Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- What happened to Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, a young Knoxville couple out on an ordinary Saturday night date, was undeniably brutal. They were carjacked, kidnapped, raped and finally killed in January. But whether the attack was a racial hate crime worthy of national media attention is another question, one that has now ignited a fierce dispute over the definition of hate crimes and how the news media choose to cover America's most disturbing interracial attacks.

A week earlier, Morgan State had suffered the second worst defeat in its football history, 87-12, to Grambling at Memorial Stadium.So coach Ricky Diggs made some lineup changes for yesterday's game against Knoxville in an effort to jump-start the Bears' offense and batten down the defense.The moves helped, but not enough. Breakdowns in the punting game, inconsistency on offense and big plays by Knoxville foiled the winless Bears yesterday, and they dropped their third straight, 22-13, before 1,005 at Hughes Stadium.

The Skipjacks are leaving, but another hockey team is comin to Baltimore to replace them, owner Tom Ebright said yesterday.Calling this "decision week," Ebright said he expects the matter to be resolved in a few days.Ebright said he expects to move his American Hockey League Skipjacks toWilkes-Barre, Pa., Syracuse, N.Y., or Portland, Maine, and to buy a franchise in the East Coast Hockey League, a rung below the AHL on the minor-league ladder, and bring it to Baltimore.Ebright refused to identify the ECHL franchise with which he is negotiating, but he did say Roanoke and Knoxville are reportedly for sale, and it is believed that Ebright favors Knoxville.

Two former Finksburg men who were charged in 1994 with sexually abusing boys who lived in their foster care were arrested by FBI agents late Tuesday in Knoxville, Tenn.Federal warrants to arrest Marshall M. Kirkpatrick, 32, and Samuel L. Glover, 49, were obtained in June 1994 after investigators for the FBI and Maryland State Police determined that the men had jumped bail and fled Maryland.Kirkpatrick gave FBI agents a false name when arrested at a Knoxville convenience store where he worked, Special Agent Scott Nowinski of the Knoxville office of the FBI said yesterday.

Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow reportedly has been nominated as a candidate for the same position at the University of Tennessee. According to The Knoxville News Sentinel, Yow's name has been mentioned prominently for a job that will come open when longtime athletic director Doug Dickey retires in June. In a statement released last night, Yow, 51, said: "I have not been contacted by any representative of the University of Tennessee and I do not expect to be. ... I wish Tennessee ... the very best results in the search for their new athletic director."

FROSTBURG -- When the Washington Redskins drafted Heath Shuler last year, one of the things they liked about him was his quick feet.Shuler's speed came in handy last month, when he --ed through the Atlanta airport to help himself and a great-grandmother he had met at Baltimore-Washington International Airport catch a flight to Knoxville, Tenn.The woman, a 67-year-old widow named Bessie McFarland who has three sons, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, then decided she wanted to thank the Redskins quarterback in writing for helping her make the connection.

FROSTBURG -- There may be no place like home for the Washington Redskins, but they can't make a lot of money there.That's why they've become the NFL's exhibition game road warriors and flew to Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday for tonight's exhibition game against the Houston Oilers after having a morning training camp workout.The Redskins practiced with the Oilers for two days in Knoxville before the game."When you have an 80-man roster and you can go practice against other teams, it's very beneficial," Redskins coach Norv Turner said.

MOVING FROM Manhattan to Baltimore is tough. Transitioning from the world's greatest city to the self-proclaimed "Greatest City in America" takes ingenuity, determination and hope - all attributes that addicts of urbanity need to adjust to the suburban sobriety of a smaller city. In New York, city life finds you. In Baltimore, city life must be sought, driven to, explored for the few weekend hours when the narrow streets of Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill are crammed with pedestrians and enough cars to warrant looking both ways.

The coaches of three teams in the NCAA women's Mideast Regional in Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend have spent a lot of time expressing the requisite niceties about the region's top seed and host school, Tennessee.And for good reason. After all, the third-ranked Lady Vols (31-2), who meet No. 9 Western Kentucky (28-3) tonight in a regional semifinal, have a lot going for them, including history, a tremendous home-court advantage and a desire -- bordering on obsession -- to return to the Final Four.

The Baltimore Bays know what it's like to ride a winning streak into the playoffs.In last year's inaugural indoor season, the Bays went 13-0 during the regular season, but were upset by Chattanooga, 8-6, in a first-round playoff game.When Baltimore opens play in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League indoor playoffs at 6 o'clock tonight at Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa, Okla., the Bays, who had lost three straight before winning last week's final regular-season game, won't be sporting the gaudy record or the haughty attitude.