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Alan Williams named 2017 Front Page Follies honoree

Posted at 10:12 pm February 19, 2017
By Kay Brookshire Leave a Comment

Alan Williams

Alan Williams

 

Alan Williams, Local 8 News and CW anchor and a 37-year veteran in the broadcast business, will be the honoree at the 39th annual Front Page Follies on June 17.

The Front Page Foundation will present the dinner and show that each year roasts state and local newsmakers at the Knoxville Convention Center. Proceeds will fund journalism and broadcasting scholarships presented in Williams’ honor at the University of Tennessee and a media studies scholarship at Pellissippi State Community College.

“Alan Williams is a veteran broadcast journalist who brings both a professional approach and a personal touch to the news he reports,” said Frank Murphy, Front Page Foundation president.

“Alan can tell sports stories with insights he gained as an SEC athlete, then cover an entertainment event with the experience of a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the Country Music Association,” Murphy said. “He knows the community well because he’s worked here more than 30 years, and he’s been an active community volunteer. That kind of perspective has meant a lot to his East Tennessee audience, and we’re proud to name Alan Williams this year’s scholarship honoree.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, College, Community, Education Tagged With: Alan Williams, broadcasting, East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists, Frank Murphy, Front Page Follies, Front Page Foundation, journalism, Local 8 News, Pellissippi State Community College, University of Tennessee, WATE, WBIR, WVLT

Oak Ridge man arrested, bond set at $100,000 in Knox trafficking case

Posted at 2:43 pm May 23, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Zubin Percy Parakh

Zubin Percy Parakh

Note: This story was updated at 5:03 p.m.

An Oak Ridge man was arrested and booked into Knox County jail on a trafficking charge on Saturday, one day after Tennessee and Knoxville officials announced that 32 men and women had been arrested in an operation to combat human trafficking.

Bond for Zubin Percy Parakh, 32, of Golfcrest Lane in Oak Ridge, has been set at $100,000 on the trafficking charge. A preliminary hearing has been set for May 31, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office website.

The arrests and citations on prostitution and human trafficking-related charges were made as part of Operation Someone Like Me last week in Knoxville.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said two of the men, including a children’s minister, Jason Kennedy, 46, of Knoxville, responded to ads for what they thought were girls under the age of 18. Kennedy was a children’s minister at Grace Baptist Church on Oak Ridge Highway in Karns, but he has since been fired. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Knox County, Knoxville, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: Class A felony, human trafficking, Jason Kennedy, Knox County Detention Facility, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Mark Gwyn, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, trafficking, WBIR, WVLT, Zubin Percy Parakh

WVLT-TV meteorologist Haley to discuss ET weather on Saturday

Posted at 11:33 pm March 19, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Heather Haley

Heather Haley

Submitted

Are you interested in our ever-changing weather in East Tennessee? Do you often wonder what contributes to some of our extreme weather?

Bring your questions and learn more from meteorologist Heather Haley of WVLT-TV Local 8 Now on Saturday. She will talk about our interesting weather phenomena and explain how she delivers her message to viewers at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21, in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, a press release said. Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, this talk is open to people of all ages. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Meetings and Events, Nonprofits, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: East Tennessee, Heather Haley, meteorology, National Weather Service, Roane State Community College, University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, UT Arboretum Society, weather, WVLT, WVLT-TV

First pageant for special needs girls on Saturday

Posted at 2:14 pm November 12, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The first Miss Sparkle Princess Pageant for special needs girls will be Saturday at the Grove Theater in Oak Ridge.

Fifteen teenage girls from many area cities are entered in the pageant, which is sponsored by WVLT Local 8 news and many Oak Ridge and Knoxville businesses, a press release said. Erin Barnett, Local 8 news anchor will emcee the pageant, which is expected to become an annual event.

It’s scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Saturday, November 15. The cost to attend the pageant is non-perishable food items that will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.

The press release said the pageant was created and is being directed by 17-year-old Abigail Ridenour of Oak Ridge.

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News Tagged With: Abigail Ridenour, Erin Barnett, Grove Theater, Miss Sparkle Princess Pageant, pageant, Second Harvest Food Bank, special needs girls, WVLT

Impossible to identify animal remains excavated at pet crematory, state says

Posted at 12:09 pm December 6, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Elliott Pet Service Excavation

Dump trucks remove pet remains on Wednesday that had been excavated from Elliott Pet Services in Morgan County. (Photo courtesy WATE-TV)

It will not be possible to identify animals buried at a pet crematory in Morgan County where remains were excavated this week after a state investigation, officials said Wednesday.

News of the investigation and excavations this week has left many pet owners, including in Anderson County, wondering whether animals they paid to have cremated might be among those buried at the rural wooded site near the Roane County line.

The crematory site on Grouse Ridge Road is operated by Elliott Pet Services. It was the subject of a citizen’s complaint in September that alleged animals were being dumped on the site.

In September, the business also received an open dumping violation notice from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. And in October, the company was cited for not maintaining logs.

Business owner Cameo Farr and her attorney, Kevin Angel of Oak Ridge, told several Knoxville television stations that burying animals is part of her business, and she has always cremated animals that were supposed to be cremated. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Morgan County, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Alyson Kennedy, Anderson County, animal remains, animals, buried animals, Cameo Farr, Dames for Danes, dead animals, Division of Solid Waste Management, Elliott Pet Services, Great Danes, Grouse Ridge Road, incinerator, Jake, Karen Dypolt, Kevin Angel, Morgan County, Ninth Judicial District, pet crematory, Roane County, Scooby, Shannon Ashford, solid waste, TDEC, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, violation notice, WATE, WBIR, WVLT

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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