After defeating Oklahoma in their first SEC matchup of the season, the Vols have taken another step up in the AP Poll standings.
The 25-15 win over the Sooners on Saturday helped Tennessee to rise one spot to number 5.
Texas, Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama are the top four teams on the list.
The Vols will enjoy their scheduled bye week this weekend before they head to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the Razorbacks on October 5th.
UPDATE: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Silver Alert for 63 year-old John Thomas out of Oak Ridge has a sad ending.
Officials say he was found dead. He was last seen on Thursday on his way to work towards Knoxville.
No other details have been released.
Original Story: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a Silver Alert for an Oak Ridge man.
63 year-old John Thomas was last seen Thursday and may be driving a white, 2002 Chrysler 300 with TN tag 145-BJZQ.
He is 6’3″, 250 lbs., with gray hair and brown eyes. Please call Oak Ridge PD at (865) 425-4399 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
He has a medical condition that may impair his ability to return safely without assistance.
The Vols’ equipment truck hit a snag on the way back from the Oklahoma game.
According to cameras from the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the truck was involved in an incident I-40 near the I-30 interchange in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
WVLT News reached out to Tennessee Associate Athletic Director of Strategic Communications Bill Martin for more information on the situation. Martin said, “Our equipment truck was involved in an accident while returning to Knoxville, and there were no injuries.”
No other details have been released.
GATLINBURG, TN—The Flint Gap Fire is now 75% contained. Yesterday, firefighters hiked into the fire and continued to safely secure the perimeter and put out hot spots. Today fire crews continue to work the fire, mopping up hot spots and remaining areas of heat within the perimeter. Crews have had great success in reducing the threat from the fire.
After today, the fire team will transition to a Type 4 Incident Commander and will downsize to one ten-person crew—this is a result of decreasing complexity, fire threat and incident complexity. Fire crews will continue to monitor and take additional actions as needed.
The park received a report of the fire (ttps://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/wildland-fire-burning-near-hannah-mountain.htm) burning in a remote area of the park near Hannah Mountain, south of Abrams Creek, the evening of Aug. 26. An investigation revealed several days later that the fire was started by lightning https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/flint-gap-fire-determined-to-be-caused-by-lightning.htm. No structures are threatened at this time.
Parson Branch Road as well as some park trails and backcountry campsites are currently closed due to fire activity. Check the park website for road closures https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/conditions.htm and other updates https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm before visiting. All fire updates are available on the park website https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/newsreleases.htm.
(Story courtesy of WVLT News)
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WYMT) – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed Friday that the body found near the I-75 mass shooting site is Joseph Couch.
The determination was made through DNA extraction.
“We appreciate everyone involved in the search and are grateful no one else has been hurt,” said Gov. Beshear. “We will continue to be there for those injured as well as the Laurel County community as they recover from this tragic situation.”
Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip Burnett said he appreciates the efforts of those in the medical examiner’s office.
“This manhunt was the biggest team effort I have seen in my almost 30-year law enforcement career. We will forever be grateful for the assistance and resources provided by our local, state and federal partners,” said Burnett.
The body was found Wednesday by hikers in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Officials said the cause of death was consistent with a gunshot wound to the head.
Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash is stepping down after almost a decade heading up the country’s most-visited national park.
Cash is taking over as President and CEO of Yosemite National Park.
Cash began his career in 1991 as a wildlife biologist before transitioning to a deputy forest supervisor before he began working for the National Park Service in 2010.
In 2021, Cash received the national Stephen Mather Award for creating Smokies Hikes for Healing, which emphasized conversations about race and diversity while hiking. It’s just one of his many accomplishments as the head of the Smokies.
Cash is expected to take on his new role in January of 2025.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Two men are facing drug charges after a traffic stop Thursday morning in East Knoxville.
Knoxville Police Department officials say officers stopped a Nissan truck on McConnell Street.
During an investigation at the scene, they recovered over 36 grams of suspected crack cocaine and over $1,000 in cash from presumed drug sales.
The men were arrested and face charges in connection with suspected crack cocaine sales.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says a seventh-grade student is charged with threats of mass violence and false reports for making a bomb threat at a Knox County School.
Hardin Valley Middle School was locked down on Wednesday, and students were evacuated for the bomb threat.
KCSO says a suspicious backpack was cleared by the bomb team and students were permitted back inside the building.
Sheriff Tom Spangler has repeatedly said threats against students, teachers or staff at schools will not be tolerated, and the suspects will be punished.
District Leaders and the Blount County Commission unanimously voted on a resolution that asks for more thorough investigation into every single complaint of sexual misconduct in Blount County Schools.
This resolution also included an official request of state legislators to take away state certification and benefits from any educator that’s pleaded or found guilty of sexual misconduct, to avoid those people from being in school in the future in Tennessee.
“I was sexually assaulted by Joseph Dalton when I was in kindergarten at Porter Elementary School,” said a former Blount County student who said she was assaulted by Dalton. “Ever since then, I have blocked it out of my mind and what he did to me has affected my life. But I’m a survivor of a child molester who isn’t being held accountable for what he did to me.”
Gym teacher Joseph Dalton was arrested back in January and plead guilty to assault after several reports of inappropriate contact with students.
He taught at two elementary schools in Blount County and is being accused of tickling and touching students.
Investigators used surveillance video which shows students forcibly trying to remove themselves from Dalton, some of these allegations go back to 2005. He will have another appearance in court in November.
Leaders say they’re in contact with a firm in Iowa who’d be able to audit Blount County schools and go through more than a decades worth of complaints.
A Kentucky sheriff is charged with the murder of a district court judge
According to Kentucky State Police, at around 2:55 Thursday afternoon, they received a 9-1-1 call from the Letcher County Courthouse in reference to shots being fired from inside the building.
Several law enforcement agencies and emergency medical services responded to the scene and located District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, with multiple gunshot wounds.
KSP says lifesaving measures were attempted but unsuccessful.
Mullins was pronounced dead on scene by the Letcher County Coroner’s Office.
KSP’s preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines, 43, shot Mullins following an argument inside the courthouse.
They say Stines was taken into custody at the scene without incident.
Stines has been charged with one count of first-degree murder.
The investigation remains ongoing. Law enforcement officials give update outside of courthouse on Kentucky judge’s death
Before being appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009, Mullins was an assistant commonwealth attorney for nine and a half years. As a prosecutor, he primarily focused on drug-related offenses. As a judge, Mullins gained attention for his efforts to treat those with drug addictions rather than keeping them behind bars. In 2010, he started a program allowing inmates with substance use disorders to enroll in inpatient treatment as a condition of their pretrial release.
Stines was elected as the Sheriff of Letcher County in 2018 and reelected in 2022.
In a social media post, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced that his office will collaborate with the commonwealth’s attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit, Jackie Steele, as special prosecutors in this case.
Letcher County Judge-Executive Terry Adams announced in a social media post that he signed an executive order to close the courthouse for Friday.
This is a developing story. Story is courtesy of WVLT
