The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving $350 million in funding to help make repairs to major interstates in Tennessee and North Carolina that sustained major damage during Hurricane Helene.
As a part of a “quick release” from the Emergency Relief Fund, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is receiving $70 million to repair I-40 and I-26 in East Tennessee.
I-40 partially collapsed in Cocke County and bridges on I-26 collapsed in Unicoi County during the floods in September.
TDOT working to rebuild ‘severely damaged’ areas of I-40 in Cocke County (Photo from Oct. 11)
A look at the I-26 bridges at MM 39.6 in Unicoi County. (Photo from Oct. 5)
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is receiving $250 million for repairs to I-40 near the state line after it also partially collapsed during the flooding.
Impact of Helene on I-40 in western North Carolina (Photo from Sept. 28)
The National Park Service received $25 million to make repairs along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I-40 is open in Tennessee to the North Carolina state line for local traffic only, but it is still closed on the North Carolina side to mile marker 20 in Haywood County. It was originally planned to reopen in January, but another portion of the roadway collapsed into Pigeon River, delaying its reopening.
It is unknown at this time when I-40 will reopen from the state line to Asheville.
Blount County, TN (WOKI) Six people are facing multiple counts in an animal cruelty case out of Blount County.
Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say 12 dogs and 13 cats were rescued from dangerous conditions in last week’s winter weather.
BCSO says the dogs and cats were left outside as temperatures hovered around 25 degrees. The animals were reported to be underweight and dehydrated; they were taken to the Blount County Animal Shelter.
Lynn Youngen, Albert Youngen, William Youngen, Madison Huskey, Kari Cross and Julia Youngen are the suspects in the case; each is facing several counts of animal cruelty.
It happened on Wednesday, Jan. 8, according to a police report from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. (Frankly Media)
Tazewell, TN (WOKI) A Tazewell Police Department officer is recovering after a driver hit his cruiser Monday morning on Highway 25 East.
TPD officials say Officer Harrison Cornett was treated at the scene and at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the TPD, Cornett and other officers from TPD and the Tennessee Highway Patrol were responding around 9:30 a.m. to a broken down tractor-trailer when “a driver failed to yield and struck Cornett’s cruiser from behind. [The vehicle then] “continued across the other lanes before crashing on the embankment.”
TPD says “Officer Cornett had his emergency lights activated and had been sitting in the lane for approximately 20 minutes.”
The THP is investigating the crash.
Tazewell police cruiser hit by driver on Highway 25, TPD says. (Courtesy: TPD)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The three Knoxville Police Department officers involved in the shooting of an axe-wielding suspect will not face charges.
District Attorney General Charme Allen deciding Monday that officers Eric Smith, Alexandra Burns and Neil Marasigan were justified when they shot 52-year-old Christopher Arons back in November.
Allen’s office reviews the evidence the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation collects and decides whether or not to press criminal charges against the officers involved.
KPD body camera footage showed the officers’ response to the 2600 block of Fairview Street, where they encountered Arons, who is facing two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of vandalism.
Both Smith and Burns were placed on administrative leave after the shooting while the department investigated.
KPD’s internal investigation is ongoing.
The district attorney general’s office reviews the evidence the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation collects and decides whether or not to press criminal charges to the officers involved. (Courtesy: KPD)
At the request of 6th Judicial District Attorney General Charme Allen, TBI special agents continue to investigate a Sunday night shooting involving troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Preliminary information indicates the incident began with a traffic stop at approximately 7:25 p.m. in Loudon County. While a trooper was issuing a citation, the subject drove off. Troopers pursued the subject to the Watt Road exit off Interstate 40 East, where he drove off the road after turning right off the exit. Shortly after 8:00, after troopers stopped behind him, the subject exited the vehicle and fired upon them, resulting in at least one trooper returning fire, striking and injuring the subject. No law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident.
TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for her further review and consideration. The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters. That decision rests with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement.
The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to the respective department to answer as it sees fit.
Knoxville, TN (KPD/WOKI) A 20 year-old man was wounded in a shooting that happened on Sunday afternoon in a Riverview Park Apartment complex parking lot.
At around 2:40 p.m. on January 12, 2025, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of River Maple Way and Holston Hills Road.
Numerous shell casings were recovered at the scene, while multiple parked vehicles had been struck by gunfire.
While officers were on that scene, they were notified that the male victim had arrived at the UT Medical Center in a personal vehicle. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
At this time, it is believed that multiple individuals were involved in the shooting and that it potentially stemmed from an ongoing personal dispute.
No suspects have arrested or charged at this time, and the investigation is ongoing.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper led four players in double figures with her eighth 20-point effort of the season, as No. 16/15 Tennessee rolled past Arkansas, 93-63, on Sunday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.
Cooper scored exactly 20 points vs. the Razorbacks on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and added a game-high four steals to lead the Lady Vols (14-2, 2-2 SEC). Junior forward Zee Spearman knocked down a career-best trio of three-pointers to tally 18 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Ruby Whitehorn supplied 17 points and senior forward Sara Puckett was a rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. In her return to Fayetteville, where she spent her first three college seasons, senior point guard Samara Spencer directed UT’s offense with eight assists and no turnovers while adding four rebounds and three steals.
Arkansas (8-11, 1-3 SEC) was paced by Izzy Higginbottom, who led all scorers with 26 points. Carly Keats was the only other Razorback scoring in double figures, tossing in10.
Spearman got the Lady Vols on the scoreboard first, nailing a three-pointer from the left corner to put her team up 3-0 just 26 seconds into the contest. Arkansas pushed back, building a three-point lead at 9-6 with 7:53 to go on an old fashioned three-point play by Higginbottom. UT, though, would use a 10-2 surge on a pair of buckets by Whitehorn, a put-back by Cooper and a steal and layup by Kaniya Boyd to build a 16-11 lead by the 4:43 media timeout. Cooper struck again, knocking down a trey with 3:22 to go to provide Tennessee its largest lead, at 19-12, and a three by Puckett at the 1:51 mark ended the scoring in the first frame with a 22-16 Big Orange advantage.
Spencer began the second stanza for the Lady Vols with a three-ball at the 9:04 mark, and Puckett followed suit with a deep-ball with 8:37 remaining to make it 28-18 for the visitors. A Cooper steal and layup and a Puckett free throw ballooned the UT lead to 31-18 with 6:16 to go. Arkansas would not go quietly, tallying the next six points to cut the deficit to 31-24 by the 3:49 media timeout. The Razorbacks extended a mini run to eight, trimming the gap to 31-26 with 3:49 remaining, but an 11-2 burst by the Lady Vols expanded the advantage to 14, 42-28, at the 1:52 mark, with a trio of free throws by Jewel Spear and steals and layups by Whitehorn and Alyssa Latham forcing an Arkansas timeout. A Cooper layup and a Spear three-pointer helped the Big Orange carry a 47-33 lead into the intermission.
A quick four points by Cooper, a put-back by Whitehorn and a three-pointer from Tess Darby expanded the lead to 19 points at the 7:41 mark of the third period, forcing Arkansas to ask for time. Tennessee continued to hit its stride, getting a pair of Cooper charity tosses, a Spearman layup, another Darby trey and a Jillian Hollingshead layup to grow the gap to 24 by the 3:46 media break. UT closed out the frame with an 8-6 differential, with Spearman netting a three, pair of layups and a free throw to account for all of UT’s scoring and send the Lady Vols into the final stanza with a 73-47 cushion.
Tennessee carried a 78-52 lead into the 5:28 media timeout in the fourth quarter, getting a Cooper jumper and free throw and a Spearman layup. UT continued to pour it on, using a 9-3 burst to force a UA timeout with 3:34 remaining after a trey and-one by Hollingshead, a layup by Puckett and the third three-pointer from Spearman to make it 87-55. Head coach Kim Caldwell subsequently cleared the bench, and her squad closed out at 30-point road win.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols return home to host Mississippi State on Thursday night at Food City Center in Tennessee’s “We Back Pat” game. Tip-off between the Big Orange and the Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. with SEC Network televising the action. The game also will be available on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.
JEWEL JOINS THE 2K CLUB: Jewel Spear became the 10th player in program history to reach and surpass 2,000 career points. Spear sank her 2,000th point on a free throw at the 2:38 mark in the second quarter. The fifth-year guard finished with six points, two rebounds and six assists against Arkansas. Spear became the fifth transfer to hit 2K, joining fellow transfers Rickea Jackson (Mississippi State), Cindy Brogdon (Mercer), Jill Rankin (Wayland Baptist) and Patricia Roberts (Emporia State), who also reached that plateau. Sunday’s contest against the Hogs marked Spear’s 136th career game, her 47th as a Lady Vol.
ANOTHER COOP 20-PIECE: Talaysia Cooper netted her eighth 20-plus performance of the season and her career, tallying a team-leading 20 points. Cooper hit seven of 14 field goals and knocked down one of three three-pointers. The redshirt sophomore finished with three rebounds, two assists and four steals. Cooper’s last 20-point scoring affair came against LSU on Jan. 9, when she carded 24 points.
SPENCER DROPPIN’ DIMES: Senior point guard Samara Spencer carded eight assists with no turnovers vs. her old school. It tied her second highest total of the season and pushed her totals to 88 assists vs. 26 turnovers on the season. Her flawless effort with the ball was her third this year without turning the ball over.
HOT FROM THREE: Tennessee carded its 12th performance of knocking down ten or more three-pointers in a single contest, hitting 12 against the Hogs. Eight Lady Vols made a three-pointer, with Zee Spearman leading the charge with three. Tennessee notched its highest three-point game against N.C. Central, draining an NCAA, SEC and school-record 30 treys. The Lady Vols have tallied 10 or more three-pointers against the following programs: N.C. Central (30), MTSU (15), Liberty (14), Tulsa (14), Memphis (12), Arkansas (12), LSU (11), Western Carolina (10), Winthrop (10), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (10) and Samford (10).
DANGEROUS ON DEFENSE: The Lady Vols forced Arkansas to turn the ball over a total of 22 times during Sunday’s win, posting a 28-2 advantage on points off turnovers and racking up 15 steals for its 12th double-digit effort in that category. Arkansas’s two points were the fewest points Tennessee has allowed off of turnovers all season long. Twelve of Tennessee’s foes thus far have committed at least 22 miscues: NC Central (44), Samford (37), Western Carolina (37), Oklahoma (31), UT Martin (31), Iowa (30), Winthrop (30), Texas A&M (25), Liberty (25), Tulsa (23), Arkansas (22) and MTSU (22). Tennessee also collected a 10-second violation versus the Hogs. This season UT’s press has resulted in 17 10-second violations by opponents through 16 games.
An investigation is underway after an East Knox County house fire.
Rural Metro Fire and other crews responded to the fire early Saturday evening in the 8400 block of Asheville Highway.
Officials say there was smoke and fire on the right side of the structure and crews were able to keep it from spreading.
The home was unoccupied and didn’t have power connected at the time of the fire.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol had to close the eastbound right lane of Asheville Highway while crews battled the fire.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol responding to multiple accidents including three fatalities as a result of the snow storm that hit our area.
The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security says THP responded to a total of 645 crashes across the state, which includes 518 property damage crashes, 127 injury crashes in addition to the fatalities.
Troopers assisted 874 stranded drivers and dispatchers answered just over 1,700 calls.
Crews across the state clearing miles and miles of roads during snow storms and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs says their crews have spread about 600 tons of salt on the roads.
Crews worked long hours trying to make sure city, county and state roads are cleared of snow and slush.
Tennessee Highway Patrol says they are hopeful that mother nature will do us a favor and by sometime today (Monday) all roads will be cleared.
Mark Nagi with TDOT says while many main roads are mostly clear motorists need to understand that patches of snow and ice will be around for a little while longer.
Mayor Jacobs says crews are working on back roads and subdivisions are the last thing cleared.
TDOT receives funds road repair Helene The U.S. Department of Transportation is giving $350 million in funding to help make repairs to major interstates in Tennessee and North Carolina that sustained major damage during Hurricane Helene. As a part of a “quick release” from the Emergency Relief Fund, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is receiving…… Continue Reading
Posted on January 13, 2025 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Blount County, TN (WOKI) Six people are facing multiple counts in an animal cruelty case out of Blount County. Officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office say 12 dogs and 13 cats were rescued from dangerous conditions in last week’s winter weather. BCSO says the dogs and cats were left outside as temperatures hovered around…… Continue Reading
Posted on January 13, 2025 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Tazewell, TN (WOKI) A Tazewell Police Department officer is recovering after a driver hit his cruiser Monday morning on Highway 25 East. TPD officials say Officer Harrison Cornett was treated at the scene and at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. According to the TPD, Cornett and other officers from TPD and the Tennessee Highway…… Continue Reading
Posted on January 13, 2025 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The three Knoxville Police Department officers involved in the shooting of an axe-wielding suspect will not face charges. District Attorney General Charme Allen deciding Monday that officers Eric Smith, Alexandra Burns and Neil Marasigan were justified when they shot 52-year-old Christopher Arons back in November. Allen’s office reviews the evidence the Tennessee…… Continue Reading
Posted on January 13, 2025 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A driver for Amazon escapes injury after crashing into a church outbuilding Sunday in Knoxville. Knoxville Police Department officials say officers responded to the scene on an icy Yarnell Avenue Sunday afternoon. According to KPD, the truck slid on the ice covered roadway after the driver parked it, hitting a church’s outbuilding.…… Continue Reading
At the request of 6th Judicial District Attorney General Charme Allen, TBI special agents continue to investigate a Sunday night shooting involving troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Preliminary information indicates the incident began with a traffic stop at approximately 7:25 p.m. in Loudon County. While a trooper was issuing a citation, the subject drove…… Continue Reading
Knoxville, TN (KPD/WOKI) A 20 year-old man was wounded in a shooting that happened on Sunday afternoon in a Riverview Park Apartment complex parking lot. At around 2:40 p.m. on January 12, 2025, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a report of shots fired in the area of River Maple Way and Holston Hills Road. Numerous shell…… Continue Reading
Posted on January 12, 2025 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | January 12, 2025 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper led four players in double figures with her eighth 20-point effort of the season, as No. 16/15 Tennessee rolled past Arkansas, 93-63, on Sunday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena. Cooper scored exactly 20 points vs. the Razorbacks on 7-of-14 shooting from the field…… Continue Reading
An investigation is underway after an East Knox County house fire. Rural Metro Fire and other crews responded to the fire early Saturday evening in the 8400 block of Asheville Highway. Officials say there was smoke and fire on the right side of the structure and crews were able to keep it from spreading. The…… Continue Reading
The Tennessee Highway Patrol responding to multiple accidents including three fatalities as a result of the snow storm that hit our area. The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security says THP responded to a total of 645 crashes across the state, which includes 518 property damage crashes, 127 injury crashes in addition to the fatalities. Troopers…… Continue Reading
