Sarah Oppmann

1 week ago | wbir.com | Sarah Oppmann

CAMPBELL COUNTY, Tenn. — The Campbell County Board of Education voted Thursday night to appoint Director of Schools Jennifer Fields as the district’s fiscal officer after county officials declined to sign a critical health insurance agreement. The unanimous vote followed an emergency board meeting held immediately after the Budget and Finance Committee approved more than $2.2 million in proposed budget cuts for the 2025–26 school year.

1 week ago | wbir.com | Sarah Oppmann

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. —  The Knoxville City Council has approved a new contract that will install dozens of speed and red light cameras across the city as part of a broader effort to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040. The enforcement expansion is part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative, which was adopted unanimously in 2021. The program aims to reduce fatal and severe crashes, especially in high-risk areas like school zones.

1 week ago | wbir.com | Sarah Oppmann

Recovery is only beginning in parts of Kentucky where tornadoes destroyed neighborhoods and changed lives in an instant. “177 of those homes were completely destroyed, and 152 of them sustained major damage,” said Major Phillip Canning, general secretary for the Kentucky and Tennessee division of the Salvation Army.

2 weeks ago | wbir.com | Sarah Oppmann

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After nearly eight years as a staple on Sevier Avenue, Landing House will permanently close its doors on June 8. The decision, owner Zach Land said, has been a long time coming, driven largely by steep price increases that have made the business unsustainable. “The main reason would be the increasing cost of everything,” Land said. “It’s almost 100% increase of everything across the board.” Land points to a staggering rise in ingredient costs over the last year.

2 weeks ago | wltx.com | Sarah Oppmann

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For decades, a family photo hung in the Rosen home with a heart marking the empty space where their son Matthew should have been. Today, that heart has been replaced with a photograph because Matthew has finally come home. “We've been hoping all of these years that we would find him,” said Burt Rosen, Matthew's father.