KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – One person died after a crash on Chapman Highway Monday, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol crash report obtained by WVLT News.
Benjamin Jones was driving a 2013 GMC Sierra north on U.S. 411 when he crossed into the opposite lane. The 46-year-old hit another car, a 2007 Honda Ridgeline, head-on, according to the report.
Jones died from his injuries while the driver of the other car, 72-year-old Randall Shelley, was injured.
That’s according to the city’s homeless coalition and its president, Bruce Spangler.
On Thursday night the homeless coalition along with other city leaders hosted a memorial service for all the homeless people who died in Knoxville within the last year.
“They died for the most part because they had no permanent shelter,” said Spangler.
The ceremony took place at St. John’s Lutheran Church where all 141 names of those who died were read aloud as a way to make sure nobody was forgotten.
“This is a way for us to give dignity to their presence among us,” said Spangler.
Spangler said the biggest thing that city leaders can do to help fix homelessness in Knoxville is to continue to build more affordable housing complexes.
Warming shelters across the city open every time it’s expected to get to 25 degrees or colder. You can find more information by following this link.
TOWNSEND, Tenn. (WVLT) – Several leaders with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spoke Wednesday morning, addressing their controversial decision to euthanize 13 bear cubs from Appalachian Bear Rescue.
Officials with the agency said the situation has prompted them to question the future of their relationship with the rescue.
What happened?
The back-and-forth between the state agency and the bear rescue began Wednesday when ABR posted to Facebook saying the TWRA had decided to put down the bears without communicating to the rescue first.
TWRA Executive Director Jason Maxedon said that isn’t true.
“Some of this information has been misconstrued,” Maxedon said. “We have been working with them and trying to keep them informed of what has been going on.”
TWRA Deputy Director Brandon Wear also spoke Thursday, outlining the timeline of the whole decision-making process.
According to Wear, ABR staff noticed one of their cubs had pneumonia-like symptoms near the end of November and sent it to UT for treatment.
Days later on Nov. 26, Wear said, TWRA learned about what happened and hosted a meeting with several expert groups to decide what should happen next.
On that list was the UT Institute for Agriculture, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, the National Park Service and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, he said.
According to Wear, ABR was told about the situation on Dec. 10. Maxedon said the rescue was given multiple chances to speak to veterinary staff about why the bears had to be put down.
“I personally spoke to the director of ABR about this decision,” Maxedon said. “The ABR director was invited more than once to speak to the veterinary staff.”
Maxedon went on to say that ABR staff did not agree with TWRA’s decision and did not want to discuss it with the agency.
So what does this situation mean for ABR? Maxedon and Dr. Dan Grove, a UT wildlife expert, both spoke on the rescue’s future with TWRA.
Grove said, at the very least, the rescue needs to fully sanitize two of its enclosures — the two that have hosted sick bear cubs.
“In terms of sanitation, because this is an outdoor enclosure, the recommendation is for a controlled burn,” Grove said.
That would burn off leaf litter and other natural material that could be playing host to disease-causing pathogens.
As for inside enclosures and any man-made structures, they’d need to be cleaned with chemicals before TWRA sent any bears to ABR.
However, Maxedon said the entire situation has put a strain on TWRA’s relationship with ABR, and cleaning the enclosures alone might not guarantee the agency works with the rescue again.
“We’re going to reevaluate our relationship with ABR,” he said, referring specifically to ABR’s comments about not being involved in the decision-making process.
Why are the bears being euthanized?
It’s a decision that’s faced plenty of pushback, even in just the day or so since the news was made public.
Grove outlined TWRA’s thinking process, trying to explain why the 13 bears need to be put down, even if treatment clears up their symptoms.
“Just because a treatment occurs and you resolve signs we can visibly see, doesn’t mean the bacteria might not still be there,” he said. According to Grove, a “cured” bear, when released back into the wild, could still infect other wild bears.
“We can’t run the risk that they may be a subclinical carrier for the disease,” Grove said. “It’s out of an abundance of caution that we’ve opted to go down this route.”
Even if treatment could guarantee that a bear, when released into the wild, would not infect others, there’s still a timing issue, according to Maxedon.
The director said, usually, bears only spend six to nine months in rehabilitation. After that, they’re released into the wild before they can develop bad habits around humans.
“We don’t want them to become so comfortable being around humans that they approach humans after being released to the wild,” he said.
What’s happened to the 13 bear cubs?
Maxedon said the TWRA had taken eight of the 13 cubs to UT already, and they had been put down. That means there’s five more still at ABR as of Thursday.
When asked, he reiterated that the TWRA does not make decisions like this lightly; he said anyone who works in the industry is passionate about wildlife.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department is investigating after one person is killed and another injured in a shooting early Thursday morning on Washington Pike.
KPD says officers en route to the North Hills Apartments for a reported gunshot victim, spotted a car that had crashed into a fence in the 2900 block of Washington Pike. The driver, an adult man, was found to have been shot at least once; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers found another victim at the apartment complex; that man was taken to UT Medical Center with serious injuries.
Investigators believe that the shooting happened on Washington Pike and one of the men left the scene, heading to the apartment complex for help.
Officials say the department’s homicide unit is leading the investigation, and there is no suspect at this time.
Those with information are being asked to call East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 865-215-7165.
It happened around 3:40 a.m., KPD said, at North Hills Apartments when officers responded to a call for a shooting. (Courtesy: KPD)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After guiding Tennessee to another 10-win season and its first College Football Playoff berth, head coach Josh Heupel has been named a semifinalist for the George Munger Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Wednesday.
Established in 1989, the George Munger Award is awarded annually to the sport’s most outstanding coach. This accolade recognizes exceptional leadership, strategic innovation and significant impact on the game. The honor is named in tribute to George Munger, a respected figure in college football known for his influential coaching career.
It’s the second time in three years that Heupel is a semifinalist for the accolade. He was a finalist in 2022.
Heupel became the third coach in school history with multiple 10-win regular seasons, joining Phillip Fulmer and Gen. Robert Neyland. The Vols joined Texas and Georgia as the only SEC programs to win 10 regular season games in 2024.
After being picked seventh by the media at SEC Media Days, Tennessee finished tied for second in the SEC with Georgia at 6-2. The Vols have produced at least a .500 record in SEC play in all four seasons under Heupel with 6-2 marks in two out of the last three seasons. Heupel is the first coach since Phillip Fulmer (2003-04) to win at least six SEC games twice over a three-year span.
Tennessee has won 30 games over the past three seasons under Heupel’s watch, which ranks third among charter SEC members and ninth in the FBS during that span. The 30 victories are the most over a three-year span for Tennessee since winning 30 games from 1998-2000.
Heupel’s Vols head into the CFP ranked in the FBS top 10 in 12 major categories: fourth-down defense (1st – 28.6), scoring defense (4th – 13.9), third-down defense (5th – 29.5), yards per play allowed (4th – 4.33), total defense (4th – 278.3), tackles for loss (7th – 7.8), total offense (8th – 462.9), rushing defense (8th – 99.6), punt return average (8th – 15.7), scoring offense (8th – 37.3), rushing offense (9th – 232.0) and team passing efficiency defense (9th – 110.51).
The 2024 campaign was the fourth 10-win season in seven years as a head coach for Heupel, who is now 65-22 (.747) overall.
The No. 9 seed Vols play at No. 8 seed Ohio State at 8 p.m. ET Saturday live on ABC and ESPN.
2024 Tennessee Postseason Award Honors as of Dec. 18
QB Nico Iamaleava Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Semifinalist Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Finalist
OL Cooper Mays Rimington Trophy Finalist All-America First Team (USA Today, SI, Sporting News) All-America Second Team (AFCA, The Athletic) All-SEC First Team (Coaches) All-SEC Second Team (AP)
WR Bru McCoy Witten Award Semifinalist Comeback Player of the Year Semifinalist SEC Community Service Team
DB Jermod McCoy Thorpe Award Semifinalist All-America Second Team (AP, SI) All-SEC First Team (AP) All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)
DE James Pearce Jr. Bednarik Award Semifinalist Lombardi Award Semifinalist Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalist All-SEC First Team (Coaches) All-SEC Second Team (AP)
RB Dylan Sampson SEC Offensive Player of the Year (AP, Coaches) USA Today SEC Player of the Year All-America Second Team (The Athletic, Walter Camp, FWAA, USA Today, SI, Sporting News) All-America Third Team (AP) Maxwell Award Semifinalist Doak Walker Award Semifinalist All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches)
New Tazewell, TN (WOKI) A Claiborne County man will spend nearly 40 years in jail after killing his wife who was a county jail employee.
Benjamin Wayne Hopson stabbed his wife, 49-year-old Lori Ann Hopson, multiple times while they were driving down Barren Creek Road in April. Her body was later found outside of the car.
Hopson pleaded guilty to the crime. He will serve 37 years in jail. Officials say he will have to serve the entire term.
Newport, TN (WOKI) Norfolk Southern now has a target date in mind for reopening one of their lines in Newport.
The rail company’s AS Line was damaged after heavy flooding from Helene wreaked havoc on parts of East Tennessee.
The AS Line runs from Newport through Asheville to Grovestone, N.C. Norfolk Southern projects the line will reopen on March 31, of next year.
“After Hurricane Helene moved through the Southeast in late September, bringing with it historic flooding and unprecedented damage, hundreds of railroaders from Norfolk Southern jumped into action. Teams reopened all core routes affected by the storm within 72 hours of landfall, clearing over 15,000 trees, deploying 400+ generators, and repairing multiple washouts, often in very challenging conditions and difficult-to-reach regions.” – Norfolk Southern
Officials say reopening the line will help the recovery efforts in Western North Carolina, specifically Asheville, Hendersonville and Waynesville.
Parts of the line that runs through Newport and Asheville were damaged from Helene. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | December 18, 2024 | Eric Trainer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — No. 18/16 Tennessee placed six players in double figures in its first true road game of the season, earning a hard-fought, 90-75 victory over Memphis at FedExForum on Wednesday night.
Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear was back in the lineup after a one-game absence due to injury, carding season highs with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists to help her team improve to 9-0. Junior forward Zee Spearman had co-scoring honors and produced her first double-double as a Lady Vol, working the paint with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Talaysia Cooper added a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double and was joined in the 10-plus scoring club by Tess Darby and Samara Spencer with 12 each, and Ruby Whitehorn with 10.
Tilly Boler tossed in 23 points to pace the Tigers (2-8), while Tanyuel Welch had 16 and Michigan State transfer DeeDee Hagemann poured in 19 in her UM debut. Hagemann, an All-Big Ten selection for the Spartans, was a difference-maker for her new team with 14 points in the first half.
After Memphis got on the scoreboard first, Darby gave the Lady Vols their first lead at 3-2 with 9:18 remaining on a long-range bucket. The Tigers scored back-to-back baskets to grab the lead back, 7-3, before Sara Puckett and Spear evened things at seven with 6:32 to go. After the Tigers reclaimed the lead, a Whitehorn putback pulled her team to within one, 10-9, before UM scored to take a 12-9 edge into the 4:53 media break. Memphis pushed its lead to six, 15-9, at the 4:02 mark before a Kaniya Boyd putback and Darby three drew their team to within one, 15-14, with 3:05 to go. With 51 seconds to go in the frame, Spear tied it up at 19, converting an old-fashioned three-point play. A three-pointer by Whitehorn propelled her team into the lead, 22-19, and UT maintained a 22-21 advantage heading to the second stanza.
Tennessee grabbed its largest lead at 27-23 to open the second quarter on a Spear three and Spearman layup, forcing a Tigers timeout at the 8:46 mark. Memphis came out of the break fired up, reeling off 11 straight points to seize a seven-point lead, 34-27, with 5:45 to go. The Big Orange whittled the lead to two on a Cooper driving layup with 3:35 remaining, but UM pushed the difference back to six, 41-35, with 2:06 to go. The Lady Vols showed resiliency, putting together a seven-point run on a pair of Spearman buckets sandwiching a Spear three to send Tennessee into the intermission with a 42-41 lead.
The Lady Vols put together a 5-0 burst out of the locker room to extend their run to 14-0 bridging the halves and built their largest lead at eight, 49-41, before a foul call review sent the teams into a media timeout with 8:40 remaining. Memphis scored twice out of the break to pull to within four, but Tennessee used a 9-2 run to build a 58-47 gap by the 4:34 media timeout with threes by Spencer and Darby helping create separation. A Spearman layup pushed the lead to 13, 60-47, right out of the break and Darby extended it to 12, 63-51, with a dagger beyond the arc with 2:04 to go. Four straight Spearman free throws lifted her team to a 67-52 advantage with 55 seconds on the clock, and Spear sent her squad to the final frame with 69-54 lead via a layup.
Memphis would not go away, scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to eight, 69-62, with 8:19 to go. The Lady Vols, though, steadied themselves with a Spencer three to stem the tide. Back-to-back layups by Cooper and Spearman sent the Big Orange into the 4:14 media break with a 79-66 cushion. The Tigers got as close as 10 down the stretch, but Cooper tallied six points over the final four minutes to enable the Big Orange to start out their three-game road trip with a victory.
UP NEXT: Tennessee departs after the game for Florida, where the Lady Vols will play in the West Palm Beach Classic this weekend. UT will meet Richmond on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET and follow with an 11 a.m. ET tilt on Saturday vs. Tulsa before heading home. Baller TV will stream both games, and Lady Vol Network stations statewide and UTSports.com will have the radio broadcast.
BANGIN’ ON THE BOARDS: The Lady Vols posted their second-best rebound total of the season with 53 versus the Tigers. Zee Spearman led the charge with a season-high 12 boards, while Talaysia Cooper followed with 11. The Big Orange combined for a final number of 23 offensive and 30 defensive rebounds. Tennessee’s highest number of rebounds came against UT-Martin when the squad tallied 54 on Nov. 7.
JEWEL LETS IT LOOSE: Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear returned following a one-game absence to let it fly from the arc, draining a trio of three-pointers and six total field goals. Spear finished with a season-high-tying 18 points, tied her season best with six rebounds and added a season-high four assists. The Colony, Texas, native logged her fourth double-digit game of the season. Her other 18-point contest came against Samford on Nov. 15.
DOUBLE THE FUN: Lady Vols Talaysia Cooper and Zee Spearman both compiled a double-double performance during the victory against Memphis. Spearman carded an 18-point contest with 12 rebounds for her first double-double as a Lady Vol and her seventh in her collegiate career. Cooper notched 12 points and 11 boards, carding her second on the season and her career.
SUCCESS IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE: The Lady Vols now are 266-62-1 all-time vs. four-year college teams from the Volunteer State through the 90-75 victory against Memphis on Wednesday night. The Lady Vols are 3-0 this season after winning at Memphis (Dec. 18) and beating MTSU (Nov.12) and UT Martin (Nov. 7) at home. The Big Orange have one in-state battle remaining against Vanderbilt (Jan. 19). UT went 3-1 in 2023-24 (win vs. Memphis, loss vs. MTSU, wins vs. Vanderbilt and at Vanderbilt). UT has won 22 of 24 over schools from within the state border and 38 of the last 40, with the lone setbacks during that run being a 76-69 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2019, and a 73-62 loss to Middle Tennessee in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knox County man is facing prison time following a second degree murder conviction.
A jury found 35-year-old Stefen White guilty in the shooting death of his roommate about a year ago.
The DA’s office says on the evening of the shooting, White and the victim were arguing over White refusing to clean up after his dogs when White pulled a 9mm handgun and shot the victim in the chest three times.
Sentencing for White is set for February, 2025.
Officials said Stefen White shot his roommate following an argument about cleaning up after a dog. (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency issued a statement after making the decision to euthanize 13 bears from the Appalachian Bear Rescue.
TWRA said that in 2023, several bears got pneumonia, leading to the death of one and the euthanasia of two cubs.
They said two bears in the same enclosure had a similar disease this year. Those bears also shared a fence line with another enclosure, hence the potential of the disease spreading to that enclosure as well.
“Best management practices to prevent bears and other wildlife species from exposure to infectious pathogens prohibits releasing these bears into the environment. Once an infectious pathogen is introduced and becomes established in a free-ranging wildlife population it is nearly impossible to manage and from a precautionary standpoint, it is better to prevent disease introduction than address it after it is established even if the risk of disease introduction is low.” – Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency
TWRA officials said they consulted with University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee Institute for Agriculture, National Park Service and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. They did not include Appalachian Bear Rescue in that list.
TWRA said to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Tennessee’s wild bear population, they made the decision to euthanize the 13 bears.
“Holding these bears over winter in their current location increases their likelihood for habituation, dependence on humans, and additional stress, and would make them unsuitable for release in the spring, making it not a viable option in this case,” TWRA said. “Additional biosecurity measures will also be taken to clean the affected enclosure and protect other bears at the facility. This planning is currently underway.”
TWRA added that it is their job to manage the population to make sure conservation goals are met.
For previous coverage and a statement from Appalachian Bear Rescue, the organization caring for the cubs, click here.
The Tennessee Wildlife and Resources Agency decided to euthanize 13 cubs at the Appalachian Bear Rescue after one developed pneumonia. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Posted on December 20, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
By Kelly Ann Krueger Published: Dec. 19, 2024 at 9:43 PM EST| KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – One person died after a crash on Chapman Highway Monday, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol crash report obtained by WVLT News. Benjamin Jones was driving a 2013 GMC Sierra north on U.S. 411 when he crossed into the opposite lane.…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 20, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service honored those who died over the last year. By Sam Luther That’s according to the city’s homeless coalition and its president, Bruce Spangler. On Thursday night the homeless coalition along with other city leaders hosted a memorial service for all the homeless people who died in Knoxville within the last year. “They…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 20, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Officials with the TWRA said the situation has prompted them to question the future of their relationship with Appalachian Bear Rescue. By Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey Published: Dec. 19, 2024 at 11:28 AM EST TOWNSEND, Tenn. (WVLT) – Several leaders with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spoke Wednesday morning, addressing their controversial decision to euthanize 13 bear cubs from…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department is investigating after one person is killed and another injured in a shooting early Thursday morning on Washington Pike. KPD says officers en route to the North Hills Apartments for a reported gunshot victim, spotted a car that had crashed into a fence in the 2900 block of…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After guiding Tennessee to another 10-win season and its first College Football Playoff berth, head coach Josh Heupel has been named a semifinalist for the George Munger Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Wednesday. Established in 1989, the George Munger Award is awarded annually to the sport’s most outstanding coach. This accolade recognizes exceptional…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
New Tazewell, TN (WOKI) A Claiborne County man will spend nearly 40 years in jail after killing his wife who was a county jail employee. Benjamin Wayne Hopson stabbed his wife, 49-year-old Lori Ann Hopson, multiple times while they were driving down Barren Creek Road in April. Her body was later found outside of the…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Newport, TN (WOKI) Norfolk Southern now has a target date in mind for reopening one of their lines in Newport. The rail company’s AS Line was damaged after heavy flooding from Helene wreaked havoc on parts of East Tennessee. The AS Line runs from Newport through Asheville to Grovestone, N.C. Norfolk Southern projects the line…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | December 18, 2024 | Eric Trainer MEMPHIS, Tenn. — No. 18/16 Tennessee placed six players in double figures in its first true road game of the season, earning a hard-fought, 90-75 victory over Memphis at FedExForum on Wednesday night. Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear was back in the lineup after a one-game absence due to injury,…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knox County man is facing prison time following a second degree murder conviction. A jury found 35-year-old Stefen White guilty in the shooting death of his roommate about a year ago. The DA’s office says on the evening of the shooting, White and the victim were arguing over White refusing to…… Continue Reading
Posted on December 19, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
(Story courtesy of WVLT News) Knoxville, TN (WVLT) The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency issued a statement after making the decision to euthanize 13 bears from the Appalachian Bear Rescue. TWRA said that in 2023, several bears got pneumonia, leading to the death of one and the euthanasia of two cubs. They said two bears in…… Continue Reading
