Local

Officials have released their findings in the investigation of the death of Jenny Bennett, an avid local hiker who was found dead in Great Smoky Mountains National Park earlier this year. Susan J. Bennett, known as Jenny, of Sylva, N.C., was reported missing to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on June 6, 2015. A frequent hiker in the Smokies, park ...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers remind visitors that graffiti not only detracts from the natural beauty of the park, but can also permanently damage irreplaceable resources. Park resources including one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States, backcountry hiking shelters, live trees, stone walls, bridges, and tunnels have all suffered from a range of ...

Sevier Solid Waste is planning to build a biomass gasification plant, its second major project this year in an effort to become a zero waste facility. Sevier Solid Waste has hired PHG Energy to build a new biomass gasification plant capable of cleanly converting more than 30 tons of composted material daily into thermal energy while producing a valuable high-carbon biochar. ...

The Transportation Coalition of Tennessee is holding a meeting today in Sevierville to educate Sevier County as to the need for a comprehensive reform that is a long-term, sustainable solution that will meet identified transportation needs in Sevier County and across the state. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015 at the Sevierville Civic ...

Friends of the Smokies raised $202,351 Thursday through its 21st annual Friends Across the Mountains telethon thanks to hundreds of callers, online donations and help from sponsors Dollywood, Mast General Store, Pilot Flying J, and Tennessee State Bank. Since 1995, Friends of the Smokies’ telethons have raised more than $3.2 million in support of America’s most-visited national park. The Friends ...

Sevierville Police are investigating the aggravated assault of a woman that allegedly occurred late last year and while they have focused on a person of interest, are still seeking information from the public about the incident. Officers from the Sevierville Police Department, firefighters and EMS personnel responded to a call the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 at a residence ...

The Sevierville Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office to step up DUI enforcement from August 19 to September 7, 2015, surrounding the Labor Day holiday. The statewide Booze It and Lose It campaign is part of a national mobilization to prevent drunk driving. Tennessee experienced 6,645 known alcohol-related crashes in 2014. That equates to an ...

It’s almost time for the Sevier County Fair. It is set for its 80th run, Sept. 7-12, 2015, with a theme of “It’s All About the Kids.” The fair means different things to different people and most of us have childhood memories of our visits to the fair. From the rides, food, animal shows and exhibits, the fair offers a ...

USTA Foundation, the national charitable foundation of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), has announced that Jonathan Fintak of Sevierville, Tenn., who recently graduated from Seymour High School, has been named a recipient of the first $10,000 Pro Tennis Management Scholarship. This past spring, the USTA Foundation granted 53 high school students a variety of college scholarships, totaling $373,000. The ...

An off road utility vehicle on display as a prize in the charity raffle next month by Smoky Mountain Celebration has been stolen. The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating the Polaris RZR 570 side by side utility vehicle stolen from a trailer in the parking lot of Chambers Market at 2720 Newport Highway ...