Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Zoo Knoxville is mourning the loss of Dolly, a 56-year-old Southern white rhinoceros who called Zoo Knoxville home since 1976.
Zoo officials making the announcement Thursday say Dolly was euthanized humanely following a decline in her mobility.
Zoo Knoxville says that Dolly’s care team had been managing age-related conditions for some time, but in recent days, her mobility declined significantly despite ongoing medical support. After careful evaluation, the veterinary team, in collaboration with specialists from The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, determined that there were no remaining treatment options that could maintain Dolly’s quality of life. With her well-being as the top priority, the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize Dolly.
“This is an emotional time for everyone who has cared for and loved Dolly,” said Bill Street, President and CEO of Zoo Knoxville. “She was a remarkable animal, and her impact on this zoo and the people who have met her is immeasurable. Our priority was her comfort and dignity, and we take comfort in knowing she was surrounded by the people who knew her best.”
Born in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in South Africa, officials say Dolly was the oldest rhino in the United States and was one of the first white rhinos housed at Zoo Knoxville.
The zoo adds that Dolly was a very successful mother, raising 10 calves over her lifetime.
Dolly was the oldest rhino in the United States, according to zoo officials. (Courtesy: Zoo Knoxville)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Facing an 11-point deficit early in the second half, the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dominated the final 19 minutes to defeat No. 15/16 Missouri, 85-81, Wednesday night in front of 20,002 fans at Food City Center.
Fourth-ranked Tennessee (19-4, 6-4 SEC) shot 10-of-15 from 3-point range in the triumph, its fourth of the year and second in a row over an AP top-15 foe. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., and senior guard Zakai Zeigler, both of whom missed the last game, co-led the victors with 21 points apiece
The Volunteers tallied the first five points of the night, holding Missouri (17-5, 6-3 SEC) scoreless for the opening 5:13 by forcing five missed field goals and a turnover. The Tigers, however, then posted a 13-2 run in just 3:24 to take a 13-7 advantage at the 11:22 mark. Graduate guard Tony Perkins scored 11 of the points, as he hit his first four shots of the night, including a trio from long range. Missouri went on to grab 16-9 lead with 10:35 on the clock after making five straight field goals.
Tennessee closed within two, 23-21, with 5:31 to go in the half after back-to-back dunks, but the Tigers responded with a 7-0 surge in 1:35 to go up by nine, 30-21, with 3:37 remaining. The home team twice cut the deficit to four, but Missouri pushed it back to six, 34-28, at the break.
The Volunteers shot 4-of-5 (80.0 percent) from 3-point range through 20 minutes, but missed all four of their free throws, as well as committed eight turnovers while forcing only two. Missouri, meanwhile, shot 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) from deep and hit both its attempts at the stripe.
The first minute of the second session featured two turnovers by Tennessee and five points for Missouri, which took a game-best 11-point edge, 39-28, with 19:03 to go. The Volunteers, though, countered with 18 of the next 23 points, including notching a 14-2 burst in just 1:55, to go in front, 46-43, with 15:27 to go. The span ended with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by three different Volunteers, pushing the team’s ledger to 7-of-8 at that time.
Missouri regained the lead, but Tennessee again hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to claim a 59-53 cushion at the 11:42 mark and extend its long-range clip to 10-of-13. All three shots came during a stretch of five consecutive makes from the floor.
The Tigers closed within three, but Tennessee answered with eight of the next nine points to go up by double digits, 68-58, with 7:05 to play. The onslaught continued from there, as the Volunteers went up by as many as 14 points, 75-61, with 4:30 to go during a stretch of 6:08 in which it did not allow a field goal.
Missouri held Tennessee scoreless for the next 2:50 and logged the next nine points, over just 2:37, to slice the deficit down to five, 75-70, with 1:40 left. The Volunteers made a trio of free throws to make it an eight-point game with 1:17 to go, but senior guard Tamar Bates drilled a 3-pointer at the other end 16 seconds later to again trim the margin to five, 78-73.
Over the next 36 seconds, the two sides combined for eight points, all at the stripe, with Tennessee logging five of them to make it 83-76 with 25.9 left. Missouri graduate guard/forward hit a 3-pointer to make it a four-point affair with 21.7 ticks left, but the Tigers did not score again until just one second remained and the Volunteers held on for the four-point comeback decision.
In addition to his 21 points, Miličić pulled down a co-game-leading 10 rebounds, dished out a career-high-tying five assists, blocked a season- and game-best four shots, tallied a team-leading two steals and posted shooting lines of 8-of-10 overall, 2-of-3 from deep and 3-of-4 at the line. He became, per Stats Perform, the first player this century in Division I basketball (men’s or women’s), the NBA or WNBA to record 20, 10, five, four and two on a 75/50/75 line in a contest.
Zeigler’s season-best 21 points included perfect shooting from long range, as he went 4-of-4, and at the stripe, where he was 7-of-7. It was his first time achieving the former line and second registering the latter. The Long Island, N.Y., native also led all players with eight assists to move into the top 10 on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard (636) and on Tennessee’s single-season list (164).
Junior forward Felix Okpara concluded the night with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks, plus went 4-of-5 at the line to tie a career best in makes. Senior guard Jordan Gainey had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, while fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier tallied 10 points and six rebounds, the latter mark one shy of his season high.
Bates paced all scorers with 22 points, all of which came during a second half in which he went 6-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 beyond the arc and 6-of-8 at the line. Perkins finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting—Tennessee held him to just five in the final 31 minutes—to go along with five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Graduate guard Caleb Grill chipped in 11 points for the Tigers, while graduate center Josh Gray matched Miličić with 10 rebounds.
Tennessee’s 85 points marked its fourth-most of the season and its top tally in SEC play this year. Its 10-of-15 (66.7 percent) mark from long range marked the fourth time in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) making double-digit 3-pointers and connecting on at least two-thirds of its attempts, including its second time on just 15 attempts.
After a 1-of-6 start from the free-throw line, the Volunteers made 17 of their next 18 attempts, en route to capping the contest with a 21-of-30 (70.0 percent) line. At the other end, Missouri shot 19-of-29 (65.5 percent) at the stripe. The Volunteers, who shot 50.0 percent (27-of-54) overall, had zero shots blocked in the win, plus swatted eight on the defensive side of the floor.
Its three-game homestand complete, Tennessee now plays the first of two straight road tilts Saturday at noon ET against Oklahoma, live on ESPN from the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
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 • Tennessee is now 93-34 all-time when playing in front of 20,000-plus fans at Food City Center, including 34-10 under Barnes, with 29 of the latter 44 over the past four years (2021-25). • Tuesday’s crowd of 20,002 marked the ninth time in 2024-25, all in Tennessee’s last 10 outings, over 19,000 fans have been in attendance at Food City Center. • After the road team won each of the last six campus-site series meetings, Tennessee’s victory marked the first home triumph between the two schools since it won Feb. 5, 2019. • The Volunteers improved to 12-6 in their last 18 games against Missouri, including 7-3 in the last 10 matchups. • Tennessee and Missouri have now played four times—all in the last five seasons (2020-25)—with both ranked in the AP Poll, with the Volunteers moving to 3-1 in those outings. • Wednesday marked the 10th time in the last 11 series matchups Tennessee was ranked, after it was unranked for each of its first 12 meetings with Missouri. • Tennessee has now played five consecutive games versus AP top-15 foes for the first time ever, after it had never before met even five straight AP top-25 opponents. • Each of the Volunteers’ last six home games have come against an AP top-25 team, dating to the Jan. 4 SEC opener. • Twelve of Tennessee’s last 14 conference contests—the span dates to Feb. 28, 2024—have been against AP top-25 foes, including eight of 10 so far in 2024-25. • The Volunteers improved to 34-25 (.576) in AP top-25 showdowns in the Barnes era, including 19-5 (.792) at home and 6-3 (.667) in 2024-25. • The above overall mark in AP top-25 matchups in Barnes’ tenure features a 22-12 (.647) ledger since Feb. 26, 2022, and a 13-5 (.722) record since Dec. 9, 2023. • The Volunteers’ record in AP top-15 clashes in the Barnes era improved to 17-12 (.586), including 8-2 (.800) at Food City Center. • Tennessee moved to 22-8 (.733) at home versus AP top-25 opponents under Barnes, including 17-2 (.895) since Jan. 30, 2021. • Barnes-led Tennessee teams now own a 14-5 (.737) ledger at home against AP top-15 squads, including a 12-2 (.857) record since Jan. 30, 2021. • The Volunteers upped their record to 40-40 (.500) against AP top-25 teams in Barnes’ tenure, including 24-13 (.649) since Jan. 22, 2022. • Tennessee is now 26-25 (.510) versus AP top-15 foes under Barnes, including 19-8 (.704) since Dec. 22, 2021. • The Volunteers now own four AP top-15 wins this year, tied with 2023-24 and 1976-77 for its third-most ever, and have reached that mark in four consecutive seasons after doing so just once previously. • After starting 1-of-9 from the field through six-plus minutes, Missouri made seven of its next 10 attempts to begin a 12-of-21 stretch. • The Volunteers assisted all 12 of their field goals in the opening half, including Miličić doing so on four of the first seven through 12-plus minutes. • In total, Tennessee’s first 14 baskets of the night were all assisted, as it did not record an unassisted field goal until an and-one layup by Zeigler with 17:20 to play. • Through the first 26-and-a-half minutes, Miličić (17 points on 7-of-7 shooting) and Perkins (15 points on 5-of-5 shooting) combined for 32 points on a 12-of-12 field-goal clip for their respective teams, with the former 2-of-2 from deep and the latter 3-of-3. • After taking its game-best 14-point lead with 4:30 to go, Tennessee did not make a field goal the rest of the contest, missing all three of its attempts, but went 10-of-14 at the line in the final 100 seconds. • Tennessee’s highest point total in SEC play before Wednesday was 76 in the league opener Jan. 4 against Arkansas. • Missouri’s 81 points marked the most by a Tennessee foe since March 9, 2024, when Kentucky had 85 in the regular season finale. • The prior top point total by a Tennessee opponent this season was 78 by Kentucky eight days ago, Jan. 28. • Missouri had a 16-0 margin in fast-break points, but Tennessee accumulated an equal plus-16 margin in paint points, 34-18. • The Volunteers’ 57 second-half points marked their most in a frame this season, eclipsing the 52 they had both Nov. 17, 2024, against Austin Peay (first half) and Nov. 13, 2024, versus Montana (second half). • Missouri is the third team to record zero blocks against Tennessee this season, joining UT Martin (Nov. 27, 2024) and Montana (Nov. 13, 2024). • Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer first-half points in 21 of its 23 contests thus far, including 29 or fewer on 13 occasions and 22 or fewer seven times. • The last time Tennessee made double-digit 3-pointers on 15 or fewer attempts was Feb. 19, 2013, when it shot an equal 10-of-15 at LSU. • Just thrice previously in the last 20 seasons (2005-25) has Tennessee made 10-plus 3-pointers and connected on two-thirds of its tries: March 5, 2022, against Arkansas (12-of-28); Feb. 19, 2013, versus LSU (10-of-15); and Jan. 8, 2006, at South Carolina (12-of-18). • According to SEC Network, Miličić and Zeigler became the first Tennessee duo to log 20-plus points and five-plus assists in the same game since 1998. • Miličić logged the 15th double-double of his career, including his fourth in his lone campaign as a Volunteer. • Miličić has now pulled down double-figure rebounds 22 times as a collegian, including doing so on eight occasions in 2024-25. • In addition, Miličić recorded 20-plus points for the sixth time in his career, including the second at Tennessee. • The five assists for Miličić marked his fourth time reaching that number as a collegian, with three of those occasions this year as a Volunteer. • Just thrice previously has Miličić tallied four-plus blocks in a game, all during the 2023-24 campaign while at Charlotte. • Miličić’s 21 points put him two shy of his season high, 23, set Nov. 17, 2024, against Austin Peay, as well as marked the fifth-highest total of his career. • As aforementioned, Miličić is the first player, per Stats Perform, in Division I basketball (men’s or women’s), the NBA or the WNBA this century to amass at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in a game while shooting at least 75.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent beyond the arc and 75.0 percent at the line. • Across his 23 outings thus far in his lone seasons as a Volunteer, Lanier has registered double-digit points 21 times, including 18 of the past 19 contests. • Okpara’s four made free throws matched a career-best figure he has posted four prior times, three of which came earlier this season, most recently Jan. 21 versus Mississippi State, his only other collegiate outing with four makes on just five attempts. • Zeigler’s 21 points eclipsed his previous season best of 19, which he recorded both Nov. 17, 2024, versus Austin Peay and Nov. 9, 2024, at Louisville. • Wednesday marked the 13th time Zeigler has connected on at least four 3-pointers in a game, with his best prior mark in those outings a 4-of-5 clip both Feb. 17, 2024, against Vanderbilt and Feb. 5, 2022, at South Carolina. • Before Wednesday, the only time Zeigler hit multiple 3-pointers in his career without a miss was a 3-of-3 performance Feb. 28, 2024, against Auburn. • Zeigler is the first Volunteer to make four-plus 3-pointers without a miss since Santiago Vescovi went 5-of-5 on Dec. 21, 2022, versus Austin Peay. • Over the last 20 seasons (2005-25), Zeigler is now the 12th Volunteer—13th occurrence—to hit at least four 3-pointers in a game without a miss. • The lone previous time Zeigler hit seven free throws in a game without a miss was also this year, as he did so Nov. 4, 2024, in the season opener versus Gardner-Web, giving him the lone two such outings by a Volunteer in 2024-25. • With his fifth assist of the night at the 16:28 mark of the second half, Zeigler tied Mississippi State’s Dee Bost (2008-12) for No. 10 on the SEC’s all-time leaderboard and then 61 seconds later he recorded his sixth—giving him 634 as a collegian—to solely take over 10th place, eventually finishing the night with 636. • Zeigler’s eight assists upped his total this year from 156 to 164, moving him from co-No. 13 to co-ninth, alongside Johnny Darden (1975-76), on the program’s single-season leaderboard and giving him three of the top 12 marks ever by a Volunteer.
Pigeon Forge, TN (WOKI) A Pigeon Forge pastor is under arrest after a months-long investigation following accusations of committing multiple child sex crimes.
According to the Pigeon Forge Police Department, 69 year old Dwight Suttles was indicted on five counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of rape of a child. Authorities say Suttles was a pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge.
Suttles stands accused of having sexual contact with at least five victims under the age of 13.
Suttles was arrested by the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday and taken to Sevier County Jail, where he is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Dwight Suttles, 69 (Courtesy: Sevier County Sheriffs Office)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) If you have received a suspicious text message recently saying there is a job opening, likely this is a scam.
These messages are telling you that your resume is a good match for their company, sometimes offering a remote position with lots of benefits. They may even ask that you reach out to them on WhatsApp.
These messages are going out to people who did not even apply for a job. (Courtesy: BBB)
The Better Business Bureau advises anyone who receives a message to look at the email or phone number these messages are coming from. If it does not match the company the person says they are from, then it is probably a scam.
“Delete them, ignore them, don’t respond to them. The main thing is once you respond to an email or text, even if its stop … you’re letting that texter know that they’ve got a live number,” said Tony Binkley, president and CEO of BBB Greater East Tennessee.
The BBB says the person’s ultimate goal is to get you to respond, so the best thing you can do is not respond and delete these messages.
The messages may say that your resume is the perfect match for their company and that you were referred to them by a recruiting service.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A burger restaurant, known to be among the best of the best, is planning to expand in Tennessee.
In-N-Out Burger is primarily found out west, but now there appears to be several new locations coming to the Volunteer state. The Memphis Journal is reporting nine Tennessee cities will have In-N-Out locations, including Knoxville, Morristown, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities:
Knoxville: three to five stores
Chattanooga: two to three stores
Morristown: one store
Tri-Cities: two to three stores
Nashville: 10 to 15 stores
Clarksville: one store
Cookeville: one store
Jackson: one store
Memphis: four to five stores
The burger chain is already working on locations in middle Tennessee.
The news comes from the Memphis Journal, which highlighted several possible new locations across the volunteer state. (Courtesy: WVLT)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The defending national champion Tennessee Volunteers were picked to finish second in the 2025 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll and had six players named to the Preseason All-SEC teams, which were announced by the league on Wednesday.
Tennessee and preseason favorite Texas A&M both had six players tabbed to the preseason all-conference teams, which were tied for the most in the league.
The Big Orange, who enter the season as a consensus top five ranked team nationally, open their 2025 campaign in nine days when they host Hofstra on Feb. 14 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The complete preseason coaches’ poll and All-SEC teams can be seen below.
Nashville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) A new bill filed Tuesday in the Tennessee legislature would allow public and charter schools across the state to either enroll or refuse to enroll undocumented students.
The language in Senate Bill 836 and House Bill 793 “authorizes Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to refuse to enroll students who are unlawfully present in the United States.”
Republican Representative William Lamberth is sponsoring the House version of the bill while Republican Senator Bo Watson is sponsoring the Senate version.
The bill could challenge a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling wherein states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education based on their immigration status. The court ruling in Plyler v. Doe held that states cannot deny public education to undocumented children unless a substantial state interest is involved.
The high court based its ruling on Section 1 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which states “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
If the bill passes both the House and Senate, it will become effective as soon as it is signed into law.
Provide incentives for promoting the enforcement of federal immigration
Criminally penalize or remove officials who adopt sanctuary policies
Create an immigration enforcement division within the Department of Safety
Require non-citizens to have a temporary driver’s license instead of a standard license, to help determine voter eligibility
If the bill were to pass both the House and Senate, it would take effect as soon as it is signed into law. (Tennessee State Capitol / Credit: State of Tennessee)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) Knoxville city leaders are hoping to soon make a decision on what’s next for the former McClung Warehouse.
A massive fire damaged the warehouse in 2007 and again in 2014. It’s been an empty lot for sometime. Now, the city and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation are working together to turn it into something better, discussing a number of ideas at Tuesday night’s meeting including a potential green space:
“That site sits strategically between Worlds Fair Park, the Old City and the new baseball stadium, so there is really a huge opportunity to create a linear greenway experience that connects different parts of town,” said Executive Director and CEO of KCDC Ben Bentley. “I think the opportunity for housing mix-use for connectivity have all been mentioned throughout the public process, and we can’t let that pass us by with the development of this site.”
As for what’s next for the property, officials say the plan is to have developers pitch their ideas on what they want in the area. City leaders will then pare those ideas down to see which ones they’ll act upon.
A massive fire damaged the warehouse in 2007, and another in 2014 forced the City of Knoxville to demolish what was left of the structure. (Courtesy: WVLT)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After claiming the program’s first national championship last season, Tennessee will start its title defense as a consensus top five team in 2025.
The final major preseason poll was released on Tuesday as the 2025 campaign is slated to begin in nine days when the Volunteers host Hofstra for a three-game series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium starting on Friday, Feb. 14.
UT’s preseason rankings in the five major college baseball polls can be seen below.
Tennessee returns 16 letterwinners from its 2024 National Championship team, led by a trio of preseason All-Americans in INF Dean Curley, RHP Nate Snead and RHP AJ Russell.
The Vols also added multiple highly coveted transfer portal additions to their roster, three of which have earned preseason All-America recognition in LHP Liam Doyle (Ole Miss), INF Andrew Fischer (Ole Miss) and INF Gavin Kilen (Louisville).
UT’s full 2025 schedule can be found by clicking HERE.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee men’s basketball standout Chaz Lanier is a designee for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Midseason Top 10 Watch List, as announced Tuesday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The annual Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 11th year by highlighting the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball.
A fifth-year guard out of Nashville, Tenn., Lanier is one three SEC players who made the cut. The others are Texas’ Tre Johnson and Florida’s Alijah Martin.
Lanier is averaging a team-high 17.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.1 steals per game for fourth-ranked Tennessee (18-4, 5-4 SEC). The 6-foot-5, 207-pounder ranks top-five nationally in total made 3-pointers (79) and 3-point makes per game (3.59), pacing the SEC in both areas, plus No. 32 in Division I and third in the SEC in 3-point percentage (42.2).
Fan Voting for the West Award will begin Feb. 7 on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, the top 10 will be narrowed to just five finalists. Then, in late March, those five will be presented to the West’s family and Hall of Fame’s selection committee, at which time winners will be selected. The Selection Committee for the Bob Cousy Awards is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
In 2023-24, for the first time, a Tennessee player earned one of the Starting Five plaudits, as Dalton Knecht garnered the Julius Erving Award.
For more information on the 2025 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com, as well as follow @hoophallu and #WestAward on X/Twitter and Instagram.
Lanier and the Volunteers continue play Wednesday at 7 p.m. against No. 15/16 Missouri, 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.
Jerry West Award Midseason Top 10 Watch List R.J. Davis, North Carolina V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor P.J. Haggerty, Memphis Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois Tre Johnson, Texas Curtis Jones, Iowa State Chaz Lanier, Tennessee Caleb Love, Arizona Alijah Martin, Florida Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
