Latest news with #Nolichucky
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
JC's new ‘transparency' webpage covers police lawsuits related to Sean Williams
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Johnson City's municipal webpage now features a 'transparency' page related to the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD) and its handling of alleged serial rapist Sean Williams — a page that acknowledges up front 'the deficiencies of some police investigations.' The page includes 'frequently asked questions' (FAQs) as well as 'an open letter' signed by the five city commissioners and a message from JCPD Chief Billy Church. One FAQ, 'Who has been held accountable,' acknowledges 'the community's deep frustration and disappointment over what has occurred' and 'the real harm and deterioration of trust, which we are working diligently to strengthen.' Nolichucky raft guides likely to lose 2025 season in Gorge The rollout comes three months after the Johnson City Commission approved a $28 million settlement in a federal civil lawsuit filed by alleged victims of Williams. The former downtown resident was never charged with any sex-related crimes by JCPD but is now suspected of drugging and raping more than 60 women in his downtown apartment based on videos and still images he allegedly produced and possessed. Attorney breaks down $28M Jane Doe settlement related to JCPD 'Once we hit the settlement, this gave us an opportunity to kind of put everything that we can say at this point in time in one location, so that people can have questions answered related to the settlement and ongoing litigation,' Mayor John Hunter told News Channel 11 Tuesday. The new page drew a mixed reaction from the leader of a group that's been pressing for town halls on the issue since city commissioners approved a $28 million settlement with plaintiffs in one of three federal civil suits against the city. 'It's a good step, but it kind of feels like, we're trying to push them to talk to us more and they do a little bit but they don't come all the way,' Victoria Hewlett said of the city commission specifically. 'They lean on (City Manager) Cathy Ball a lot, the elected officials do.' Extra 2 weeks sought to finalize $28M Johnson City lawsuit settlement The webpage notes, and Hunter and fellow commissioner Jenny Brock both stressed, that with two active federal civil lawsuits remaining the city is still limited in what it can and can't post to the page. 'We encourage everybody to read this website and the information listed in it because it's telling what we can tell,' Hunter said. 'There were shortcomings in our police department that have been addressed.' But a webpage, no matter how thorough and detailed, is a static instrument and not an in-person give and take. Hewlett's group has had one meeting with city officials and had a couple more postponed, and she said they'll keep pressing for a town hall-style meeting. 'When you sign up to be a leader like that you've got to take accountability when things happen,' she said. 'You know, it's not comfortable, but it looks even worse frankly if they're not gonna be willing to come up and dialogue with people.' Brock and Hunter both said that time will come, but it may have to wait until the other two federal lawsuits conclude. DA: JCPD lawsuit helped spur new sexual assault protocol 'We look back at a class action lawsuit, which is nothing that we've ever dealt with before, it's very complex,' Brock said. 'There are many tentacles to it, many people to it and so that's what has made it so hard to be able to talk as we wish we could talk. 'We're kind of dancing between the lines now because we've got the one settlement, but now we've got two other suits. I think the way will become clear when we get a little bit further along the line, and we really want to encourage people, go check out the website. I know that's kind of a throwback here, but the documents that they need to see are there.' Hunter said the city's lawyers are advising against an open forum. The city did have a 'listening session' during which citizens had up to three minutes to speak on the subject, but there was no back and forth. 'I feel like we're setting people up for frustration if they're coming to a town hall expecting to ask questions that they may not be able to get answers to at this time,' he said. The page stresses the city's claim that all allegations of JCPD officer corruption in the Williams case are false — claims the plaintiffs who settled made, but ones that so far have been debunked or at least not proven. But Hewlett said the nature of Williams's crimes, the allegations themselves and the fact that police appear not to have aggressively followed up on complaints against him leave the community needing more than just answers on a webpage. 'The community has been hurt by this, and there's been steps taken by the police department, but one thing I'd love to see is another investigation to see what the results of those steps have been,' Hewlett said. 'But for people to feel like their police department, their local government, the people that are supposed to be in charge and are supposed to be there for the public good, are turning a blind eye to something like this — women and children getting hurt, a girl died, you know?' 'It's so so painful and it makes you not trust your government, which is not a healthy thing for our local civics. There's a lot of gravity here … I don't know all the details about what all of this stuff is, I'm just one person, but people sense corruption.' 'They don't trust their government right now, and I think there's things that we can do to try to improve that. There's just been an erosion of trust that needs to be addressed.' WATCH: Johnson City citizens voice concerns about Jane Doe lawsuit settlement Hunter said the city plans on meeting with Hewlett's group again. Brock said she's having individual conversations with community members she runs into around town and that she sees the importance of something more than one-way listening sessions or a webpage. 'They want to ask questions that we can't talk about and so it's just frustrating for them and they think we're hiding something in that,' she said. 'So at this point in time, in a controlled environment that we can get out there and have the dialogue that is most healthy, we just need to figure out how to do it.' Brock added that her belief is that weaknesses found in an independent audit of the department's handling of sexual assault cases, commissioned after the first Williams-related lawsuit, showed deficiencies that could allow a situation like Williams's to develop without corruption being present. That 'Daigle Report' found that the JCPD had a number of 'certain investigative practices' that 'could negatively affect the quality and efficiency of their response to sexual assault cases.' Daigle noted a common theme running through many of these weaknesses: 'JCPD's response to sexual assault was challenged based on gender-based stereotypes and bias.' 'It's really important at this point in time to recognize what those weaknesses were,' Brock said. 'And again, the Daigle report was framed around constitutional policing, so there was a framework for him to study what was going on in the police department. But we've got to look forward now, and the changes that have been made are profound.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘100 Days of Summer Heat' campaign aims to reduce fatalities on Tennessee highways
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee Highway Safety Office and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) are cracking down on dangerous driving in Northeast Tennessee as the summer arrives. The THP and highway safety office gathered for a press conference in Johnson City on Tuesday to announce the start of the '100 Days of Summer Heat Campaign.' Nolichucky raft guides likely to lose 2025 season in Gorge THP Fall Branch District Captain Kevin Kimbrough told News Channel 11 that the initiative will target dangerous driving to reduce the number of fatal crashes in the region. 'Focus on hazardous moving, distracted driving, impaired drivers, restraint use and hazardous moving and speeding, and so, so on and so forth,' Kimbrough said. Authorities conducted the same operation in Hamblen County and saw a drop in fatal crashes, with nine fewer when compared to the same time the year before. Law enforcement agencies that participate in '100 Days of Summer Heat' will increase their enforcement on drunk and distracted driving through the use of sobriety checkpoints and other methods. 'You're going to see an increased presence from THP on the interstate systems and state routes,' Kimbrough said. 'You're going to see, first and foremost, the coveted THP motor unit, the Falcons. You're going to see your motorcycle units in every county in all 14 counties in East Tennessee, and [they] are going to be working on problem areas that have the highest number of crashes related to distracted driving, motor vehicle fatalities, impaired drivers, you name it.' Kimbrough advised anyone hoping to be safer on roadways this summer to start their days earlier to avoid heavy traffic, avoid driving distractions and obey speed limits. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Iris Festival Kick-Off 3-Mile Run & Walk canceled
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Greene County Partnership announced on Tuesday that the Iris Festival Kick-Off 3-Mile Run & Walk has been canceled. The event had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday; however, due to the likelihood of storms and other weather conditions, the run and walk was canceled. 'The safety of our participants is our top priority,' the Greene County Partnership stated in a social media post. Nolichucky raft guides likely to lose 2025 season in Gorge Anyone with questions is asked to contact JB Miller by emailing jb@ or calling 423-638-4111. The 2025 Iris Festival events began Monday with a pop-up art reception. Festivities will continue through the rest of the week, with the actual festival taking place on Saturday and Sunday. A full schedule of events and more information can be found by Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BrightRidge pauses any new data center projects
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — With community concerns growing over a potential south Johnson City site for a Bitcoin mine or data center, BrightRidge announced a halt to 'entertaining proposals for new data center projects in our service area…' Nolichucky raft guides likely to lose 2025 season in Gorge The moratorium includes 'the one being considered in south Johnson City,' which neighboring residents have spoken out against. That opposition has come during Johnson City Commission meetings as the city considers implementing new zoning regulations that would put some guardrails around data centers. Opponents have primarily decried the noise many data centers make as massive fans cool the computers that perform complex computations for everything from artificial intelligence to cryptocurrency. BrightRidge's statement Tuesday says the power provider 'values the perspectives of the region's leadership and the long-term economic health of the communities we serve when considering the feasibility of any new development in our region.' The power distributor acknowledged publicly for the first time that it was considering a data center or cryptocurrency mine for property it bought in an I-2 (light industrial) zone last year near one of its substations. A Bitcoin mine in Limestone that buys power from BrightRidge must close by next March as part of a lawsuit settlement, and the south Johnson City site could have been a replacement location. BrightRidge now writes that 'in the case of the south Johnson City project and other similar projects in the near term, the costs currently outweigh the benefits for the communities we serve.' Sylvain Bruni lives near the south Johnson City site and has been among those questioning both the City of Johnson City and BrightRidge about the prospect of a data center there. The Washington County Democratic Party adopted a resolution opposing 'Under-regulation of Cryptocurrency Mining Facilities in Johnson City' Monday night. Bruni welcomed the news of BrightRidge's moratorium but said the general concerns remain. He said citizens need to know the moratorium's timeline and whether any other projects currently in the pipeline could still move forward. Bruni also said the announcement doesn't 'address the specific concerns that neighbors have provided, that is, x, y and z safeguards need to be in place to address the concerns of residents.' Bruni said BrightRidge may have addressed all those concerns, but he believes the lack of clarity on that points to another major concern he has, regarding transparency. 'Knowing where we are in terms of citizens' trust in their government, and the City of Johnson City and BrightRidge, why approach it with less than adequate transparency?' Bruni asked. 'We need to make sure we hold them accountable, so we will continue to have public meetings about it.' The entire BrightRidge statement is below. The utility said it will have 'no further comment' beyond the statement. BrightRidge values the perspectives of the region's leadership and the long-term economic health of the communities we serve when considering the feasibility of any new development in our region. For this reason, BrightRidge is putting a moratorium on entertaining proposals for new data center projects in our service area, including the one being considered in south Johnson City. BrightRidge is a proud regional leader in the adoption and deployment of innovative technology, and we are fully aware of the many benefits a next-generation data center could bring to the communities we serve. However, in the case of the south Johnson City project and other similar projects in the near term, the costs currently outweigh the benefits for the communities we serve. The site in south Johnson City is zoned for industrial use and retains great value to BrightRidge and our customers as a potential power substation and/or a wholesale electricity delivery point for a future industrial user. For this site and others, BrightRidge remains committed to working collaboratively with community leaders to identify future industrial projects that will deliver economic development, create great jobs, and maintain low power bills to the residents we serve. The data center facility located in Limestone, which is currently operating under a settlement agreement with Washington County, remains on track for closure in March 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
06-05-2025
- CNN
Family gets closure after body of man missing during Hurricane Helene recovered months later in Tennessee
CNN — Two hundred and sixteen. That's how many days passed before crews in East Tennessee found the body of a man who was swept away in raging floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene, bringing his family much-needed closure after months of searching. Steven Cloyd and his dog went missing on September 27 while trying to escape fast-rising water coming from the Nolichucky River near his home, some 500 miles north of where Helene, a one-time Category 4 monster, made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region. Cloyd's goldendoodle, Orion, was found alive 3 miles down the road, but Cloyd remained missing, a painful wound the family described as 'numb confusion.' A crew tasked with debris removal found human remains on May 1 along the Nolichucky River about 4 miles from where Cloyd was last seen. Two days later, Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton announced they received confirmation from the medical examiner that the remains were Cloyd. 'With heavy hearts, we the family of Steve Cloyd announce that our husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend was found,' his widow Keli said in a Facebook post. 'We have the patriarch of our family again…He is in the light, he is at peace and he is free and he is perfect,' she added. At least 250 people died from Hurricane Helene across six states, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a March report. In Tennessee, 19 people died, the state emergency management agency spokeswoman said in an update to CNN Tuesday. With Cloyd's remains having been found, that leaves one person still missing in Washington County, the county sheriff's office said. Two weeks after Cloyd went missing, his son Matthew said he lost hope in finding his dad alive. But he never fully lost hope that he would be found. 'I'd say, the hope of finding him, I think, I always still held on to a little bit of hope that we would find him. I don't think I completely lost that,' he said. 'You just don't want him to be out there. And you see the debris and the stuff, and you don't want him to be out there,' an emotional Matthew said. Matthew went on to say that whenever the family was close to losing hope, someone with the Washington Sheriff's Office or emergency management would talk with them and help restore it. In the interview with CNN, Matthew shared the past few months of searching for his father have felt like a 'roller-coaster ride.' 'There's a lot of emotions that run through your mind,' he said. 'You wonder, are people looking? Do people care? Is he going to be one of the ones that's forgotten about?' He and his family tried to stay calm and let the search process take its course, but then 'panic starts to set in.' 'Especially once you get into one month, two months, three months, four months and five months …you start thinking, is he really not going to be found?' Matthew said he would fluctuate between feeling like he was not doing enough, to feeling like he was doing too much and burdening search teams. 'You feel like you're causing unwanted stress,' he said. Matthew, based in Illinois, said he would split his time between searching for his dad in East Tennessee and being back home with his two kids and girlfriend. He would spend weeks searching through mud and debris, sometimes with search personnel, other times just with his younger brother. Piles of debris and mud left after the flooding were overwhelming and made search efforts feel almost impossible, he said. Matthew said one day, when he was out searching with his brother, they were standing on debris the size of a football field. 'It kind of felt like the ground was beneath you, but it wasn't - you were six, seven feet in the air,' he said. Steven Cloyd's remains were pulled from under six feet of debris, according to Matthew. Two men tasked with debris removal told his mother that a flash of light caught their eye. It turned out to be Floyd's wedding band. That's when they called in the authorities, he said. Matthew said he cannot thank those two men enough. 'They could've said screw it, we're just gonna scoop this whole pile and throw it in the back of a truck,' he said.
