Elizabethton defended its District 1-3A title with Sunday's win over Unicoi County at Thomas Stadium Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account TENN (WCYB) — Main Street Elizabethton is back with its lively First Friday Summer Series “Adventure Vibes," is a nod to the region’s love of outdoor fun From mobile food trucks to live music and a new bingo card challenge each First Friday offers a full evening of community connection The series runs monthly through August with new themes “Our bingo card is a fun way to guide people through the event,” said Courtney Bean “If you complete five squares in a row...like making a small business purchase or visiting a fun zone...you can turn it in at any participating location for a chance to win prizes.” This year also introduces First Friday After Dark concerts and interactive movie screenings after 8 p.m Bean says the event is still family friendly For a full list of activities and businesses involved, CLICK HERE. Elizabethton’s Bugs Meadows grounds an RBI single into left field in the first inning against Tennessee High on Friday Tennessee High pitcher Gage Graziano delivers a strike during Friday’s District 1-3A Tournament game Sullivan East’s Zach Johnson high-fives head coach Mike Breuninger as he rounds third base following his first-inning home run against Unicoi County Blue Devil second baseman Manny Chavez looks to throw to first base to complete a double play on Friday night For the first time since the days of Evan Carter Elizabethton baseball has earned consecutive berths in the region tournament JOHNSON CITY — For the first time since the days of Evan Carter as Betsy had to escape a seventh-inning rally to beat Tennessee High “I’m excited for these guys,” Cyclones head coach Mike Corn said For them to be able to go out there and accomplish this for the city of Elizabethton We’re playing for the orange and black and the town of Carter County that’s been through so much.” The Vikings (19-10) entered the final frame trailing by a pair of runs but threatened to post a crooked number after loading the bases with just one out Rylan Lambert came to the plate and came through with a single into center field allowing Preston Feagins to come home from third Tennessee High opted to play station-to-station Elizabethton (21-11) kept him there for the rest of the game Reliever Justin Whitehead struck out the next Viking he saw and then induced a popout to end the threat and give the Cyclones back-to-back district title game and region tournament appearances “Justin Whitehead has done that all year for us,” Corn said He comes off third base and he’s our fireman He’s going to put out fires … That’s a championship performance by him out there on the mound.” both teams traded blows in the sixth inning Tennessee High got the contest to within 3-2 due to an RBI single from Gabe Altizer It was one of just four hits allowed by Elizabethton pitching The Cyclones answered with a run-scoring single in their half of the inning Freshman Marshal Holtsclaw roped a base hit to center field to plate Jack Blevins Betsy worked some two-out magic early against Viking ace Gage Graziano Graziano retired the next two Cyclones he saw and Blevins all drove in a run with their base hits Tennessee High broke the seal in the scoring column in the fourth inning Lambert scored on a Bryson Rowland wild pitch but he limited the damage to just the one run We know who he is and we know how to manage him and he goes out there and competes.” Hooks carried the lone multi-hit game for either side The win locks Betsy into the Region 1-3A Tournament again It’s the first time the school has made back-to-back appearances since 2018-19 A monster sixth inning kept Unicoi County’s season alive and eliminated Sullivan East from the district tournament the Blue Devils (18-12) erupted for seven runs to take the lead for good Kaden Cutlip led off the inning by drawing a four-pitch walk before Kolby Jones popped a ball up into shallow center field but appeared to lose the ball in the Thomas Stadium lights to put a pair of runners on base as Angel Delgado hit a two-run single later in the inning to tie the game at three A fielder’s choice and a misplay by East’s catcher allowed the go-ahead run to score the next at-bat A pitch to the backstop and a bases-loaded walk each added a run while a two-out wild pitch allowed two more runs to score Unicoi County then called on Manny Chavez to get the last three outs which he was able to get done with only a single as a blemish “I just told them that it was fun for two innings,” Blue Devils head coach Chad Gillis said Sullivan East was in control of most of the contest before the sixth inning They got on the board first thanks to a no-doubt two-run home run off the bat of Zach Johnson Kaden Hicks added on a run-scoring single in the third to take a 3-1 lead as well as the coaching career of Mike Breuninger The graduate of Sullivan East has spent the last 21 seasons as the skipper of the club and said his biggest takeaway wasn’t on the field “I think when you first start out coaching “But it doesn’t take long to figure out this isn’t all about winning You can see how emotional those kids were and how emotional all the coaches were.” Tennessee High will play Unicoi County in an elimination game on Saturday the winner clinching a region berth and a spot in the district championship The University High Buccaneers baseball team advanced to the District 1-1A championship and Region 1-1A tournament with Friday's win over Nort… Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Elizabethton High School had 18 students competing in the state SkillsUSA competition in Chattanooga ELIZABETHTON — Students from Elizabethon High School won six medals in state-level SkillsUSA competition this spring while eight students received FFA state degrees Another student finished second in state competition in FBLA and will be competing at the national level next month Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Musicians returned to the sidewalks of Downtown Elizabethton for First Friday this past weekend Among the musicians were August Muse shop owner Paula Augustine (left) and guitar instructor Blue Morrow setting up in from of their store The Fun Zone was set up on Armed Forces Drive as part of First Friday The fun included free miniature golf along the length of the drive Pianist Nora Nauman added to the fun of First Friday by setting up in the middle of the sidewalk to serenade shoppers and passing cars Aaron Dinguss was one of the musicians who played on street corners during First Friday Dinguss was set up at the entrance to Hellbender Outfitters Fun and games were a part of the Riverside Taphouse experience during First Friday ELIZABETHTON — First Friday returned to Downtown Elizabethton this past weekend with “Adventure Vibes” bringing a welcome sight with it: groups of pedestrians walking on the sidewalks on Elk Avenue and shopping in the stores Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight Ever since the flooding of Hurricane Helene on Sept the nearby Broad Street Bridge has been closed for repairs That caused a detour to the Elk Avenue Bridge and lots more traffic through the heart of downtown Such dense traffic resulted in less pedestrians and shoppers in downtown The increase in foot traffic was a welcome sight to shopkeepers and promoters of downtown “We had a great turnout for the kick off to First Friday,” said Courtney Bean While the motor vehicle traffic still created long crossing the bridge people were enjoying the excuse to return to their favorite stores and businesses in downtown The mild temperatures and the special events made possible by the sponsors of the First Friday event added to the festive atmosphere Bean said the events were made possible thanks to the support of sponsors like Gold Sponsor Elizabethton Federal Savings Bank Silver Sponsors Citizens Bank and Tour Carter County The special events included the Fun Zone on Armed Forces Drive which featured a free 9-hole mini golf course and yard games courtesy of the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library There was also live music scattered around the downtown shops •Nathaniel Bagley at Crossroads Craftworks; Downtown merchant Paula Augustine of August Muse and Blue Morrow a guitar instructor who works at August Muse joined forces to add an additional set of musicians in front of the store Augustine performed on the flute while Morrow accompanied her on the guitar Morrow said she teaches guitar to students of all ages adding more music and fun to that section of the sidewalk There was also a lively crowd at the Riverside Taphouse enjoying the end of the week as they enjoyed their craft beer in the mild spring evening along with Jiggy Ray’s Downtown Pizzeria and Sun Brewery kept the fun going with First Friday After Dark events The next First Friday will take place on June 6 with “Summer Vibes” Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription The Franklin Pool in Elizabethton will not open in 2025 (WCYB) — The Franklin Pool in Elizabethton will not open in 2025 The Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department made the announcement Friday The pool will not open due to the start of the construction phase of the planned swimming pool renovation An expected completion date is currently late 2025 (WCYB) — After Helene severely damaged the Broad Street Bridge in Elizabethton traffic has been spilling into downtown After working hours when people are trying to get home things like that said Elizabethton Parks and Rec Assistant Director Kelly Kitchens Elizabethton Parks and Recreation has its annual summer events and Assistant Director Kelly Kitchens said they are still planning on hosting those at the Covered Bridge Park an event that will be relocated is the Independence Day Celebration downtown Right now city leaders aren't sure where they'll hold the celebration businesses in Elizabethton are concerned about the Broad Street Bridge timeline being extended because it affects their foot traffic I also spoke with the Main Street Program Director Courtney Beans she told me she recommends community members utilize the parking lots near downtown for all summer events coming up was arrested on Wednesday and charged with one count of prostitution (WCYB) — An Elizabethton woman has been charged with prostitution following an undercover investigation The charges against Timbs came following a joint undercover prostitution sting conducted by the Carter County Sheriff's Office and the Elizabethton Police Department investigators had previously discovered advertisements posted to a website advertising acts of prostitution Those ads displayed photographs of a woman who was later identified as Timbs and listed her location as in Elizabethton The advertisements also contained a phone number which investigators were able to determine was registered to Timbs Investigators contacted Timbs via the telephone number displayed on the prostitution advertisements and requested to meet with her under the ruse of a client soliciting her services Timbs scheduled a meeting with investigators that same evening and provided an address located in Elizabethton for the “client” to travel to An investigator acting in an undercover capacity then went to the address to meet with Timbs the investigator told Timbs that he had $200 and asked what services he could receive for that amount Timbs directed the investigator to lay the money on the table officers entered the residence and detained Timbs Officers advised Timbs of her Miranda Rights and she agreed to cooperate with the investigation Timbs was found in possession of $850 in her purse and she told investigators that a portion of the money was proceeds gained by prostitution Timbs told investigators that she is currently unemployed and makes money by providing prostitution services Investigators seized the money as part of the investigation Timbs was taken into custody and transported to the Carter County Detention Center First Fridays return to the monthly calendar of downtown Elizabethton with “Adventure Vibes set to take place on May 2 First Fridays are back in downtown Elizabethton with the first night of the new season taking place this Friday with “Adventure Vibes” ELIZABETHTON — First Fridays are back in downtown Elizabethton Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Kristie Dawn Oliver has been charged with vehicular homicide following an incident that happened on February 14 according to the Elizabethton Police Department (Photo credit: Carter County Sheriff's Office) (WCYB) — An Elizabethton woman has been charged with vehicular homicide following an incident that happened on February 14 Officers responded the 300 block of Race Street following a report of a vehicle hitting two pedestrians and fleeing the scene Officers found two females at the scene who were both taken to area medical facilities Teresa Emmons was pronounced dead at Sycamore Shoals Hospital Kristie Dawn Oliver was later found and detained Oliver was charged with vehicular homicide Oliver was later charged with driving while revoked and multiple drug charges Traffic signals were knocked out at the intersection of East Broad Street and North Sycamore Street on Thursday by a dump truck coming from the bridge repairs at the Broad Street Bridge Crews from the city worked to restore power to the neighborhood and establish detours while a crew from Knoxville was mobilized to begin making the repairs to the traffic signals The intersection will remain closed until further notice Photo of the dump truck with its bed in the raised position after the accident with the traffic signals and electrical wires at the intersection of Broad Street and Sycamore Street The Broad Street Bridge construction can be seen in the background Scene at the intersection of Broad Street and Sycamore Street on Thursday afternoon ELIZABETHTON — An intersection at East Broad Street and North Sycamore Street in downtown Elizabethton closed Thursday and electric power knocked out when a dump truck hit traffic signals and electrical wires Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Young entrepreneur opens Skin Heaven Aesthetics in Elizabethtonby Kristen Quon — A young entrepreneur is living out her dream by opening a new business in downtown Elizabethton located right across from the Covered Bridge has opened its doors after the building was remodeled following damage from Helene is now accepting applications for corrective treatments Counts said she customizes her services to meet each client's specific skincare needs "I've always wanted to be able to make someone feel good in their own skin," she said "Being able to take someone who has excessive acne and being able to correct that for them is such a good feeling." Services at Skin Heaven Aesthetics range from $150 to $350 You can book a service HERE Tenn-- Police are investigating a shooting that occurred in the parking lot of the Dollar Tree on Hudson Drive witnesses reported that two individuals exchanged gunfire before fleeing the scene in vehicles but that individual has not yet been located Officers are currently managing two separate scenes: the original shooting location and a vehicle connected to the incident found elsewhere Shaw stated there is no indication of an ongoing threat to the public suggesting that the individuals involved may have been acquainted Unicoi County’s Lela Byrd (00) strides to deliver a pitch earlier this season JONESBOROUGH — Unicoi County pitcher Lela Byrd struck out 15 while pitching a one-hitter against her former team JONESBOROUGH — Unicoi County pitcher Lela Byrd struck out 15 while pitching a one-hitter against her former team as the Blue Devils defeated Elizabethton in the District 1-3A softball tournament Friday night at David Crockett Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Elizabethton's veterans monument was damaged by a tractor-trailer Tuesday. It's a visible sign of the impact of continued bridge closures five months after Helene struck our region. Resident Michael Kaal videoed the aftermath after he said the truck got stuck in the roundabout and then ran into the memorial. “He was starting to kind of curb it,” Kaal said. “He started just kind of accelerating and then just completely gassed it, and at that point, he just plowed right into the side of the memorial. He took out the cannon. I'm just kind of in shock, watching this whole thing. Rocks are flying everywhere.” Kaal said he called 9-1-1 and continued to video as the truck drove almost another mile, appearing to drag a block of concrete with it. The incident, Elizabethton officials said, is a symptom of a larger issue after Helene damaged the Broad Street Bridge. It has made downtown a busy detour, but there isn't enough space for trucks. “This makes about the second, maybe the third incident we've had where somebody's clipped the monument,” city spokesperson Ivan Sanders said. City officials have put up massive signs warning drivers to detour, but officials said drivers aren't listening. “They will follow what GPS tells them for the shortest distance,” Sanders said. “I think that's really what's happening right now is a lot of the truck drivers are just taking the shortcut to try to save time.” TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi said crews are working on moving gas lines to repair the Broad Street Bridge. Nagi said jacking will start in mid-April to remove a bow in the bridge. The work is expected to be finished by the end of May. Meanwhile, the damage to the veterans monument stirs emotions for residents. “I have kids, one who's a 6-year-old boy, and I literally this week was telling him about the monument and what it represented,” Kaal said. The monument was first dedicated in 1913. City archivist Joe Penza said it had actual war cannons pointing north and south to represent unity after the Civil War. Until the bridge reopens, city officials fear not much more can be done. President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting at the White House. WATCH LIVEElizabethton Golf Course back open for business following Heleneby Casey Goetz (WCYB) — The Elizabethton Golf Course is back open for business after it was closed for nearly six months following Helene Head pro Euggie Jones describes what he saw when he returned to the course the day after Helene hit the region Once we got out and cleaned up the golf course fairways and greens wasn’t really in bad shape The main factor for us was there were a lot of trees old pine trees that were mangled up 20 to 30 foot in the air and it presented a danger for players." said Jones five holes on the course sustained significant tree damage and several other limbs were a safety hazard to players The city of Elizabethton made the difficult decision to close the course until the trees could be removed "It was bad that we had to shut down," said Jones But everybody understood once they came out and saw the golf course and saw that we were trying to take care of them as far as safety." "Some of the trees we cut is going to help the turf conditions It’s sort of a blessing in disguise and some of those areas out there they needed to be cut anyway and this storm just kind of spurred us on to go ahead and do that because those trees were mangled up and in bad shape," said Jones Elizabethton Golf Course opened for the first time since Helene on March 14th The highlight of the golf season for many at Elizabethton will be the 30th annual William B The Elizabethton Broad Street bridge project expected completion date has been pushed back from the end of May to early July according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (WCYB) — The Elizabethton Broad Street bridge project expected completion date has been pushed back from the end of May to early July The bridge was heavily damaged by Helene during September Work continues on the State Route 67/91 (Broad Street) bridge in Elizabethton which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene in September 2024 The due date for this project has been adjusted from the end of May to early July East Tennessee is unique in its geological features which can cause the modification of road and bridge construction timelines a geotechnical investigation discovered that installing micro-piles would be more complicated than initially expected due to the complexity of the cobble rock underneath the bridge This discovery also complicates the diversion and dewatering process laid out in the contractor’s plan The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is dedicated to preserving this historic bridge that was built in 1929 the contractor will perform the following activities: Drill micro-piles through the 18 feet of cobble rock and into solid rock Motorists are advised to use extreme caution in this area as workers will be present Hurricane Helene devastated interstates and state routes in East Tennessee Of the 49 sections of state/local routes initially closed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Helene To learn more about Helene Recovery efforts please visit: https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/projects-region-1/hurricane-helene-recovery.html (WCYB) — A man has been arrested in connection to a burglary at a Carter County church According to the Carter County Sheriff's Office Police said that the charges came after Harmony Free Will Baptist Church was broken into early Tuesday morning You can read more about that here: Tools, donations stolen from Carter Co. church that has been helping with Helene recovery Officers said Shaver was arrested on Thursday He was taken to the Carter County Detention Center and has a $30,000 bond The Carter County Car Club will hold its first cruise-in of the season in the parking lot of Elizabethton High School because of the closure of the Broad Street Bridge In addition to holding the cruise-ins at Elizabethton High School for the early part of the season Car Club President Jim Bass said there could also be some pop-up events at other locations Bass plans to ask the Elizabethton City Council for permission to hold the events downtown on Saturday nights once again To make the announcement Bass and other club officers Amanda Gratz (left) and Shannon Harr pose at the high school with Bass’ 1955 Ford Club Sedan and Harr’s 1957 Chevrolet 150 ELIZABETHTON — The weekly cruise-ins of the Carter County Car Club will be moving out of downtown Elizabethton at least for the first part of the season this year Car Club President Jim Bass said the cruise-ins are going to start on Saturday this year in the parking lot of Elizabethton High School Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription (WCYB) — The Elizabethton Electric System is warning customers about a scam Officials said that callers from a private number are calling EES customers and demanding payment for past due billing and threatening to disconnect service if the payment is not made immediately According to Safety and Facilities Coordinator Brandon Campbell the electric system will never call and made a demand for payments "We want our customers to know this is not something that the system engages in," said Campbell "We just recently began a service where customers may receive a recorded call from 423-666-0053 advising of a past due bill but we always ask that the customers reach back out to us in regard to the billing issue." (WCYB) — The closure of the Broad Street Bridge in Elizabethton has led to significant congestion in the downtown area The bridge sustained structural damage from Helene forcing drivers to navigate through downtown City of Elizabethton Public Information Officer described the situation: "You’re taking like a full four-lane highway that was initially running on Broad Street and you're taking it to the downtown area where people are going home Traffic is heavy especially around rush hour." While the increased traffic might seem like a boon for local businesses Proffitt said it has been a double-edged sword "People are just speeding by," she said noting that the congestion has made stopping and parking more difficult The traffic issues have also led to the relocation of many downtown events "We couldn’t have our trick or treating we had every week on a Saturday night the Carter County Cruising Our Christmas parade we don't get to have downtown," Proffitt said City of Elizabethton Public Information Officer Ivan Sanders said the bridge is a state-maintained highway bridge and the city has reached out to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) multiple times "We haven't heard anything from TDOT in regard to when they’re going to start the timeline for repairs," Sanders said City leaders are asking residents for patience "Just to understand the situation we’re in we’re all having to face the rerouting so it's not like we don't want to fix it," Sanders said Sanders assured that the city will keep the public informed as soon as new information about the bridge repairs becomes available TDOT's Mark Nagi said the following in an email sent to News 5: "Our environmental folks are working on obtaining permits and our right of way division is working with property owners around the bridge to obtain right of entry and TDOT will be able to utilize our second Progressive Design-Build (PDB) contract to expedite necessary bridge repairs to the Broad Street bridge (SR 67/SR 91/US 321) over the Doe River near downtown Elizabethton We expect that PDB contract to be complete in the next couple of weeks." Officials have released traffic details for the Elizabethton Christmas Parade that is scheduled to take place on Saturday (WCYB) — Officials have released traffic details for the Elizabethton Christmas Parade that is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 6 p.m Jason Witten Way from Hudson to Bemberg and Rogosin Drive from West G Street will be closed to through traffic to prepare for parade staging Registered parade participants should refer to their registration packet for specific staging area instructions streets will be closed along the parade route These closures begin at Bemberg Road at West D and on G Street between Hudson Drive and South Watauga Avenue The parade begins as participants move from the staging area onto Bemberg Road and turn East onto West G The parade route ends at the intersection of G and Roan Street parade viewers must remain on the sidewalks to keep the street clear for the parade to continue moving forward along the route On-street parking is permitted on streets adjacent to the parade route parking is prohibited in areas that are posted by signs The Elizabethton Driver Services Center is set to reopen Monday following the damage caused by Helene (Photo credit: Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security) (WCYB) — The Elizabethton Driver Services Center is set to reopen Monday following the damage caused by Helene The location is at 1741 Highway 19E Bypass According to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security the center will be open for regular business hours The last day of operation for the Driver Services mobile unit inside the Elizabethton Municipal Building Appointments made for the mobile unit will be honored at the Elizabethton Driver Services Center In the refurbished Elizabethton Driver Services Center new credentialing equipment and new self-service kiosks The new self-service kiosks can be used to complete many Driver Services transactions including renewing or replacing a duplicate Driver License or ID Card and requesting a license reissue after reinstatement requirements are met The new kiosks can take photos and process payments with Apple Pay For more information on Tennessee Driver Services including the new self-service kiosks visit tn.gov/safety/driver-services.html.