Blount Countians News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author has done vanishingly few interviews during the course of his career. In these early ones, some newly uncovered, he is less guarded.

Child killer Michael Mayola, Alabama’s longest-serving prison inmate, up for parole Updated Jan 19, 2021; Facebook Share As of this morning, Michael Mayola has served 58 years, two months, and four days in prison for the 1962 kidnapping and murder of Midfield 11-year-old Larry Wayne Thomas. On Thursday, Mayola, who was born in 1933 and is Alabama’s longest serving state prison inmate, is scheduled to appear before the state parole board. It isn’t the first time Mayola has had a chance to leave prison. In 2003, Mayola, who is either 87 or 88-years-old and is currently serving life with ...

One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s results is an added spotlight on the trials and tribulations of essential workers, officials say. That group includes health care professionals, those working in mail delivery and law enforcement. Like so many other workforces, for example, local law enforcement agencies been forced to adjust their methods and practices on the fly. How well have Blount County’s departments responded to this year’s adversities, and what takeaways can be gleaned from a tough 2020? Shift changes Just as the outlooks and effects of COVID-19 have seemed to change daily...

Blount Community Fund (BCF), an affiliate fund of East Tennessee Foundation (ETF) celebrated the support and service of William “Ed” Harmon with a small, socially distanced plaque presentation on Dec. 14 at his Maryville home. Trudy Hughes, ETF’s vice president for regional advancement, shared, “We are here today to recognize and honor Ed Harmon for yet another great philanthropic commitment by Ed to his Blount County community. This Fund was formed when ETF matched Ed’s generous contribution. He has also served as one of many Blount County volunteer leaders growing r...

George Long, an award-winning Blount County cyclist known for his can-do attitude and spunky spirit, died from complications related to COVID-19 on Dec. 5. Long, more commonly addressed by his nickname “Rat,” was well known in Blount County, being familiar to anyone who was into street rods and dragsters. For years, he owned Rat’s Glass, where he built collectible car bodies that were shipped all over the world. Long’s love for unique cars was matched by another hobby: cycling, which he started in 2002 at the age of 62. Tim Patterson was with him on his first bike ride. â...