LATEST NEWS
1 dead, 2 injured in Cosby Highway collision
A passenger died and the drivers of two vehicles involved in a collision Thursday afternoon in Newport suffered serious injuries. According to a crash report from the Newport Police Department, the accident occurred at around 12:39 p.m. on US 321 (Cosby Highway) when the driver of a 2005 Honda Accord EX appeared to be making a turn onto Templin struck a 2010 Honda Accord with both cars sustaining heavy front end damage. ...
Man denies driving stolen vehicle, footage indicates otherwise
A man seen rolling on the ground behind a vehicle and then standing on top of it, denied he was driving the vehicle, which had been reported stolen. However, video obtained by law enforcement appears to indicate otherwise. According to an incident report, Newport Police Department (NPD) Officer Lindsey Laughter was dispatched to 128 Old Cosby Road on the evening of April 23 for a report of the man rolling around on the ground behind a Jeep Wagoneer. Upon arrival, Laughter ran the vehicle’s registration...
Cocke County's jobless rate shows marked improvement
There was good news for Cocke County following the release of March county unemployment numbers Thursday by the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development (TDLWD). After checking in with the highest unemployment rate in the state for February at an adjusted 4.6%, Cocke County’s unemployment rate for March showed substantial improvement, falling to only 4%, representing a 13% decrease over last month’s unemployment rate. Worth noting too is that...
RaceTrac Travel Center site plan gets tentative OK
NEWPORT — The Newport Regional Planning Commission met in regular session on Tuesday afternoon. It gave tentative approval for the site plan for RaceTrac Travel Center at 1100 West Highway 25-70 pending staff approval of minor revisions. The site plan required some revisions per the recommendations of Planner Kathryn Baldwin. Baldwin explained there is an ordinance that requires landscaping between the building and public street and while the plan was good for the side of the building on Generation Drive there needed to be some...
Cocke County grand jury hands down indictments
NEWPORT — Members of the Cocke County grand jury met April 15, 2024 and indicted a number of individuals on criminal charges. Arraignments will be held in Cocke County Circuit Court. The following is a list of those indicted by the grand jury. Court records do not identify persons by age, address or occupation and there may be other people with the same or similar names. Joshua Robert Arrington, burglary...
Trucker dies in rollover accident on I-40 in Newport
A tractor-trailer driver died Tuesday morning following a rollover accident on I-40 in Newport. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), Larry D. Wells, 65, died when the 2024 Freightliner he was driving left the roadway. THP reports Wells was traveling eastbound on I-40 at the 435 mile marker when his vehicle went off the left side of the roadway striking the cable barrier. It then went down an embankment...
System failure brings end to NU fixed wireless service
NEWPORT — Newport Utilities (NU) said that a problem with their fixed wireless service has resulted in the utility having to tell the 250 subscribers to the service they are no longer able to provide service. “The number of subscribers fluctuated as there were a number of subscribers that left before it finally failed, but it was approximately 250 subscribers that were served via our fixed wireless service,” said NU Vice President of Operations and Technology Chris Calhoun. “This number could have been far more,...
Porky's Hobby Corner: Weekend trip to Bulls Gap Train Show includes museums
Welcome back to Porky's Hobby Corner. We will come back to slot cars next month, so don't worry. Go run some more warm-up laps. This month, Porky’s Corner is hitting the road. It’s time for a train show review and visit. I had the opportunity to attend the second annual Bulls Gap Train Show on Saturday, April 13. I would like to call this event "The Biggest Little Train Show" in East Tennessee because it's exactly that with real trains rolling on the nearby tracks, model trains a walk away and the outstanding Southern Railway Museum to admire some “railroadiana.”
Report: Caller convinces employee to break door, take money from safe
A juvenile employee at a local motel may have been the unwitting victim of a hoax caller posing as the juvenile’s manager according to a Newport Police Department incident report. According to the report filed by Officer Andy Oliver on Friday, April 19, he was dispatched to Quality Inn where the manager told him an employee had broken a door and broke into the safe. Oliver then reports speaking to...
Thirsty Orange Festival, spring markets, beach volleyball and more | Weekend Events in the Tri-Cities
TRI-CITIES, Tenn./Va. (WJHL) — Thirsty Orange Beer Festival, local spring and artisan markets, beach volleyball in Greeneville and more take place this weekend across the Tri-Cities. Below are events happening throughout the region from Friday through Sunday. SWVA Artisan Conference NAIA Beach Volleyball Invitational Grace Fellowship Joy Prom Thirsty Orange Beer Festival Kingsport Farmers Market […]
Lady Red show ‘fight’ to win regular season district title
In the fifth inning on Thursday, Danny Hartsell pulled his Cocke County softball team into a huddle. They trailed 2-0 against Carter at the time, with Hartsell citing his own mistakes as the reason for the deficit. So when he looked into his players’ eyes, Hartsell was frank with them. “Look,” he said, “somebody has...
Donation to Newport Fire
Members of Masonic Lodge 118 were on hand at the April 15 Newport City Council meeting to donate fire suppression devices, a followup to their earlier donation to the St. Paul Park Fire Department. The group also plans on making a county donation. Shown above from left to right are Tom Burbank, Warren Lynch, Bob Bay, Stephen Ingram, Newport Fire Chief Steve Wiley, County Commissioner Karla Bigham, and Al Rieder. Not shown: John Hawthorne.
PHOTO GALLERY: Bulldogs fend off Bars in 8 innings
BULLS GAP — The Bulls Gap Bulldogs won a baseball thriller on Monday night, defeating the Boones Creek Bars 13-12 in eight innings. It was eighth grade night at Bulls Gap. Leland Bair, Keegan Smith, Grayson Hughes, Liam Earle, Gabe Chandler, Parker Arnott, Keaton Riley and Colby Short were honored after the game. The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Bulldogs had a big...
Drug Take Back Day gives East Tennesseans the chance to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs
On April 27, several East Tennessee law enforcement agencies and nonprofits will collect unwanted or unused prescription medication as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.