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. 20, 2023 at 11:19 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Emily Van de Riet
Oliver Anthony, the musician who went viral for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” has found a solution for his canceled performance in Knoxville after he couldn’t reach an agreement about ticket prices with the venue.
Oliver Anthony cancels show because ticket prices were too high: ‘Please don’t pay $90 for a ticket’
Updated: Sep. 13, 2023 at 4:15 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Emily Van de Riet
Oliver Anthony, the musician who went viral for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” canceled a performance in Knoxville after he couldn’t reach an agreement about ticket prices with the venue.
Updated: Aug. 29, 2023 at 7:37 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Gray News staff
Crews were fighting a fire at a plastic manufacturer warehouse in Newport, Tennessee, on Monday.
Updated: Jun. 26, 2023 at 11:26 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The day has finally arrived. Buc-ee’s opened on Monday after years of anticipation.
Updated: Jun. 9, 2023 at 1:01 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The City of Gatlinburg and Sevier County will dedicate a memorial to honor those who lost their lives in the deadly wildfires in Gatlinburg in 2016.
Updated: Jun. 5, 2023 at 8:26 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Athletes with the Union County High School scored not one but two state championship titles.
Updated: May. 13, 2023 at 5:59 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
An 18-year-old girl was killed in a suspected DUI crash in Union County early Saturday morning, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report obtained by WVLT News.
Updated: May. 3, 2023 at 1:26 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Andrew McMunn
Jana the elephant arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, from the Zoo Knoxville on Tuesday.
Updated: Apr. 28, 2023 at 12:02 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Gray News staff
An official said the school was placed on locked down and then dismissed at 12:30 p.m.
Updated: Apr. 25, 2023 at 9:31 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Debra Worley
Two high school students in Tennessee ended prom night with a little fishing where they made a big catch.
Updated: Apr. 24, 2023 at 11:15 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Debra Worley
A 7-year-old zebra at Zoo Knoxville died after running into a fence on Saturday, according to the zoo’s director of marketing and communications.
Updated: Apr. 21, 2023 at 11:44 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Gray News staff
Haylee Morris, 23, was charged previously, but not booked, on charges relating to a large animal cruelty case that saw at least 25 animals recovered and 25 more animals reported dead.
Updated: Apr. 18, 2023 at 3:21 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials took to Twitter to celebrate a Kingston man for breaking a state record.
Updated: Mar. 6, 2023 at 11:03 AM CST
|By Carissa Simpson and Debra Worley
Jeanne Fox said she’s lived an eventful life, including having the honor of meeting some presidents.
Updated: Feb. 15, 2023 at 6:29 AM CST
|By Carissa Simpson and Gray News Staff
Multiple agencies are assisting Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies in a deadly shooting at Hawkins Road in Sweetwater.
Updated: Dec. 16, 2022 at 7:25 PM CST
|By Carissa Simpson and Jordan Gartner
Zoo Knoxville announced the passing of its southern white rhinoceros named Polly this week.
Updated: Dec. 15, 2022 at 1:27 PM CST
|By Carissa Simpson
Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued another Endangered Child Alert after 15-year-old Donovan Smith ran away from the hospital.
Updated: Nov. 14, 2022 at 6:27 PM CST
|By Carissa Simpson
A man was arrested by Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Friday after he sent 67 threatening text messages to his estranged wife, a police report said.
Updated: Nov. 7, 2022 at 9:11 AM CST
|By Carissa Simpson
Meet your state and national candidates for 2022.
Updated: Oct. 24, 2022 at 10:04 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The death of Leslie Jordan shocked the world on Monday. Celebrities of all kinds spoke kind words about the actor.
Updated: Oct. 18, 2022 at 10:20 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The University of Tennessee Athletics officials asked the public to donate to cover the costs to replace the goalposts that fans tore down during celebrations of the Vol’s win against Alabama on Saturday night.
Updated: Oct. 17, 2022 at 11:18 AM CDT
|By Rick Russo and Carissa Simpson
With seconds left in the game, Tennessee defeated No. 3 Alabama. Knoxville exploded in celebration immediately afterward.
Updated: Oct. 16, 2022 at 9:19 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
The University of Tennessee has been fined by the Southeastern Conference after fans stormed the field following the Vols’ historic win over Alabama on Saturday night.
Updated: Sep. 17, 2022 at 5:02 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Around 22,061 pounds of frozen beef were recalled after a misbranded and unlabeled allergen on Saturday
Updated: Sep. 14, 2022 at 6:22 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Kelly Ann Krueger
Knoxville Police Department officials asked for the public’s help locating a teenage girl who was last seen on Sept. 5.
Updated: Sep. 12, 2022 at 3:51 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Andrew McMunn
Musician John Michael Montgomery was traveling with his team on the way to a concert in North Carolina when the accident happened, he said in a statement.
Updated: Aug. 30, 2022 at 8:23 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
A Knoxville woman and actress in Netflix’s Inventing Anna is suing the company for defamation and false light invasion of privacy.
Updated: Aug. 28, 2022 at 4:24 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
On Sunday, Tennessee U.S. Representative Tim Burchett announced his daughter had been released from the hospital.
Updated: Aug. 14, 2022 at 10:12 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
U.S. Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett’s daughter is in the intensive care unit after a horse-related accident on Friday, according to his Twitter.
Updated: Jul. 19, 2022 at 9:19 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
On July 7, three short-tail Nurse Shark pups hatched from their eggs at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, a media release from the aquarium stated.
Updated: Jul. 19, 2022 at 9:50 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Camruinn Morgan-Rumsey
Father of Summer Wells, Don Wells, released a letter from jail that he wrote addressing his missing daughter and her possible captors.
Updated: Jul. 16, 2022 at 9:22 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Brian Scott Koehl, 51, was taken into custody in connection with the 1990 murder of Larry Joe Breen, 32, in Point Loma.
Updated: Jul. 13, 2022 at 12:22 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson, Paige Hill and Gray News staff
Just before 11 p.m. Tuesday, Gatlinburg Fire Department crews initially responded to a call that 14 people were trapped at the campground
Updated: Jul. 2, 2022 at 2:37 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
15-year-old Edwards Tarumianz went fishing this week and reeled in an incredibly rare fish, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials said.
Updated: Jun. 15, 2022 at 8:43 AM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Don Wells, the father of missing six-year-old Summer Wells, released a statement from prison on Wednesday at midnight about his daughter’s disappearance.
Updated: Jun. 14, 2022 at 12:09 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson and Emily Van de Riet
A bear that ripped into a tent and injured a mother and daughter at a campground in Tennessee has been euthanized, officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced in a news release.
Updated: May. 31, 2022 at 2:31 PM CDT
|By Carissa Simpson
Experts at AAA warned Tennessee is experiencing the “calm before the storm,” predicting gas prices will likely increase again.