Commercial Truck Insurance in Maryville, TN

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Maryville High School football player and upcoming senior earned a perfect score on the ACT. He’s hoping this score will help him achieve his goal of going to the Air Force Academy.

Levi French shared that it was his goal to earn the perfect score, but the first time he took the test, he fell short by two points earning a 34. So after some more practicing, he tried again in March and earned a perfect score.

“I’m very pleased to have gotten it and it was definitely a goal,” said French. “After I took it the first time and that helped me bring my score up. So, I put a lot of preparation into it,”

French hopes to use his perfect score to help him achieve his dream of attending the Air Force Academy and becoming a fighter pilot. Currently, he is seeking a nomination from Representative Tim Burchett so that he can be considered for admission to the academy.

“I’m seeking a nomination from Congressman Burchett, and so if he gives me a nomination, then I’ll apply to the Academy and then they’ll accept me or not. So, we’ll see,” said French.

One reason, he is aiming to go to the academy is to carry on his family’s legacy. His father, uncle and cousin are all Air Force Academy graduates. His father is a also former F15 pilot for the Air Force and his uncle is a former A10 pilot for the Air Force.

“It would be awesome to carry on the family legacy and I just want to be a warfighter and I want to be a fighter pilot. So, that’s the end goal,” said French.

He is also on the Maryville High School Football Team as a safety. He said being on the team has helped him prepare for a future in the military.

“The academy is really looking for a well-rounded individual and athletics are a big part of life in the military and it’s something I enjoy. It’s definitely made me more disciplined and it’s taught me hard work and to persevere and be tough,” said French.

He also offered some advice for other students looking to earn a perfect score on the ACT.

“If you have an opportunity to take a class, it’s very good because it teaches you how to play the game and that’s what the ACT is. It’s a game that you’ve got to learn to, to play,” said French.

Earning a perfect score is extremely rare, according to Rath Education Group, less than 0.5% of the 1.3 million students who take the ACT earn a perfect score.

Maryville lost against Farragut back in April of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Maryville Red Rebels fell just short of the Farragut Admirals by a score of 9-7. Maryville has struggled against Farragut recently, as their matchup on Thursday was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Bekah Duck put in work no matter where she played. She struck out 11 batters over 7.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Duck was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a triple.

In other batting news, Kristy McCord was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-5. Another player making a difference was Allie Watson, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Even though they lost, Maryville didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Farragut only tossed seven.

Like Maryville, Farragut also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Barnes. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Barnes was also big at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two RBI.

In other batting news, Rilee Kate Ragan was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Elsa Morrison was another key contributor, getting on base in three of her five plate appearances with a home run.

Maryville's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Farragut, their win was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-4.

Maryville will be playing at home against Grace Christian Academy at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Maryville is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 11.2 runs per game this season. As for Farragut, they will square off against Lawrence County at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Farragut's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Lawrence County's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

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MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As more and more people are moving to East Tennessee, Blount County has seen a large amount of growth over the past few years. To accommodate the growth, Maryville leaders have been working to create a downtown master plan.

In 2023, TSW Design Consultants was brought in to look at opportunities for land use, transportation, economic development, and even public art. They recently completed an eight-month study into downtown Maryville. The recommendations from this study will be used to build the downtown master plan.

On Tuesday, the city held the Final Plan Open House to share more about the project. The consultants shared their recommendations during the event, and city leaders reviewed the plan. It was also one of the last opportunities for the public to share input on these decisions about the future of downtown Maryville.

The plan looks at how to maximize land use and invest in local parks, all while expanding how much foot traffic the city sees. A few of the recommendations include a new central gathering place, new mixed-use facilities, and finding the perfect spots to install new public art.

“There will be big projects and small projects. There will be different organizations that spearhead it. Downtown Marble Alliance may spearhead some. The city may spearhead some. So, we will get together as a group and kind of decide who’s going to be the champion of each of those items. And then we’ll look at what budgets will allow and those things,” said Angie Luckie, public services director for the City of Maryville.

At the open house, plenty of people were eager to learn more about the plan and share their thoughts.

“I’m very excited about the turnout that’s here and I’m glad people are excited about downtown Maryville,” said Luckie.

The city has a website to share updates on the master plan. The city is currently working to finalize the master plan recommendations.

Business development continues to grow in the Maryville and Alcoa areas.

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BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — New businesses are in bloom in Blount County. From the revitalization of an anchor space at Foothills Mall to the reimagination of the Alcoa West Plant, things will soon look different.

In Maryville a Chase Bank location will be built in the parking lot that adjoins Harbor Freight Tools and Hobby Lobby, in the Foothills Plaza, said Jeff Muir, the Blount Partnership Director of Communications.

He also said crews are building a BJ's Wholesale store, which specializes in selling items in bulk, at the location of the former JC Penney store at Foothills Mall.

Hotel developer Devi Capital, based out of Morristown, will also break ground on a Holiday Inn Downtown hotel in downtown Maryville next week.

Sandip Patel, the owner of Devi Capital, said he's wanted to develop in Maryville for a while.

"I have lived in Morristown for so long, since 1995, so it's kind of like I grew up in the hotel industry," Patel said. "You kind of have a feeling of where to build, what to build. I've had my eyes on Maryville's downtown for a long time. I think it's a good time to build something."

In neighboring Alcoa, several businesses are either in the works or have finished up construction recently, said Emily Assenmacher, Alcoa's Public Information Officer.

"I would say that 2024 is going to be a pretty big year with us in terms of growth, which is super exciting. "Assenmacher said. "There are several businesses that have signed a preliminary letter of intent, but at this time we're not able to disclose any of those."

She also said Springbrook Farm, a multi-use property being built on the former Alcoa West Plant site, is also continuing to grow.

"(Alcoa's) got great amenities, our parks are fantastic and we are looking to increase the space of our parks with Centennial Park in Springbrook (Farm)," Assenmacher said.

Businesses in the works in Alcoa include the University of Tennessee Medical Cancer Center, several apartment complexes, a credit union, a Kickback Jack's restaurant and a nail salon.

Assenmacher said businesses in the Alcoa Marketplace property, like First Watch, The Joint Chiropractic and Chipotle have already opened.

Alcoa residents have asked for certain businesses in their community and Assenmacher said city leaders pay attention to the requests.

"Residents have been speaking about what they want and they need to know they're being heard," she said. "We've heard many times they want more breakfast options, so we are able to work with a business like First Watch to get that here."

Assenmacher said citizens can learn more about new developments in Alcoa by attending the city's Planning Commission meetings. Planning Commission meetings are scheduled for the third Thursday of every month.

She said its location in Blount County makes it attractive to people who want to start businesses in the area.

"Alcoa is perfectly situated with over 70,000 daily trips on both the Pellissippi Parkway and the Alcoa Highway," Assenmacher said. "So prime real estate is available for those 70,000 daily trips that are being made."

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Wyatt Ellis is 14 years old and he was born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee. He is someone you need to look out for because he could be the next big bluegrass star.

“Man you know writing instrumentals comes really easy to me cause I’ve studied the music so much and it just kind of flows,” said the young musician, Wyatt Ellis.

Ellis was only 10 years old when he picked up his first mandolin and the young bluegrass prodigy hasn’t put it down since. Now at the ripe age of 14, he has written around 100 songs that are taking the bluegrass community back to its roots.

“I think it was just right before the pandemic at the beginning of the pandemic when I first heard Bobby Osborne play the mandolin on Rocky Top and that really you know made me want to get a mandolin and start playing. And I did and I heard Bill Monroe and all those other guys who really inspired me to keep going,” said Ellis.

He did just that, put his boots in the ground and got to work. He told WVLT News one of his favorite songs he wrote he thought of it when he was hanging out at his farm, looking over the beautiful Smoky Mountains, and created the song, ‘Blue Smoke’.

In February, Ellis had the opportunity to accompany bluegrass duo, Daily and Vincent, at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. From there it led him to being taught by music legend, Bobby Osborne, the man who put Rocky Top on the map.

“I got to spend two years working with Bobby at the Kentucky School of Bluegrass and that was really special to me to get to see him every week on skype you know to get all this advice and stories, but you know to finally get to be a part of his last project is really an honor to me,” Ellis said.

Ellis is some what of an old soul, and being in just the ninth grade, he said playing music was a dream come true.

“It just comes naturally you know just to sit on the couch or on the porch and look at the mountains noodling around on the mandolin and every now and then a tune will pop out,” said Ellis.

On Friday, Ellis is performing for the second time at the Opry, but this time it’s just him on stage for his solo debut.

“It’s really special to me to get to bring some of my own original music to the Grand Ole Opry just like Bill Monroe did in the 30s,” said Ellis.

He said this is only the beginning of his journey. You can check out Wyatt Ellis’s display at the East Tennessee History Center in Downtown Knoxville to learn more about the young bluegrass star.

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