Latest news with #WATE
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Man fatally shot girlfriend while she FaceTimed her mom, Tennessee officials say
A 28-year-old man is going to prison after being convicted in the killings of two women, Tennessee prosecutors said. Jair Romario Martin pleaded guilty to murder, aggravated kidnapping, criminal impersonation and evading arrest, the Knox County District Attorney's Office said in a June 16 news release. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said. In May 2023, Martin was at a home in Knoxville with his girlfriend when he 'became aggressive,' according to the district attorney's office. The girlfriend, later identified as 21-year-old Madison Johnson, called her mom on FaceTime to let her know she didn't feel safe, officials told WATE. That's when the woman's mom saw Martin holding a gun, so she called 911 while still on the phone with her daughter, prosecutors said. He refused to let Johnson leave and said, 'I'm going to murder you,' prosecutors said. Johnson was fatally shot at the home in front of another woman, later identified as 20-year-old Heidi Johnson, then Martin shot the other woman dead, officials told WATE. Madison Johnson was shot multiple times and had been stabbed in the head with a carving fork, prosecutors said. Martin left the scene but was arrested days after, officials said. Martin said he killed the women because they 'kept stealing drugs from him,' officials told WATE. 'I was wondering if there is something profound that I could say, but it's just sad. It's tragic. Two young women gunned down and killed in the prime of their life. They should have been able to experience their lives,' Judge Scott Green said during the hearing streamed by WBIR. 'It's just all so senseless.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘I will always be your little girl' Monroe County teen's farewell letters to family bring comfort
MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — The parents of a Monroe County teen who died last month found letters she had written to them before her death. Jason and Crystal Taylor are taking it one day at a time, adjusting to life without their middle daughter. Kayla Couch died on May 22 after being diagnosed with brain cancer again. She was 16. Y-12 Credit Union launches free financial literacy program to help East Tennessee employers 'It's rough because everywhere I went, she was there,' Jason said. 'While I was hauling hay, she'd be practicing cheering. I'd be unloading hay, she'd be over in the field with the cows.' Kayla was a cheerleader at Sequoyah High School and was a member of the Monroe County Rescue Squad. On Sunday, Jason received an unexpected Father's Day gift: notes that Kayla had written to her family before she died. 'Crystal charged her phone back,' he said. 'She wanted a video of Kayla saying 'I love you, Mom,' or anything. As she was going through it, she found them.' In her note to her dad, Kayla said she is 'probably in heaven now,' and that she is thankful he met her mom. 'You stepped up to the plate and became my hero,' she wrote. 'In my eyes, you were nothing 'step,' you stepped up.' Jason said the notes were extra reassurance. Kayla also left notes for her mom and sisters, calling her mom her 'best friend,' and telling her sisters she's watching over them. 'We went to Duke. Once we got back from that, is whenever she got sick the next morning,' Jason recalled. 'So with that, she had already had the notes written, she didn't say nothing about it.' Alcoa doctor shares experience during missile strike over Israel, expresses hope for peace Her memory is living on through her family, cheer team, and the entire community. Her dad plans to honor her with an old car he's fixing up at the Jeep Invasion in August. 'I told her before she got sick, if I can get those put together, I'm going to paint it pink, put 'KaylaStrong' on it, and drive it to the Jeep fest,' he said. Jason also said Kayla was working to collect pop tabs from aluminum cans for the Ronald McDonald House. She had a goal of collecting 1 million tabs. Her family plans to complete her goal. For those who want to donate tabs, the Chamber of Commerce in Madisonville is accepting them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Honoring Charlie: Knoxville community tees off to remember young golfer's selfless spirit
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — What does it mean to love like Charlie? 'To be loyal, to be kind, to be giving and to put others before you,' said Charlie's dad, Jimmy Schuster. The phrase embodies how Charlie Schuster lived his life. 'He was very selfless, he thought of others, especially those that he loved, he would just give you the shirt off his back. I just remember he always wanted to be the first Christmas present under the tree that he was giving to other people, he loved his family, loved his friends, it's fitting,' said Jimmy. East Tennessee pastor's 6,000-mile motorcycle ride raising money for free literacy program Charlie passed away in a car accident in early January, but his legacy is far from over. It lives on through events like Thursday's Swider Christmas Classic 2025 golf outing. This year, the event partnered with Charlie's dad, Jimmy Schuster. The event raises funds for the Knoxville Amateur Hockey Association, but this year it also honored Charlie. Funds are being donated to the Charlie Schuster Scholarship Fund and the Connection Center Fig Tree Program in Charlie's honor. 'Just means a lot because, you know, we're gonna be giving to quite a few charities in his honor, and that just means a lot to keep his legacy alive and do positive things,' said Jimmy. A fitting place to honor Charlie, as he had been preparing to play his first season on the green with Hardin Valley. 'He actually loved to golf, he was transitioning from baseball to golf, and he actually planned to golf at Hardin Valley High School that year, which is fitting because Avalon is their home course, so we're glad to have it here,' Jimmy said. Charlie didn't have too much experience on the links, but golf came easily. 'That's the funny thing, He was just natural, his baseball swing helped him out, but he was just natural, I think his baseball swing helped him a lot,' said Jimmy. Even though his dad still had to teach him a few things. 'He used to always tell me how good he was and his scores, and then when I first played with him, I had to teach him how to score properly,' said Jimmy. 'It always just feels like home': Hendon Hooker draws inspiration from youth football camp in Knoxville Part of the reason Charlie loved golf was that he got to spend time with friends and family. Who learned through Charlie, what it meant to love like Charlie, something everyone could do a little more of, 'Being kind to others especially those in need, just thinking of others, putting others before yourself… he did a lot of good things for people, went out of his way,' Jimmy said. So the next time you pick up a golf club and tee off, let that be your reminder to love like Charlie. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
New Grace Performing Arts Center facility to include much needed space to grow
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Sunday, Grace Baptist Church and Grace Christian Academy broke ground on an exciting new state of the art facility addition for the Grace Performing Arts Center (GPAC). 6 News went to the event to check out the vision for the new space and what it could mean for GPAC currently provides instruction in music, dance, and visual arts. Crews respond to drowning on Douglas Lake in Jefferson County 'The Bible talks about the arts so much about using wires and strings in our voices to praise the Lord. And so being able to do that and really allow the students to use what God's given them for him cause not everyone is gifted in academics or athletics but being able to use these gifts for his glory. It's going to be so exciting!' said Heather Lievsay the GPAC Director. The new performing arts building project has been four years in the making. It is fully funded, costing around 5.5 million dollars. The facility will have a 250-seat recital hall and various practice rooms, space that desperately needed as the program continues to grow. Over 200 students are expected this fall. GPAC was recently honored as the Best Music School and Best Dance Studio by the Knox Stars Community Choice Awards. 'We need more practice room, more space, more recital time. We have these practice lessons occurring all over the campus. Everywhere we found a room, we put a kid in it to take a musical lesson. So, we really needed a dedicated area to be able to handle the volume of children and even adults who want to learn different things dance, music, singing,' explained Barry Silver, the Pastor of Executive Operations and Finance with Grace Baptist Church. Five charged after $500,000 worth of pure fentanyl seized in Knox County drug bust Previously the program has operated out of random spaces across campus. The new space will provide more opportunities for children and parents to utilize their talents and reach more members of the community. 'It's going to give us a great opportunity to reach the community even more with extra space, to be able to really allow people to hone in their skills,' explained Lievsay. She went on to talk about the growth the program has seen 'One thing that's been really cool the last couple years, just to see this go from mostly younger kids who want to take to watching parents and grandparents get involved. And so, they're not just at the performances, they're taking lessons and they're taking classes.' Silver also shared that the new facility will be used by various programs within the academy and church, with hopes for it to become the most utilized building on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pickleball facilities pop up across East Tennessee as participation booms
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Dozens of new pickleball facilities are opening here in East Tennessee as the sport is taking the country by storm. Second Harvest Food Bank is hosting a tournament at the Pavilion of Pickleball in West Knoxville at the Cedar Bluff Racquet Club raising money for the food bank. It's one of the fastest growing sports in the country. That's no different here in East Tennessee as more and more people start picking up the sport. Elize Kikkert and Elizabeth Bentley-Shelton both work at the Pavilion of Pickleball that opened nearly five years ago. 'People really flock to this because it was an activity that they could do. For a while we had a lot of members because we were the only indoor facility in Knoxville,' said Pavilion of Pickleball General Manager Elize Kikkert. 'Now, because we have more [places to play], it's spread out a little bit more because people from Maryville don't have to drive a long way here so they go to other places that are closer to them.' Powell Courts reopen with new pickleball area, basketball upgrades The sport has grown exponentially over the last several years, leading to tournaments that draw hundreds of players, like the one Second Harvest is hosting. The sport once tabbed as one for the older generation has turned younger in recent years leading to increased competition. 'It mixes around, you know, old people play with the young people,' Kikkert said. 'I think it's changed the game of Pickleball a little bit though because the younger people tend to hit it a lot harder, so I think it changed the dynamics of the game a little bit. Overall, it's very fun to see.' Pickleball also proves that age is just a number when it comes to staying active and having fun. 'During my play, we've got a homeschool group and the Summer Cathleagues doing their summer sports camp here,' Assistant General Manager Elizabeth Bentley-Shelton said. 'When I first started working for the Knoxville City Parks and Rec, one lady that came and played was 93-years-old and I played with her. Another man was 92 and he was amazing, both of them. Like Elize said, it's from little to big.' 'It always just feels like home': Hendon Hooker draws inspiration from youth football camp in Knoxville When POP first opened during Covid, it was a way for people to get out and socialize while getting exercise as well. On the court, strangers become friends and the more people you play with the bigger the community will grow. 'These are people at first you never knew and now big buddies with them. My contact list on my phone that says pickleball, pickleball, pickleball is unreal,' Bentley-Shelton said. 'It's crazy and everybody likes everybody, we're all friendly that's the good thing.' The Pavilion of Pickleball may have been the first indoor facility to open in Knoxville, but several others have followed suit. In Karns, the Pickleball Playground recently opened along with Big Orange Pickleball in Strawberry Plains, Premiere Pickleball Club Knoxville and Pickleville off Topside Rd. in Louisville. ▶ See more top stories on There are also plenty of outdoor courts at many area parks including West Hills, Lakeshore Park and Sam Duff Park. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
