Tennessee

‘1,000-Lb. Sisters’ star arrested at zoo for drug possession, child endangerment: police

Published

2 months ago

September 3, 2024

‘1,000-Lb. Sisters’ star arrested at zoo for drug possession, child endangerment: police

Amy Slaton Halterman, a star of “1,000-Lb. Sisters,” was arrested at a Tennessee zoo and charged with drug possession and child endangerment, according to police.

Deputies from the Crockett County Sheriff’s Department responded to Tennessee Safari Park in Alamo — about 80 miles northeast of Memphis — after a guest was reportedly bitten by a camel.

When they arrived, the deputies “were immediately overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guest’s vehicle,” the sheriff’s department said.

Slaton was arrested and charged with illegal possession of schedule I and schedule VI drugs and two counts of child endangerment.

It’s unclear what drugs were allegedly in her possession.

Brian Scott Lovvorn was also in the vehicle and hit with the same charges, cops said.

The pair were booked at the Crockett County Jail.

No additional details were immediately available.

Slaton and her estranged husband, Michael Halterman, split up last year in a messy divorce.

Halterman requested that the court “enter a civil restraining order” that would keep both parties “500 feet from one another at all times” and make them stay “500 feet from the residence of the other party.”

Slaton and Halterman had eloped in 2017 before having a formal wedding in 2019, which was documented on the popular TLC series.

They separated less than a year after Slaton gave birth to son Glenn Allen in July 2022. Her other son, Gage, was born in November 2020.

During Season 1 of “1000-Lb. Sisters,” which premiered in January 2020, Slaton weighed more than 400 pounds.

After undergoing gastric bypass surgery, she dropped an additional 136 pounds, putting her weigh-in at 275 pounds.

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Tennessee

Tennessee baseball Orange & White World Series opener canceled by rain in Chattanooga in second inning

Published

6 hours ago

November 6, 2024

Press Room

Tennessee baseball Orange & White World Series opener canceled by rain in Chattanooga in second inning

CHATTANOOGA − The opening game of Tennessee baseball’s Orange & White World Series was canceled in the second inning due to rain Wednesday at AT&T Field.

Tennessee is scheduled to play the second game of the series at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday at Smokies Stadium in Kodak. The public address announcer indicated tickets purchased for the Orange & White World Series would be good for any Chattanooga Lookouts game in 2025.

Rain steadily fell and led to a 15-minute delay before the game. The rain picked up early in the game and unloaded in the second inning. Umpires called the teams off the field after pitcher Orange pitcher Nate Snead struck out White third baseman Chris Newstrom in the bottom of the second. The White team led 1-0 thanks to a first-inning Levi Clark home run.

Liam Doyle dominated for Tennessee again

Liam Doyle got in two innings as the starter for the White team. He dominated again.

The Ole Miss transfer struck out five in two innings, including striking out the side in the second. He waved to the Orange dugout after striking out Colby Backus to end the second. Shortstop Gavin Kilen grounded out to Doyle in the first inning as the only batter who didn’t strike out.

Doyle threw 23 of 27 pitches for strikes.

Levi Clark homed off Nate Snead

Clark smashed a long homer to right-center off Snead with one out in the first for the lone run in the game. He also homered in Tennessee’s exhibition against Troy on Oct. 27 in Jackson.

Clark was the highest-ranked hitter in UT’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class. He was the No. 36 recruit, according to Perfect Game. Clark started at first base, which is one of the positions he has played in the fall. He also has worked at catcher and in left field.

Nate Snead was cruising outside of Levi Clark’s homer

Snead allowed the homer to Clark, but was cruising outside of the hit as the Orange starter.

He struck out Jay Abernathy, Dean Curley and Reese Chapman in the first inning. He struck out Newstrom before the game was called to record all four outs via strikeout.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

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Everything Josh Heupel said on SEC Coaches Teleconference

Published

13 hours ago

November 6, 2024

Press Room

Everything Josh Heupel said on SEC Coaches Teleconference

Tennessee has reached the midway point of an eventful week.

The Vols, coming off of another come-from-behind win over Kentucky last week, debuted at No. 7 in the first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings on Tuesday. Now, Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) shifts its focus to Mississippi State.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

In the last of a four-game homestand, the Vols will look to swell their win streak to four games against a struggling Bulldogs (2-5, 0-4) team that is winless in league play on Saturday at Neyland Stadium (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Tennessee coaches and players have been adamant this week that it can’t afford to get caught looking ahead to a road tilt and potential playoff elimination game that could also decide a spot in the SEC Championship Game next week at No. 3 Georgia.

Vols’ fourth-year head coach Josh Heupel didn’t delve into rankings, reiterating instead their focus on Mississippi State during his weekly spot on the SEC Coaches Teleconference.

Here is everything he said.

Opening statement

“Another home game here for us. Excited to get to Saturday night. Should be another great environment inside of Neyland Stadium. You know, challenge for us again this week is to continue to improve. Mississippi State, look at how they’re playing, as a football team, played extremely well last week. Young quarterback that’s continuing to get better, good skill players and (will) be another challenge for us here inside of this league, and looking forward to it.”

On his relationship with Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby

“Jeff is extremely smart, highly competitive, works extremely hard. He’s got an opportunity, or has a personality that allows him to have great relationships with young people, and at the same time, have the traits to challenge them. And, you know, I think that’s why you can see them continue to see them grow throughout the course of the season, and why he’ll do a great job down there.”

On when realized how good Tennessee’s defensive line could be this season

“Thought during the course of our spring ball, and then through our work in the summer and where we finished training camp, that we would have a chance to to be a group that played extremely hard, played fundamentally sound, would have a chance to be a really good defensive line week in and week out. You know, the challenge for that group at that time, was just continuing to develop our depth, our ability to rotate, stay fresh, have a lot of bodies, is a is a big part of our success.

“Coach (Tim) Banks, Coach (Rodney) Garner, Coach (Mike) Ekeler, those guys have done a great job just building continuity, connection and selflessness inside of that defensive line room, and that comes in the form of a lot of guys playing, but also those guys challenging each other to continue to grow and be selfless. And when I say that as a defensive lineman, you know, playing your keys, playing the run. Can be twist games where you’re helping your buddy get open.

“This group just continues to play for each other, and they play really hard. So you put all those things together, going back to your original question, I thought early we would have a chance to, but who they are as people, is why they’re playing the way they are.”

On emphasis of developing defensive line in his first season

“For us, part of it was the traits that we’re going to bring in. The guys that were inside of the building, you know, building them on their fundamentals and technique, but just in our offseason work, changing their bodies. Just the growth of the technique, I think that’s a huge part of why they’ve continued to grow, is their growth in fundamentals. Eyes, they’re playing with their hands coming out of their hips.

“You know, pass rush, the ability to bend and, you know, having moves and then counter moves off of it, and doing all that while not giving the quarterback a bunch of running lanes to get out of the pocket.”

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Tennessee state House sees no major party shifts after 2024 election

Published

23 hours ago

November 6, 2024

Press Room

Tennessee state House sees no major party shifts after 2024 election

Tennessee Republicans continued to hold a grip on legislative politics in Tennessee with a wave of House victories across the state Tuesday night, though it was an election night more defined by the status quo as both parties maintained their numbers in the House.

Democrats sought to capitalize on a turbulent two years in House politics and claw back a few seats from the GOP’s 75-member a supermajority in the 99-seat House. Democrats eyed bids to flip some of the five competitive seats in Knox, Montgomery, Shelby and Rutherford counties.

Republicans, meanwhile, eyed potential gains in Montgomery and Davidson counties.

In the end, none of those results materialized, for either party. Instead, each party managed to hold on to a handful of open seats.

In House District 67, incumbent Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, clung to his seat by less than 130 votes, narrowly holding off Republican challenger Jamie Pelz.

Another close race in the Montgomery County area was the House District 75 race, where first-time candidate Allie Phillips challenged incumbent Rep. Jeff Burkhart, R-Clarksville.

Phillips, who was inspired to run for office after a personal experience with abortion access and pregnancy loss, ran a heavy ground game and garnered substantial donations in one of the more vulnerable districts in the state.

But Burkhart was able to hold on, leading Phillips by about 700 votes as of 9:30 p.m., maintaing the seat for Republicans.

In Nashville’s House District 60, gun safety advocate Shaundelle Brooks narrowly defeated former Republican legislative aide Chad Bobo, who received financial backing from more than a dozen sitting GOP lawmakers in an effort to flip the open Davidson County seat.

Brooks led with about 55% of the vote to Bobo’s 45%.

Here’s a look at other contested legislative races, according to unofficial results as of early Wednesday morning.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Rep. Timothy Aaron Hill, R-Blountville, won reelection against Democrat Lori Love.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 5

Incumbent Rep. David Hawk, R-Greenville, won reelection against independent candidate Rebecca Anderson.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 6

Incumbent Rep. Tim Hicks, R-Gray, won reelection against Democrat Brad Batt.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 7

Incumbent Rep. Rebecca Alexander, R-Jonesborough, won reelection against Democrat Sylvain Bruni.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 8

Incumbent Rep. Jerome Moon, R-Maryville, won reelection against Democrat Sue Dubois.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 11

Incumbent Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, won reelection against Democrat Justin Gross.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 12

Republican Fred Atchley beat out Democrat Leslie Braddock to win the open seat vacated by Rep. Dale Carr, R-Sevierville.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 13

Incumbent Rep. Robert Stevens, R-Smyrna, handily defeated Democrat Jonathan Yancey in the District 13 race. Stevens, who previously served on the Rutherford County Commission, won a second term in the state legislature.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 14

Incumbent Rep. Jason Zachary, R-Knoxville, beat Democrat Amanda Collins.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 15

Incumbent Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, beat Republican Justin Hirst.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Rep. Michele Carringer, R-Knoxville, won reelection against Democrat Lauren Carver.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 18

Incumbent Rep. Elaine Davis, R-Knoxville, won reelection against Democrat Bryan Goldberg.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 20

Republican Tom Stinnett won election against Democrat Karen Gertz in the open seat, which was vacated by Rep. Bryan Richey, R-Maryville, when he launched a failed state Senate bid.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 21

Incumbent Rep. Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, defeated Democrat Kenneth Moore.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 22

Incumbent Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, won reelection against Democrat Anna Grabowski.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 23

Incumbent Rep. Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, won reelection against Democrat David Thomforde.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 24

Incumbent Rep. Kevin Raper, R-Cleveland, won reelection against Democrat Andrea Chase.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 25

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, won reelection against Democrat Wesley Adkins.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 26

Incumbent Rep. Greg Martin won reelection against Democrat Allison Gorman.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 27

Michele Reneau, a Republican who toppled the seat’s incumbent in the primary, beat out Kathy Lennon.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 28

Incumbent Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, D-Chattanooga, won reelection against independent candidate Thomas Brooks.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 29

Incumbent Rep. Greg Vital, R-Harrison, defeated Democrat Ryan Scofield to win reelection.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Rep. Esther Helton-Haynes, R-East Ridge, won reelection against Democrat Heather McClendon.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 31

Incumbent Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, defeated Democrat Brittany Lynn Warfel and independent William Jenkins to win reelection.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 33

Republican Rick Scarbrough beat Democrat Anne Backus for the seat, previously held by Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Rep. Time Rudd, R-Mrufreesboro, beat Democrat Amelia Pant in the House District 34 race. Rudd has served in the legislature since 2017.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 35

Incumbent Rep. William Slater, R-Gallatin, won reelection Tuesday against Democrat Lexi Melton. Slater, a dean at a private Christian college in Gallatin, is a voucher support and a self-described “pro-life” legislator.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 37

Incumbent Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, won a fourth term over Democrat Cheri Brown.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 38

Incumbent Rep. Kelly Keisling, R-Byrdstown, won reelection against independent candidate Alexander Armor.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 39

Incumbent Rep. Iris Rudder, R-Winchester, defeated Democrat Rose Mary Drake to win reelection.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 40

Incumbent Rep. Michale Hale, R-Smithville, defeated Democrat Daniel Hawthorne to win reelection.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 41

Incumbent Rep. Ed Butler, R-Rickman, defeated Democrat Joel Derek Hawn to win reelection.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 42

Incumbent Rep. Ryan Williams, R- Cookeville, won reelection against Democrat Amber Taylor.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 44

House Majority Leader and incumbent Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, won reelection against Democrat Brian Robertson in House District 44. Lamberth, among the most influential members of the GOP caucus, will likely sponsor Gov. Bill Lee’s statewide voucher proposal next year.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 45

Incumbent Rep. Johnny Garrett, R-Goodlettsville, won reelection against Democrat Alison Beale in House District 45. Garrett, the House majority whip, has served in the legislature since 2019.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 46

Incumbent Rep. Clark Boyd, R-Lebanon, won reelection for a fourth term against Democrat Joni Cochran.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 47

Incumbent Rep. Rush Bricken, R-Tullahoma, won reelection against independent Veronica Owens.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 48

Incumbent Rep. Bryan Terry, R-Murfreesboro, won reelection against Democrat Matt Ferry.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 49

Incumbent Rep. Mike Sparks, R-Smyrna, won reelection against Democrat Luis Mata.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 50

Incumbent Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville, won reelection against Republican challenger and Metro Council member Jennifer Frensley Webb.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 51

Incumbent Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, handily won reelection for her second term in a race without a Republican challenger. An independent candidate, Jeff Ketelsen, did not have a significant campaign presence.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 52

Incumbent Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, won reelection to his Davidson County seat against Republican challenger Laura Nelson.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Rep. Jason Powell, D-Nashville, won reelection to his seventh term against Republican Yog Nepal and independent candidate Rueben Dockery.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 57

Incumbent Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, won reelection against Democrat Ailina Carona.

Tennessee State House of Representatives District 60

In the rare open seat this cycle, gun safety reform advocate Shaundelle Brooks, a Democrat, narrowly beat out Republican and former legislative aide Chad Bobo. The seat was vacated by Rep. Darren Jernigan, D-Nashville, who is transitioning to a new job with Metro Nashville.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, won reelection to his second term in the House against Democrat Clair Jones and independent Alana LeBlanc.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 63

Incumbent Rep. Jake McCalmon, R-Franklin, won reelection to a second term against Franklin physician Dr. Laura Andreson, a Democrat.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 64

Incumbent Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, handily won reelection against Democrat Eileen Longstreet.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 65

Real estate lawyer Lee Reeves, a Republican, picked up House District 65 against Democrat LaRhonda Williams. The Williamson County district was an open seat following the retirement of Rep. Sam Whitson, R-Franklin.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 66

Incumbent Rep. Sabi Kumar, R-Springfield, won reelection against Democrat Elizabeth Webb and independent candidate Kevin Mead.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 67

Incumbent Rep. Ronnie Glynn, D-Clarksville, won a very narrow victory against Republican Jamie Dean Peltz.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 68

Republican Aron Maberry, a Clarksville-Montgomery County school board member and Clarksville pastor, was elected in House District 68, a seat left open by the retirement of Rep. Curtis Johnson, R-Clarksville.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 70

Incumbent Rep. Clay Doggett, R-Pulaski, won reelection against Democrat Jason Luttrell.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 71

Incumbent Rep. Kip Capley, R-Summertown, won reelection against Democrat Tim Coy.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 75

Incumbent Rep. Jeff Burkhart, R-Clarksville, won a second term in a close race against Democrat Allie Phillips.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 76

Incumbent Rep. Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield, won reelection against independent candidate James Hart.

Tennessee House of Representatives District 78

Incumbent Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson, won reelection over Democrat Deborah Castle Doyle. Littleton currently chairs the Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee and is a frequent sponsor of legislation on divisive cultural issues, like a bill this year that codified protections for anti-LGBTQ foster parents.