Local

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter to serve local residents of Mynatt Park endangered by the Gatlinburg fire. Gatlinburg Fire officials report that a spot fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Twin Creeks Picnic Pavilion off Cherokee Orchard Road that flared up just before noon on Monday, combined with the low humidity and the ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee Orchard Road, Elkmont Road, and several trails due to the Chimney 2 Fire. As of Monday morning, Nov. 28, 2016, the fire has grown to approximately 500 acres in size overnight due to extreme, sustained winds over 20 mph. National Park Service fire crews are focusing on suppression ...

The owner of a dog found in such poor condition that its ribs and spine were visible has been arrested for animal cruelty. According to Sevier County Sheriff Ron Seals, a tip led the department’s animal control unit to respond to a home on Kodak Road in Kodak on Nov. 18, 2016 where officers discovered the dog in the home, ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials celebrated the completion of a 2-year trail rehabilitation project on Alum Cave Trail on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. Alum Cave Trail is one of the most popular trails in the park, leading hikers to iconic areas including Arch Rock, Inspiration Point, Alum Cave Bluffs, Mt. Le Conte, and LeConte Lodge. The trail was reopened, ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have issued a ban on all campfires and use of fire grills throughout the park effective immediately. Due to continued dry conditions and widespread wildfires throughout the region, park officials have issued the parkwide ban to further reduce the risk of escaped fires. The fire restriction will be in effect until further notice. The ...

Two visitors pleaded guilty to feeding a black bear outside their Gatlinburg rental cabin last summer. 40-year-old Billy Harden and Dawn Cantrell, 27, both from Nashville, Ind., appeared in Sevier County General Sessions Court on Oct. 27, 2016 where they pleaded guilty to the charge of feeding a black bear while vacationing at a rental cabin on Silverbell Lane in ...

Two women died as a result of a single-car accident in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Sunday after their vehicle crashed and landed upside down in the nearby Little River. According to park spokesperson Dana Soehn, rangers responded to a reported motor vehicle accident on Little River Road about three miles east of the Townsend Wye just after 1:30 ...

The Sevier County Election Commission has released the following unofficial election results for the State of Tennessee General Election & Town of Pittman Center Municipal Election in Sevier County held Nov. 8, 2016. Results do not include Provisional Ballots. These results are unofficial until certified by the Sevier County Election Commission. A total of 36,664 ballots were cast in Sevier ...

A former jail employee, two inmates and the mother of an inmate have been charged with conspiracy in the smuggling of contraband into the Sevier County Jail. At the request of Sheriff Ron Seals in early October, the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division began looking into contraband being smuggled into the local jail. Investigators allegedly found evidence that 54-year-old Samuel ...

Sevier County is the latest area of Tennessee to be placed under a burn ban due to drought conditions. State Agriculture Commissioner Jai Templeton has issued a burn ban for Claiborne, Jefferson, Loudon and Sevier Counties. The burn ban is effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice. “Sevier County has requested that the Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture ...