Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Tennessee airports discovered a total of 319 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage in 2024, an increase of six from the 2023 statewide total.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) led the state with 188 guns found, the fifth highest 2024 total nationwide.
While BNA matched their 2023 total, Memphis International (MEM) and McGhee Tyson (TYS) airports saw increases last year.
Here is a breakdown of TSA firearm discoveries for the past five years at Tennessee airports:
Airport code
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Nashville International Airport (BNA)
94
163
213
188
188
Memphis International Airport (MEM)
48
67
83
71
81
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)
7
21
32
27
28
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA)
11
24
30
18
15
Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI)
2
8
8
9
7
McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport (MKL)
N/A
N/A
0
0
0
Tennessee total:
162
283
366
313
319
National total:
3,257
5,972
6,542
6,737
6,678
In 2024, TSA screened approximately 904 million passengers and crew at airports across the country. That figure represents a 5.3 percent increase over the approximately 858.6 million screened in 2023.
Statewide in 2024, TSA screened approximately 16.83 million departing travelers at Tennessee airports, an increase of more than 5.9 percent over the 2023 total.
Nationwide, a firearm was detected for every 135,384 passengers screened. In Tennessee, the rate was more than twice the national, with one firearm discovered for every 52,766 passengers screened.
When a TSA officer sees the image of a firearm on an X-ray screen, TSA immediately notifies the local airport law enforcement agency, which responds to the security checkpoint. A law enforcement officer removes the firearm from the X-ray tunnel and makes contact with the traveler. What happens to the firearm and the traveler is up to the discretion of the airport law enforcement agency.
In addition to potential criminal citations or arrest by local law enforcement, travelers face civil penalties for bringing firearms to the security checkpoint. Among the factors TSA considers when determining the civil penalty amount includes whether the firearm was loaded and whether there was accessible ammunition. The civil penalty can go up to a maximum of $14,950 per violation.
Individuals who violate rules regarding traveling with firearms will also have TSA PreCheck® eligibility revoked for a period of up to five years and will receive enhanced screening during future travels.
Firearms can be transported on a commercial aircraft only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in checked baggage. Any type of replica firearm is prohibited in carry-on baggage and must be transported in checked luggage.
At the airport during the check-in process, a passenger needs to go to the airline ticket counter to declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts. Prior to traveling, passengers are encouraged to check gun laws and regulations at their destination to ensure they are in compliance with local and state laws. TSA also recommends travelers check with their airline prior to their flight to ensure they comply with any airline-specific requirements.
Travelers can use the “Can I Bring?” feature on the TSA website or on the TSA mobile app, myTSA. Travelers can also Tweet or Message “@AskTSA” if they have a travel question or are unsure if an item is allowed through security in a carry-on bag. Just snap a picture or send a question and get real-time assistance weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.
An investigation is underway after a person is injured in a rollover crash.
Rural Metro Fire says crews responded to the crash on Tazewell Pike near Mountain Shadow Drive early last night (Tuesday) and had to forcibly open the car door to get the person out.
They were taken to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, their condition has not been released.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball opens its 2025 season in Clearwater, Florida, participating in the NFCA Leadoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The Lady Vols will play six games during the opening weekend with MLB Network set to broadcast UT’s Saturday, Feb. 8 primetime matchup against Northwestern at 7 p.m. ET.
The contest will be one of three games featured on the network throughout the day. Major League Baseball will team up with the NFCA and GameChanger to provide coverage.
Opening Day for the Big Orange will be Thursday, Feb. 6, as it faces Nebraska at 7 p.m. ET. The matchup will be the seventh all-time between the Lady Vols and Huskers, with UT owning a 5-1 edge in the series.
Tennessee will play a doubleheader on Feb. 7 and 8, battling Bethune-Cookman and Iowa on the tournament’s second day before facing Notre Dame and Northwestern on day three.
The Lady Vols close out the tournament on Feb. 9, against Pittsburgh.
It will be the second time in the last three seasons that the Lady Vols have participated in the season-opening tournament. In 2023, Tennessee was crowned tournament champion after going 3-0 with victories over Howard, Illinois and No. 6 Northwestern.
Tennessee’s full 2025 NFCA Leadoff Classic schedule can be viewed below. All times listed are in ET. Dates and times are subject to change. 2025 NFCA Leadoff Classic
February 6: vs. Nebraska at 7 p.m.
February 7: vs. Bethune-Cookman at 4 p.m.
February 7: vs. Iowa at 7 p.m.
February 8: vs. Notre Dame at 1 p.m.
February 8: vs. Northwestern at 7 p.m. – MLB Network
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team dropped a 78-73 result Tuesday night to No. 12 Kentucky in front of a sold-out, over-capacity crowd of 22,272 at Food City Center.
Eighth-ranked Tennessee (17-4, 4-4 SEC) could not overcome the dazzling 3-point shooting by the Wildcats, dropping to 4-2 in AP top-12 showdowns between the two schools during head coach Rick Barnes‘ tenure. Senior forward Igor Miličić Jr., paced the Volunteers with a game-high 19 points in the setback.
Kentucky (15-5, 4-3 SEC) started 4-of-5 from 3-point range and raced out to a 12-4 lead after just 4:17 of action. Tennessee closed within two, but the Wildcats then buried back-to-back 3-pointers to go back up by eight, 21-13, with 8:07 on the first-half clock.
The lead remained eight with under three minutes to play, but the Volunteers went on an 11-0 run in just 2:22 to go in front, 33-30, and the score held entering the intermission. Tennessee, after a 2-of-15 start from deep, went 3-of-5 in those final three minutes to earn its 16th halftime advantage in 21 outings despite the Wildcats’ 7-of-14 (50.0 percent) first-half clip beyond the arc.
Kentucky took its largest lead, 55-44, with 12:24 to go after making seven consecutive field goals, four of which came from long range to then stretch its 3-point ledger to 11-of-21. The Volunteers soon countered with a 7-1 surge to trim the deficit to five, 58-53, with 9:27 left.
Although thrice pushed its cushion back up to nine, Tennessee would not go away. Fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier drilled a transition 3-pointer with 4:10 to go, the team’s fifth make from the floor in a span of six tries, to cut the margin to three, 71-68.
Kentucky graduate guard Koby Brea hit a pair of free throws 26 seconds later to make it a five-point game. Neither team scored for the next 2:38 when Lanier hit two free throws to make it 73-70 with 1:06 to play. Graduate guard Jaxson Robinson split a pair of free throws four ticks later, but Lanier buried a 3-pointer—that snapped a skid of nine straight misses for the Volunteers, all beyond the arc—to bring Tennessee within one, 74-73, with 31 seconds on the timer.
Junior guard Otega Oweh hit two shots from the line to extend the edge back to three with 25.3 ticks left and then, after a stop for the Wildcats, iced the game with two more with 7.1 to go. The Wildcats did not make a field goal in the final 5:19, but went 7-of-8 at the line to clinch the decision and held Tennessee to 1-of-12 field-goal shooting—all were 3-point attempts—in the last 3:21.
Miličić, who finished with his second-highest point total as a Volunteer and set a season high in made 3-pointers, shot 6-of-10 overall, 4-of-8 beyond the arc and 3-of-4 at the stripe. He added a team-best nine rebounds and four assists.
Lanier scored 15 points and pulled down four rebounds, while senior guard Zakai Zeigler had 13 points and a game-high six assists. Zeigler, who missed the final 2:17 of the first half due to a right knee injury, also became the second player SEC history to record 1,300 points, 600 assists and 200 steals in a career.
Brea paced Kentucky with 18 points, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor, including 3-of-3 beyond the arc, plus went 5-of-7 at the stripe and dished out three assists. Robinson scored 17 points and posted a 4-of-9 long-range clip. Oweh registered 14 points and six rebounds, while senior forward Amari Williams totaled 10 points, a game-best 15 rebounds and four a team-high four assists.
Tennessee shot 11-of-45 (24.4 percent) from 3-point range, its second-most attempts ever, yet had one fewer make than Kentucky, which took 21 fewer tries in a 12-of-24 (50.0 percent) performance. The Volunteers and Wildcats both made 25 field goals, but Tennessee shot 34.7 percent (25-of-72) and Kentucky notched a 50.0 percent (25-of-50) ledger.
The Volunteers amassed a 20-8 advantage in second chance points, behind an 18-8 margin on the offensive glass, and a 15-5 tally in points off turnovers. They forced 13 giveaways and committed a season-low five. Tennessee is back in action at Food City Center for a Saturday matinee against No. 5/6 Florida, with tip-off for the top-10 clash slated for noon, live on ESPN.
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 • Tuesday’s announced attendance of 22,272—nearly 600 over capacity—marked the seventh-largest sellout crowd in arena history, including the fourth-largest since the 2007-08 capacity reduction. • The Volunteers, who registered their 17th sellout in the last three seasons (2022-25) and fourth this year, fell to 34-15 all-time in Food City Center sellouts, including 33-13 since the capacity reduction and 23-7 in Barnes’ 10-year tenure. • Tennessee is now 91-34 all-time when playing in front of 20,000-plus fans at Food City Center, including 32-10 under Barnes, with 27 of the latter 42 over the past four years (2021-25). • The Volunteers dropped to 18-8 all-time in over-capacity crowds at Food City Center, including 17-6 at the current listed capacity. • Tuesday marked the seventh time in 2024-25, all in Tennessee’s the last eight outings, over 19,000 fans have been in attendance at Food City Center. • Tuesday marked the third straight AP top-15 showdown between the Volunteers and Wildcats, a second in series history, alongside the three meetings between the two schools in 2018-19. • Tennessee is now 11-11 versus Kentucky in Barnes’ tenure, still good for five more wins than any other school in that time period (2015-25), as Auburn and Kansas each have six. • Barnes has led the Volunteers to a 10-7 record against AP top-25 Kentucky teams in his tenure, still good for four more victories than any other program during his tenure (2015-25), as Kansas have five such wins. • When facing Kentucky teams ranked in the top 12 of the AP Poll, Tennessee is now 7-2 under Barnes’ leadership, with Saturday snapping a six-game winning streak in such contests. • In Barnes’ tenure, Tennessee is now 7-4 in AP top-25 matchups against Kentucky, including 4-3 with both in the top 15 and 4-2 with each in the top 12. • Barnes, who has two more wins over the Wildcats than any other active head coach (10 by Bruce Pearl), fell to 12-13 all-time against Kentucky in his career as a head coach, tied with Kevin Stallings for the seventh-most wins all-time by any coach. • Tennessee fell to 32-25 (.561) in AP top-25 showdowns in Barnes’ tenure, including 17-5 (.773) at home and 4-3 (.571) in 2024-25. • The above mark in AP top-25 clashes under Barnes features a 20-12 (.625) record since Feb. 26, 2022, and a 11-5 (.688) ledger since Dec. 9, 2023. • Tennessee teams under Barnes’ direction are now 15-12 (.556) in AP top-15 showdowns, including 6-2 (.750) at Food City Center. • The Volunteers fell to 20-8 (.714) at home against AP top-25 teams in the Barnes era, including 15-2 (.882) since Jan. 30, 2021. • Tennessee is now 12-5 (.706) when hosting AP top-15 squads in Barnes’ tenure, including 10-2 (.833) since Jan. 30, 2021. • The Volunteers now possess a 38-40 (.487) record against AP top-25 foes under Barnes, including a 22-13 (.629) tally since Jan. 22, 2022. • Tennessee dropped to 24-25 (.490) when facing AP top-15 teams in the Barnes era, including 17-8 (.680) since Dec. 22, 2021. • Zeigler exited the game, before would-be free throws, with 2:17 left in the first half due to a right knee injury, but he returned for the start of the second stanza. • Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer first-half points in 19 of its 21 contests thus far, including 29 or fewer on 12 occasions and 22 or fewer six times. • The Volunteers have held a halftime advantage in 16 of their 21 outings this season, including a margin of seven-plus points 12 times, double digits 10 times, 12-plus eight times, 14-plus seven times and 23-plus thrice. • The only time Tennessee has attempted greater than 45 3-pointers in a game was Nov. 27, 2007, when it went 14-of-50 against North Carolina A&T. • The Volunteers’ 33-game winning streak when leading at halftime came to an end in Tuesday’s setback. • Prior committing just five Tuesday, Tennessee’s low mark in turnovers this season was six on Dec. 14, 2024, at Illinois. • Williams’ 15 rebounds matched the highest total by a Tennessee foe this year, equaling the tally set Jan. 7 by Florida’s Rueben Chinyelu. • The 13 defensive boards for Williams far eclipsed the 10 by Chinyelu for the top ledger by a Tennessee opponent in 2024-25. • With his layup at the 16:11 mark of the second half, Zeigler eclipsed 1,300 points as a collegian, making him the second player ever to record 1,300 points, 600 assists and 200 steals at an SEC school, alongside Arkansas’ Kareem Reid (1995-99). • The 19 points by Miličić trailed only his 23 in a Nov. 17, 2024, contest against Austin Peay in the scoring column in his lone season as a Volunteer. • Miličić has now recorded at least 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a game twice this season—he also had that line in the same outing versus the Governors—after no Tennessee player did so even once since Feb. 2, 2019, when Grant Williams posted it at Texas A&M.
Sweetwater, TN (WOKI) The Sweetwater Police Department is investigating the distribution of flyers that claim to be from the Ku Klux Klan.
Officials with the department took to social media stating that they are working to identify where the materials came from. Text on the flyers alongside a drawing of Uncle Sam tell people to “self-deport” and includes contact information that claims to be for multiple branches of the Ku Klux Klan.
“We are aware of racially motivated propaganda that has been distributed throughout our city,” SPD wrote. “We are actively working with neighboring agencies who have reported similar incidents in their areas. Our efforts are focused on identifying the source of this material.”
The department added that the City of Sweetwater Street Department and Parks and Recreation Department helped clean up hundreds of these flyers.
Anyone with information about who may have been involved in distributing the flyers is urged to call Sweetwater police’s non-emergency line at 423-442-4357.
Nashville, TN (WOKI) Dolly Parton’s upcoming Broadway musical will be making a stop in Tennessee before heading to New York.
The country superstar announced on Tuesday that Dolly: An Original Musical will open for the first time on Belmont University’s campus in July.
“It just seemed right to premiere the story of my life in Tennessee, because I am Tennessee-born and Tennessee-raised,” Dolly said while speaking at the university on Tuesday.
It will mark the first time that Belmont’s Fisher Center will host the world premiere of a new musical with a professional cast. As for the musical itself, it’s gearing up to be an all-Dolly extravaganza.
The production took to social media last year, calling for open auditions for people to play Dolly herself. She talked about the search on Tuesday, saying she was amazed by how many people submitted auditions.
“Casting is one of the most important things we do,” Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, who’s directing the show, said. “These are very important choices to make, and you have to pick the perfect people.”
The show will also feature original Dolly songs highlighting key points in her life.
“I’ve lived my life, and my life has been country,” Dolly said. “I’ve touched so many lives by telling stories about people, so it’s only natural that the music I’ve written has that flavor and tells the story of my life.”
The music itself, she said, will have a country flair.
“We have some bigger songs that are tailor-made to how I think they should be on Broadway, but they have a country feel as well,” Dolly said. “I think they’ll appreciate me taking Nashville to New York along with that country sound.”
The musical will head to Broadway in 2026. Before heading to New York, the show will open on July 18 of this year at Belmont and run until Aug. 17. Tickets start at $40 each and can be purchased here.
The musical itself will highlight Dolly’s life and career and borrows its title from her first studio album, which came out in 1967. (Courtesy: WVLT)
A major road project is set to get underway in North Knox County in August.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation says the project in Powell to help alleviate traffic on Emory Road at I-75.
They are planning to add a diverted diamond interchange similar to the one at I-40’s exit 407, the Sevierville exit.
TDOT’s Mark Nagi explains how it will work.
He says Motorists driving either eastbound or westbound will navigate through two traffic signals and perform crisscross maneuvers. While motorists going westbound can go straight through the interchange or access southbound or northbound I-75.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 18/17 Tennessee held No. 2/2 South Carolina to one of its lowest point totals of the season, but the Gamecocks held off a fourth quarter Lady Vol charge to stay unbeaten in SEC play with a 70-63 victory in front of a season-high crowd of 12,033 Monday night at Food City Center.
UT (15-5, 3-5 SEC) outscored USC, 24-13, in the final quarter and trimmed a 22-point deficit to six but could not overcome the Gamecocks (20-1, 8-0 SEC), who won their 55th straight SEC regular season contest. The Lady Vols suffered through their toughest shooting night of the season at 30.7 percent but held a unit averaging 81.9 points per game to 70 on the evening for the fifth lowest sum of the campaign. In Kim Caldwell‘s return to the sideline after missing the Texas game due to the birth of her first child, her squad also won the battle on the boards, 49-40, including an 18-7 margin on the offensive end.
For the second consecutive game, junior guard Ruby Whitehorn paced the Tennessee offensive attack, finishing with 12 points and adding five rebounds, three steals, two assists and a pair of blocks. Redshirt sophomore Talaysia Cooper also was in double figures with 11, pulling down eight boards as well.
Joyce Edwards fired in 18 points to lead five South Carolina players in double digits. MiLaysia Fulwiley contributed 11 points, while Chloe Kitts, Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson chipped in 10 each.
The Lady Vols set the tone early, grabbing a 4-0 lead on jumpers by Cooper and Whitehorn and then led 6-2 at the 6:45 mark on a pair of Whitehorn free throws and 9-5 by the 4:55 media timeout on a Samara Spencer three-pointer. Tennessee capped a 9-0 run by scoring the next six points out of the break on a pair of scores from Spencer and a layup from Whitehorn to build a game-high nine-point lead, 14-5, with 2:48 to go. The Gamecocks responded with a run of their own, reeling off eight straight to trim the margin to one, 14-13, on a Maddy McDaniel layup before the end of the quarter.
UT pushed its advantage back to three on three different occasions early in the second stanza, going up 16-13 on a pair of Whitehorn free throws, 18-15 on a Cooper put-back and 20-17 on a Cooper jumper with 6:50 to go. South Carolina, though, countered with a 7-0 spree, capped by a Fulwiley fast break layup, to seize a 24-20 lead and force a Big Orange timeout with 4:46 remaining in the first half. The Gamecocks continued their spree, reaching 14 straight before a Jillian Hollingshead free throw with 2:14 remaining left her team trailing the visitors, 31-21. A Cooper three and fast break layup enabled Tennessee to whittle the gap to nine, 35-26, before the intermission.
South Carolina used a 10-2 burst out of the locker room to build a 45-28 gap by the 7:11 mark and took a 48-32 advantage into the 4:57 media timeout. Zee Spearman tallied five and Kaniya Boyd added a bucket over the final five minutes, but the Gamecocks maintained a 57-39 cushion heading to the final frame.
After South Carolina pushed the gap to 22, 61-39, with 9:05 remaining in the game, the Lady Vols began to methodically chip away at the lead. A pair of Spencer free throws, layups by Alyssa Latham and Tess Darby and back-to-back layups by Boyd forced the Gamecocks to ask for time with Tennessee within 14, 63-49, with 5:58 left. Back-to-back layups by Whitehorn got Tennessee to within nine by the 1:18 mark, 69-60, and a three-pointer from Jewel Spear drew the Lady Vols to within six, 69-63, with 14 ticks left on the clock, but the home team ran out of time.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is idle on Thursday before heading to Columbia, Mo., to face off vs. Missouri on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. The Lady Vols and Tigers will meet at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) in a contest streamed on SECN+. The game also will be available on Lady Vol Network radio stations statewide and via audio stream on UTSports.com.
FOOD CITY CENTER WAS ROCKIN’: A season-high crowd of 12,033 fans were in attendance at Food City Center during the matchup against the Gamecocks, and they certainly brought the energy. It was the largest Lady Vol crowd in the venue since the LSU matchup on Feb. 25, 2024, when 15,281 on hand. It also marked the fourth 10,000-plus crowd of the 2024-25 season. The other 10,000-plus crowds were against LSU (10,220), Oklahoma (11,321) and Winthrop (11,152).
PLAYING TAKEAWAY: The Lady Vols tallied 10 steals against the Gamecocks, marking the 13th time this season that Tennessee has racked up double-digit takeaways and the first time vs. a top-10 team in three tries. The Big Orange notched their highest total of steals with 27 against Samford on Nov. 5, 2024. Ruby Whitehorn led the team with three steals vs. South Carolina, tying her season-high and SEC-high amount.
UPDATE: The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is thanking the public for their help finding 77-year-old Jerry Austin who left his Maryville home on Blockhouse Road yesterday (Monday) afternoon. He has been found safe.
Original Story: The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a missing Maryville man.
77-year-old Jerry Austin left his home on Blockhouse Road yesterday (Monday) afternoon, he was wearing a red and black jacket and blue jeans.
He does have a medical condition that may impair his ability to return home safely without assistance.
Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler provides a timeline of events that led up to David Batts’ death, saying that officers committed no wrongdoing.
Spangler says Batts was arrested on January 7th for sexual battery at UT Medical Center and taken to the Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility. Due to for not complying with authorities.
Spangler says hours later Batts continued to not comply with supervisors and medical staff, leading them to gain control of him so a nurse could get vital signs. He says the nurse determined that Batts should be taken back to the hospital.
First responders took him back in the early morning hours of January 8th. The Sheriff says a judge granted Batts a pre-trial release from custody while he was still where he passed away.
District Attorney General Charme Allen says a preliminary autopsy report identified Batts’ cause of death as meningitis, meaning the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation would not be looking into the incident.
Spangler added that a urine analysis showed that Batts had fentanyl in his system. A final autopsy report is still pending Batts’ family hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is well known for his role in representing the family of George Floyd, who died in May of 2020.
Crump said in a statement that Batts’ death was caused by “unchecked brutality” within the Knox County justice system. Representatives from his office added that they intend to file a lawsuit in the near future. “The death of David Batts is an example of unchecked brutality within the justice system,” Crump said. “His family deserves answers, accountability, and justice for this horrific loss. We demand the immediate release of all footage related to the arrest.
