Tennessee

Listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head facility claims one victim in Tennessee

Published

1 year ago

August 30, 2024

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Listeria outbreak linked to Boar’s Head facility claims one victim in Tennessee

The effects of a listeria outbreak that began on July 19 have continued to grow and now include one death in Tennessee.

A total of 18 states have reported cases of listeria. There have been 57 hospitalizations as a result of the outbreak. The most recent update from the Centers for Disease Control included a single case and death in Tennessee among six other deaths.

The outbreak has been tied to Boar’s Head liverwurst products. Of these products, 7.2 million pounds of deli meats have been recalled. There is a class-action suit was filed against the company in early August.

Here is what to know about the outbreak.

Is Tennessee part of the listeria outbreak?

Tennessee is now officially a part of the outbreak. The CDC announced there were six new deaths and 14 new cases from the outbreak. Of these deaths, one occurred in Tennessee.

South Carolina has the most deaths with two. There have been nine deaths in total from this outbreak. According to the CDC, this is the largest listeriosis outbreak since a 2011 outbreak linked to cantaloupe.

States affected by the outbreak are:

Arizona: 1 case
Florida: 3 cases, 1 death
Georgia: 2 cases
Illinois: 1 case, 1 death
Indiana: 1 case
Maryland: 8 cases
Massachusetts: 3 cases
Minnesota: 1 case
Missouri: 3 cases
New Jersey: 5 cases, 1 death
New Mexico: 1 case, 1 death
New York: 17 cases, 1 death
North Carolina: 1 case
Pennsylvania: 2 cases
South Carolina: 2 cases, 2 deaths
Tennessee: 1 case, 1 death
Virginia: 4 cases, 1 death
Wisconsin: 1 case

What brands are involved in the listeria outbreak?

Products under recall will be under the brands Boar’s Head and Old Country labels. The recall was expanded on July 30 to include 71 total products that were produced between May 10 and July 29. Products will have sell by dates ranging from July 29 to Oct. 17, 2024.

The original list of recalled items included these Boar’s Head products.

Virginia Old Fashioned Ham with sell by date of Aug. 10.
Italian Cappy Style Ham with sell by date of Aug. 10.
Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham with sell by date of Aug. 10.
Bologna with sell by date of Aug. 10.
Beef Salami with sell by date of Aug. 10.
Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat and Eat with sell by date of Aug. 15.
Garlic Bologna with sell by date of Aug. 10.
Beef Bologna with sell by date of Aug. 10.

Boar’s Head facility caused outbreak with insects, mold an mildew

The Department of Agriculture found insects, mold and mildew at the Boar’s Head plant in Virginia linked to the listeria outbreak. There were a total of 69 “noncompliances” filed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors over the past year.

Among the “noncompliances” listed in the records CBS News acquired from the USDA:

July 25, 2024: A flying insect was spotted near a rack holding 980 pounds of Tavern Ham.
July 23, 2024: An inspector found what “appeared to be black mold and mildew” and rust underneath hand washing sinks.
July 17, 2024: Three dead insects found in the Cure Cooler and several more, two of which were alive, in the facility.
June 10, 2024: “Approximately 15-20 flies were observed going in and out of the 4 vats of pickle left in the room” (on the plant’s “raw side”). Also found in other parts of the plant were “small flying gnat like insects were observed crawling on the walls and flying around the room,” plus “a steady line of ants … traveling down the wall floor junction on the right side of the room” and 7 ladybugs, 1 beetle-like insect and 1 cockroach-like insect.
February 21, 2024: “Ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor” in the Raw Receiving cooler. “There was also a rancid smell in the cooler.”

What are the symptoms of listeria?

Symptoms of listeria typically start one to four weeks after eating contaminated foods. The people at most risk from listeria are those who are pregnant, over 65 or have a compromised immune system.

According to the USDA, symptoms include:

Fever
Muscle aches
Headache
Stiff neck
Confusion
Loss of balance
Convulsions
Diarrhea
Other gastrointestinal symptoms
Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and/or life-threatening infection of newborn infants
Death

What foods are most likely to be contaminated with listeria?

The foods most likely to develop listeria are:

Unpasteurized soft cheeses
Unheated cheeses sliced at a deli
Unheated deli meat such as cold cuts, hot dogs and fermented or dried sausages
Premade deli salads such as coleslaw and potato, tuna or chicken salad
Refrigerated pate or meat spreads
Refrigerated smoked fish
Raw or lightly cooked sprouts
Cut melon left out for more than two hours
Cut melon in the refrigerator for more than a week
Raw or unpasteurized milk, yogurt and ice cream

USA TODAY contributed to this report.

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Tennessee

Tennessee’s Quiet Appalachian Town Near Johnson City Is Home To Misty Lake Mornings And A Historic Inn – Islands

Published

4 hours ago

October 28, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee’s Quiet Appalachian Town Near Johnson City Is Home To Misty Lake Mornings And A Historic Inn – Islands

Gentry Hale/Static Media

For those who travel often, there are certain moments that come about, unplanned and unscheduled, that make you fall in love with a place. For me, that happened when I somehow stumbled onto the creaky floorboards of the Ralph Blizard Museum — surrounded by the sounds of fiddles, banjos, harmonicas, and guitars weaving together in perfect harmony. A group of old men sat in a circle, instruments in hand, so enthralled in their music that they didn’t notice me walk in. A typical Friday afternoon jam session that has been happening every week for three decades, it was authentic and wholesome, and a perfect representation of Blountville, Tennessee.

Blountville is located in Sullivan County, about 20 miles north of Johnson City. It is Tennessee’s only unincorporated county seat, as well as one of the oldest towns in the state. Though not as old as Trade — Tennessee’s oldest and easternmost community. Blountville was established in 1795 and named after William Blount, the territorial governor who played a critical role in Tennessee’s path to statehood. It is known for its historical buildings like the Old Deery Inn, constructed in the late 1700s, and the Anderson Townhouse, built in 1792, which is now home to the Ralph Blizard Museum.

Ralph Blizard, also called “the da Vinci of the fiddle,” was a Hall of Fame long-bow fiddler and recipient of the 2002 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. On Friday nights, Appalachian mountain music still drifts from those jam sessions, across the old streets of Blountville, and over nearby Boone Lake, creating a Smoky Mountain ambiance that feels timeless.

Things to do in Blountville, Tennessee

Old historical buildings behind the Deery Inn downtown Blountville.

Dee Browning/Shutterstock

For all its historical charm, Blountville isn’t stuck in the past. There is plenty to do in the area. Roughly 5 miles south of town lies Appalachian Caverns, a spectacular underground world that’s been open to the public since 1991. The caverns feature guided tours through chambers filled with rare karst formations, including butterfly onyx, helictites, and anthodite. Native Americans, early settlers, and even the Boones and Crocketts used these caverns for housing more than 1,300 years ago. Today, the site serves as a bat sanctuary for endangered gray bats alongside six additional species.

About 10 minutes south of Blountville, Boone Lake spreads across 4,400 acres of northeastern Tennessee. The reservoir is a perfect place for fishing, swimming, and other water sports thanks to the boat ramps and courtesy piers that make water access easy for visitors. The lake also sits at the center of the rapidly growing Tri-Cities region, which includes Kingsport, Johnson City, and Bristol — a haven of shops and art galleries. Despite the development around it, Boone Lake maintains a quiet, almost timeless quality.

Timing your visit matters if you want to catch Blountville at its best. Summer brings warm weather perfect for exploring Boone Lake, with temperatures hovering around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and long daylight hours for hiking and boating. But don’t overlook fall, when the surrounding mountains explode in color and the crisp air makes outdoor activities even more enjoyable.

Where to stay and how to get there

Historic Sullivan County courthouse in Blountville, Tennessee

OJUP/Shutterstock

Getting to Blountville requires a bit of planning, but the journey is worth it. The closest major airport is Tri-Cities Regional Airport, which sits just outside of town and serves the region with connecting flights from major hubs. From there, it’s only a short drive into Blountville. If you’re driving from elsewhere in Tennessee, Blountville lies along State Road 126, easily accessible from Interstate 81.

Accommodation options in Blountville itself are limited, given its small size and unincorporated status, but nearby Kingsport and Bristol offer everything from budget motels to comfortable chain hotels. If you want to stay closer to nature, Appalachian Caverns & Campground provides tent sites and RV hookups. Around Boone Lake, several campgrounds and cabin rentals also offer waterfront access for those who want to wake up to mountain views.

Blountville also doesn’t have the tourist infrastructure of larger Tennessee destinations like Gatlinburg, a Tennessee hub for affordable fun, or Nashville. There are no chain restaurants lining the streets and no souvenir shops hawking mass-produced trinkets, either — what you’ll find instead is authenticity. When those musicians at the Ralph Blizard Museum finish their tune and launch into the next one, they’re not performing for tourists. They’re playing because this music is in their bones, passed down through generations, kept alive not out of nostalgia but out of genuine love. That’s the real magic of Blountville, Tennessee.

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Tennessee

Oklahoma announcer apologizes after blasting Tennessee over Neyland Stadium Spanish radio setup

Published

23 hours ago

October 27, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma announcer apologizes after blasting Tennessee over Neyland Stadium Spanish radio setup

This story was updated to add new information.

Oklahoma football play-by-play radio announcer Toby Rowland blasted the University of Tennessee on social media for not providing a booth in the Neyland Stadium press box for the Sooners’ Spanish-speaking radio broadcast for the Nov. 1 game.

Rowland took his complaints directly to X with two posts on Oct. 27, saying he hopes other SEC schools will be “more accomodating” than Tennessee. Three hours later, Rowland posted an apology.

UT replied to Rowland’s initial complaint on X, pointing out that its own Spanish broadcast crew calls the games off site at a studio rather than Neyland Stadium because of space restrictions. Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama are the only SEC schools with a Spanish radio broadcast of football games.

“Tennessee is not providing a broadcast location for our @LosSooners broadcast crew this week. Tennessee suggested we leave them home to broadcast off television. We don’t want to set that unfair precedent. Enrique & Luis are treasured members of the Sooner Radio Team,” Rowland posted on X.

“So we’ve invited them to share our booth Saturday in Knoxville. It’ll be cozy & we may hear each other in background occasionally. But, we’re excited for this experience, value our awesomely talented @LosSooners crew & hope future SEC foes will be more accommodating.”

No. 14 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2 SEC) plays No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2, 2-2 SEC) on Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) at Neyland Stadium.

How Tennessee replied to Oklahoma announcer’s complaint

UT football spokesman Bill Martin replied to Rowland on X, referencing a conversation he previously had with him about the arrangements. He also pointed out that UT’s own Spanish broadcast calls games from the WNML studio, featuring play-by-play announer Carlos Lopez and analyst J.P. Vasquez.

“Toby – look forward to seeing you. For the record, our own Spanish broadcast team doesn’t call the game in our stadium because we have no booth or deck to safely accommodate. They call in a studio,” Martin posted on X. “We are a glass enclosed press box high above. We also have national radio here as well in the secondary booth.

“As has previously been discussed, we have one of the largest home/visiting radio booths with three rows and activated additional lines last week to accommodate both broadcasts in your booth.”

According to Rowland, Oklahoma will have English and Spanish radio crews in the same room, an option that UT offered.

Martin confirmed to Knox News that UT activated an additional broadcast line for the Spanish radio crew at UT’s expense to accomodate Oklahoma.

Two hours after Martin responded to the initial post on X, Rowland replied with an apology.

“My sincere apologies for the tone of my earlier tweet. It was clumsy. Absolutely no shade intended,” Rowland posted. “Simply want fans to know why Saturday’s broadcast may sound different. Tennessee has been 1st class & our entire @OUontheAir & @LosSooners crews can’t wait to be back in Rocky Top!”

Why there’s no extra room for Oklahoma’s second radio crew

Neyland Stadium actually has more booths than most FBS facilities, but the popularity of UT games puts that space at a premium.

There are three radio booths in Neyland Stadium for home, visitor and national radio crews. Most of UT’s SEC games are carried by a national radio broadcast like Westwood One, ESPN Radio or Touchdown Radio.

For the Vols’ game against Oklahoma, Touchdown Radio will be in the third radio booth, which UT is contractually obligated to provide.

The rest of the press box is designated for the TV broadcast crew, home and visiting coaches and writers covering the game.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Three Titans DBs Suffer Injuries vs. Colts

Published

2 days ago

October 26, 2025

Press Room

Three Titans DBs Suffer Injuries vs. Colts

The Tennessee Titans continue to get bit by the injury bug against the Indianapolis Colts, especially in the secondary.

In the second half, three Titans defensive backs have dealt with injuries that are compromising them against the Colts.

Amani Hooker walking off with trainers @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 26, 2025

Hooker, a seventh-year pro that has spent his entire career with the Titans, suffered the injury while attempting to tackle Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Hooker has dealt with injuries throughout his career and it seems as though it happens at some point every season.

Hooker signed a three-year extension with the Titans this offseason worth $48.6 million and is one of the top defensive backs the team has. Losing him for a long period of time would be a big loss for the Titans defense.

Darrell Baker Jr just walked off slowly with @Titans trainers
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 26, 2025

Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. has stepped up to the plate this season, especially after second-year pro Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was traded to the New York Jets. On top of L’Jarius Sneed being placed on injured reserve earlier this week, the Titans need Baker to be part of the team.

According to team reporter Jim Wyatt, Baker is being evaluated for a concussion and has entered the league’s protocol.

Xavier Woods is QUEST to return with hamstring for @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) October 26, 2025
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Woods signed a two-year deal with the Titans in the offseason coming off a year in which he was the Carolina Panthers leader in tackles. This season, Woods ranks fourth on the team in that category behind Hooker, Cody Barton and Cedric Gray.

Losing Woods is also another major loss for the Titans secondary, especially with all of the other injuries piling up for the team.

The Titans have the aforementioned Sneed (quad) and safety Mike Brown (knee) on injured reserve. With three more injuries to the secondary, the Titans are running out of bodies and options to play against a Colts offense that ranks No. 1 in the NFL this season.

The Titans can turn to cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, Kendell Brooks, Roger McCreary, former Colts player Samuel Womack and sixth-round rookie Marcus Harris out of California. At the safety spot, the Titans have veteran Quandre Diggs and third-round rookie Kevin Winston Jr., who has been given a role increase before the injuries came about.

The Titans also have Alex Johnson and Sam Webb on the practice squad, both of whom could be given consideration for an elevation if any of these injuries linger into next week.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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