LATEST NEWS

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Blount County Sheriff's Office said two 12-year-old boys from Maryville were charged with burglary and vandalism of a church and two other homes earlier this month. According to BCSO, the boys were each charged with the following delinquent charges:. • Two counts of aggravated burglary. •...

Two 12-year-old boys were charged with felonies after the burglary of a burglary and vandalism of a church and two homes in May, the Blount County Sheriff's Office says.

BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A pharmacy chain in Blount County is one of many local pharmacies and medical facilities impacted by the medical supply chain shortage. Shortages of medical supplies have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report issued by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary […]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Two 12-year-old boys are facing charges in a church vandalism incident that happened in mid-May, according to officials with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to Smyrna Baptist Church on Howard School Road on May 13, officials said, on the report of burglary and...

On May 13, the Blount County Sheriff's Office responded to the church where they found what they estimate to be $200,000 worth of damage.

BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — In Blount County, the median home price is around $353,700, according to a report from Rocket Homes. However, a family was able to get one for free from the Tennessee Department of Transportation. There was one catch — they had to move the home somewhere...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It's graduation season and some graduates are planning to pursue careers outside of East Tennessee. However, a Blount County group is working to keep those recent graduates in the area — the Blount Partnership. The partnership has an annual job signing day where students officially...

First Baptist Alcoa is the new location for the Blount County Boys and Girls Club. The shared space will be cheaper and give more opportunities for kids in the area.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - On Wednesday, church members spent hours cleaning Smyrna Baptist Church following a midnight burglary and vandalism in May. According to the the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, between May 13th and the 20th two 12-year old’s, who live nearby, broke into the church and two other homes. The damage totaled up on about $200,000.

Blount County Sheriff’s deputies have charged a pair of 12-year-old boys with felonies following the burglary and vandalism of a Maryville church and two homes in mid-May. Sheriff’s investigators say the boys did $200,000 in damages to the church. A release posted to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page says the boys were charged May 23, with an initial court appearance May 25. One of the boys was held in custody an additional week due to his behavior in court. The other has been...

A week after the Blount County Commission adopted changes to local rules meant to foster lower-density housing, the county’s planning commission approved early and final plans for the development of 207 residential lots split between two different subdivisions during their Thursday, May 25, meeting. The county commission’s changes —mandating larger lot sizes for certain new homes and ending provisions for a specific kind of high-density residential development — didn’t affect either of the two subdivisions approved by the planning commission Thursday. ...

The Blount County Fire Protection District responded to a fire that destroyed a detached garage at a home in Walland early Monday morning, May 29. Fire Captain Butch Campbell said a resident worked to keep the flames from spreading until firefighters arrived. First responders were dispatched to the fire on East Leatherwood Drive at 3:13 a.m. Campbell said firefighters arrived on scene seven minutes later. According to a police report, Blount County Sheriff’s Deputies helped evacuate the nearby home while a resident used a garden hose to keep the fire from spreading. The Fire Protection District responded with a total of 12 personnel in seven vehicles. The fire was controlled at 4:38 a.m., although Campbell said the garage was considered a total loss. The nearby home suffered some burn marks and broken windows. No injuries were reported.

Tennessee is investing $3.3 billion to fund transportation projects and accommodate the state’s record growth. Along with the investment, Tennessee Department of Transportation is adjusting how projects are funded in hopes of decongesting traffic in dense cities while being able to afford projects in rural areas. Statewide increases in job availability and population encouraged legislators to look at making the large investment. Blount County’s pending Smith & Wesson and Amazon...

The United Veterans of Blount County held a ceremony Saturday, May 27, at RIO Revolution Church in Maryville, in observance of Memorial Day. Lloyd Hansen, a combat veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, served as the primary speaker at the event.

DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee Inc. has awarded $2,000 scholarships to nine local high school students. Four members of the Maryville High School Class of 2023 whose parents work at the company were selected for scholarships: Abram Abbott, who will attend the University of Tennessee; Caden Keasler, who will attend UT at Chattanooga; Mackenzie Pope, who will attend Maryville College; and Drew Wallace, who will attend the University of West Florida. Reagan Lawrence, a graduate of L&N Stem Academy who will attend UT Chattanooga also received a...

Early settlers in our region were mostly young, healthy, and hardy. They had to be. To get to what is now Blount County they had quite a journey. If you look to the east at the mountains that dominate the landscape, it seems like an impossible feat. Unlike travelers today their options were few and their modes of transportation limited by the early roads that were mostly pathways. The most widely used route for settlement of the south was what was known as The Great...

Staff Reports A Knoxville man charged with leaving the scene of an accident that took the life of a Kodak man has now been charged with vehicular homicide, according to Marian O’Briant, public information officer for the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Jeremy Shaun Valentine, 31, was being held in lieu of bonds increased to $400,000. Valentine was initially arrested May 19 after a search by law enforcement to find the...

Over 250 acres of farmland off Wildwood Road sold for $7.1 million, as noted in Blount County deed records for the week of May 15. Throughout 2022, the same property and a smaller one adjoining it — the former Peery and Norton family farms — was a hot topic for Alcoa and Wildwood residents. The city of Alcoa’s annexation of both properties led to lawsuits from Blount County and Wildwood Neighborhood Association. ...