Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A 38-year-old Knoxville man faces over three decades in prison for a 2023 murder near downtown.
District Attorney General Charme Allen’s office, making the announcement Wednesday, says Jayshawn Williams was found guilty of second-degree murder when he shot and killed 35-year-old Travis Brown on May 3 of 2023.
“This is just a senseless and unexplainable loss of life that left a family without their loved one,” said Allen. “As we approach National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, we remember and honor victims like the one in this tragic case.”
The DA says Williams has been sentenced to 36 years behind bars for the crime, adding that he has five previous felony convictions and also ties to the 52 Hoover Crips gang.
Jayshawn Williams charged with second degree murder. (Courtesy: KPD)
Join Blount Memorial Saturday, May 10 as they host their Inaugural Downtown Dash for Breast Cancer to honor breast cancer survivors, remember those who have fought the battle, and raise money to expand access to life-saving breast cancer screening and diagnostic services right here in Blount County! Gather for this event at Blount Memorial Health Center at Springbrook – 220 Associates Blvd. Alcoa, TN.
Did you know 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime? Early detection is the best protection! So let’s raise money to add an additional mammography machine to Prisma Health-Blount Memorial’s Breast Center! One with that allows for contrast enhanced mammography to eliminate uncomfortable MRI’s and expand access to screening and diagnostic services! In 2024, the Breast Center did 12,217 screening exams and diagnosed 95 breast cancers – talk to your doctor and see when you should begin getting mammograms!
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Chaz Lanier of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is a John R. Wooden Award All-American, as revealed Tuesday night on ESPN.
Lanier is one of 10 individuals who made the cut. He is joined by Auburn’s Johni Broome, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., Houston’s L.J. Cryer, Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Marquette’s Kam Jones, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, Alabama’s Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Wisconsin’s John Tonje.
This is the second consecutive year Tennessee has a Wooden Award All-American, as Lanier follows 2023-24 designee Dalton Knecht.
The selection process is overseen by a National Advisory Board, which compiles a National Ballot featuring the top candidates who meet the award’s criteria, including a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00. This ballot is distributed to a panel of voters composed of sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country. Deloitte collects and verifies these votes to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the final results.
Lanier averaged 18.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game during his lone campaign as a Volunteer. He set the program single-season record with 123 made 3-pointers, good for the sixth-most in a year in SEC history.
The Nashville, Tenn., native scored 17-plus points in 25 of his 38 outings in a Tennessee uniform, notching 20-plus in 15 and 25-plus in six. He hit multiple 3-pointers 32 times, with at least three in 23 appearances, four-plus in 15, five-plus in nine, six-plus in five and seven-plus twice.
Lanier is fourth nationally in total made 3-pointers, including first among Power Five players. He is also No. 16 in total made field goals with 243, good for second-most in the SEC. The 6-foot-5, 207-pounder is also sixth in the SEC in scoring.
The sharpshooter helped Tennessee to a 30-8 (12-6 SEC) record and an appearance in the Elite Eight. It marked the first time in program history the Volunteers reached the 30-win plateau and played in the regional final in the same season.
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.
2024-25 JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD ALL-AMERICAN TEAM Johni Broome, Auburn (Wooden Award finalist) Walter Clayton Jr., Florida (Wooden Award finalist) L.J. Cryer, Houston Cooper Flagg, Duke (Wooden Award finalist) Kam Jones, Marquette Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Chaz Lanier, Tennessee Mark Sears, Alabama (Wooden Award finalist) Braden Smith, Purdue (Wooden Award finalist) John Tonje, Wisconsin
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 1/1 Tennessee jumped out to an early lead and was steady throughout in a businesslike 7-1 victory over in-state foe Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Vols (27-2) scored in each of the first three innings to build an early 5-0 advantage over the Golden Eagles (19-11).
UT pulled ahead 2-0 just two batters into the game after Dean Curley reached on an error to start the contest before coming around to score on a Blake Grimmer two-run homer. Curley added a two-run shot of his own in the second inning to double the Volunteers’ lead, hitting a mammoth 431-foot blast to left-center field for his eighth long ball of the year.
Chris Newstrom joined the home run party with another two-run dinger into the porches to cap the scoring in the bottom of the seventh inning. The freshman was one of four Vols to finish with two hits on the night, joining Curley, Grimmer and Dalton Bargo.
Streaking
A handful of players extended notable streaks on Tuesday. Andrew Fischer kept his on-base streak alive in his final at-bat of the night with a double down the right field line and has now reached base safely in all 29 games this season.
Hunter Ensley extended a pair of streaks with a single to center field in the second inning. The veteran outfielder has a nine-game hit streak and has reached base in 27 games in a row after his performance against Tennessee Tech.
Bargo also added on to his hit streak to eight straight games after going 2-for-2 with a run scored in the win over the Golden Eagles.
Pitchers, Pitchers and More Pitchers
The Big Orange used 11 different pitchers on Tuesday night, headlined by the return of junior righthander AJ Russell. The Franklin, Tennessee, native, started the game and pitched a scoreless opening frame with a pair of strikeouts in his second appearance of the year and first since Feb. 25 vs. North Alabama.
Redshirt-junior lefty Michael Sharman tossed a scoreless second inning to record his first victory as a Vols.
Up Next
The Vols welcome Texas A&M to Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a rematch of last year’s College World Series finals. Friday’s series opener is slated for a 7 p.m. start on ESPNU.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Freshman Erin Nuwer struck out a career-high 12 batters to lead the No. 7 Lady Vols to a 4-0 victory over Western Carolina at Sherri Lee Parker Stadium on Tuesday night.
Nuwer was one out away from a no-hitter when Western Carolina’s Sydney Dirks broke up the bid with a single to left field in the seventh inning.
Tennessee (30-7) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to two walks, two hit batters, and a sacrifice fly by Laura Mealer.
In the second inning, freshman Emma Clarke scored after a throwing error on a Kinsey Fiedler single, then added a solo home run in the sixth to extend the Lady Vols’ lead to 4-0. Clarke’s home run, her second of the season, was her first at home in Knoxville.
IN THE CIRCLE Nuwer (5-1) retired the first 12 batters she faced before a fielding error in the fifth inning ended her perfect game bid. She allowed just one hit and one walk while hitting one batter over seven dominant innings. Nuwer struck out 12 of the 24 batters she faced, retiring 21 of them.
In her last two appearances, Nuwer has given up just two hits in 10 innings, walking one and fanning 14.
NOTABLE PERFORMERS Saviya Morgan stole two bases and scored a run, bringing her season total to 22 stolen bases and 34 runs scored.
Kinsey Fiedler went 1-for-2 with an RBI, marking the 100th RBI of her career.
Clarke finished with two runs, including the solo home run, and made her 11th start for Tennessee and her eighth behind the plate.
DUE UP The Lady Vols return to SEC play this weekend, hosting Mississippi State for a three-game series April 4-6. The first two games will be broadcast on SEC Network, with game three airing on SEC Network+.
An Oliver Springs man is charged after he allegedly put a referee in a headlock during a basketball game.
Officers went to Grace Christian Academy on Saturday after receiving a report that a parent had assaulted a referee.
Officers say the referee told them that 54 year-old Jerry Crass disagreed with a call made during the game, and when Crass was ejected from the basketball court, he “put him in a headlock and took him to the ground.”
Video footage taken from witnesses identified Crass as the suspect who assaulted the referee and pushed a woman believed to be his wife when she tried to intervene.
Crass is charged with assault with threat of bodily injury and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 8th.
Grace Christian Academy spokesperson says a group rented their gym for a tournament and it was not a GCA or Grace Baptist Church affiliated event.
Tennessee (THSO – WOKI) On Tuesday, April 1, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), divisions of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, partnered with Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), local law enforcement, and other traffic safety partners for “Operation Hands Free” to crack down on violators of Tennessee’s Hands-Free Law during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. To kick off the campaign, the THSO hosted press events in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville followed by distracted-driving enforcement bus tours.
“We take distracted driving very seriously when it comes to protecting Tennessee roadways,” said THSO Director Buddy Lewis. “Since 2017, the THSO has been partnering with agencies statewide to execute distracted-driving enforcement bus tours to raise awareness and catch texting drivers. Too many lives have been taken due to preventable crashes. We look forward to this annual campaign and hope to make a difference every year.”
During each bus tour, troopers and officers inside the bus observed traffic for distracted drivers then radioed patrol vehicles to execute enforcement action. TDOT assisted by providing HELP trucks for traffic management. They also utilized the digital highway message boards to spread awareness.
“We’re not just here to write tickets—we’re here to save lives,” said THP Colonel Matt Perry. “Our goal is to get drivers to think twice before picking up their phones or letting distractions take their focus off the road. When drivers see increased enforcement like this, they’re more likely to put their phones down and pay attention, which is exactly what we want. If you notice dangerous behaviors like texting and driving, you can reach THP dispatch by dialing *THP (847) using your hands-free device, or have a passenger make the call.”
According to Tennessee’s Hands-Free Law (T.C.A. § 55-8-199), it is illegal for drivers to hold a cell phone or mobile device with any part of their body. Violation of this law can result in points on your driving record. Drivers can learn more at www.HandsFreeTN.com.
The Morristown Hamblen Humane Society said it had to take in several dogs that were riding in the van when it crashed.(Courtesy: THP)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Those whose homes were damaged by Helene in three Tennessee counties have another chance to get funding for reconstruction.
The money is coming from the Appalachia Service Project, which is using money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The group is offering the funding to those who live in Cocke, Carter and Johnson counties; however, there are several requirements for applying:
The home must have been affected by Helene and the owner must have a letter from FEMA
The owner must live in one of the three counties (listed above)
The homeowner must own the house and the land upon which it sits
The homeowner must attend public meetings and submit all items on time
The application period runs through May 1. There’s also a public hearing meeting on April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church (1114 Broad Street in Elizabethton) for those interested.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a man with multiple outstanding warrants including one for aggravated assault.
KPD says 38-year-old Tayon Walker of Knoxville faces charges of aggravated assault, failure to appear and felony evading arrest. Police say the assault charge is in reference to an incident at a home on Sunset Avenue on March 27.
Anyone with information concerning Walker’s whereabouts is urged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can be eligible to receive a cash reward.
Sevierville, TN (WOKI) March did not draw to a close without another campaign in the ongoing battle between the City of Sevierville and Camping World.
This time, the city filed a complaint March 19 in chancery court demanding that the company be fined $50 a day for its continued refusal to lower its 130-foot-tall flag pole; the maximum height for flag poles is 44 feet per city ordinance.
City representatives have said there are safety concerns about taller poles, which prompted the city to ask Camping World to lower its pole.
Thus far, Camping World’s CEO Marcus Lemonis, has refused to adjust the flag pole at his Sevierville location. He’s taken similar stances at other Camping World locations as well.
According to the complaint, the city gave Camping World several opportunities to shorten the flag pole, but the business did not. City Attorney M. Edward Owens said the city also heard Camping World’s argument when it appealed the decision, but decided to deny it.
City representatives have said there are safety concerns about taller poles, which prompted the city to ask Camping World to lower its pole. (Courtesy: WVLT)
