Tennessee
Middle Tennessee first responders continue to provide aid to flood victims
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Several law enforcement and emergency response agencies in Middle Tennessee are continuing to help flood victims in East Tennessee following Hurricane Helene.
At least four weather-related deaths have been reported in that region, including one in Johnson County, one in Unicoi County, and two in Cocke County. In addition, more than 150 people are unaccounted for across multiple counties as of 3:50 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).
Even though Middle Tennessee experienced localized flooding and downed trees, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) described the damage in East Tennessee as “vast.” As of midday Sunday, the damage statistics on state roadways are as follows:
By late Sunday afternoon, the department reported its crews had inspected more than 100 bridges in the previous 36 hours, with hundreds more to go.
WATCH: TDOT updates storm damage to East Tennessee roads after widespread flooding
According to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office, the biggest requests so far have been for bottled water and ambulances. Lt. Chris Vines and three Sumner County detectives traveled to affected areas to hand out water.
The Dickson County Sheriff’s Office also collected bottled water, filling an entire semi-truck and two mid-sized trailers. Sheriff Tim Eads said his deputies plan to make stops in Cocke, Greene, and Unicoi counties starting Monday, Sept. 30.
“We have all seen the flood damage in East Tennessee from the hurricane. Our brothers and sisters from the affected areas have reached out for help and we plan on doing just that,” said Eads.
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Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis and another deputy have also rendered aid in the region. According to Davis, Unicoi County officials have asked for more cadaver dogs since they only have four on the ground, which can only work for two hours at a time without rest.
“As our people are being rescued, we will rejoice with them for their safety. As we locate our dead, we will mourn with their loved ones and show true love and compassion,” Glen White, mayor of Erwin, told reporters on Sunday.
Six Metro Nashville Police Department officers have also been deployed to East Tennessee, officials told News 2.
Middle TN agencies aid rescue missions in East TN after devastating floods
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has been involved in rescuing multiple people and animals from submerged buildings in the aftermath of the flooding, saying, “We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and support our officers have been receiving. Tennesseans have the best volunteer spirit and sense of community in the nation. We are proud to call Tennessee home.”
The agency urges community members not to deploy their own boats into the water since debris and swift water make navigation difficult.
As for the Middle Tennessee fire departments getting involved in relief efforts, Lawrence County Fire and Rescue and the Lawrenceburg Fire Department said their personnel have responded to a variety of incidents in East Tennessee Sunday, including the rescue of a wheelchair-ridden man who was in an area where roads had washed out, as well as search efforts that were impeded by heavy showers, eroded roads, and even a landslide that blocked a departure route. In addition, while trying to get teams across a heavily-eroded road, a volunteer firefighter’s 16-year-old son reportedly sustained deep lacerations to his left arm from a chainsaw accident, so he had to be brought to the nearest hospital.
Over in Maury County, the Maury County Fire Department said a team consisting of its personnel, along with personnel from Spring Hill, Columbia, Mt. Pleasant, and Lawrence County, left Sunday night for Unicoi County, where they plan to help with the foot search for more than 30 missing people.
The McMinnville Fire Department said it is taking donations to help those impacted by the storm damage in Helene. Community members are encouraged to drop off bottled water, packaged food items, personal care items, household cleaning items, tarps, flashlights, batteries, garbage bags, etc. at Station 1 or Station 2 by Friday, Oct. 4.
While it’s not an emergency response agency, Mt. Juliet 4 Hope is still compiling donations for the East TN Disaster Relief Fund. If you want to contribute, click here.
A fund with the East Tennessee Foundation has also been established to collect monetary donations for impacted counties, according to TEMA.
How to help victims of Hurricane Helene
TEMA advised civilians on Saturday, Sept. 28 to avoid visiting disaster areas until conditions become safer. The agency asked those who want to get involved with cleanup efforts to wait until local officials offer guidance. To read TEMA’s latest report outlining the status of power and utilities issues, missing persons totals, shelter locations, and responses from various state agencies, click here.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee National Guard said it is working with TEMA, providing 24-hour, ground and aerial rescue support to those in need.
On Friday, Sept. 27, officials said three UH-60L Blackhawk helicopters performed nearly 60 aerial rescues of Tennesseans trapped by floodwaters, including hospital staff and patients at Unicoi County Hospital.
The next day, seven Blackhawk helicopters from Knoxville and Nashville’s Berry Field continued rescue missions in East Tennessee. According to the Tennessee National Guard, not only did they save nearly 15 citizens, but they also performed critical missions like dam and bridge assessments, damaged area surveys, and transporting critical supplies. They are also working with Nashville Fire Department as part of Tennessee’s Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to help those in need. These aviators continued rescue and relief operations throughout the affected areas on Sunday.
In addition, members of Smyrna’s 45th Civil Support Team — who are certified swift water rescue technicians — deployed to East Tennessee to help with rescue operations, authorities said.
“These missions are all being coordinated through the Tennessee Military Department’s Joint Emergency Operations Center…Today, they deployed a debris removal team, comprised of more than 50 engineering specialists from Trenton’s 230th Engineer Battalion and Knoxville’s 134th Air Refueling Wing, to East Tennessee to assist restoring critical infrastructure,” the Tennessee National Guard said in a statement Sunday afternoon. “The Tennessee National Guard is continuing rescue and relief efforts and will continue as long as needed. If someone needs assistance, please contact your local authorities.”
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The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has opened a hotline to report those who may be missing in the aftermath of the floods. Callers should be prepared to share as much information in their report as possible, including names, phone numbers, vehicle identification and last known location. However, callers are asked to refrain from inquiring about personal properties that may have gone missing in the area. To make a missing person report, call 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Tennessee
Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley not looking ahead after Ensworth’s season ends vs McCallie
There was a reason Tennessee football commit Ethan Utley didn’t make any trips to Knoxville during the home stretch of Ensworth’s season.
Utley wanted to be fully locked into the Tigers’ TSSAA football playoffs run.
That’s one reason why Friday’s tearful postgame was so difficult. McCallie ended Ensworth’s season, defeating the Tigers 31-7 to advance to the Division II-AAA state final on Dec. 5 in Chattanooga against Baylor.
Utley, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound four-star defensive lineman, doesn’t know if he’ll enroll early at Tennessee yet. He hasn’t been thinking that far ahead. Everything lately, he said, was about the Tigers trying to reach their first TSSAA football state championship game since 2014.
“It hurts and it will hurt for a while. My mind was set on going to the state championship,” Utley said. “All the personal stuff, it doesn’t really matter. I knew Ensworth was going to be my home and where I would graduate from. I never wanted to transfer. My seniors and I gave it everything we could and just fell short.”
Ensworth (11-1) trailed just 7-0 at halftime. McCallie (10-2) began to put the game out of reach when Vanderbilt commitment Carson Lawrence returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown to go up 21-7 with 10:46 left.
Utley, who appeared in all 45 of Ensworth’s games since the beginning of his freshman season, played through an injury most of the second half until the pain became too much. He said he was kneed in one of his nerves in his right shin. He was helped to the bench by Ensworth staffers late in the fourth quarter.
“I told myself if it has to end this way, I’m going to have to get dragged off this field,” Utley said. “And that’s what happened.”
Utley is the No. 3 prospect from Tennessee in the 2025 class and No. 21 defensive lineman nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. He intends to sign with the Volunteers when the early period begins Dec. 4.
“He’s super athletic for his size, very smart,” Ensworth coach Tim Hasselbeck said. “Depending on how he wants to change his body in the weight room, how he eats, he’ll figure out what position he’ll play. I think he could play on either side of the ball. He’s got a very bright future.”
Utley was an easy teammate to get along with, Hasselbeck said. That’s where Utley’s focus was Friday as he hugged players on the field one last time.
But he knows a big stage awaits in Knoxville.
“I’m excited for the competition. I’m grateful to be able to go play Division I football in the SEC. Most kids can’t say they can go do that,” Utley said. “I’ve been through some hard times. For that to be my next step, I’m more than blessed. When I get healthy and get my body right, get back in that weight room, get back on the field and start attacking it more, I’ll start getting ready for the bigger things ahead.”
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Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
The Tennessee Titans are finishing up their practice runs before facing the Houston Texans in Week 12, but there is a key player on the offense who won’t be making the trip to the Lone Star State.
According to team reporter Jim Wyatt, running back Tyjae Spears has been ruled out for the team’s game against the Texans as he has yet to clear the league’s concussion protocol.
Spears, a second-year pro out of Tulane, has been bit many times by the injury bug this season. The Week 12 contest will mark Spears’ fourth game missed this season.
So far this season, Spears has ran the ball 43 times for 161 yards and a touchdown.
With Spears out, starting running back Tony Pollard will continue to have a bulk of the carries while Julius Chestnut and Josh Kelley handle backup duties.
Also out for the Titans is offensive tackle Leroy Watson IV. Linebacker Jack Gibbens and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed are also ruled out on the injury report, but both of them will be placed on injured reserve.
Kickoff between the Titans and Texans is set for 12 noon CT on Sunday inside NRG Stadium.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Vouchers are the school’s choice, not school choice.
Vouchers allow discrimination on special needs kids and any family who doesn’t fit the school’s “values.”
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As expected, Gov. Bill Lee and his Republican supermajority in the legislature have filed their latest version of a statewide voucher proposal.
Once again, this new version is jam-packed with all kinds of seemingly nice things tacked on to try and distract people from the fact that this is all a scam designed to defund public education. Lee and his voucher scammers want you to pay attention to the long overdue teacher raises and the newly-dedicated funding source for school construction projects promised in the bill.
But let’s face it − if they were really serious about the proposals, they would have already done them. They wouldn’t have to tie them to a bait-and-switch scheme to designed to undermine public education and make out-of-state billionaire voucher backers happy.
Vouchers aren’t improving student school test scores
Here’s what’s underneath all the pretty packaging. Here’s what Governor Lee is not telling you about his voucher scam:
First of all, Lee wants you believe that he wants to expand vouchers statewide because of the success of the pilot program. However, the pilot program is not a proven success.
In fact, Lee’s own handpicked education commissioner had to admit before the Senate Education Committee this past January that the academic scores of the students in the voucher program, well, in her own words: “aren’t anything to write home about.”
In fact, according to the Department of Education’s annual report on the pilot program, the “exceeded expectations” scores for the state’s participating Education Savings Accounts schools only grew by an average of 0.4% in math and 1.2% in English Language Arts − and far less than the margins of public schools.
So since, the test scores aren’t dramatically improving, the governor wants to direct your attention to how the parents currently enrolled the program are satisfied with it. But again, let’s look at who those parents really are.
Vouchers do not cover the cost of the average private school
The average price of a private school in Nashville is estimated to cost around $12,000. In Memphis, it’s a little under $10,500. So, if you wanted to send to your child to a private school, you’re still going to have to be able pay thousands of additional dollars a year just for tuition.
That doesn’t include transportation or any other needs.
So, the people Lee claims he really wants to help − the working people who are struggling to put food on the table − are still priced out.
For example, according to a 2023 Time magazine article, in Arizona more than 75% of new voucher applicants had never actually attended public school before and not to mention the uncontrolled $1.4 billion hole vouchers caused in Arizona’s budget.
Vouchers leave out the most vulnerable students
Finally, as the governor gives out these “entitlement” payments to families that can already afford it, our public schools get further left behind.
Private schools get to pick their students, meaning that many students are excluded, including the most vulnerable who need the most help.
Vouchers end up excluding most disadvantaged students because they simply aren’t desirable for many private schools. That includes students with disabilities who use Individualized Education Plans, which this bill expressively says private schools don’t have to continue.
Vouchers are the school’s choice, not school choice.
Vouchers allow discrimination on special needs kids and any family who doesn’t fit the school’s “values.”
I would urge people to not be fooled by all of the shiny bells and whistles attached to this new voucher scam bill. Don’t be fooled by the words the governor is saying − take a good, hard look at what he’s not telling you.
Vouchers aren’t good education policy or conservative; it’s just a scam to defund your local school to align to a misguided political ideology.
State Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, represents District 59 (part of Davidson County) in the Tennessee General Assembly.
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