Carissa Simpson
Digital Producer
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Carissa is an East Tennessee native, hailing from Morristown, TN. She attended Berea College but returned home to serve her home community through journalism.
While at Berea, Carissa served as the Editor-in-Chief of the student-led publication, The Pinnacle.
Her hobbies include reading, cross-stitching, and gardening.
Education
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023 at 11:15 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
On Tuesday, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office officials announced a Nashville murder suspect had been arrested in their county.
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023 at 8:32 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A wildfire hit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina side on Tuesday, according to park officials.
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023 at 7:57 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Jared Austin
A Tennessee woman is sharing her story of surviving the Cookeville tornado in 2020.
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023 at 6:32 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Dolly Parton announced on Tuesday she partnered with LivyLu to help Tennessee Vol fans get game day ready.
Updated: Sep. 26, 2023 at 4:47 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Sweetwater High School head football coach Caleb Slover has resigned a week after his suspension.
Updated: Sep. 25, 2023 at 10:04 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A man was arrested on Monday after he pointed a gun at his neighbor, according to Knoxville Police Department spokesperson Erland.
Updated: Sep. 25, 2023 at 9:49 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The interstate was closed so a LifeStar helicopter could land.
Updated: Sep. 25, 2023 at 7:33 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Tennessee football announced the latest in Dark Mode uniforms Monday.
Updated: Sep. 24, 2023 at 10:38 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The newest AP College Football Poll is out.
Updated: Sep. 23, 2023 at 10:48 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Two people were arrested after Knoxville Police Department officials said officers responded to shots fired outside of Half Barrel on Cumberland Avenue.
Updated: Sep. 23, 2023 at 10:44 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A man was stabbed multiple times in Lenoir City on Saturday, according to the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office.
Updated: Sep. 23, 2023 at 9:40 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials issued a Silver Alert for an East Tennessee man on Saturday.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 at 3:38 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Tennessee Department of Revenue officials said a Kentucky man was arrested for altering vehicle titles, according to Tennessee Department of Revenue officials.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 at 3:37 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The lawsuit claims the softball teams do not receive equal funding, equipment, travel and more.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 at 3:35 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Hundreds in West Knox County are without water after a main pipe burst, according to West Knox Utility District officials.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 at 3:28 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A man has been convicted for shooting a father during a children’s water balloon fight, according to the Office of the District Attorney General Representative Sean McDermott.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 at 12:28 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is officially back and now it’s going on tour.
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 at 12:16 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Multiple fire agencies were fighting a landfill fire on Fleenor Mill Road early Friday morning, according to officials with the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2023 at 10:58 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The 8-year-old boy used a chair to grab a loaded handgun from the top of the refrigerator in the kitchen, according to District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2023 at 7:45 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Oliver Anthony, the singer of the viral song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” will now perform his concert at the Smokies Stadium on Sept. 28 due to a high demand for tickets.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2023 at 5:45 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A man wanted out of Mississippi for a casino shooting was arrested in Knoxville on Tuesday, according to officials with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2023 at 4:29 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
University of Tennessee officials announced that Head Basketball Coach Rick Barnes received a contract extension through the 2027-28 season.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2023 at 3:41 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Knoxville’s regular election is coming up, and city officials announced when and where you’ll be able to vote.
Updated: Sep. 18, 2023 at 11:00 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The East Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross is asking for your help.
Updated: Sep. 18, 2023 at 10:56 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Pigeon Forge Police Department released its crime numbers for the event running from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18.
Updated: Sep. 18, 2023 at 5:35 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Southeastern Conference officials announced on Monday that University of Tennessee football player Omarr Norman-Lott would be suspended for the first half of the UTSA game on Saturday.
Updated: Sep. 18, 2023 at 2:14 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Tennessee is set to take on South Carolina on Sept. 30, and university officials announced when and where you’ll be able to watch the game.
Updated: Sep. 14, 2023 at 3:00 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating a deadly shooting in the Heiskell area.
Updated: Sep. 13, 2023 at 2:55 PM EDT
|By Savannah Smith and Carissa Simpson
Officials told WVLT News this is the first time the center has been opened when it was not in a severe weather situation.
Updated: Sep. 12, 2023 at 5:12 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Oliver Anthony, the singer who went viral for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” has announced a new show in Knoxville after there was a disagreement with Cotton-Eyed Joe officials.
Updated: Sep. 12, 2023 at 1:17 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
As an homage to the school she attended for two years, Ballerini is offering free tickets to Central High School students for the concert on Nov. 2
Updated: Sep. 12, 2023 at 12:25 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
On Tuesday, Dominion Group officials told WVLT News that the development planned for the Choto community in West Knox has been stopped.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 4:49 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was injured in a crash in Union County on Monday, according to a report obtained by WVLT News.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 4:48 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
From Sept. 11 to 15, MEDIC is facing off against Florida’s blood bank Lifesouth in collecting the most red blood cell products.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 3:21 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Steve Sumner, 55, is a former Indiana councilman who is charged with raping an underage girl.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 1:45 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Zachary Hayes, 25 and Kimberly Hayes’ son, was identified as a suspect in his mother’s murder.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 1:33 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Hector Hartiga, 26 from Louisville, allegedly fired shots with a child in the car.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 1:00 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
On Saturday, the National Park Service reopened Rich Mountain Road near Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a month-long closure due to bear activity.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 12:59 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center officials announced on Monday that Lil Wayne will be coming to Knoxville.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 12:41 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials issued an Endangered Child Alert for a missing 3-month-old baby.
Updated: Sep. 11, 2023 at 12:24 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The newest AP College Football Poll is out.
Updated: Sep. 10, 2023 at 1:56 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
An 8-year-old boy is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in the Mossy Grove Community of Morgan County, according to the 9th District Attorney General.
Updated: Sep. 10, 2023 at 10:52 AM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A man died after a motorcycle crash on John Sevier Highway on Friday, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report obtained by WVLT News.
Updated: Sep. 8, 2023 at 8:12 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Blount County Sheriff’s Office officials are investigating after a woman was found dead inside a home in Louisville.
Updated: Sep. 8, 2023 at 7:41 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
University of Tennessee quarterback Nico I’amaleava announced on Friday that he started a foundation called Nico8.
Updated: Sep. 8, 2023 at 6:34 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Several animals died in a Knoxville apartment on Friday, according to an announcement Knoxville Fire Department.
Updated: Sep. 8, 2023 at 2:46 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office officials said that they are investigating after a man died at a house in the Speedwell area.
Updated: Sep. 6, 2023 at 8:48 AM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
On Tuesday, Rebecca Dishman, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of rape of a child following a lengthy investigation into the death of Jennifer Paxton, who had been stored in a freezer after her murder and dismemberment.
Updated: Sep. 5, 2023 at 10:20 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Knox County Sheriff’s Office officials are asking the public for help in identifying a man who was found dead in the water on Aug. 30.
Updated: Sep. 4, 2023 at 9:43 PM EDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Two people were killed in a head-on crash in Anderson County on Aug. 31, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report obtained by WVLT News.