🌱 Patch AM: How a vacant North Broadway laundry became a modern green HQ

Greetings Knoxville! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How a vacant North Broadway laundry became a modern green HQ
• What Knoxville police say they found in two drug house raids
• What big changes are coming to Knoxville’s Lakeshore Park in January?

Also on today's calendar: Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings and 8 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the boat dock say when it was arrested? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sun, with a high of 56 and low of 26 degrees.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny and quite cold, temps: high: 30, low: 16. ⛄️ Brr!
• Monday: Sunny and cold, with a high of 37 and low of 26 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. See inside the renovated Sanitary Laundry Building in Knoxville (knoxnews.com) — A long-vacant 1920s industrial building on North Broadway in Knoxville has been transformed into McCarty Holsaple McCarty’s new headquarters, with additional tenant space on the lower level. The renovated Sanitary Laundry Building now showcases sustainable design, including energy-efficient systems and extensive reuse of original materials, bringing fresh life and jobs to a prominent corridor just north of downtown.
   

2. Knoxville police search two homes, arrest one in cocaine investigation (wate.com) — Knoxville police searched two homes Thursday as part of a cocaine distribution investigation, seizing drugs, cash, and a handgun and arresting a 45-year-old suspect. Warrants were executed on Speedway Circle and Catalpa Avenue, where officers reported finding crack cocaine, suspected cocaine, marijuana, paraphernalia, and items used to manufacture narcotics.
   

3. Lakeshore Park enters next phase of Master Construction Plan, enhancing event spaces, facilities (wbir.com) — Lakeshore Park in Knoxville is moving into the next phase of its long-term construction plan, adding a new terrace, sidewalks, restrooms, and expanded parking to improve accessibility and event capacity. Funded through donations and a partnership with the City of Knoxville, the work includes repaved roads and safer pedestrian routes around Marble Hall, the Pavilion, and the HGTV Overlook starting in January.
   

4. TCAT opens new campus in Union County (wbir.com) — Students in Union County can now access TCAT Knoxville programs right on the Union County High School campus, avoiding the drive to Knoxville for hands-on training. The new site offers free dual enrollment and adult courses in healthcare, manufacturing, nuclear skills, and construction, aiming to feed growing job demand in Oak Ridge and beyond while keeping educational opportunities close to home.
   

📸 Around Knoxville

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Knoxville

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Sunday December 14

• Smokies Winter Wonderland Light Show
  Covenant Health Park, 500 E Jackson Ave, Knoxville
  6:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Sunday December 14

• Whitechapel
  The Mill & Mine , 227 W Depot Ave , Knoxville
  6:45 pm

Monday December 15

• Spay/Neuter Shuttle @ Knox County Health Departemnt
  Knox County Health Department , 140 Dameron Ave , Knoxville
  8:00 am

Thursday December 18

• Spay/Neuter Shuttle @ Tommy Shumpert Park
  Tommy Shumpert Park , 6400 Fountain City Road , Knoxville
  8:00 am
• Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings
  Jackson Terminal 213 West Jackson Avenue Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
  6:30 pm

Friday December 19

• Spay/Neuter Shuttle @ Sam Duff Park
  Sam Duff Park , 4060 Chapman Hwy , Knoxville
  8:00 am

Saturday December 20

• Petco Adoption Event – Farragut
  PetCo Farragut , 169 Brooklawn St , Farragut
  6:00 am
• The Official Christmas Bar Crawl - Knoxville
  Skybox Sports Bar and Grill , 415 S Gay St , Knoxville
  4:00 pm
• The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show - Knoxville, TN
  Hilton Knoxville , 501 W Church Ave , Knoxville
  6:00 pm
• Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings
  Jackson Terminal , 213 W Jackson Ave , Knoxville
  8:45 pm

Monday December 22

• Spay/Neuter Shuttle @ Gibbs Ruritan Park
  Gibbs Ruritan Park , 7827 Tazewell Pike , Corryton
  8:00 am

📣 Knoxville Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Saturday December 13

• Studio 212 Arts Closing Art Show
  Blount County, TN Calendar , 508 N. Cusick Street , Maryville
  10:00 am
• Foothills Book Club
  Blount County, TN Calendar , 508 N. Cusick Street , Maryville
  10:30 am
• Open Chess Time
  Blount County, TN Calendar Maryville, TN 37804
  12:00 pm
• LEGO Free Time (All Ages)
  Blount County, TN Calendar Maryville, TN 37804
  2:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Is anyone missing a cat?
  It's very friendly but it's going to get hit out on these busy roads. Can someone take it for the night? I have a large dog that doesn’t do well with… (Nextdoor Hanna Place)
• Please share & repost to help reunite this stray dog!
  FOUND on December 11, 2025 in Knoxville, TN 37920 near South Knoxville - near Woodlawn Cemetery Sharing for a neighbor. For the latest information… (Nextdoor Lindbergh Forest)

• All of our thoughts are with Knox County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Bernie Lyon, his family and KSCO colleagues. We are hoping and praying that he... (X: Knoxville_PD)
• We are seeing some snow/wintery mix in East Tennessee this morning, mainly in higher elevations. @myTDOT crews are treating roadways as needed. (X: MarkNagiTDOT)

• TravelCenters of America posted a job opening for Porter in Knoxville. Apply here.
• Ross Stores, Inc posted a job opening for Early Morning Stock Associate in Knoxville. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Knoxville here.

Ok Knoxville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I demand a jury of my piers.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook