Local

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is assisting wildlife biologists at Tennessee State University in research to determine the distribution of pygmy rattlesnakes in Tennessee. The pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius) is listed as a threatened species in Tennessee and the research will help in conservation efforts to preserve the species in the state. Native to Tennessee, pygmy rattlesnakes are predators that ...

Anakeesta is partnering with locally-based CLIMB Works to build the Dueling Ziplines and Tree Top Walk as well as assist with overall operations and management of the new attraction, and has hired Beanstalk Builders from Morgantown, N.C. to create a whimsical treehouse-themed children’s playground. Anakeesta owners, Bob and Karen Bentz, traveled to several countries researching different mountain attractions they wanted ...

Sevierville Commons Arts Council and Sevierville Commons Association have been awarded a $50,000 Tennessee Main Street Entrepreneur Grant. Sevierville was one of six communities across the state to receive funding from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development through the Rural Economic Opportunity Act. Grant funding will be used to help secure and renovate a building at 129 Bruce ...

Detectives from the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office arrested a local man for allegedly stealing an ATV and now seek information from the public about other thefts in the area. According to the department, a 2017 Yamaha four wheeler valued at $5500 was reported stolen on April 16, 2017 from a residence on Lost Branch Road, off Wears Valley Road. Detectives ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials hosted a celebration for the commencement of the final capstone paving project for Foothills Parkway on Thursday. This groundbreaking event served as an opportunity to acknowledge the support received by the State of Tennessee and the Governor’s Office in securing the funds needed to finalize the uncompleted 16-mile section of road between Walland, Tenn. ...

Authorities are looking for four men involved in an attempted carjacking at the Food City in Seymour on Saturday. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 4:39 p.m. on April 22, 2017 regarding shots fired and an attempted vehicle theft in the parking lot of the Food City on Chapman Highway in Seymour. The victim told responding ...

The Gatlinburg Fire Department and Tennessee Division of Forestry will host a free workshop on how to maintain a firewise home. Representatives from both organizations will offer best practices for landscaping, building materials and home maintenance that will make your home safer from wildfire. The firewise workshop will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the American Legion Hall ...

The Pigeon Forge Hospitality and Tourism Association is hosting Meet the Candidates – featuring candidates running for Pigeon Forge City Commission. Meet the Candidates on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 from 5–7 p.m. at RiverStone Resort, 212 Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge, is open to the public and provided as a community service by the PFTHA. All are welcome! Candidates Logan Baker, Jeff Dodgen, Kevin McClure, Jay Ogle, and ...

Friends and family will gather on Tuesday for a candlelight vigil in support of the continuing search for Veronica Casciato, a Sevier County woman who disappeared earlier this month. According to the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department, Casciato was last seen leaving her dorm in Harrogate, Tenn., where she attends Lincoln Memorial University, to run errands at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, ...

Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are looking into circumstances surrounding the death of an inmate held in the Sevier County Jail on Tuesday. Officers found 44-year-old Stephen Esley McGill unresponsive in his cell about 1:30 a.m. on April 11, 2017 and administered CPR until paramedics arrived. Emergency services transported McGill to LeConte Medical Center where he was pronounced ...