Cookeville, TN (WOKI) Police in Putnam County are asking for help finding a missing woman.
Officials with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office say 23-year-old Cassidy Chalee Madison Jackson was last heard from on Friday, April 11 and is believed to be with a man unknown to her family or authorities.
PCSO says Jackson is white with brown hair and green eyes, 5’4″ tall and weighs 135 lbs. Authorities say Jackson is known to drive a 2022 White Hyundai Elantra.
Those with information are asked to call the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at (931) 528-8484.
Cassidy Chalee Madison Jackson, 23 (Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
Greene County, TN (WOKI) Two people are dead after a wrong-way crash in Greene County.
Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol reporting that the crash occurred around 3:00 a.m. Monday morning when 80-year-old Paul Martinez, who was driving northbound along I-81 South near mile marker 30, hit another car head-on.
Both Martinez and 37-year-old Sherri Thornton of Virginia, a passenger in the other car, were killed. The driver of the other car was ejected and transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
According to THP, 80-year-old Paul Martinez was driving northbound along I-81 South near mile marker 30 when the crash occurred. (Courtesy: THP)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second straight week and third time this season, Tennessee’s Liam Doyle earned an SEC weekly award after being named the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Doyle set the tone for the Vols’ winning weekend in Oxford with another dominant performance on the mound in Friday night’s series-opening 3-2 victory over No. 6 Ole Miss.
Pitching in a hostile road environment, Doyle was spectacular against his former team, tossing a career-high 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs on three hits to earn the win and improve to 6-1 on the year. The junior lefthander finished with an SEC career-best 14 strikeouts on the night, which also tied a career-high mark that he set earlier this season against Samford. Doyle’s 8.1 innings pitched and 14 strikeouts led all SEC pitchers for the week, as well.
With Monday’s honor, Doyle became the first UT player to ever be named the SEC Pitcher of the Week three times in one season. He is also just the third player in program history to win three SEC weekly awards in the same year, joining Todd Helton (1995) and Drew Beam (2022).
The Vols have taken home six SEC weekly awards this season, including four pitcher of the week selections.
2025 SEC Weekly Award Winners
Levi Clark – Fr. – UTL SEC Freshman of the Week (March 10)
Liam Doyle – Jr. – LHP SEC Pitcher of the Week (March 10 | April 7 | April 14)
Gavin Kilen – Jr. – INF SEC Player of the Week (March 3)
Marcus Phillips – Jr. – RHP SEC Pitcher of the Week (March 17)
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 4/5 Tennessee came out on top in a thrilling back-and-forth battle against No. 6/6 Ole Miss, scoring three runs in the top of the ninth to earn a 10-8 victory in Sunday’s rubber game at Swayze Field.
The Vols (31-5, 11-4 SEC) entered the ninth inning trailing 8-7 after the Rebels responded from a five-run top of the sixth from UT with five unanswered runs of their own to take a lead on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth.
Sunday’s contest featured six lead changes as both teams traded punches throughout the day before Reese Chapman dealt the deciding blow with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Big Orange a 9-8 lead. Hunter Ensley singled to score Manny Marin and provide an insurance run heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Despite allowing a pair of base runners, Nate Snead wrapped up the victory with a scoreless ninth inning to secure a big series win on the road for the Vols. Snead was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-0 on the year, after tossing 2.2 innings of relief to finish the game.
Seven different Vols had RBIs on Sunday, led by Chapman and Cannon Peebles, who both hit clutch two-run homers. Peebles had a team high three hits and threw out an attempted base stealer late in the game, as well.
Five of UT’s 11 total hits came in its five-run sixth inning that resulted in a 7-3 lead. The Vols batted around and sent 10 hitters to the plate in the inning with three different players driving in runs.
The Rebels (27-9, 9-6 SEC) quickly cut into the Vols lead with three runs in the bottom of the inning before tying the game with a run in the seventh and taking the lead back with another in the eighth before Tennessee rallied in the ninth.
Up Next
Tennessee will be back at home for four games next week at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Vols welcome Bellarmine on Tuesday night before hosting Kentucky for a three-game set starting on Friday night.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 7 Tennessee claimed its second series win over a top-two opponent this season, knocking off top-ranked Texas 4-1 on Sunday at Red and Charline McCombs Field. It marks the Lady Vols’ first series victory over a No. 1-ranked team since 2013.
Tennessee (34-9, 9-6 SEC) wasted no time getting on the board. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the first inning, Sophia Nugent lifted a foul pop-up behind the plate. Texas’ catcher collided with a teammate in pursuit and fell, allowing Kinsey Fiedler to tag and score the game’s first run.
The Longhorns (39-5, 11-4 SEC) answered in the bottom half with a two-out RBI double to right field, briefly tying the game.
In the third, the Lady Vols regained the lead on back-to-back one-out doubles. Taylor Pannell set the table, and McKenna Gibson delivered with a hard-hit double to left, putting Tennessee ahead 2-1.
Gibson added to her standout performance in the fifth, driving in another run. After a leadoff walk and a single set the stage, a wild pitch advanced the runners before Gibson lifted a sacrifice fly to score Fiedler. In the seventh, Gibson’s third hit of the day brought home another insurance run to make it 4-1 Tennessee—it was her third RBI of the game.
IN THE CIRCLE Karlyn Pickens was dominant once again, earning her second win of the weekend. The junior right-hander allowed one run on six hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts, improving to 17-4 on the year.
Over the weekend, Pickens was nearly untouchable. She went 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA, throwing two complete games and striking out 20 batters while allowing just two runs on 10 hits across 15 innings.
CHECK THE STATS According to the SEC Network, Tennessee becomes just the second team in SEC history to win series over both the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the same season.
Gibson was a force at the plate throughout the weekend, finishing 4-for-9 with a home run, five RBIs, and a run scored. In Sunday’s finale, she went 3-for-3 and drove in three of Tennessee’s four runs.
The Lady Vols’ last series win over a No. 1 team came in 2013, when they took two of three from Alabama in Knoxville.
DUE UP Tennessee returns home April 17-19 to host Auburn in a three-game SEC series over Easter weekend. The series will run Thursday through Saturday.
LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn.—Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) law enforcement officials assisted in the recovery of the bodies of two missing teenagers who jumped into the Tennessee River from Interstate 75 in Loudon County.
TWRA wildlife officers and investigators joined the search on Wednesday morning. On Friday, they located and recovered the first victim using a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). This afternoon (Sunday), Knox County Rescue identified a target, which TWRA investigators confirmed as the second victim using the ROV. Divers with Knox County Rescue and members of the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office and Loudon County Fire Department recovered the victim’s body.
TWRA offers prayers and condolences for the victim’s families.
Tennessee Football’s now former quarterback Nico Iamaleava didn’t take part in Saturday’s Orange and White and has departed from the program, opening up the game to showcase redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre in the role of quarterback. Saturday’s game ended in a tie, 14 – 14 with the two quarterbacks completing passes and the team happy to have people there who want to be a Tennessee Vol.
UT and Iamaleava parted ways after a dispute over NIL pay. The transfer portal opens on April 16 and Nico is expected to enter it following what appeared to be a holdout. Coach Josh Heupel says he knew when Nico missed practice Friday and was a no show for Orange and White Game that Nico was leaving.
Heupel telling reporters that he wants to thank him for everything he’s done since he’s gotten here, as a recruit and who he was as a player and how he competed inside the building but obviously, we’re moving forward as a program without him. He told players ahead of Saturday’s game that there’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T. That includes me.
Tennessee opens the 2025 season in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Syracuse on Aug. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
UPDATE: Knoxville Police say the driver of the car who hit an eight-year-old on North Broadway will most likely not face charges.
The crash happened Saturday night near Atlantic Avenue. KPD’s Scott Erland says the child and two others were trying to cross the road outside of a crosswalk when the car hit the child.
The child was seriously hurt in the crash and that driver remained on scene.
Original Story: Knoxville police are investigating a crash on North Broadway involving an 8-year-old boy.
It happened Saturday night after officials say he was hit by a car near Atlantic Avenue and taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Josh Sullivan, a missionary from Fellowship Baptist, is being held for ransom by kidnappers in South Africa.
Multiple armed and masked kidnappers took him from the church while he was preaching Thursday. They escaped by stealing Sullivan’s own truck.
His home church, Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, has been waiting anxiously for their brother Josh to be returned safely.
This has not been easy on the church, who says Josh has dedicated his life to his faith who are now leaning on faith for his safety.
Proof that Sullivan is still alive was proved last week and negotiators are speaking to the gunmen, the FBI and U.S. Embassy are involved in negotiations.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football put the finishing touches on its 2025 spring with the Orange & White Game in front of 38,192 fans Saturday in Neyland Stadium.
The Volunteers began with some individual and special teams work before going into scrimmage periods featuring both live tackling and thud. Capacity was reduced due to ongoing construction.
With the departure of Nico Iamaleava, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre take the reins of the quarterback room. The two combined for four touchdown passes, including three to true freshman tight end Jack Van Dorselaer.
“I thought they did a really good job today,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “There were a couple of checks that we can clean up, just on the operations side of it, and the ultimate check, but they moved the football, made plays. (I) thought they used their feet. Obviously, they weren’t live. They’re going to have to learn how to protect themselves out in space, but it was a great day for both of them as young players, being out in front of that crowd, having to be the guy and go operate.”
Saturday’s spring game saw multiple VFLs in attendance, including current NFL quarterbacks Hendon Hooker and Joshua Dobbs, Dallas Cowboys tight end Princeton Fant and College Football Hall of Famers Eric Berry and Al Wilson.
“This program has been around for a long time, with a lot of great coaches and a lot of great players that came before that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the tradition that is Tennessee Football,” said Heupel. “It’s going to be around a long time after I’m done and after they’re gone. That’s what’s special about being here is that there is a legacy and a tradition that is so rich and a logo that’s recognized not just across the nation but across the world.”
Tennessee opens the 2025 season in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Syracuse on Aug. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
