landscape on Dec. 19. (Courtesy: KPD)
Posted on December 30, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
(Story Courtesy of WVLT News) Cocke County, TN (WVLT) The Cocke County Emergency Management Agency said there were reports of flooding near the Walters Dam from the Pigeon River. Director Joe Esway said he met with construction crews on Waterville Road who said seven pumps about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle were swept away…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 30, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Monroe County, TN (WOKI) A deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is recovering after being shot Sunday afternoon while attempting to serve a search warrant. MCSO officials say crews responded to a home on Reed Springs Road for a downed tree in the roadway. The man living in the home, Richard Brown, had an…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 30, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A missing toddler at the center of a late night AMBER Alert in Knoxville is found safe. Knoxville Police Department officials say the 2-year-old child, identified as Elton Bailey, was found inside a Ford Explorer that was originally presumed stolen Sunday evening from a home on Old State Road. According to police,…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 29, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15/13 Tennessee improved to 12-0, shooting a season-high 53 percent from the field to run away from Winthrop on Sunday, 114-50, in front of a season-best crowd of 11,152 at Food City Center in the Lady Vols’ final game before SEC play. Senior forward Sara Puckett matched her season high of 17 points that…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 28, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Dylan Sampson produced the most prolific rushing season in Tennessee history in leading the Volunteers to their first College Football Playoff berth. On Friday, the junior running back and 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year officially began the next chapter of his football career by declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. Sampson announced his…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 24, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) Food City will pay more than $8 million as part of a settlement with the federal government connected to the ongoing opioid epidemic. It’s the latest news from the U.S. Department of Justice, which announced Monday that K-CA-T Food Stores, Food City’s parent company, had agreed to the settlement. Court…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 24, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the third week in a row, the University of Tennessee is the top-ranked men’s basketball team in the nation. Tennessee (11-0) yet again places first overall in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, as released Monday afternoon. This is the eighth time, across three campaigns,…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 24, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | December 23, 2024 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team increased its season-opening winning streak to a dozen for the third time in program history with an 82-64 win Monday night against Middle Tennessee State. Facing a halftime deficit for the first time in 2024-25, top-ranked Tennessee (12-0) controlled…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 24, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) No one is injured but a home suffers significant damage following a house fire late Monday morning. Knoxville Fire Department crews responded to the home in the 5500 block of Jacksboro Pike around 10:30 a.m. to find flames coming from the downstairs windows of the house. KFD reported crews encountered a heavy…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 24, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville police are asking for information after a car is caught on camera damaging Lakeshore Park. KPD says a Nissan Xterra was caught on camera off-roading at Lakeshore Park and damaging the landscape just before midnight on December 19. Anyone with information is asked to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at…… Continue Reading
