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The Newport Plain Talk
Missing Georgia firefighters found dead in Cosby
The bodies of two missing Georgia firefighters have been found in Cocke County. The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office announced late Sunday afternoon that two people were found dead inside a vehicle along Hollow Road in Cosby. An announcement by the Hinesville (Georgia) Police Department confirmed the bodies found were those of Liberty County (Georgia) firefighters Raegan Anderson and Chandler Kuhbander. The bodies were found nearly 400 miles from Liberty County...
Ex-No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell fired, accused of theft
JaMarcus Russell, the first pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, has been fired from his volunteer high school assistant coaching job and accused in a lawsuit of stealing donations meant for the school, according to multiple reports. The firing apparently came several months ago but was just confirmed by school officials in Mobile County, Ala. "JaMarcus Russell was relieved of his volunteer coaching duties at Williamson High School during the fall of last year," Mobile County Public Schools said in a statement tod WKRG Sports on Friday. The former Oakland Raiders quarterback also is facing a lawsuit accusing him of...
Voter registration deadline for August election is July 2
The voter registration deadline for the August election (U.S. Senate Primary) is approaching next week on Tuesday, July 2. Applicants may register online at GoVoteTN.gov or in-person at the Cocke County Election Commission office in the Courthouse Annex, weekdays from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. Early voting for the August Primary runs July 12 through July 27. Hours vary by week. Election day is Aug. 1. The sample ballot and early voting hours are available online at CockeCountyElections.org. Cocke County Administrator of Elections Josh Blanchard said that more information about the November presidential election will be announced after the Aug. 1 primary.
Cocke County jobless rate ticks up slightly
The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development (TDLWD) released its monthly county unemployment rates on Thursday for the month of May, 2024. According to its report, Cocke County saw a slight increase in the rate from the previous month, coming in at 3.5% in May, up from 3.4% in April. Notably, the May 2024 unemployment rate reported for Cocke County was still 13% less than one year ago when the rate stood at 3.9%. ...
Providing support: Options serves pregnant women and parents of infants and toddlers
Wendy Ramsey, the director of Options, a free pregnancy support center in Newport, recently spoke at the Kiwanis Club of Newport. Ramsey explained that Options offers a variety of services to its clients. Clients can learn about avoiding debt, about loans, about blended families, take anger management classes and get access to the items that they may need. She explained that Options offers rental assistance, various classes and helps parents get the items that they need, such as a crib and diapers. ...
Reaching Out: CCSO, NPD hold joint community outreach
NEWPORT — Cocke County Sheriff C.J. Ball and Newport Police Chief Scott Lamb held a joint community outreach meeting on Monday at Newport City Hall. The meeting allowed those within the city limits to know more about both law enforcement agencies and how they are working together. Ball was elected sheriff in August 2022 and took office on Sept. 1, 2022. Lamb took over the duties of police chief in January. ...
Woman 'acting weird' bonds out, is returned to jail on same day
A woman, whose friend told law enforcement arriving on the scene of a crash involving a stolen vehicle on Buffalo Road in Bybee that she began ‘acting weird’ after he bonded her out of jail, found herself being returned to jail shortly thereafter. According to an incident report filed by Cocke County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Richard Hoover, he responded to the scene on June 25 and observed a Kia that had crashed into an embankment on the side of the road. ...
Volunteer fire department's fireworks signs reported stolen
For the past 14 years, the Grassy Forks Volunteer Fire Department (GFVD) has relied on its annual Fourth of July fireworks sales to help fund the department. This past week something went missing. Grassy Forks Fire Chief Walt Cross reports that three of GFVD’s signs advertising “Fireworks — No Tax” with an arrow pointing traffic to take the Hartford exit, were stolen from the westbound side of I-40 between exit...
Parrottsville fireworks set for July 6
The annual Parrottsville Independence Day fireworks celebration is set for Saturday, July 6, at Parrottsville School. The popular event will include a variety of activities, including food, fun, beauty pageants and fireworks. Activities begin at 3 p.m. with the beauty pageants getting underway. The Little Miss and Master Firecracker Beauty Pageant, sponsored by Prestigious Pageant Productions, will have categories for girls from newborn to 21 years of age. There will be divisions for boys from newborn to 36 months of age. To learn more about...
Dick Vitale announces new cancer diagnosis
Longtime ESPN college basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale faces a fourth cancer diagnosis since 2021, he said Friday, and will have neck surgery on Tuesday. "My report on the Biopsy of the Lymph Node in my neck has arrived & it is cancerous," the 85-year-old Vitale announced Friday afternoon on X while thanking his family and friends for their support. After dealing with melanoma and lymphoma in 2021, Vitale announced he was cancer-free in 2022. Last year, however, he underwent radiation treatment for vocal cord cancer, which postponed his return to ESPN. He has called games for the network since its founding in 1979, and was on its first college basketball broadcast, a win by DePaul over Wisconsin. --Field Level Media
Sports: The 2022 ESPY Awards-Red Carpet
Jul 20, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sports broadcaster Dick Vitale arrives with his wife Lorraine McGrath on the red carpet before the 2022 ESPY Awards at Microsoft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Julie Mason returns to CCHS volleyball as assistant coach
NEWPORT — When Julie Mason walked into the Cocke County gym in 2019, she did not know anyone on the volleyball team. She had coached for Parrottsville for several years prior, but she joined then-coach Jennifer Slover’s Cocke County staff for that season. Following that year, Mason returned to Parrottsville for her second stint with the Lady Parrotts’ volleyball program. ...
Nichols: Ragan brings refreshing approach to Dead Period
PIGEON FORGE — Casey Ragan pulled his team in for some parting words before the Dead Period. The Fighting Cocks had just wrapped up their summer basketball slate against Bell County (KY), and Ragan held a serious look as he gazed around the huddle. With the break looming at the time, I thought Ragan was about to tell his team about what they would do after the break — or...
Cincinnati All-American Dontay Corleone out indefinitely with blood clots
Cincinnati All-American defensive tackle Dontay Corleone is out indefinitely after being admitted to the hospital earlier this month because of blood clots in his lungs. The Bearcats begin fall camp in less than five weeks, but Corleone's status is up in the air for August and beyond. "Right now, I'm focused on my recovery," Corleone said in the announcement from the university. "My hope is I will be able to return to football soon, but in the meantime, I will do everything I can to rehab and help the football program as a leader and mentor to our younger players....
Syndication: The Enquirer
Cincinnati Bearcats defensive lineman Dontay Corleone (2) is double-teamed on a pass rush in the first quarter during an NCAA college football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.
Dedication and Deafness: Spurgeon brings exceptional drive to Lady Eagles
KNOXVILLE — When Azariah Spurgeon watches college basketball, she has a few favorite players. Former Iowa standout Gabbie Marshall is one of them, namely for the way she defends. “She is fun to watch,” said Spurgeon after a game at Bearden High School this summer. “She was all over the basketball, took a lot of charges, always where the ball is.” ...
Campos taking strong work ethic into senior season for CCHS
NEWPORT — Leo Campos kicked a soccer ball against an overturned table one Saturday, using it as a makeshift pass to himself. He dribbled through cones nearby, took a couple more steps, and rifled a shot into the back of the net.
Ball bringing ‘fire’ back to Lady Red volleyball
NEWPORT — Ginny Ball can still remember the comments from fans and even officials last year. All of them essentially said the same thing about the Cocke County volleyball team: that it lacked the passion, fire and communication one would expect to see during a match. “Last year we did not have that at all,” said rising senior Abby Niethammer. “We would score, and we would barely even cheer.” ...
Cosby looking to utilize Christian Walsh in new way this season
KODAK — Christian Walsh caught a pass in the paint at Northview Academy earlier this summer. He spun, ducked around the defender and jumped to lay the ball off the glass with his left hand. A day later, he ran ahead of Haiden McMahan at Anderson County, accepting a bounce pass for an easy bucket to follow a put-back Walsh had made a couple possessions earlier. ...
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