Steve Marion

A Newport man is charged with voluntary manslaughter after he allegedly shot and killed a fellow motorist in a “road rage” incident early Monday morning in White Pine.

Checking out handmade clothing from the 1880s are (from left) Dale Snapp of the White Pine History Committee, Laura Coffey, a member of the White Pine History Committee and Vice President of the Jefferson County Historical Society, and Rob Beuch, president of the Jefferson County Historical Society. The White Pine History Museum will be open for self-guided tours during Pinefest this Saturday. – Steve Marion | The Standard Banner

Autopsy results released this week show that Circuit Judge Duane Slone had an extremely high blood/alcohol level when he was struck by a car and killed August 25 as he walked on Highway 25/70 near Dandridge.

County Mayor Mark Potts pleaded guilty last week to DUI in Bradley County and was ordered to serve 48 hours in jail, according to court records.

Glenn and Elizabeth Cruze, with three-year-old daughter Sophia, are the proprietors of Cruze Country Store, which opened three weeks ago in Strawberry Plains. The store and breakfast/lunch grill specialize in homegrown and homemade products. – Steve Marion | The Standard Banner

Last weekend, as the enormity Hurricane Helene had wrought on parts of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina began to emerge, people gathered at the lake access in Leadvale to watch the flood enter Jefferson County. Dandridge Fire Chief Andy Riley was among them. “I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he recalled. Carried on the muddy water, like […]

In a 4-3 vote, School Board agreed to earmark $2 million from fund balance as an “incremental” approach to funding an as-yet-unspecified Jefferson Elementary project. Meeting Thursday, the group also okayed a plan to relocate JES students and staff to other facilities in the event the director of schools deems it necessary. The Board continued to hear from parents and […]

Earth-moving is underway at the site of Enbridge’s new natural gas compressor station in Talbott, representatives of the energy transportation company reported. East Tennessee Natural Gas, LLC (ETNG), which is owned and operated by Enbridge, received “Notice to Proceed” early last month from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Completion of the new station, which is part of a system […]

County Commission’s budget committee turned down salary increase requests Tuesday from two departments whose leaders say they’re having trouble hiring at current pay levels. In a busy meeting prior to the Commission work session, the group heard comments from Sheriff Jeff Coffey and Librarian Bethany Jones, both of whom said comparably low pay is making it hard to fill vacant […]

County Commissioners’ vote next week on a new wheel tax proposal might not be the only opportunity for additional revenue as a challenging budget year approaches. Commissioner Rob Blevins is backing a mineral tax, which is also expected to receive a vote next Monday, and citizens have come up with a proposal to regulate short term rentals that they say […]