More information: Click here A few showers this evening with mostly cloudy conditions overnight Local police are seeking the public's help in locating a missing 13-year-old middle school student KINGSPORT — Local police are seeking the public's help in locating a missing 13-year-old middle school student The Kingsport Police Department is searching for 13-year-old Brayden Horne identified as a white male student attending Sevier Middle School and living on West Sullivan Street "Brayden is believed to have left voluntarily from an address on West Sullivan Street Brayden is a white male and has been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a runaway juvenile," the Monday afternoon release from Public Information Officer Brandon Arnold Anyone with information on Brayden’s whereabouts is asked to contact Kingsport Central Dispatch at 423-246-9111 or the Criminal Investigations Division at 423-229-9429 In addition, if an individual who can provide information to this or any case wishes not to be identified, tips can be submitted anonymously via “Citizen Feedback” forms available at online at https://www.kingsporttn.gov/city-services/police-department/contact-us 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 Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight Lowe’s employees plant rosebushes at Carter’s Valley Elementary School Carter's Valley Elementary School received donated landscaping from Lowe's Home Improvement stores from East and West Kingsport Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription The book cover for "Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says About Clutter" by Angie Hyche The Kingsport Public Library plans to host an Author Fest in July Adult Services Librarian Kate Woodworth has provided book reviews for the work of some of the authors we will host during the Author Fest The Kingsport Public Library will temporarily relocate to the Fort Henry Mall while its current location undergoes renovation The last day of public service at the existing downtown location will be Friday The library’s temporary home at the Fort Henry Mall is scheduled to open its doors to patrons on Monday Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription The Carousel Horse Brigade consists of six painted fiberglass carousel horses sponsored by local businesses and organizations These colorful and unique equine creations will be on display along Broad Street at the Kingsport Carousel and be used during this summer’s birthday celebration Kingsport Cultural Arts unveiled the Carousel Horse Brigade - a special community art project to celebrate the 10th birthday of the Kingsport Carousel which debuted during Saturday’s Kingsport Arts Festival consists of six painted fiberglass carousel horses sponsored by local businesses and organizations The project was similar to the 10 fiberglass goats painted and decorated during the 2023 GOAT Festival Kelpie – Artist: Michelle Hamilton (Gallery Petite); Sponsor: Engage Kingsport Prosperity – Artist: Chris Hobbs; Sponsor: Northeast State Community College Booyah – Artist: Jessica Odum; Sponsor: Southern Dwellings Buc – Artist: Jason Flack; Sponsor: East Tennessee State University Kitty-Up – Artist: Madr Paints Murals; Sponsor: Boops and Beans Cat Café Spirit – Artist: Mercedes Brown of Mercy Berry Art; Sponsor: Leadership Kingsport “The fiberglass goats were a huge success and are still a popular form of public art throughout the city People still comment to me about seeing the goats on display,” said Special Events and Cultural Arts Manager Kristie Leonard we’ve gone bigger with carousel horses and believe the community will be excited to see the results.” Sponsorship funds will be used for future carousel projects to maintain and improve this beloved community space For more information about the Kingsport Carousel, visit www.artskingsport.org Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription From a drumbeat and molten glass to watercolors and pottery on fire the Kingsport Arts Festival had plenty to occupy a visiting public Saturday Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Kim Hart and Loyce Ardemagni stand in front of Providence Medical Clinic located in downtown Kingsport at 441 Clay Street The clinic's pharmacy stocks a range of no-cost medications including insulin and blood pressure drugs made possible through national partnerships and donation programs where a volunteer eye doctor provides free eye exams and care to patients once a month The clinic offers free primary care to uninsured low-income adults in the Greater Kingsport area KINGSPORT — A medical clinic in downtown Kingsport is serving the city’s most vulnerable — and at no cost was founded in 2010 as a mission of First Baptist Church patients are not charged for the services they receive lab services or testing," said volunteer and board member Loyce Ardemagni patients must be between 18 and 64 years old and earn at or below 150% of the federal poverty level — approximately $23,000 annually for a single individual said it primarily serves patients from Kingsport Sullivan County and parts of Hawkins County Recently their outreach has expanded thanks to a mobile clinic unit launched two years ago “We wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn't for our volunteers and the support we receive from the community,” Hart said The clinic operates out of a building provided by First Baptist Church Additional funding comes from local churches “All of our providers and doctors are volunteers,” said Ardemagni and Milligan University students in physician assistant programs They all give their time to serve our patients.” Providence has a team of about 70 volunteers and eight paid staff members one phlebotomist and two administrative employees The clinic sees around 500 patients annually Providence operates five days a week with scheduled appointments from 9 a.m and continues to hold its traditional Thursday night walk-in clinic serves as the clinic’s medical director and also works as an internal medicine physician with Ballad Health Several local churches and generous donors have provided the clinic with essential supplies "We have a lot of individuals that want to make a monetary private donation to us and that's where some of our funding comes from," Ardemagni said Sometimes they want to bring in snacks that we put out for the patients like bottled water and we'll take it," Hart added "We don't turn anything away because somewhere patients have access to 15 different speciality clinics Some will come when we need them," Hart said "We might also refer patients to providers and they'll see them in their office." Providence also offers in-house blood draws and urinalysis with lab testing processed at no cost to patients through an agreement with LabCorp One of Providence’s most impactful services is its pharmacy which provides maintenance medications like insulin and blood pressure pills free of charge through partnerships with national nonprofit distributors “Our $7,500 annual fee to Dispensary of Hope gives us access to thousands of prescriptions we dispense each month,” Ardemagni said we received over $200,000 worth of medication in 2024 alone.” brand-name medications through pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs a Hepatitis C treatment that can cost tens of thousands of dollars per course “These are the medications you see advertised on TV,” Ardemagni said “A month’s supply of Ozempic can cost $3,000 to $4,000 We apply on behalf of our patients and are very successful in getting them the medications they need.” the Mavyret treatment alone can be life-changing and would otherwise be unattainable,” Hart added The clinic does not supply narcotics or scheduled medications Patients are required to requalify annually If their income rises or they gain insurance they can no longer receive services at Providence we go through that requalification process every year,” Hart said “Some patients get emotional when they get a job and can no longer come here,” she added That says something about the quality of care we’re providing.” If someone arrives who doesn’t meet the clinic’s eligibility criteria Providence will still see them once and help refer them to another local clinic that can meet their needs Providence also offers spiritual support for those who want it “Our overall mission is to administer to the physical needs of the patient but we also want to address their spiritual needs,” said Ardemagni Spiritual care providers offer to pray with patients and help connect them to resources like food Hart emphasized that their care goes beyond medicine And we’re proud to be in the upper crust of patient care because of the love and dignity we offer here.” The clinic's largest grant comes from the Tennessee Charitable Care Network or TCCN which reimburses the clinic based on the number of patients served Ballad Health also supports the clinic financially and refers patients who might otherwise turn to emergency rooms “Sometimes we just have to get creative with how to meet needs And it works because of the people who believe in it.” The clinic also provides patient education on diabetes and disease prevention Hart said about 97% of their patients are between the ages of 40 and 50 Hart said they receive regular referrals from community organizations like the Salvation Army Providence Medical Clinic’s mobile unit will be at the following locations: Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription The Times News has teamed up with area clergy to share ‘Words of Comfort’ twice a week in our print edition and online at TimesNews.Net. Any member of the clergy who’d like to get involved can contact Allison Winters at awinters@sixriversmedia.com Today's Words of Comfort message comes from Rev the pastor of Shades of Grace United Methodist Church in Kingsport Have you heard about the “winters” of Tennessee One of them is referred to as Blackberry winter between early to mid-May That is usually when the blackberry vines are in full bloom In our general area folk often mention a tenth of May cold spell Someone said if you do not like the weather just hang around for a few minutes and it will surely change There is generally an exception to every rule Did you know that in the year 1816 winter prevailed throughout the entire year Present day Kingsport was chartered in 1822 The area was known at that time as King’s Boat Yard The late Muriel Spoden wrote a book titled “The Netherland Inn Chronicles” ice and frost became progressively worse through August People froze to death as snow and sleet fell for seventeen days in May August was worse as ice coating killed everything green and ice-covered ponds and rivers.” This was a global weather event Hopefully most of us will not complain so much about the things we cannot control Jesus offered a model for prayer that helps us trust God one day at a time Scripture teaches that rain falls on the righteous and wicked alike Each of us will encounter the winters of life that bring sadness loneliness and general feelings of unworthiness The good news to depend upon is found in the very first book of Genesis in Hebrew Bible Chapter 8:22 says” While the earth remains Is your faith securely grounded in the promise of Jesus who said he will never leave nor forsake us Are you confident in his promise to be with you forever Will Shewey is pastor of Shades of Grace United Methodist Church in Kingsport James Reasor is an author and volunteer chaplain with Ballad Health Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Glassblower Ryan Gothrup of Mobile Arts adds a fin to a glass fish Saturday at the Kingsport Arts Festival Kids chalk up a section of Shelby Street sidewalk during Saturday's Kingsport Arts Festival Artist Brett Marcus Cook shows his watercolor technique during Saturday’s Kingsport Arts Festival on Shelby Street An assistant at the Clay Gurus demonstrates the final step of raku pottery firing Saturday at the Kingsport Arts Festival A girl picks up the beat with Symphony of the Mountains Executive Director Cassidy Lester principal percussionist with the Symphony. Artist Madison Ramey gets a smile of approval from a face-painting subject Saturday at the Kingsport Arts Festival Henna artist Karishma Manji practices her art on a girl at Saturday's Kingsport Arts Festival offer folks the chance to try their hand at watercolor painting Saturday during the Kingsport Arts Festival Maggie Kern takes the reins as parents James and Amanda Kern of Duffield check out "Kitty-Up," one of the Kingsport Cultural Arts Horse Brigade of painted horses on display in downtown through November Linore Huss of Kingsport Cultural Arts with a work-in-progress finger painting at the Kingsport Arts Festival schmooze during the Kingsport Arts Festival Saturday Kids chalk up a section of Shelby Street sidewalk during Saturday's Kingsport Arts Festival An assistant at the Clay Gurus demonstrates the final step of raku pottery firing Saturday at the Kingsport Arts Festival during Saturday's Kingsport Arts Festival Linore Huss of Kingsport Cultural Arts with a work-in-progress finger painting at the Kingsport Arts Festival KINGSPORT - From a drumbeat and molten glass to watercolors and pottery on fire festival coordinator with Kingsport Cultural Arts alternated between helping attending artists answering visitors’ questions and manning a finger painting station on Shelby Street the Festival brought together 17 artists and nine activity stations for a visual and hands-on arts experience folks could try their hand at paper crafts and bucket drumming or get their face painted or don a henna design “It’s really exciting to have a second year and be able to expand on what we did in 2024 from a couple of little activities and vendors,” said Huss “It’s a lot bigger this year and we hope to continue that trend.” While a planned iron pour had to be cancelled when an exhibitor was not able to make it to Kingsport Saturday festivalgoers got to see molten and fiery elements in other forms Glassblower Ryan Gothrup of Mobile Arts demonstrated a glass sculpture of a fish and other items at The Inventors Center Jacob Vitjms and Kip Brixey of The Clay Gurus provided a display of Japanese Roku pottery firing that involved burning wood smoke and steam flashing from buckets of water as they and their assistants took 1,800-degree Fahrenheit pottery from a kiln and set the glazes in a quick-cooling process For kids and adults wanting to try body art local muralist and artist Madison Ramey scaled down her commercial work into face painting Karishma Manji applied henna in longer lasting but temporary floral and flowing designs The Kingsport Arts Guild let people try their hands at watercolor paintings while providing inspiration with a display of area artists’ work in the medium sidewalk chalk drawing and other traditional and avant-garde art displays were on hand during the festival Symphony of the Mountains had plenty of drumsticks and five-gallon plastic buckets on hand for a day-long rotating percussion session While The Investors Center was not hosting people in protective helmets and overalls while pouring molten iron this year Center director Brandon Harrell said the festival has been an opportunity to show that the facility is not just a place for invention “We’re mostly here to show people this space exists,” Harrell said between guiding tours of the center’s spaces for wood- and metal-working laser graphics and design and other skill areas People can sign up for $35 a month and a three-month minimum to use center tools and equipment and use some consumables to learn a new skill build things for their home or even start a new business Larger projects require that center users buy their materials but being able to use tools on site makes those projects and starting a new business more economical people could look at Kingsport Cultural Arts’ Horse Brigade project – a series of six fiberglass carousel horses decorated by area artists People could be seen during the day taking selfies with or shooting pictures of friends and family with the horses The horses will be on display through at least November Online: www.ArtsKingsport.org Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription The book cover for “Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says About Clutter” by Angie Hyche The library plans to host an Author Fest at the mall location Saturday This book tells the story of what can happen when hateful ideologies are allowed a platform in public discourse There is the more obvious theme of the dangers of white supremacy but the author manages to highlight the systemic problems that allow such ideas to take root He acknowledges the need to feel heard that is present in the hearts and minds of the Appalachian community Generational poverty and the school-to-prison pipeline foster mindsets that can fall victim to harmful ideas: “It’s full of people who are hungry hungry in a way that people who’ve had plenty to eat all their lives can’t ever understand.” The characters are flawed and make human choices rather than being static representations of ideologies People across the political spectrum are shown to have their faults and at the same time be willing to compromise for the greater good Readers from diverse backgrounds will find much to discuss in this book I forget how much I like short stories until I pick up a book of short stories so I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it I like how some revisited characters from previous stories really tie the collection together If you’re looking for organization advice with a Christian perspective Angie has a way of digging to the heart of the matter when it comes to why we have difficulty getting organized Even secularly minded folks will find useful insight into how to deal with clutter As someone who loves reading about organization some of the concepts in the book were already familiar to me but I gained new insight into the concepts of schedule clutter and mental clutter I usually think about physical clutter because it is right there in my face but getting our heads straight can be just as important as clearing out our physical space Angie has certainly done her homework when it comes to organization and it shows We will showcase the work of more writers from our Author Fest next week. For updates, hours and directions to the Kingsport Public Library’s temporary location, visit www.kingsportlibrary.org or call 423-229-9489 Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription on GOLF — PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship on FanDuel Sports South/Southeast — Cincinnati at Atlanta TRUTV — Eastern Conference semifinal: Indiana at Cleveland TRUTV — Western Conference semifinal: Golden State at Minnesota on ESPN — Eastern Conference semifinal: Carolina at Washington on ESPN — Western Conference semifinal: Edmonton at Vegas on CBS — UEFA Champions League: Barcelona at Inter Milan (Wednesday) on TENNIS — Italian Open-ATP/WTA early rounds 11 a.m. on tomtaylorsports.com — Tom Taylor Sports Show Noon on WEMB (AM-1420) — Tri-Cities Sports NOW Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Dobyns-Bennett’s Maddox Martin (left) catches Science Hill’s Lucas Dye in a rundown The Dobyns-Bennett Indians finished runner-up in the District 1-4A tournament having earned their first region berth since 2017 Science Hill baseball players celebrate with coach Ryan Edwards after winning the District 1-4A tournament championship Saturday The Science Hill Hilltoppers won their seventh straight district title with Saturday’s win over Dobyns-Bennett Science Hill's Lucas Dye (14) slides home to score a run Science Hill's Anderson Craft (27) watches the ball on his follow through after hitting a three-run double Science Hill's Haydon Smelser (4) turns a double play after putting Dobyns-Bennett's Andrew Reilly (3) out at second The only thing that might need rebuilding is the Hilltoppers’ trophy case if they keep bringing home hardware at this rate Add another gold plaque to the collection after Saturday Science Hill’s 30th win of the season resulted in its seventh consecutive district title dating back to 2018 Fred Johnson Stadium in Saturday’s District 1-4A championship “We didn’t ever think it was a rebuilding year We never think that,” Science Hill coach Ryan Edwards said “That was fuel for our fire … the regular season is for getting yourselves better then you get to the postseason and you’re looking to play your best baseball.” Two losses to Daniel Boone dropped the Hilltoppers to 13-9 “I think we always have talent coming through here,” senior and District 1-4A tournament MVP Lucas Dye said Coach Edwards is going to find a way to put a really good team out there no matter what.” It also marked Science Hill’s fourth win over D-B (28-8) this spring after a three-game sweep in the regular season The Indians had just earned their first region berth since 2017 with Friday’s win over Daniel Boone sent the first pitch he saw up the middle for a leadoff single in the opening frame but we stayed patient and did what we had to do We just have to stay with our approach and make plays Our pitchers are always going to pitch good Nate Stoots and Haydon Smelser drew three straight walks Cooper Greer’s groundout allowed Wells to score And after Sam Lane’s walk loaded the bases pinch hitter Anderson Craft cleared them when he ripped a line-drive double to left for a 5-1 lead “We’d talked about the potential of using a pinch hitter early in the game Maxwell’s two-out RBI double got the Tribe within 5-2 in the second but Science Hill began to pull away with a four-run fourth inning Wells and Smelser all singled home runs to help build a 9-2 advantage driving in Science Hill’s final run with his triple to center Lane’s single rounded out the Hilltoppers’ eight hits striking out one and scattering three hits for the win Cole ReSue went two innings with a strikeout and one hit allowed before Sam Royston closed the deal in the seventh having played three games in as many nights prior to Saturday’s championship Elijah Thomas started and was tagged with the loss Drew Murdock and Will Shipley all took the mound — Godsey pitching the longest at 2 1/3 innings while none of the five exceeded 34 pitches “We put everything we had in the tank (Thursday) night to get that win (over Daniel Boone) which we had to do,” D-B coach Ryan Wagner said “But we’re all on an equal playing field (in the region tournament) far as games and what we’ve got to do to move on.” Maddox Martin got D-B off to a strong start doubling to left on the second pitch of the game He scored when Graham Jones hit into a double play for a 1-0 lead Kasey Carter’s two-out RBI single in the seventh brought home the final run Cooper Reed went 2-for-3 to lead D-B offensively and Taylor Blankenship singled to give the Indians six hits Science Hill will host the Region 1-4A tournament Friday and Saturday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City The Hilltoppers will face the District 2-4A runner-up with D-B facing the 2-4A champion Morristown West and Jefferson County are scheduled to finish their district championship battle Sunday Friday’s two semifinal games start at 5 p.m. before the region championship begins a tripleheader Saturday at noon Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Mountain Empire Older Citizens Executive Director Michael Wampler says “unpredictable surprises” describes the situation the agency faces under Trump administration budget priorities Mountain Empire Older Citizens has helped support far Southwest Virginia’s senior population with services ranging from meals to helping the elderly maintain lives in their homes MEOC Executive Director Michael Wampler said the agency’s ability to provide those services is a question he and staffers are asking every day in the wake of Trump administration cuts and a proposed 2025-26 budget that could strike at approximately 30 different federal funding sources “We worry in order,” Wampler said Thursday of agency reaction to daily news of the federal funding situation “We have concerns that the Administration for Community Living have had a lot of reduction in staff and it appears that could possibly be dismantled and moved into other federal programs and departments.” The federal Department of Health and Human Services has seen a range of funding cuts since January through the Department of Government Efficiency Wampler said ACL has been key to MEOC’s ability to provide senior services such as at-home meals delivery and congregate feeding centers MEOC’s PACE – Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly – has operated for several years as a way to help elderly residents remain in their homes and stay connected to relatives and friends as long as possible before they need to move into nursing care and that funding is also uncertain in the next budget year Other agency programs involve helping seniors with chronic disease management fall prevention and other health-related services – all done with some or all federal money – Wampler added which provides scheduled and on-demand bus rides for all residents in Scott also depends in part on Federal Transit Administration grant funding While MEOC’s original mission involved serving the region’s elderly population the organization has found itself over the decades filling needs for a broader age range such as a Child Advocacy Center for young abuse victims the Mountain Laurel Cancer Support and Resource Center and Mountain Empire Transit Mountain Empire Transit provides scheduled and on-demand bus rides for all residents in Scott IT also depends in part on Federal Transit Administration grant funding as well as state transportation grants that sometimes involve federal flow-through money MEOC serves approximately 10,000 people of all age groups annually The transit side has reached a level of approximately 130,000 one-way rider trips thanks to the on-demand MetGO service available in parts of Wise County MetGO’s popularity has led to planning for expansion into Lee and Scott counties although the budget situation may slow that we had around 30 different funding sources,” said Wampler when these reorganizations and restructurings are taking place It’s hard to keep up with that many different programs and know how it’s going to affect our programs.” MEOC helps clients navigate the processes for applying for Medicaid Medicare and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Those programs also face uncertainty under Trump administration budget priorities MEOC’s challenges reflect the situations facing the other 24 state Area Agencies on Aging that fall within a mix of planning district “That’s what we’ve talked about with our management team,” said Wampler “We’re watching things but you just don’t know how it’s going to play out even with changes in presidential administrations and party majorities in Congress MEOC and its counterparts saw some stability and predictability in the federal budget process until now “I don’t know how to describe it,” said Wampler “The best words I can think of to describe it are surprise announcements Sometimes you feel you have a little bit of an understanding of what may happen and I don’t think that’s happening with some of these changes.” While MEOC’s Emergency Fuel Fund to assist low-income elderly residents with winter heating fuel and bills operates only on donations Wampler said a tightening economy affects the public’s ability to donate The agency also connects clients in need to the state’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program which provides another source of fuel and utility assistance along with weatherization help LIEAP also combines federal and state funding at a time of shifting federal budget priorities and that could mean more stress for clients when winter arrives MEOC has seen long-term support for its programs and mission from state and congressional legislators Budget uncertainty means a greater need for reliable information as MEOC awaits the outcome of the federal budget process,” Wampler said “I would encourage everybody to pay attention to facts at the moment,” said Wampler “Try to get information directly versus social media If they have questions about specific programs or concerns they can let us know and we’d be glad to address those directly.” Mountain Empire Older Citizens — https://meoc.org Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription holding his Tennessee SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year certificate ELIZABETHTON — In addition to Hampton students winning gold and silver medals in state competition and the school’s club receiving a chapter of excellence designation at the 2025 SkillsUSA Convention in Chattanooga this year the school’s teacher was also honored at the state level the architecture and engineering design teacher at Hampton High School was named advisor of the year by the SkillsUSA/Tennessee The honor is especially significant for Arrington because he has a long and successful association with SkillsUSA not just as a teacher but going back to his highly successful career as a student at Hampton High School Arrington won nine individual state championships during his time as a student at Hampton He graduated in 2017 and chose to attend North Carolina State University Arrington was awarded the university’s Chancellor’s Choice scholarship during his four years there with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering Arrington was taught by architecture and engineering design teacher Daniel Arnett Arnett had many gold medal-winning students in SkillsUSA competition while he taught at Hampton but he said recently “the SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year” is the one award I really wanted.” After his graduation from North Carolina State Arrington was preparing for a career in engineering But that was before he learned that Arnett had been hired as an instructor of engineering design technology at Northeast State Community College in Blountville Arrington said he could not stand to see the Hampton program slip and so he decided to take the job vacated by Arnett When asked to describe his feelings about the recent honor Arrington said “being named SkillsUSA Advisor of the Year is a once in a lifetime achievement To day it is one of my proudest accomplishments is an understatement There truly aren’t words to express my feeling at the moment Arrington went on to say “there have been many people who have influenced my path in life but one of the most influential is Daniel Arnett Daniel was my CAD teacher and a major mentor Without his guidance and leadership I wouldn’t be here today To have followed in his footsteps and taken over his teaching role has been a privilege It is my honor to represent the SkillsUSA organization as Advisor of the Year” Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Johnson City’s Fridays After 5 summer concert series returns to King Commons May 30 The concerts are free and open to all ages “Beyond the Sun” is now showing in the Bays Mountain Park Planetarium Theater through Aug telling the story of one girl’s search for exoplanets {span}The Kingsport Aquatic Center’s{/span} {span}outdoor water park will open daily May 24 through Aug 3 and open weekends only in May (beginning May 17) Twilight Alive concerts return to downtown Kingsport May 30 A listing of upcoming events and attractions will host Harlan County Grass May 3 from 5-6:30 p.m (Fish and chicken meal at 4 p.m.) For more information call 276-466-0026 Symphony of the Mountains will perform "Appalachian Spring" with East Tennessee Ballet Academy on May 6 at 9:30 a.m in the Wise County Performing Arts Center at J.W This is a school performance to which the public is invited Downtown Johnson City’s Main Street Program has announced the upcoming Fridays After 5 (FA5) summer concert series full eight-week lineup These concerts are free and open to all ages The concert schedule is as follows: May 30 — Troubadour Blue; June 13 — The Get Right Band;  June 20 — Upstream Rebellion; June 27 —The Great Big Hug; July 11 — Gavin Byrd; July 18 — The Kindest People; July 25 — JC Jazz Collective; and Aug The Twilight Alive concerts take place in the 100 block of Broad Street on Friday nights beginning at 7 p.m enjoy dinner at a downtown restaurant or choose from a variety of food drink and beer vendors who will be on site 20 Ride – America’s #1 Zac Brown Tribute; June 13 and Donnie & The Dry Heavers); July 11 Departure: The Journey Tribute Band; and July 18 Live music by the water returns to Johnson City at the end of May when Parks and Recreation’s Lakeside Concert Series returns with five nights of entertainment The concerts will be held at Winged Deer Park’s Goulding Amphitheatre Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or folding chairs for relaxing on the grassy hillsides the series includes activities for children These events are free and open to all ages The Larry Prevatte Memorial Duffield Jam is held on the first third and fifth Thursday of each month from 6-8 p.m Michael W. Smith will bring his Beyond The Far Horizon Tour to East Tennessee State University’s Martin Center April 30 at 7:30 p.m. To purchase tickets visit ETSUMartinCenter.org or call the Martin Center box office at 423-439-2787 "Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown" will return to the Paramount Bristol on May 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 423-274.8920, at the theater box office or online at www.paramountbristol.org The box office is open Tuesday – Friday from noon to 6 pm The Paramount Center is located at 518 State St. The Historic Jonesborough Dance Society holds dances at the Jonesborough Visitors Center the second and fourth Saturday of each month Dancing to live music is open to community members of all ages There will be a lesson of basic contra dance moves for beginners at 7 p.m For more information visit the group’s site on Facebook Racks by the Tracks returns to the Kingsport Farmers Market May 17. This year’s festival will feature the original Tri-Cities’ tasting event, a BBQ competition, the Racks by the Tracks 10K and 5K Race (featuring the Boss Hog Challenge) and a full day of music. Tracks are available at www.racksbythetracks.com Bays Mountain Park has announced the return of its popular laser light shows for the month of May Three different programs will feature the hits of '90s alternative bands All three laser light shows will be held in the planetarium theater on May 9 and 10 and on May 16 and 17 at the following times: Laser X at 6 p.m.; The Prince Laser Show at 7:15 p.m.; and Pink Floyd’s The Wall Laser Show at 8:30 p.m Project Friendship by the Kingsport Altrusa Club is continuing its meet-and-greet events at Shooters Billiards in Kingsport on the second and fourth Fridays at 6 p.m This event is for anyone who works from home It’s a low-key way to meet others and have fun The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park's “A Stitch in Time” Quilt Show will be open for public viewing in the museum through May 31 Hands On! Discovery Center is an all-ages science center that offers a guest experience that includes fun, interactive programs and immersive, STEM-based exhibits for the whole family as well as exhibits and information about the Gray Fossil Site, an active fossil dig site dating back 5 million years. Tickets may be purchased at https://visithandson.org/tickets Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present "Pete the Cat" now through May 10 on the Gilliam Stage. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, will present "Million Dollar Quartet" now through May 11 on the Gilliam Stage. For ticket information call 276-628-3991 or visit www.bartertheatre.com The Chuckey Depot Museum in Jonesborough is open free of charge, but donations are appreciated. Attendees can visit the museum Thursday, Friday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit Jonesborough.com or call 423-753-1010 Submit items for Out & About at features@sixriversmedia.com Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription An Apple iPhone XR is held at the Steve Jobs Theater after an event to announce new products a refurbished secondhand phone can be 15% to 50% cheaper than new flexible financing and after-sales service LONDON — New smartphones aren’t cheap and prices could reach even higher as globe trade tensions fueled by U.S President Donald Trump’s tariff threats throw Asian exports into turmoil The market for used cell phones is booming It’s now growing faster than the market for new devices As each new model release sends consumers rushing to upgrade they’ll also be selling or trading in their existing devices the starting price of a new top-of-the-line iPhone Pro Max could potentially rise 29% But buying a secondhand device is less straightforward than buying a new one Apple fans will have the most choice because iPhones make up about 60% of the global market for secondhand phones Samsung Android devices are second with about 17% The rest is made up of lesser known Chinese brands like Xiaomi There are numerous places online to buy secondhand phones and avoid deals that seem too good to be true Try platforms that specialize in selling secondhand electronics and other goods such as Gazelle and Backmarket Refurbished phones are also available from retailers like BestBuy and Amazon Even Apple and Samsung sell secondhand devices on their websites The advantage there is that they’ve been refurbished by their in-house technicians The downside is that discounts aren’t as significant and selection can be limited Apple’s website currently only lists refurbished iPhone 13 and 14 models it normally means that the data has been wiped and it has been tested and inspected for any problems Any defective or faulty components are normally replaced including those sold by individuals through online classifieds like Facebook Marketplace but it’s buyer beware because used phones are often sold as-is and usually without any repairs or guarantees “You will get the best price if you’re prepared to handle that risk,” said Simon Bryant Lots of used phones are also sold on marketplaces for so-called peer-to-peer transactions that also offer better protections for buyers which have policies for refunds if a phone isn’t as it was advertised Just because a phone is refurbished doesn’t mean that critical components — especially the battery — have been automatically replaced It depends on a vendor’s seller’s policies Apple and Samsung say their secondhand phones come with new batteries and other platforms might merely guarantee that a battery has a certain level of its original capacity Each secondhand platform will usually have its own system of grading the quality of the devices it’s selling It’s a useful gauge for comparing various phones that the vendor has for sale But keep in mind there’s no universal system of grading Pristine and Like New,” while another will run from “Fair and Good to Excellent and Premium.” Grading is “all over the place,” said Bryant and it makes it difficult for consumers to compare a $300 phone rated “Grade A” on one site with the same device on another site rated “like new” and priced at $280 “It makes it difficult to shop around,” he said Bryant advises buyers to look for a phone that’s about three generations old and avoid anything that dates back more than five or six generations because that’s getting to the point where its Android or iOS operating systems may not be supported anymore Three generations is “the sweet spot,” said Bryant It’s going to have relatively new features and it’s not going to be used so much So the wear and tear on the device will be less.” Most online marketplaces have safeguards to prevent stolen phones from being sold to consumers the carrier will usually blacklist the serial number Swappa requires sellers to run their device’s serial number through its online checker before it can be listed for sale The number can be found by dialing (asterisk)#06# BackMarket says it works with the certified sellers that use its platform to make sure there are no blacklisted phones but sometimes “a bad apple” slips through it will work with buyers to return it immediately Most newer phones are water resistant and can withstand being dunked for a limited amount of time But that doesn’t mean they’re totally waterproof Any moisture that has gotten inside could damage components even if the phone looks fine from the outside you can check if it has been exposed to liquid Apple has a guide to finding the liquid contact indicator that every iPhone since 2006 has Samsung has a similar page for Android devices Charging cables or earphones might not be included Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription David Crockett’s Madelyn Dulaney delivers a pitch JONESBOROUGH — The David Crockett softball team broke out of a slump at the plate on Friday – not that it needed to Madelyn Dulaney recorded 14 of 15 outs via strikeout en route to a five-inning one-hitter and the Pioneers defeated Sullivan East The Pioneers (19-9-1) will play the Unicoi County-Elizabethton winner in the winners’ bracket final on Monday A win in that one would secure a region berth The Patriots will play an elimination game on Tuesday “We were focused and I’m very proud of that,” Crockett coach Alex Dulaney said “because I feel like we had a skid near the end of the season where our record dropped off and I felt like the kids – once we got done with conference play – didn’t have as much to play for So we’ve worked hard the past few days on getting refocused and being locked in.” She struck out the side in the top of the first inning and Crockett scored seven in the bottom of the first The outburst at the plate was a sight for Dulaney’s sore eyes and I was really happy we got all 16 kids in the game,” Dulaney said “Tonight we had fewer pop-ups than I expected I think that was a good move in the right direction We found good barrels tonight and ran the bases hard I was really pleased to go out there and score runs Dulaney helped her cause by going 2-for-3 with a double “I’m really proud of Eva Marler,” Dulaney said Julie Maupin and Molly Davis also hit doubles for the Pioneers Freshman Elsie Gunter came off the bench in the fourth inning and nearly hit a home run running catch near the fence in left-center field to rob Gunter of extra bases “Elsie absolutely does (have a bright future),” Dulaney said “She’s got a really good senior in front of her at third base in Bailey Dugger I’m hoping that kid (Gunter) will just continue to blossom “And she’s the kind of kid you want to coach Kyndl Hodge had East’s lone hit – a one-out single in the fourth The only other base-runner for the Patriots came via a walk Dulaney’s dominance was all the more impressive when considering the fact that East had beaten Tennessee High “I watched the game last night,” Alex Dulaney said “and Sullivan East just hit it and hit it and hit it That (pitching performance) was very impressive.” Laney Britton was 1-for-3 with three runs and an RBI for Crockett Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription University High’s Knox Poston (12) gets the barrel on the ball during Friday’s win over North Greene JOHNSON CITY — The University High baseball team just keeps rolling against district opponents The Buccaneers locked up a spot in the District 1-1A championship game as well as the Region 1-1A tournament defeating North Greene 14-4 in five innings Friday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark scoring two runs in the first inning before breaking a 2-2 tie with six runs in the second and seven crossed home plate at least once Daxon Letterman and Cooper Stevenson gave the Bucs a 4-2 lead with back-to-back RBI singles And after Paddy Boynewicz singled home another Knox Poston cleared the bases with his line-drive double to left field for an 8-2 advantage Stevenson’s RBI single made it 13-4 in the fourth before Maddox Anderson scored on a one-out passed ball in the fifth to end the game 2 runs) and Anderson (2 runs) all recorded two hits and Cole Stevenson’s base hit rounded out UH’s 10-hit effort Anthony Margotta stole home for the game’s first run before an RBI single by Sam Duncan Tyler Britton’s RBI single helped the Huskies pull even in the top of the second and North Greene closed the gap to 8-4 in the third Poston threw four innings and struck out five and UH will play for the district title on Sunday Owen Pierce and Tyler Britton both singled for the Huskies who will face the Cloudland-Unaka winner for survival at 1:30 p.m GREENEVILLE — Will Harmon fired a two-hit shutout striking out nine and walking none in his five-inning victory as Greeneville advanced to the district championship and region tournament again The Greene Devils scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back Noah Murray went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs Kaine Ricker and Jeriah Griffin all singled and drove in a run Manning Brooks and Jake Elliott both singled for the Chiefs Friday’s elimination game between Grainger and Cherokee was postponed to Saturday The Chiefs and Grizzlies square off for the final region spot at 11 a.m with the district championship against Greeneville to follow JOHNSON CITY — Grace Christian Academy made the nearly two-hour trip from Knoxville only for the Knoxville portion of the Division II-A East Region games to be rained out the other games across the region were called off as well The Knights will host The King’s Academy on Monday in what has become a best-of-3 series with PA holding a 1-0 lead after Thursday’s win The Knights would advance to Tuesday’s region semifinals with a win Monday GATE CITY — Brycen Steele and Allen Lane combined for a three-hit shutout Steele striking out two and scattering two hits over the first 3 2/3 frames Lane fanned three batters and surrendered one hit the rest of the way Dylan Carter put Gate City ahead in the fifth — hitting a one-out single and coming home on Jackson Jones’ base hit to left Caleb Bumgarner drew a walk to start the bottom of the sixth and double the Devils’ lead when he scored on Hayden Wilson’s fly-out to center Carter went 2-for-2 from the nine-hole to lead Gate City offensively Clay Robbins went five innings for the Generals and struck out six BEN HUR — Avery Weston struck out 15 and walked just one in her complete-game no-hotter for Lee High in addition to batting 2-for-4 with an RBI Chloe Bledsoe hit a two-run homer in the fifth to cap the scoring Lauren Monroe fanned five batters in her seven-hit effort for Gate City JOHNSON CITY — Tom Faleke scored twice in the first half and Science Hill built a five-goal advantage before lightning ended the match early in the 55th minute Mikel Muingbeh scored first on a Dylan Trull assist in the fourth minute Faleke double the Hilltoppers’ lead in the 25th unassisted before Trull assisted him in the 38th for a 3-0 halftime lead Brodie Kell found the back of the net seven minutes into the second half and Townes Jennings capped the scoring on a Muingbeh helper in the 53rd Science Hill outshot the Hurricanes 9-2 on goal with Griffin Lewis making two saves in his clean sheet BLUFF CITY — Keilet Rodriguez recorded a hat trick to help the Blue Devils finish the regular season strong with Victor Luquin and Jose Lopez adding one goal each Nehemiah Campbell assisted two of Unicoi County’s goals Ezekiel Campbell and Carter Miller combined for the clean sheet 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 Maxwell reacts after scoring a run in the fourth inning against Daniel Boone He had two hits and drove in three runs for the Indians Dobyns-Bennett’s left-hander Cam Hayworth went 4 1/3 innings and picked up the win for the Indians against Daniel Boone Leonard went four innings for the Trailblazers against Dobyns-Bennett Dobyns-Bennett’s Graham Jones looks on as Daniel Boone catcher Jack Ridley keeps the ball from going past him Dobyns-Bennett’s Jaylen Thomas celebrates with teammate T.J Maxwell as he comes into score in the fourth inning Dobyns-Bennett's Andrew Reilly reacts to his triple in the fourth inning against Daniel Boone Daniel Boone's Clay Rowland (7) is congratulated by teammate Brady Starnes (13) after they score off Ben Stevens' two-run single in the sixth inning Dobyns-Bennett pitcher Walker Bishop and Jaylen Thomas get ready to embrace as other teammates race in to celebrate the Indians' 7-5 win over Daniel Boone KINGSPORT — The long wait is over for the Dobyns-Bennett baseball program The Indians defeated Daniel Boone 7-5 in Friday’s District 1-4A elimination game semifinal at J It qualified them for the regional round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017 when the Indians finished third in the state Dobyns-Bennett also advanced to Saturday’s championship game at noon against Science Hill The Indians scored the seven runs off 11 hits and used a trio of pitchers to get the job done They included junior left-hander Cam Hayworth who pitched the first 4 1/3 innings and got the win D-B coach Ryan Wagner turned to freshman right-hander Walker Bishop to close out the game He goes in there and competes,” Wagner said Bishop gave up a single against the first batter he faced in the seventh inning he certainly felt the butterflies in his stomach at that point he retired the next three batters for the save “I just had to calm down and control my emotions The Indians did their part at the plate as well TJ Maxwell went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs including a RBI triple by Reilly that bounced off the outfield wall Maddox Martin was 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs “We haven’t had a lot of luck in these games against them I’m proud of them for getting the job done.” Daniel Boone took the lead with a run in the third inning before Dobyns-Bennett plated five runs in the fourth The Indians pushed the lead to 7-1 before Boone (25-12) clawed its way back with a pair of runs in the fifth and another pair in the sixth It was certainly no surprise to see the Trailblazers rally The team had some of the same group from a year ago when Boone defeated Dobyns-Bennett 9-8 with a walk-off in a district elimination game They exemplify everything that’s good about high school baseball,” Boone coach Scott Hagy said “They stuck it out when nobody gave us much of a chance in February The bad thing is you have three really good teams and somebody is not going to make it out of the district Leonard all went 2 for 4 at the plate for Boone Stevens drove in two runs and Rowland scored three times in the lead-off spot going four innings before Braden Gore threw the final three “I wouldn’t trade this group for any other team,” Hagy said He’s been a blessing to have him here with us.” it was a sweet feeling after losing in such a manner a year ago where we won two and lost two,” D-B catcher Taylor Blankenship said It was such a heartbreaking game last year Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription “The Business Pulse”’ is a new multimedia approach tackling business-related topics in the Tri-Cities region. Read moreWATCH NOW: Introducing 'The Business Pulse' This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The best internet provider in Kingsport is Spectrum Internet. With a wide availability of 89%, according to the FCC and speeds ranging from 300Mbps to 1,000Mbps residents of Kingsport have a good chance of getting a fast internet connection at an affordable rate Just keep in mind that Spectrum’s prices increase by $30 every year or two There isn’t necessarily a “cheap” internet provider in Kingsport You can get some of that price trimmed off from providers like T-Mobile and Verizon by bundling phone plans with 5G internet plans BrightRidge Broadband offers fixed wireless internet service at $40 monthly for just 20mbps down and 3Mbps up BrightRidge offers the fastest internet plans in Kingsport with multi-gig tiers You can also get gig-tier plans from Spectrum and from Point Broadband Spectrum is the best internet provider in Kingsport for most residents It offers widespread coverage and reliable speeds across the city Some neighborhoods in the southern part of Kingsport even have access to fiber internet Spectrum stands out compared with other local cable and fixed wireless providers If Spectrum isn’t available in your neighborhood or you want to avoid price hikes after your first year or two BrightRidge Broadband and Verizon 5G Home Internet are good alternatives BrightRidge offers fiber plans starting at $60 per month Verizon has plans starting at $50 per month Most internet plans in Kingsport begin around $50 so there aren’t many budget options The fastest internet in Kingsport comes from BrightRidge’s fiber network Availability is limited to neighborhoods in the south you won’t find a faster connection in the area Joshua Moore via iStock / Getty ImagesHow to find internet deals and promotions in KingsportThe best internet deals and top promotions in Kingsport depend on what discounts are available during a given time but we look frequently for the latest offers.  may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time Brightspeed and BrightRidge Broadband run the same standard pricing year-round.  For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.  Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed service and performance vary by connection type For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.  (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page The best internet provider in Kingsport is Spectrum Internet. With a wide availability of 89%, according to the FCC Just keep in mind that Spectrum’s prices increase by $30 every year or two There isn’t necessarily a “cheap” internet provider in Kingsport BrightRidge offers the fastest internet plans in Kingsport with multi-gig tiers File photo of owner of Tony Macaroni Italian Restaurant a new Italian restaurant in the former location of Mama’s House KINGSPORT — Those looking for a new restaurant on the Bloomingdale end of Kingsport don’t have much longer to wait Symeon said in an interview Wednesday that he and his staff are looking forward to serving the community and continuing the family-centered restaurant legacy of Mama’s House “We feel we have to continue the great legacy of Mama’s House,” he said we share the same values as the original owner.” He hopes Tony Macaroni will be a place for friends and family to gather again for years to come Symeon said the eatery will offer a special Mother’s Day menu this year where mothers can eat for free Members of the community have already expressed to Symeon how much having a meeting space at Mama’s House meant to them I know this building better than my own house,’” Symeon said this was our place.’ They started talking with a younger guy he says he used to have his birthday here.” Signage for the restaurant went up in early Sept leaving the community curious as to when Tony Macaroni would open its doors 2023 shows the property under the ownership of Georgia Schnell who is known to be the owner and operator of the Mad Greek franchise Symeon said in a previous interview he wanted to open the restaurant after noticing the need for a “family style” Italian restaurant in the area He said the restaurant will serve dishes like lasagna To-go and takeout options are planned to be available What was once the home to Mama’s House Buffet will soon be the location of a new restaurant in the Tri-Cities Longtime patrons over the weekend and Monday flocked to the Kingsport eatery on the John B Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription (WCYB) — A Kingsport man has been charged after a stolen tractor was located was charged with possession of stolen property drug paraphernalia and improper display of registration deputies responded to the 1100 block of Suncrest Drive after a neighbor reported seeing a stolen tractor being towed disconnected the trailer and left the tractor in a field Deputies stopped Stanley's vehicle nearby and discovered a glass pipe and what was believed to be meth in his pants pocket An inventory of Stanley's vehicle revealed the tractor's ignition switch and burglary tools Stanley is being held at the Washington County Detention Center on a $40,000 bond His court appearance was scheduled for Thursday — A new spot for homemade ice cream has opened its doors in the Tri-Cities located inside Chef's Pizzeria in Kingsport and a range of add-ons like sprinkles and M&Ms said the shop's name was inspired by their 2-year-old golden retriever "We thought what would go good with pizza We thought ice cream would be a great addition downtown a great addition for us to add," said Lauren McCartt They noted that business is picking up as the weather warms and they are working to spread the word about their new venture "It's been a good response overall," said Josh McCartt The Golden Cone is open Monday through Saturday at 245 West New Street in Kingsport Rain showers this evening with mostly cloudy conditions overnight Rural King opened to the public this week at the Fort Henry Mall Some flowers as seen in the nursery area of Rural King on Friday Some customers lined up to check out on Friday afternoon Live rabbits and chicks could be seen for sale inside Rural King on Friday the Kingsport Rural King opened its door to the public for the first time this week customers could officially come buy and start perusing the store’s selection during the soft opening phase The store will host a Grand Opening Celebration April 25 through April 27 A ribbon cutting will be hosted by the Kingsport Chamber starting at 7 a.m According to a previous social post by the company double points for Rural King Reward members grand opening deals and more during the celebration Rural King is located at 2405 Memorial Blvd. in the former location of JCPenney at the Fort Henry Mall For more information about this location, visit https://www.ruralking.com/kingsport-tn/ Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription A look at the attendees gathered for the Taste of Small Business Kingsport last Monday evening Ole Crow Tavern was awarded the People’s Choice Award for this year’s event Taste of Small Business Kingsport brought hundreds of people together for the sake of sampling food from local restaurants and businesses A look at the attendees gathered for the Taste of Small Business Kingsport last Monday evening The first iteration of the event was held in October 2024 at Fusion at Ridgefields Fusion co-owner and event coordinator Kathleen Joaquin said that this year’s gathering brought in an estimated 400 people Joaquin said 20 restaurants offered samples to patrons in attendance at the MeadowView Ballroom This year’s participants included Betty’s Stockyard Cafe Ole Crow Tavern was crowned the 2025 Taste of Small Business Kingsport’s People’s Choice Award winner “We have a fabulous community in Kingsport that all came together to make this event happen,” Joaquin said “We truly appreciate all the people who came out to support us.” She said the money raised from ticket sales directly supported participating businesses Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Protesters along East Center Street in Kingsport at the April 5 Hands Off A protester waves at a passerby who honked to support the Hands Off A protester in downtown Kingsport at the Hands Off Event Saturday which was held at various locations nationwide Protesters in downtown Kingsport at the Hands Off Event Saturday Jessica Aquilina of Kingsport holds a "Fire Musk" sign during the Hands Off protest along East Center Street in downtown Kingsport Melissa Selby holds a sign during the Hands Off A Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee truck passes through the Hands Off protes of the President Donald Trump administration Saturday where anti-President Donald Trump protesters gathers Saturday in downtown Kingsport as plart of the nationwide Hands Off A protester holds a sign downtown Saturday proest against President Donald Trump and his administration an event that occurred at locations nationwide Andrew Woodbury of Johnson City carried this protest sign during the Hands Off event was part of a nationwide day of protest Saturday KINGSPORT — Five hundred or possibly more protesters all with bones to pick with the administration of Republican President Donald Trump made their grievances public in downtown Kingsport Saturday retirees and others gathered along East Center Street drawing honking horns and occasional obscene gestures from folks passing by in vehicles At least one driver going by yelled out support for Trump “This is what democracy looks like,” the protesters chanted later changing that to “This is what democracy sounds like.” One signs said simply Signs also expressed disagreement with businessman Elon Musk which stands for Department of Government Efficiency Vance and others associated with Trump’s second administration An estimated 500 people protested actions and policies of Trump The Hands Off! protest one of three Saturday in the greater Tri-Cities according to a count by a member of Indivisible Tri-Cities from Johnson City The protests were part of protests across the county in all 50 states historian for the Riverview community where he grew up march nearby and then went to the Hands Off Sneed estimated the crowd at the second event at from 500 to 700 people as folks came and went A visual estimate of the crown came up with at least 500 people The Abingdon and Johnson City events were covered by Six Rivers Media The Indivisible member declined to be identified by name but held a protest sign showing Trump and his administration in the garb of German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler according to a website for the Washington County Democratic Party is a coalition of more than 15 organizations some fashioned on the sidewalks of Broad Street to premade plastic ones similar to yard signs marked “return to the Sullivan County Democratic Party.” a Kingsport native who moved away but recently returned to Kingsport no peace” sign and recalled attending an April 7 march for MLK as an 8-year-old girl postponed from January because of cold weather then was held a few blocks away on East Sullivan Street Among the protestere was Andrew Woodbury of Johnson City “No matter what your vision of the country is a billionaire buying it and runni.ng it is not part of the vision,” Woodbury said an unidentified woman yelled out from the crowd: “Women unite against dirty old men like Trump.” She added Another protester was Jessica Aquilina of Kingsport He served as an Air Force medic and said until recently he thought he’d seen the last of protests in his lifetime there at the airport protesting (when he came back via a flight to California) I thought they were welcoming us home,” Short said adding that instead they booed the returning armed services members Short also said he was glad the local media covered the protest to let people know not everybody agrees on the current direction of the U.S In addition to the video embedded in the online version of this article a short reel from the event is posted on the Kingsport Times News Facebook and Instagram pages Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription While two women were cited by Kingsport police for providing massages without licenses the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office says multiple customers of similar parlor facilities in Bristol and the Model City were recorded and identified as those facilities were investigated for license violations and alleged prostitution The statement released Tuesday said Hong Diao were given tickets as Kingsport’s Vice and Narcotics Unit conducted a search warrant at Chinese Pressure Massage located at 733 West Stone Drive The county report said warrants were also served at Great Wall Foot Massage at 4307 Fort Henry Drive and KT Foot Spa at 1101 East Stone Drive in Kingsport and at Chinese Therapy’s two Bristol locations at 1135 Volunteer Parkway and 1990 Highway 394 Detectives are currently contacting individuals caught on camera at the massage centers but the statement said anyone who has visited those businesses can also call investigators at the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office at (423) 323-8367 or the Bristol Tennessee Police Department at (423) 989-5568 (IMAGE: Google Maps / KPD TN / SCSO TN / Official Facebook) WFHG Public Inspection File   Public File Assistance   EEO Public File © 2025 Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved An investigation by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has resulted in the indictment of Mark Kilgore the former Program Coordinator for the City of Kingsport’s Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium (BMPP) The investigation began after City of Kingsport officials reported questionable transactions to the Comptroller’s Office misappropriated at least $31,370 in cash from parking fees collected by BMPP employees Investigators determined that Kilgore altered cash collection totals on daily gate house deposit sheets and removed the cash before it was deposited Kilgore concealed these alterations by voiding cash receipts in the city’s receipt system predominantly using other employees’ access information This allowed deposits to match receipt system daily collection totals investigators identified other questionable voided receipts totaling $19,250 Due to a lack of documentation supporting voided receipts and management oversight investigators were unable to determine if these voided receipts were for authorized and appropriate purposes Mark Kilgore’s employment with the City of Kingsport was terminated on February 23 the Sullivan County Grand Jury indicted Mark Kilgore for one count of theft of $10,000 or more one count of violation of the Tennessee Personal and Commercial Computer Act of 2003 “City officials should ensure they provide oversight to the people responsible for preparing deposits,” said Comptroller Mumpower “Kilgore was responsible for preparing daily deposits Allowing one person to have exclusive control over all financial duties increases the risk of fraud To view the investigative report, go to tncot.cc/doireports. To view a map depicting Comptroller investigations, go to tncot.cc/mappinginvestigations If you suspect fraud, waste, or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at 800.232.5454, or file a report online at: tncot.cc/fraud. Follow us on X/Twitter @TNCOT and Instagram @tncot Media contact: John Dunn, Director of Communications, 615.401.7755 or john.dunn@cot.tn.gov Expedition Untamed will be located at 146 Broad Street in downtown Kingsport The Emporium sign will soon transform into a sign for Expedition Untamed Soon the Tri-Cities will have a new way to experience nature with the addition of Expedition Untamed to downtown Kingsport KINGSPORT — Soon the Tri-Cities will have a new way to experience nature with the addition of Expedition Untamed to downtown Kingsport shared a little bit more about the project and what visitors will be able to expect in the coming months it’s not just about allowing people to see animals it’s about teaching people about the entire ecosystem,” Bradley said then we’re going to destroy the habitat where animals live.” Bradley said the business will emphasize educational opportunities to inform the public about animals and their habitats they might not otherwise get to experience up close He said there are plans for live animals to be a part of the experience when it opens “It is an opportunity for folks to experience those animals in a way they might not be able to,” Bradley said most folks can’t travel to Central America or Central Africa they’re not going to have those opportunities This is an opportunity for them to see things that they would find in that particular ecosystem that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see Bradley brings his animal knowledge and expertise as director of Creation Kingdom Zoo in Gate City for over 15 years The zoo announced on its Facebook page on Feb The post introduced Expedition Untamed as well we are also excited to announce we have partnered with Expedition Untamed in Kingsport TN to bring an indoor rainforest adventure for families to continue learning about the amazing animals and ecosystems we share the planet with,” the Feb “We encourage our followers of Creation Kingdom Zoo to follow and visit Expedition Untamed as we work together to highlight our fragile ecosystems and the impact on the animals that live there.” Bradley submitted an application to the Kingsport Zoning Commision for the project on Jan He presented the planned design for the exterior of the building and updated signage at the Kingsport Historic Zoning Commission meeting on Feb Bradley had to request approval based on the new historic zone that was established in the 100 block of Broad Street as of Dec According to the agenda packet shared at the meeting this project would be the “first update to the 100 block of Broad Street since its designation as a new historic district.” The commission unanimously approved the proposal at the February meeting — according to the meeting minutes recorded by the city Bradley said there are still “certain hoops” Expedition Untamed have to jump through before defining an opening date it will be an economic driver for Kingsport “I think this is a tremendous asset to Kingsport,” he said “It will bring folks from all over to the downtown area He described Expedition Untamed as a “first-class venue” that will give “Rainforest Cafe vibes” on a more realistic scale “I am excited for the first folks that are going to come through and see it,” Bradley said For more information about Expedition Untamed, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573748551801 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. Spotty storms possible today. Rain & scattered storms likely this evening until midnight. A few could be severe with downpours & high winds. Maps & GraphicsPower Outage InfoTwilight Alive concert series to return to Kingsport in Mayby WCYB The Twilight Alive concert series will return to Kingsport in May (WCYB) — The Twilight Alive concert series will return to Kingsport in May Officials said there will be a spectacular lineup of country “For nearly 20 years the Twilight Alive Concert Series has been one of the most popular summer events held in downtown Kingsport with hundreds of people attending each and every week,” said Emily Thompson “The music is superb and the energy from the audience is unmistakable We encourage everyone to come down and enjoy the show.” For more information, click here. The Kingsport Public Library will soon move to the Fort Henry Mall The temporary space is 15,251 square feet and includes an expanded children’s area Suite 123 is designated for the children’s area The temporary space at the mall spans approximately 15,251 square feet and includes an expanded children's area KINGSPORT — The Kingsport Public Library is preparing to relocate to Fort Henry Mall ahead of a major renovation marking the first significant update to the library in 30 years To accommodate the $9 million renovation project the library will operate out of the mall for about two years according to Assistant City Manager Michael Borders “Our lease with Hull Properties here is for two years and then we have the ability to renew it for an additional year,” Borders said The project is funded through a $2 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development with the remaining $7 million provided by the city of Kingsport The Friends of the Kingsport Public Library have also launched a $1.5 million fundraising campaign to support the renovation efforts $80,040 of the $1.5 million goal has been raised with the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library matching individual donations up to $125,000 Construction on the library’s temporary space at the mall with new lighting and updated electrical wiring already installed and flooring to be done soon The space is 15,251 square feet and includes an expanded children’s area Borders said that remodeling the suite for library use will cost about $300,000 “Although the space will be laid out differently once we renovate the library than it is here but having this size area for our children’s area I think it’s gonna open up a lot of opportunities and potential,” Borders said “We’ve already begun doing some programs at the mall and I think they’ve been very well received and well attended.” Library Manager Mary Thomas said that the first event at the mall attracted around 100 attendees and last summer’s test program saw participation from 60 to 100 children per event While library operating hours will remain at 61 hours per week the specific opening and closing times are yet to be determined but we saw that we didn’t have the traffic We actually track the number of folks that come into the library on an hourly basis as well as our circulation data,” Borders said “So we made some adjustments—we dropped Sunday hours but extended hours later in the week.” Borders and Thomas hope the mall location will attract new visitors at different times which will influence future scheduling decisions the city issued a bid request on March 1 for services to move the library to the mall The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended to April 1 “We hope to have the bid out for the actual construction on the library within the next month,” Borders said the library will be closed to visitors for about two to three weeks “Once we get the bids back on the move and get the contract awarded we’ll be able to communicate with our patrons,” Borders said the public will still be able to access the library’s digital services and due dates for borrowed materials will be extended we will stop having materials due,” Thomas said so there’ll be a blackout period where no fines or fees will be added to anybody’s account.” A Kingsport Library sign will also be placed on the building facing Fort Henry Drive to increase visibility it will spark some interest and bring new visitors to the library,” Borders said “We’re also hoping this move introduces the library and its services to people who might not have known about them before.” Borders added that the city has built strong relationships with Hull Property Group potentially allowing for collaborative programs with other mall tenants “We’ve had a lot of great conversations and relationships with Hull Properties and there may be some synergies we can build off with other tenants in the mall for programmatic elements and things like that as well,” he said The renovation to the library is anticipated to double the size of the children’s area and include a new elevator to improve accessibility and four new study rooms There will be dedicated spaces for children’s programming local history and genealogy and an expanded teen maker space Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription (WCYB) — A Kingsport man accused exposing himself to women and children has been arrested according to the Kingsport Police Department Officers responded to the 2600 block of East Stone Drive on March 12 a man had exposed himself to a woman and her child while they were shopping at the Dollar Tree store and then left in a black pickup truck headed toward Target The man was located and identified as 56-year-old Clark Ratliff it was determined that a different woman and child had also been victimized by Ratliff while they were shopping at Target Ratliff was charged with two counts of indecent exposure He was arrested and taken to the Kingsport City Jail Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents are looking into an officer-involved shooting in Kingsport that occurred Tuesday morning Kingsport police are investigating after human remains were found in a wooded area off East Stone Drive KINGSPORT— Kingsport police are investigating after human remains were found in a wooded area off East Stone Drive Kingsport police responded to East Stone Drive after reports of human remains being found The remains are believed to be those of an adult male Forensic examiners from the East Tennessee State University James H Quillen College of Medicine are assisting in the investigation Police have not released any additional details at this time as the case remains under active investigation by the KPD Criminal Investigations Division Authorities say more information will be shared when appropriate Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Kingsport police Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription LensCrafters as seen inside the Fort Henry Mall on April 9 The new LensCrafters location will be at the Kingsport Pavilion A "we're moving" sign could be seen outside the store earlier this month A newspaper clipping from the Kingsport Times News on May 1 LensCrafters is scheduled to leave the Fort Henry Mall before the end of the month KINGSPORT — LensCrafters is scheduled to leave the Fort Henry Mall before the end of the month An associate from the Kingsport LensCrafters told the Times News Wednesday via phone the last day at the mall is planned to be April 28 Its new location will reopen at the Kingsport Pavilion at the address of 2600 East Stone Drive A repair/remodel commercial permit for the store was issued Dec 2024 by the City of Kingsport Building Department The description of the permit is listed as a shell “build out to accommodate LensCrafters.” BurWil Construction is noted as the applicant and contractor with Kingsport Pavilion LLC as the owner Subsequent permits have been issued over the past four months for plumbing Kingsport Times News archived newspapers indicate that LensCrafters has had a presence at the Fort Henry Mall since 1988 could not be reached for comment as of Wednesday at 3:30 p.m Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription Rural King’s sign being installed by Snyder signs Rural King is set to celebrate opening in Kingsport on April 25 according to a social media post shared by the company KINGSPORT — Rural King is set to celebrate opening in Kingsport starting on April 25, according to a social media post shared by the company Rural King is located at 2101 Fort Henry Drive “We’re excited to see Rural King opening its newest store next month at the Fort Henry Mall,” City Manager Chris McCartt said in a statement Wednesday afternoon “It’s our hope Rural King will contribute to future redevelopment opportunities at the mall.” Developments for Rural King go back to June 2023 when property records filed by the company showed the former JCPenney property was purchased for more than $2.6 million according to a limited warranty deed recorded in the Sullivan County Register of Deeds Rural King was specifically referenced in the deed as a potential occupant of the building After the initial documents were filed in 2023 no updates on Rural King were given until the mall’s public announcement in October 2023 City and mall officials confirmed an $8 million investment in the mall at the announcement At a follow-up press conference in May 2024 stating Rural King’s store planner and head of construction visited the former JCPenney property An interior demolition permit was approved at the former JCPenney site in Sept Kingsport Chief Building Official Keith Bruner said at the time interior demolition was estimated to cost $254,000 Representatives of Rural King made several appearances to the Kingsport Board of Zoning Appeals as well as the Kingsport Planning Commission for approval of the store’s outdoor display area and exterior signage Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription (WCYB) — The city of Kingsport and Sullivan County partnered to bring a cleaner and safer way to recycle The new Recycling Convenience Center opened last week in Kingsport on Industry Drive The site is accepting certain items such as aluminum cans City of Kingsport leaders told us no items can be dropped off outside the hours of operation The center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m — In honor of the Kingsport Arts Festival coming up this weekend Kingsport city leaders are hosting a downtown Art Crawl this Thursday The art crawl is a self-guided event where people in the region gather to explore Kingsport’s local artists and their work There are 5 businesses in Downtown Kingsport that are participating in the art crawl Linore Huss explains how this self-guided event works The participating five locations are listed below For more information on the art crawl and the arts festival, click here. Burlington is moving to the Kingsport Pavilion according to recently filed commercial permits KINGSPORT — Burlington is set to move to the Kingsport Pavilion A new commercial retail or wholesale permit was approved for the address of 2626 East Stone Drive on Monday The permit describes the project as a “18,500 [square foot] single story sprinklered retail building.” Plans attached to the permit mention Burlington by name More than $9,500 in fees were charged for the building permit three months after the permit was applied for The applicant for the permit was listed as Scott Hudson of Chattanooga with the owners listed as Dry Creek Capital Partners who are known to be the current owners of the Kingsport Pavilion economic development director for the city of Kingsport 5 Kingsport Economic Development Board meeting this project is a “direct result of action taken” by the board in support of the city “We expect very soon a new 25,000 square foot new build to go next to the dollar store there on the right side of it,” Bower said at the meeting “We have had a pre-development with the city Tennessee property assessment data lists Micheal Birnbrey of the Southbound Development Group as the most recent owner of the existing Burlington parcel Birnbrey told the Kingsport Times News in November 2024 that Burlington would be moving Birnbrey said Monday he did not know when Burlington would be moving “at this time.” Lindsay Erickson said the company did “not have any information to share” about the move Assessment data shows that the original Burlington location offered up to 63,415 square feet of leasable space — with 45,724 square feet being the department store area that would put the new Burlington at 27,224 less square feet than the original Burlington opened in September 1989 in the former World of Clothing building Permits do not indicate the future of the existing Burlington building at 1116 East Stone Drive the next closest Burlington is located in Bristol there are 13 additional Burlington locations Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription (WCYB) — Update: Two-year-old Maria Linebaugh has been found safe the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Monday afternoon has been charged with especially aggravated kidnapping and driving on a revoked license The Amber Alert remains active for 2-year-old Maria Linebaugh An Amber Alert has been issued for a missing 2-year-old Kingsport girl Maria Linebaugh was last seen Monday morning in the area of Bowater Drive in Kingsport according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation She was wearing a blue long-sleeve shirt with a heart The TBI said she may possibly with 35-year-old Matthew Linebaugh They are believed to be traveling in a 2010 silver Ford Crown Victoria with TN tag BRF4966 Anyone with information is asked to call 911 The first photo (far left) was printed on printed on September 9 The second photo (far right) was taken on March 1 one week before the statue was moved by Rick Wagner contributed by John Hendricks from the GoFundMe shows the statue in pieces on Saturday morning John Hendricks became the proud owner of Big John — the longtime sentinel over Pratt's Barn Restaurant — during an auction of the restaurant's decor in Oct Tom and Jonathan Pratt with Big John in Oct a landmark in Kingsport and the symbol of Pratt’s Barn Restaurant for five decades Photo of the statue from Saturday morning being transported away This file photo from April 2018 shows Pratt's Big John with a broken neck This file photo shows Melvin Dudley with Enchanted Castle Studios knocking loose some concrete from inside the head of Big John Mark Cline removes the new fiberglass cast from the original head of Big John lighter but stronger fiberglass head for the body of Big John Seen in the forefront is the concrete that was eventually removed from the head of Big John Photo of the statue printed on September 9 A look at the newspaper clipping from 1978 A photo of the statue printed in the June 22 gestures toward the original head of Big John the statue in front of Pratt's Barn on Oct The 20-foot native American or Indian was sold this fall at the former Pratt’s Barn Restaurant on Stone Drive but it remained there at the first of March this year Kingsport was left in shock Saturday morning as pictures and videos surfaced of the decades-old 'Big John' Indian statue collapsing in the Pratt’s parking lot KINGSPORT — Kingsport was left in shock Saturday morning as pictures and videos surfaced of the decades-old “Big John” Indian statue collapsing in the Pratt’s parking lot said the iconic statue had extensive deterioration on the inside the way it was explained to me was that upon lifting him because the framing inside was originally built from wood “The fiberglass shell was pretty much the only thing supporting him and that just couldn’t sustain the weight,” he said Videos from the collapse of the statue show black dust which Pratt described as remnants of the deteriorated wood Pratt said he personally donated to the GoFundMe that was created by John Hendricks who bought the statue at the October auction Hendricks originally told the Times News he bought several items from the auction to include a “memorial” to Pratt’s Barn at his new miniature golf course — Rocky Top Miniature Golf — he said would open in 2025 “John Hendricks is the gentleman that’s trying to keep him (Big John) alive,” Pratt said “I wasn’t planning on selling him initially but I’d reached out to so many people around town and nobody seemed eager enough to to adopt him.” “So when this gentleman approached me and said he was planning a new family friendly business for the citizens of Kingsport The Florida businessman bought Big John and the statue’s original head for $12,010 altogether last year but I wanted my name on this one,” Pratt said “Some of those GoFundMe campaigns don’t go anywhere and I wanted people to know I personally support this effort.” The fundraiser created this past weekend calls for the community’s support to help raise $15,000 to rebuild the statue “During the relocation tragedy struck and the beloved Honest John statue began to crumble,” the fundraiser description states “We believe it would be a shame to have his memory lost in this fashion We are humbly asking the people of Kingsport to join us in funding the rebuild of Honest John and honoring the Pratt Family so we can continue to carry on his legacy in our city.” “I know there’s a lot of comments about how upset everybody is about it breaking so I’m kind of hoping that translates to enough funding to get him put back together,” Jonathan Pratt added Pratt said he is not exactly sure of the plan for restoring the statue but said Hendricks is reaching out to experts for help “There are professionals who specialize in fiberglass statues,” he said For more information on the GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-honest-john 10,000 pound statue’s first home was in front of Barker’s Honest John’s gift shop restaurant and gas station — located on what is now Memorial Boulevard Barker retired and sold the property and Big John to Frank and Edna Pratt the duo turned the business over to Tom Pratt The name of the business transformed from Honest John’s to Pratt’s Barn which is where Big John stayed for many years facing Stone Drive While the statue has seen some cosmetic updates in the past five decades under Pratt’s ownership some might remember in April 2018 when Big John suffered a broken neck The Kingsport Times News previously reported Tom Pratt reached out to Pal’s Sudden Service owner Pal Barger at the time to see who the company has used in the past to inspect its Big Man statue at the chain’s Lynn Garden Drive restaurant owner of Enchanted Castles Studios in Natural Bridge Virginia answered the call to repair Big John’s “injury.” A new lighter head was added to Big John in July 2018; the original head weighed 120 pounds The Pratt’s BBQ building was listed for sale in April 2024 with Jonathan Pratt telling the Times News he and his brother were looking at “possible exit strategies” for their father Tom Pratt who devoted over 50 years to the restaurant the building has an asking price of $1.75 million for the 13,000-square foot property Pratt’s welcomed customers for its final time in June 2024 Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription