On Sunday morning April 12, 2026, at 7:30, Haletown Fire and Rescue responded to a brush fire at 570 Hale’s Bar Rd. Upon arrival, firemen found tires and playground equipment adjacent at the home on fire near a propane tank. Crewmen swiftly extinguished the flames, saturated the ground and propane tank to cool the area.
Excessive Force Lawsuit against Jasper Police has been Dropped
The lawsuit filed against the Town of Jasper and police officers, alleging excessive force when they arrested a man was dismissed earlier this month. The federal Court of Appeals in Cincinnati dismissed Samuel Hrynecwicz’s appeal in a multimillion-dollar civil rights suit against the Town of Jasper and two of its police officers after parties reached …
Area Unemployment Rates Rise Slightly
Eighty-four of Tennessee’s 95 counties recorded unemployment rates below 5% in January even as most counties saw an uptick in their rates over the previous month, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Unemployment rates in 90 counties increased from December to January. Rates decreased in three counties and …
Hamilton County Deputy Succumbs to Injuries on Saturday after Vehicle Crash in Sequatchie County on Wednesday
Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett, Chief Deputy Spencer Daniels, and the men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announced on Saturday afternoon the death of Deputy Landon Faulkner. On Wednesday night, Deputy Faulkner was involved in a serious collision on Highway 111 in Sequatchie County, where he collided with a disabled vehicle in …
TN House removes immigration requirement from school voucher bill
A Tennessee House of Representatives committee recommended expanding the state’s Education Freedom Scholarship program. However, the bill no longer includes an immigration tracking requirement. House Bill 2532 still seeks to expand the state’s school vouchers from 20,000 to 35,000, while Senate Bill 2247 seeks to expand that number to 40,000. The House Finance, Ways, and …
TN House votes to ban kratom as bill now moves to state Senate
The State of Tennessee is another step closer to banning Kratom within the state. State representatives voted on Wednesday to approve legislation that would outlaw all forms of the substance, including a more potent derivative known as 7-OH. The proposal now heads to the state Senate. Kratom is a plant-based substance from a Southeast Asian …
Multi-vehicle crash closes State Route 111 in Sequatchie County Wednesday night
A multi-vehicle crash closed both directions of State Route 111 in Sequatchie County on Wednesday night, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The crash was reported around 8:32pm CDT Wednesday near past the scenic overlook on the southbound lanes before reaching the top of the mountain and Lewis Chapel. Authorities were forced to close northbound …
Brush Fire on Shellmound Road
On Tuesday April 7, 2026, 12:22 p.m. Haletown Fire and Rescue responded to a brush fire at the 3000 block of Shellmound Road. Upon arrival a smoldering slow moving fire had developed under a utility pole. Suppression efforts were quickly put underway and the fire was extinguished. SVEC was dispatched to inspect the electric pole, …
Ceasefire will bring Down Gas Prices
Tuesday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister announced they agreed to a Pakistani-proposed ceasefire. Trump released a statement first, in which he said he would stop the “destructive force” en route to Iran if Tehran began allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Gas prices should begin dropping by Thursday …
Marion County Sheriff’s Office Releases Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits for Multipal Areas
The USDA will be dropping hundreds of thousands of oral rabies vaccine baits across East Tennessee and North Georgia for the next couple of weeks. These are intended to slow the spread of rabies amongst wildlife, such as raccoons, coyotes, skunks, foxes, etc and are safe to be consumed by wildlife animals. Approximately 1.7 million …




...from WEPG/WSDQ