Mascot, TN (WOKI) State employment leaders are stepping-in to help more than 200 people find a job after an East Tennessee company announced it’s closing its doors.

EXEDY America told the state it’s laying off 223 workers, all of them at their location in Mascot, and shutting down by spring.

The company’s website indicates at the end of March of last year, they had a total of 384 people employed, signaling a decline already in workforce.

The company makes drive train parts for automakers that include Ford and General Motors.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs gave a statement on the closure, saying the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce is working with the employees.

“Obviously, we never want to see a business close, especially a large, well-established employer. Unfortunately, changes within the automotive market forced EXEDY to discontinue operations here. While this closure means uncertainty for EXEDY’s employees, the folks who work there are highly skilled and would be an attractive addition to many area companies. The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce has already been in contact with the Tennessee Department of Labor to help guide EXEDY’s employees through this process.” – Mayor Glenn Jacobs

Employee layoffs are slated to begin on October 31 this year.

Farragut, Tn (WOKI) The Knox County District Attorney’s office and the sheriff’s department are still considering charges in a hit and run case.

According to reports, a 16 year old student was sitting at a Farragut bus stop on Thornton Drive with her legs in the road; a driver turning onto the road, struck the student and drove away.

The crash happened on August 8. The next day, the report said, a man called to say he may have been the one to hit the student, saying he thought he had run over a blanket. The student was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Police have charged a woman in connection to a fatal hit-and-run crash Monday night on North Broadway.

KPD says officers were called to the crash near Buchanan Avenue just before 9:00 p.m. for a woman who had been hit by a car that left the scene.

Police say 75-year-old Ollie Jenkins of Knoxville was taken to UT Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

Witnesses provided police with a description of the involved vehicle and a license plate number.

Officers found 45-year-old Heather Johns still inside the vehicle in the 700 block of Chickamauga Avenue.

She is charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication, among other charges.

The incident marks the latest of several hit and runs in East Tennessee, with two more happening in the Knoxville or Knox County area.