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Blount County teen and recent high school graduate named best welder in the U.S.
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Lilly Dunn, a recent William Blount High School graduate, and the University of Tennessee Baseball team both have something in common. They're national champions who earned the title of being the best in the nation in their respective fields last week. Dunn competed in the...
Swig brings its 'dirty sodas' to Tennessee for the first time. Here's where it is open
Appearing like an oasis in the desert, the refreshment franchise Swig has opened its first location in Tennessee. Swig, which opened in Alcoa on June 21, is a soda fountain drive-through chain known for its "dirty sodas." "Dirty sodas" are traditional sodas blended like nonalcoholic cocktails with fruits, creams or flavorings. Swig has menu items like its most popular drinks Hula Girl and the Texas Tab, or custom-made creations.
Maryville Independence Day: Fireworks & Festivities
Get ready to celebrate Independence Day in our small corner of East Tennessee!! We’ve rounded up all the best events, fireworks displays, parades, and family-friendly activities happening in Maryville on or around July 4, 2024. Whether you’re looking for the perfect spot to watch fireworks, enjoy live music, or participate in patriotic festivities, we’ve got you covered.
'This is just a massive project' | TDOT talks after rocks block Alcoa Highway twice in a month due to construction
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alcoa Highway has seen years of construction, but recently blasting activities have impacted traffic in the area. The blasting recently caused debris to fall into the roadway twice in the last month. This section of highway where the work is happening can often see more than...
Blasting on Alcoa Highway causes roadway to shutdown, TDOT says
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Debris on Alcoa Highway closed the roadway at Woodson Drive, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Mark Nagi. The road closure comes after blasting by construction crews in the area. It’s the second time in weeks the road has been shut down for blasting...
AMR owes Knox County almost $500,000 in contract compliance penalties - just from May
Knox County's ambulance provider was fined almost $500,000 for failing to respond to emergency calls fast enough in May. AMR improved its overall response times, but still missed its goal on 23% of calls and turned in worse response times on serious calls within the city in May compared to April.
Century of Gay Street Bridge history: A getaway, a ghost story, a shift from stone to steel
Knoxville's Gay Street Bridge, which closed for repairs June 25 after a problem was spotted, has been a landmark for well over 100 years. But its full history goes back much farther. A pontoon bridge across the Tennessee River was constructed in this area by Union troops in 1863, according to "The...
Knoxville's annual 'Festival on the 4th' is returning to World's Fair Park. Here's how you can watch the fireworks
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Festival on the 4th is returning to World's Fair Park on the Fourth of July, featuring free musical performances, plenty of fun and a fireworks finale!. The fireworks will happen after the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra performs. They will launch from the Henley Bridge at approximately...
Knox County community rallies to preserve local ballpark
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A local ballpark off of Chapman Highway could be turned into a residential area and people in the community are speaking out in opposition. In 2021, Thunder Mountain Properties bought the land Bower Field is on. In November they proposed to the Knoxville- Knox County Planning Commission to rezone the area […]
Major off-campus University of Tennessee housing project first in America using Buildots' AI
KNOXVILLE – AI construction management platform Buildots is now being used on a major off-campus student housing project at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Juneau Construction Company and Buildots have announced. Hub Knoxville is a student housing project totaling more than 800,000 sq. ft. across three buildings. It will provide almost 2,000 beds for students at UT Knoxville, the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system.
Fireworks safety for furry friends
Fourth of July can be a time of great fun and celebration, but it can also be a distressing time for furry friends. With fireworks shooting off and the hustle and bustle of celebration, it can be easy to miss a dog bolting out the door or fence. “July Fourth or New Year’s, any firework-laden holiday that people tend to celebrate with that, it does produce that anxiety in the...
Here are the road closures in downtown Knoxville on the Fourth of July
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The City of Knoxville announced the Henley Bridge will be closed during the Festival on the 4th celebration. The Henley Bridge will be closed to car and pedestrian traffic on July 4 from 4 p.m. to midnight. The Gay Street Bridge remains closed as it awaits...
Carl Cowan Park is closed for a water leak, but crews hope to reopen July 4
Carl Cowan Park near Northshore Drive in west Knox County is temporarily closed because of a water leak and pump issues. A huge amount of water leaked out of the splashpad's tank over a two-day period, forcing officials to close the whole park for repairs. Jason Halliburton, Knox County park...
Juneteenth celebration draws hundreds in Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, TN — As the country gears up for fourth of July festivities, the sweet residue left from the Juneteenth celebrations of total freedom still linger. The moving of the MLK parade from January to June by the Martin Luther King Commemorative Committee has proven to be a success in it’s second year as over 75 groups participated in the march from Chilhowee Park to Walter Hardy Park where the Juneteenth celebration continued.
Blount nonprofit building homes with $800,000 grant
Close to $1 million in grant funds are flowing into affordable housing in Blount County. A Blount County nonprofit recently won over $800,000 to build four new homes, and the organization’s leadership say that those homes are the beginning of a broader project. The Tennessee Housing Development Agency earlier this year awarded Foothills Community Development Corporation $813,000 through its HOME grant to support new construction. The money stems from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. THDA Community Outreach Liaison Katie Moore presented the...
Rezoning in South Knoxville Sparks Protests
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) South Knoxville residents are working to save Bower Field from rezoning. Currently, the land is listed as “public park,” but a proposal in November of 2023 to the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission is trying to change that designation to “general business.”. If granted, the...
Knox County Board of Education chair wrong about the benefits of school vouchers
Knox County Board of Education Chair Betsy Henderson recently penned a Knoxville News Sentinel guest column, "We can support both public schools and school choice," in which she opined that supporting public schools is compatible with supporting school vouchers. Nope. Henderson uses the nauseating euphemism for vouchers: school choice. She wrote, “[W]e need to...
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