Daily editionThursday, October 29th, 2026
Good morning, Johnson City.
The Daily Johnson City Team
Here’s your local news at a glance for Thursday, the 29th of October.
Community
The Salvation Army of Bristol is seeking Tri-Cities volunteers to ring bells in two-hour Red Kettle shifts and to adopt children through its Angel Tree program.
In-store Angel Tree adoption will begin Nov. 14, and an online Walmart registry is already active; sign up on the Salvation Army of Bristol website.
WFHGRead more
ETSU students competed in the Homecoming Idol Karaoke competition (Oct. 26) in the Martha Street Culp Auditorium at the D.P. Culp Student Center, and the pre-health living-learning community won first place with Take Me Home, Country Roads.
The East TennesseanRead more
Chef and former NFL player Tobias Dorzon will host a free pregame tailgate at the ETSU Food City Fanzone in Lot 21 next to Warf-Pickel Hall on Saturday, Oct. 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., serving brisket on cornbread with Pepsi Zero Sugar plus games and giveaways.
The East TennesseanRead more
Culture
ETSU technician Timothy Altonen made the 85 minute indie anthology Stranger Tales from Appalachia in Northeast Tennessee with a local cast for under $10,000; it screened Oct. 15 at Jackson Theatre and the filmmakers are submitting to festivals now, aiming for streaming by late summer 2027.
The East TennesseanRead more
ETSU's Skit Night brings student groups together for performances and friendly competition today from 7 to 9 p.m. in the D.P. Culp Student Center auditorium (arrive early; seating fills quickly and groups compete for Homecoming points).
The East TennesseanRead more
Jackson Theatre is running a Halloween film series through Saturday and will show The Mummy tonight at 7 p.m. in Jonesborough.
The run ends with a Halloween double feature Saturday (Halloweentown 4 p.m., Halloween II 7 p.m.); Halloweentown is Pay What You Can, other tickets $8 adults, $5 children/seniors ($1 fee).
The East TennesseanRead more
Economy
Construction is underway on BWXT’s Jonesborough expansion to make uranium-based metal, with a 190,000-square-foot main building planned to produce 300 metric tons of high-purity depleted uranium a year; the foundation will be poured later this year and full buildout is expected in 2029, while an initial production line should open by the end of next year.
WCYBRead more
Education
ETSU now offers Community Engaged Learning (CEL) courses across every college and is piloting five ETSU 1020 sections this semester with Visit JC to study how students perceive and connect with the community.
Students are also developing a VR training simulation for pediatric nurses at East Tennessee Children's Hospital, and ETSU recently earned Carnegie recognition for CEL courses.
The East TennesseanRead more
ETSU is urging students to use the buddy system, avoid underage drinking, choose visible, nonoffensive costumes, and arrange sober rides for Halloween and Homecoming this weekend; ETSU Public Safety is available 24/7 at (423-439-4480).
The East TennesseanRead more
ETSU held Three-Minute Thesis semifinals Tuesday in Nicks Hall, and finalists will compete Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Ballroom B of the D.P. Culp Student Center (public voting for People’s Choice; $1,100 first-place scholarship).
The East TennesseanRead more
Sports
On Oct. 24 ETSU beat VMI 38-0 in Lexington, improving to 6-2 overall and 4-0 in the Southern Conference.
The Bucs will host Tennessee Tech for homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 31 at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium (ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m.).
The East TennesseanRead more