Knoxville News Sentinel
Heart and soul
During the past 80 years, Dolly Parton has given the world so much: hit songs, uplifting movies, a wildly popular East Tennessee theme park, funds to help the victims of fire and flood, even a COVID vaccine. On the occasion of her birthday, we look at...
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UT athletics exceeds $300M in revenues
University of Tennessee athletics reached an eye-opening $304 million in revenue in the 2024-25 fiscal year and posted its largest surplus in recent memory, records show. It’s a win-win on the ledger for the Vols amid a skyrocketing period of...
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Family settles lawsuit with Knoxville officers
A settlement has been reached between three Knoxville police officers and the family of Anthony Thompson Jr., the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by a KPD officer inside an AustinEast Magnet High School bathroom in 2021. The settlement has not...
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West High student given scholarship
In the midst of a heated basketball rivalry game, Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission members took to the basketball court to present Anaiah Murphy, a West High School student, with a scholarship and an award as part of the first MLK...
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$3M endowment could shape our nuclear future
The Tennessee Valley Authority is giving $3 million to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s nuclear engineering department, as the nation’s largest public power provider aims to ramp up nuclear development in alignment with President Donald...
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New ‘Butcher Building’ owner starts with leg up
Riverview Tower − known widely as the Truist Building and to longtime locals as the “C.H. Butcher Building” − is an iconic part of Knoxville’s skyline and home to dozens of companies that enjoy views of downtown and the Tennessee River across 23...
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Love your job? Here’s how to join our Top Workplaces
As Knox News marks 10 years of Top Workplaces with our research partner Energage, we’re inviting companies of all sizes to participate for a chance to be recognized as one of Knoxville’s standout employers. Energage conducts these surveys in 65...
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A supersized year in Knoxville fast food
Two unconventional Taco Bells opened in Knoxville this past year − one dine-in only, the other with only a drive-thru − while another fast-food brand that “bleeds orange” announced it was coming to Vol country. Unfortunately for McDonald’s, the McRib’s...
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INFLATION HITS HOME
The U.S. housing market is hot, but Knoxville’s is superheated. Home prices have risen by more than 150%, outpacing almost every major American city — including Nashville. This is how homebuyers and renters
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What Knoxville Habitat hopes for its neighborhood
Right now, yellow excavators and other heavy pieces of machinery are preparing land just off Asheville Highway in Strawberry Plains. Eventually, The Plains will be home to 74 families. Knoxville Habitat for Humanity has broken ground on its newest...
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New UT theater combines technology, campus history
The new theater on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus is a versatile and intimate venue that brings students into the modern era of stage production while paying homage to the theater that came before. The Jenny Boyd Theatre began...
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New brew for coffee lovers in Knoxville
There’s nothing like a good cup of coffee to start a new day – or a new year. Knoxville is a coffeeloving town, and thanks to an influx of new coffee spots popping up during 2025, Knoxville has even more options for where to find the perfect classic...
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IT’S FOOTBALL TIME!
Tennessee football had four losses this season, and EA Sports College Football 26 predicted all but one. Now, we’re back to see whether the video game can correctly guess the outcome of the Vols’ visit to Nashville for the Music City Bowl against...
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Trump pardoned 15 people this year for TN crimes
Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump has granted clemency to 15 Tennesseans or those who committed crimes in Tennessee. That’s more than almost every other state in the country. The crimes committed range from conspiracy to defraud...
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We laughed, we cried, we connected
Over the course of a year, our Knox News visual journalists have seen - and photographed - it all: the inaugural season of a new baseball stadium and a landmark season of East Tennessee landmark Dollywood, high school proms and political protests, huge...
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TYS plots future course to going international
McGhee Tyson Airport is growing, and it’s not ruling out a shift that would take it from a domestic airport to an international hub. McGhee Tyson grew the fastest of all major U.S. airports in 2024. And 2025 could be another record year, according to...
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2026 looks filled with arrivals
The year is rolling to a close, and we have looked at the restaurants we lost in 2025 − places like Babalu and Landing House. But for each closing, a new restaurant makes its way to town. Long-awaited chains opened in 2025, like Raising Cane’s, Swig...
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Man makes memories working on Christmas
Normally, Trevor Townsend walks into the warm, wooden dining room of the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and finds a sweet, elderly couple sitting at their favorite table on Christmas Day. “You literally have to make sure you had time because they...
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Siblings provide food, blankets – a warm gesture in mom’s memory
Alex Witherspoon’s mom was the kind of person who looked out for everyone. She volunteered at a women’s shelter, at churches and with older adults. As a single mother, she took in young family members and foster children who needed a place to...
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Businesses span hot mustard to farm stays
University of Tennessee at Knoxville students might have just the gift you are looking for this holiday season. h In between lectures and studying, some UT students run their own businesses with support from the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and...
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Pretty in pink
become a holiday sensation — landing on Oprah’s Favorite Things list and decorating America’s most famous home multiple times. We explore how this local company turned sparkle into a global business and why its roots remain firmly planted in East...
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‘Use your hands and use your heart to help’
A federal judge has denied professor Tamar Shirinian’s request to return to the classroom as her lawsuit plays out against the University of Tennessee at Knoxville over her suspension for a crass comment she made about the assassination of Charlie...
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Amid return of Gay Street Bridge, some wonder if JFG sign is next
With the Gay Street bridge now open to pedestrians and cyclists, next up on Knoxville’s wish list is for three letters that once sparkled nearby − JFG − to return to the city’s skyline. The iconic JFG Coffee sign on the hill near the south end of the...
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Zaevion Dobson’s legacy stays strong
Zenobia Dobson will spend Dec. 17 the way she’s spent that day for the past decade: Doing the things her late son, Zaevion, would want her to do, quietly remembering him while spending time with Lonsdale kids to promote education and fun. h And she’s...
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Completion nears for new Gay Street condos
Six years of planning, designing and building at the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill Drive has nearly wrapped up to bring 53 condos and a mix of businesses to what has long been considered a missing link in downtown Knoxville. The $30 million...
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After ’25 budget cuts, park leaders are wary
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hiring for 2026. But after 2025 changes led to staffing and budget cuts to national parks across the country and the longest federal government shutdown in history, what’s ahead for the country’s most-visited...
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Reporting on nuclear in East Tennessee
Eight decades removed from the Manhattan Project, the city of Oak Ridge in East Tennessee remains a hub for advancing the capabilities and production of advanced types of energy, especially amid President Donald Trump’s push for American nuclear...
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ICE arrests worker lawfully in U.S.
Attorneys for a Maryville man arrested at his job site by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers have filed a habeas corpus petition challenging his incarceration, which they say is unlawful. Diego Hernandez Garcia was arrested Dec. 11...
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Judge to decide on return soon
Suspended University of Tennessee at Knoxville professor Tamar Shirinian won’t have to wait much longer before she learns whether she can return to the classroom. Shirinian asked a U.S. District Court last month to allow her to resume her duties after...
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March opening date comes with surprise
The Tennessee Theatre’s $24 million expansion into a building two doors down will open to the public in March after years of behind-the-scenes work. The March 20 opening date was announced Dec. 9, along with details about the top floor of the...
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Knoxville bypass plan among TDOT options
Congestion on Interstate 40 is not a new problem for Knoxville, and a bypass is not a new solution. h For more than 50 years, local drivers have shared the road with road trippers where Interstates 40 and 75 converge west of downtown Knoxville. The...
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Weigel’s Family Christmas gives kids a gift-shopping spree
Weigel’s Family Christmas is a perfectly orchestrated morning of chaotic Christmas joy. h The annual event from the Weigel family and Weigel’s stores brings together hundreds of children to shop for whatever their hearts desire at the Target on Clinton...
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Help fill the empty stockings
There is so much to be thankful for this year, and there are so many ways you can choose to give back in appreciation. The generosity of East Tennesseans is unparalleled. We see it every year in our News Sentinel Charities Empty Stocking Fund drive to...
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What’s after Trump?
After Republican Matt Van Epps cruised comfortably to victory Dec. 2 in a Middle Tennessee special election for Congress, the 13-point advantage Donald Trump racked up in the same district little more than a year earlier raises a critical question in...
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‘A different concept’
After years of back-and-forth plans for the former TVA Credit Union on Gay Street, property owner Ilana Brodt has decided to turn the building into a high-end, energy-efficient hotel with boutique retail space that embraces downtown Knoxville’s artsy...
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KNOXVILLE APPEAL
The hottest city in the United States is not New York or Nashville; it’s Knoxville. A recent moveBuddha report forecast which U.S. cities will see the most move-ins and growth in the upcoming year. Knoxville topped the list, proving to be the most...
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A HOME
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ staff told him he was out of his mind when he devised a plan to get almost 15% of the county’s homeless veterans off the streets. But work started last spring and in a few short months, county officials and community...
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Knox Street Medicine goes where it’s needed
When we think about resources for people who are homeless, warming shelters and meal services typically come to mind. A Knoxville nonprofit is providing a different type of aid: health care. Knox Street Medicine Outreach operates primarily by taking...
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Heupel ponders Tennessee moves
Josh Heupel got to the postgame podium faster than he ever has as a Tennessee football coach. He had a two-word message to review the Vols’ 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt: “Extremely disappointing.” Heupel said it three times during his brief opening...
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What moves people to back the Empty Stocking Fund?
I was talking today to Sophie Szydlik, our talented video coordinator, about ideas for a short video promoting the News Sentinel Charities Empty Stocking Fund. What’s the best approach, we discussed, to motivating someone to donate? Why should people...
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Rates are down, and the market’s heating up
Whether you’re buying or selling a home, this is the time to act. Know your home’s value. Then make your move. Scan this code for a free valuation and the insight you need to plan your next step.
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‘True champion’ for Knoxville dies
Former Knoxville Mayor Randy Tyree, the self-described “farm boy” who brought the 1982 World’s Fair to Knoxville, died on Nov. 24. He was 85. h Tyree was elected Knoxville mayor in 1975 and served in the position from 1976-84. During his tenure, he...
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Was woman’s arrest a made-for-TV event?
Donna Dillon couldn’t imagine why five Knox County Sheriff ’s Office squad cars were rolling into her quiet cul-de-sac in Hardin Valley just after 9 p.m. on June 28. h To her shock, they were there to arrest her. The deputies had a warrant, more than...
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Relief coming, but McGhee Tyson is going to be busy for the holidays
Knoxville’s airport will be busy in the days before and after Thanksgiving. It’s a growing hub, and it’s looking to expand parking options for travelers. But its nearly $200 million parking garage project is a work in progress, and for people looking...
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Vols finally drain The Swamp
GAINESVILLE, FL – Tennessee football fans sang, “It’s great to be a Tennessee Vol!” long after Florida fans had abandoned Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. h In fact, many Gator fans left The Swamp when No. 20 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) led 31-0 at halftime....
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AD White: Tennessee is exploring Neyland expansion
Athletics director Danny White said the University of Tennessee is considering an expansion of the north end zone sections of Neyland Stadium as demand for tickets remains high. “Vol Nation, With the Vanderbilt game now sold out, we are up to 27...
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Cutting-edge turf research happening
Sixteen stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico will host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is leading the research to ensure turf quality is pristine and consistent across all 104 matches next...
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A century of saluting veterans
For 100 years, Knoxville has honored its veterans with a parade. American Legion Post 2 started the tradition and has continued it over the course of a century. In 1925, Union and Confederate Civil War veterans marched on Gay Street, followed by...
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‘We’re still open’
When Amy Warner drives along the Parkway in Pigeon Forge in the morning, she pays close attention to hotel parking lots. h “You can tell if there’s heads in the beds,” the assistant director for the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism said. A full...
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Back to the future
With its offerings and popularity both steadily on the rise, what will theme park be a quarter-century from now?
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2 founding players relish One Knox SC’s fast growth
Scan for our guide to Covenant Health Park, organized in a free, user-friendly Knoxpedia chapter about the stadium and its teams. Dani Fernandez looked at the FC Tulsa goalkeeper and took one last deep breath. One Knoxville SC’s home opener April 26...
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Museum will tell story of women’s fight to vote
The South is often dismissed as a place that’s slow to change, Wanda Sobieski acknowledges. But what those who discount the region might not know is that Tennessee played a critical role in the revolutionary fight for women’s right to...
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Winners express gratitude and share their visions
Knoxville voters elected five new people to represent them on the Knoxville City Council. It’s the first election in decades where only members of a district could weigh in on their representatives. Turnout was high Nov. 4 compared to similar city...
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Election results and analysis are in
A national group that seeks to end affirmative action is threatening to sue Knox County. The American Alliance for Equal Rights emailed each member of the county commission early Nov. 4 saying the county’s “supplier-diversity program” violates the...
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SNAP set to resume with a half payment
The Trump administration will send partial payments to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries in November, according to a federal court filing. The administration said it would “fulfill its obligation” to release the funds, using a...
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Vols hinted that letdown was near
Tennessee football played with fire all season and finally got burned. h The 14th-ranked Vols’ mistake-filled 33-27 loss to No. 18 Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) on Nov. 1 at Neyland Stadium was a culmination of near misses, narrow escapes and incomplete...
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Building a winning team
around the country, recruiting hit crisis levels. Knoxville is nearing full staffing levels by building a better culture and offering higher pay. It
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BASIC SERVICES ONLY
People heading to Great Smoky Mountains National Park throughout the fall and into the winter will continue to enjoy campgrounds, picnic areas and visitor centers even as the federal government shutdown continues. But one extra thing Smokies Life CEO...
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Ella nears end of job that fit her to a tee
Over the past seven years, Anderson County football fans have cheered as a certain chocolate blur raced on and off the field. That is soon coming to an end as Ella, the 10-yearold Labrador that has famously been retrieving the kickoff tee at Anderson...
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‘You can’t dream this life’
Kenny Chesney was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame just last week and now he’s gearing for the release of his first book, which he describes as a “love letter to the journey” that led to it all. h “You can’t dream this life,” Chesney said...
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Board urges more time to assess solutions
The board charged with overseeing the troubled Knox County juvenile detention center likely will remain in place for an additional six months. Members of the newly formed detention center board will ask the Knox County Commission to pause its decision...
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Seeing stars? Locals receive Michelin invites
When Potchke co-owner Laurence Faber looked at his email inbox a few months ago, one message leapt out at him. It was an email from Michelin Guide, the publication that awards one of the biggest honors in the dining industry: the coveted Michelin...
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Trump ally focused on run for governor
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is taking advantage of her remaining months in the Senate to build on her accomplishments and use them as a springboard in her run for governor. h She has positioned herself as a loyal ally to President Donald Trump while...
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Enjoying the new Smokies stadium? Expect a ‘brand new experience’ next season
It didn’t take long for Knoxville to get used to showing up at Covenant Health Park and pulling for the home teams, but baseball and soccer only scratch the surface at the new downtown stadium. The multiuse facility is designed to host an array of...
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Urban League’s new CEO focused on the right now
Laurie Shanderson Evans has her sights set on the future of the Knoxville Area Urban League, but the nonprofit’s new leader knows she has to start with what her community needs right now. “My primary goal is to get to know the community,” said...
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White isn’t limiting field in coach search
Danny White is searching for the next Tennessee baseball coach at an uncommon time of year and in an unusual situation. The totality of the situation following Tony Vitello vacating the post to become the manager of the San Francisco Giants has White...
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Senate moves toward approving TVA board nominees
Four of five nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors are closer to ending a six-month gridlock that’s left the nation’s largest public power provider unable to make major decisions. The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and...
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Groups set example of collaboration
A week before the federal government shutdown started Oct. 1, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters began talking out loud about ways to keep the Great Smoky Mountains National Park open during a vital tourist season. A congressional stalemate gave him the...
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WJBE music festival electrifies stadium
People poured into Covenant Health Park on Oct. 18, not for a soccer match or a baseball game, but to sing, dance and party all day long. Jammin’ 99.7 WJBE, the city’s only Black-owned radio station, hosted several local, regional and touring musicians...
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Why Heupel is to blame for worst mistake in loss
TUSCALOOSA, AL – It may have been Josh Heupel’s worst play call of his Tennessee football coaching tenure. And though he tried, he didn’t have a clear explanation for it after the Vols (5-2, 2-2 SEC) lost 37-20 to Alabama (6-1, 4-0) on Oct. 18. “When...
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How singing, sharing stories feeds Knox News reporter’s soul
News Sentinel readers might know my words, but the neighbors in my apartment building know my voice – though they probably wish they didn’t. On any given day (especially on the weekends), they’ve heard me sing bubbly Top 40 pop songs, spirited gospel,...
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Happy Third Saturday in October
The third Saturday in October means only one thing for Vols fans: It’s time for the Volunteers to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in one of the most-anticipated games of every football season. h The last two times Alabama has played at Neyland...
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MOVING MELODY
Watching the preparation for Lisa Bielawa’s Knoxville Broadcast is like observing the creation of a Rube Goldberg machine, in which each piece is carefully placed and prepped with precision before the first event sets off a chain of activity. But...
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MOST DANGEROUS
You might be driving on one of Tennessee’s deadliest roads every day. The busy Interstate 40 corridor through Knoxville’s west side was named No. 4 among the state’s most deadly roads, measured by the number of fatal crashes. The specified portion of...
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Republican elected leaders unite against sales tax
Seven Republican elected officials are banding together to oppose Knoxville’s proposed sales tax increase that will be decided by voters Nov. 4. The coalition represents leaders at three levels of government: school board members Betsy Henderson and...
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