Lexi Lepof

Oct 13, 2024 | actionnews5.com | Josh Jarnagin |Lexi Lepof

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - A 13-year-old went viral for his dance moves on the jumbotron during Saturday’s football game between Tennessee and Florida. Cayson Cagle is the teenager who had Tennessee fans in a frenzy throughout Saturday’s game before the Vols won with an overtime touchdown against Florida. “I look up at the jumbotron, and I am up there! Then, they’re all around me telling me to dance, and I just started doing what I can do," Cayson told WVLT News.

Aug 6, 2024 | wvlt.tv | Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey |Lexi Lepof

TOWNSEND, Tenn. (WVLT) - The head of one of East Tennessee’s most prolific bear rescues is saying the operation is taking in more and more bears, citing growth and lack of state action as reasons for more human-bear interactions. Greg Greico is the director of operations at Townsend-based Appalachian Bear Rescue. The group has a long history of taking in injured or orphaned bear cubs, and now it’s seeing more action than it’s used to.

Jul 23, 2024 | wvlt.tv | Lexi Lepof

ALCOA, Tenn. (WVLT) - Alcoa City Schools is expanding its “alternative” school program. The program assists students academically and has an emotional component for students struggling with mental health issues. “We want to provide that foundation that can get them back on track and hopefully eventually transition back to into the regular program,” said Tony Spears, the principal and director of the program.

Jul 22, 2024 | wvlt.tv | Lexi Lepof

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - President Joe Biden announced he was stepping down from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday. Now the choice of who will take his spot sits in the hands of Democratic delegates. It’s a pathway some experts call unprecedented. “We’re really kind of in unprecedented territory here,” said Dr. Richard Pacelle, a professor of political science at the University of Tennessee.

Jul 16, 2024 | wvlt.tv | Lexi Lepof

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Two years in, the nationwide 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has answered more than 10 million calls, texts and chats. The lifeline is proving to make profound impacts both nationwide and locally in East Tennessee. CONTACT Care Line is the primary 988 responder for 15 East Tennessee counties. The crisis center is one of 200 nationwide. When someone calls, texts or chats 988, they are transferred to the crisis center closest to them.