Donors to MEDIC Regional Blood Center will receive Dollywood Tickets next week.

Dollywood is helping MEDIC celebrate blood donors who make a successful blood donation from July 15th – 19th. Deferred donors will not receive a Dollywood ticket but will receive a coupon for Bruster’s ice cream.

Appointments are required for donors and MEDIC will not be able to take walk-in donors next week. Appointments can be made online at medic blood dot org.

Donors will not receive any additional incentives next week.

City of Knoxville officials said crews will soon be thoroughly cleaning the streets of Fort Sanders.

City officials said the cleanup will take place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 13-14 and July 27-28 to take advantage of the majority of University of Tennessee students being off campus for summer break.

During the Fort Sanders Summer Roundup, which happens each summer, crews will complete work, such as refreshing street markings, replacing signs as needed, sweeping the streets, picking up trash and brush, and weeding the public rights-of-way.

In order to remove trash, grime and grit from hard-to-reach corners and crevices, officials said it’s mandatory that all vehicles be moved on clean-up days from the streets being swept and cleaned. Vehicles that are not moved prior to each day’s clean-up will be towed.

“The Fort always looks its best after the Summer Roundup, and we thank and appreciate the help and patience of the Fort Sanders residents who make this possible,” City Parking Manager Mark Elliott said.

Below is a list of impacted streets and when they will be cleaned:

• Saturday, July 13 (eastern end of Fort Sanders) and Sunday, July 14 (western end of Fort Sanders)
  • Grand Avenue
  • Forest Avenue
  • Highland Avenue
  • Laurel Avenue
  • Clinch Avenue
  • White Avenue
• Saturday, July 27
  • 18th Street
  • 19th Street
  • 20th Street
  • 21st Street
  • 22nd Street
  • 23rd Street
• Sunday, July 28
  • 12th Street
  • 13th Street
  • 14th Street
  • James Agree Street
  • 16th Street

Officials said traffic is expected to continue to flow on the affected streets, although some temporary short-term closures may occur as needed due to safety protocols.

Roughly 250 temporary no-parking signs will be posted in the days prior to the start of the street-cleaning work, officials said. In addition, flyers will be placed on hundreds of vehicle windshields and throughout the neighborhood prior to the start of the Fort Sanders Summer Roundup. Story courtesy of WVLT

A woman is recovering after she is scratched by a bear in Gatlinburg.

It happened over the weekend at the Super 8 Motel on Historic Nature Trail. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency says the woman left her hotel room and a bear was outside eating from an unsecured trash can and scratched her leg. The bear also had cubs and officials were able to get the bears out of the area.

TWRA says this is the second time something like this has happened at this motel. Just eight days ago, a man left his room and was scratched on his arm. The motel has been issued citation and provided with information on how to securely store their trash.

The Greeneville Police Department is investigating after a decomposing body is found in a culvert.

The body was found lying in a culvert in the 1700 block of Moore Avenue Saturday morning.

Police believe the body has been at there for about a week due to the state of the decay.

Due to the condition of the body, investigators can’t confirm anything more about the age or sex of the body.

The body was sent to the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center in Johnson City for identification and an autopsy to determine the cause of death.