Oak Ridge Today

Christmas Stroll in downtown Clinton

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A Clinton Christmas Stroll this month will feature photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, horse-drawn carriage rides, food trucks, a nativity scene, and a silent auction to benefit the Education Foundation.

“Additionally, the brick-and-mortar shops will be staying open late for shopping on this Small Business Saturday,” a press release said.

The Christmas Stroll, a new event, is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, November 27, in Historic Downtown Clinton.

The live nativity scene will be held in the Hoskins Park on Market Street. It will feature live animals, caroling, cookies and cider, and a kid’s craft. The horse-drawn carriage rides are $20 per family, and the carriage can hold up to six people at a time, the press release said. The ride will start on Freddy Fagan Way and go behind Shabby Remakes and then circle around down Market Street.

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Covenant Health will comply with COVID vaccine mandate

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance
Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above.

Covenant Health is among the hospital organizations in the Knoxville area that will comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The hospitals announced on Thursday that they plan to comply.

“On November 4, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs to protect health care workers, patients, families, and visitors from COVID-19,” a press release said. “CMS is very clear that non-compliance with this mandate will result in severe penalties to hospitals, up to and including exclusion from participation in Medicare.”

Covenant includes Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge and other local health care facilities.

Other organizations planning to comply with the vaccine mandate include Blount Memorial Hospital, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Sweetwater Hospital Association, and The University of Tennessee Medical Center.

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Investigators find human remains in vehicle pulled from lake

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Human remains have been located inside a vehicle pulled from Melton Hill Lake on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. The vehicle belonged to Miriam Ruth Hemphill, who was reported missing in Oak Ridge in July 2005, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. (Submitted photo)

Human remains have been located inside a vehicle pulled from Melton Hill Lake on Wednesday. The vehicle belonged to Miriam Ruth Hemphill, who was reported missing in Oak Ridge in July 2005, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

“At this time, Oak Ridge Police Department investigators and the medical examiner’s office are working together to process the vehicle,” a press release said. “The medical examiner’s office is also working to identify the remains. It’s unclear how long it will take to identify them.”

It is not clear whether the remains found in the vehicle are Hemphill’s, the press release said.

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General Fusion locating U.S. headquarters in Oak Ridge

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General Fusion Corporation will locate its U.S. headquarters in Oak Ridge as the company advances plans for a commercial pilot plant, Tennessee officials and company executives announced Wednesday.

The headquarters decision was announced Wednesday by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and General Fusion Corporation executives.

General Fusion Corporation is based in Vancouver, Canada. The company says fusion could provide a carbon-free power source that would meet the growing global energy demand while fighting climate change.

The U.S.-based subsidiary of General Fusion Incorporated will initially invest $539,000 and create 20 new jobs in Anderson County during the next five years, a press release said. It’s the first private fusion company to establish an office in Tennessee, General Fusion said. The new headquarters in Oak Ridge will be near Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a science and energy lab that is home to the U.S. ITER program. ITER is an experimental fusion device being built in southern France through an international collaboration and planned to be the first such device to produce net energy.

In Oak Ridge, General Fusion said it will collaborate with “world-leading fusion scientists and tap into key engineering talent.”

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Divers find vehicle linked to missing person

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Divers found a vehicle in Melton Hill Lake on Wednesday afternoon that has been confirmed to be linked to a missing person case from July 2005, Miriam Ruth Hemphill, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The ORPD said the car was pulled out of the water Wednesday evening, and the investigation continues.

“There is no confirmation of a body being in the vehicle,” the ORPD said Wednesday evening. “Crews will not be able to access the inside of the vehicle tonight.”

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City receives grant for water plant landslide

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Pictured above is the landslide next to the access road to the Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant on Pine Ridge, above the Y-12 National Security Complex, on Saturday night, February 23, 2019. (File photo courtesy CNS Y-12)

The City of Oak Ridge has received a $17,389 grant to cover some costs associated with a landslide at the access road to the water treatment plant above the Y-12 National Security Complex in 2019.

The estimated costs of the repairs are $384,444, Oak Ridge Public Works Director Patrick Berge said in a memo to City Manager Mark Watson.

The city began talking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency immediately after the landslide, and the discussions included potential future reimbursements, Berge said. The $17,389 partial reimbursement is through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

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Cherokees ends Wildcats’ season

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Oak Ridge senior Jacob Berven blocked a punt inside the McMinn County 10-yard line, giving the Wildcats a chance to tie the football game with about two minutes remaining.

But Oak Ridge was unable to convert that blocked punt into a score, and the Wildcats’ season ended in a 24-17 first-round playoff loss to the Cherokees on Friday. The Wildcats were unable to score when McMinn County stopped Oak Ridge quarterback Hayden Tarwater two yards short of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal play with 3.2 seconds left.

The season-ending defeat came a week after the Wildcats played their best game, a 48-21 win over region rival Campbell County.

Oak Ridge got credit for not giving up this season, even in the final minutes, despite their 3-8 losing record.

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Winners of first Kimmelman ‘Learning from Holocaust’ essay contest

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Winners have been announced for the first Mira Kimmelman “Learning from the Holocaust” essay and project contest. The winners were announced by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.

“Mira Kimmelman challenged students to reflect upon the history of the Holocaust and contemporary examples of injustice for over 50 years,” a press release said. “The contest continues her work and legacy, asking Tennessee students to create projects that reflect how the lessons of the Holocaust are relevant to current events and their own lives. The contest has both middle school and high school entry options, all of which prompt students to reflect on the lessons learned through the study of Holocaust history.”

The contest is sponsored by the Kimmelman family and the Tennessee Holocaust Commission to honor and further Mira Kimmelman’s lifelong efforts to teach children to never forget and to learn from the horrors of the Holocaust., the press release said.

The high school winners are:

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Wildcats open playoffs at McMinn Co.

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Oak Ridge sophomore De’Jauvis Dozier (22) runs for a season-high 210 yards during a 48-21 win over Campbell County at home on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. At back left is junior lineman Zac Snyder (70) and, at right, junior quarterback Hayden Tarwater (8). (Photo by Barry Houchin)

After struggling this season, the Oak Ridge Wildcats gained confidence headed into the football playoffs tonight with a 48-21 win over region rival Campbell County last Friday.

“This was our best game in a lot of ways, for a lot of reasons,” Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis told his huddled team on Blankenship Field after the victory over the Cougars (6-4, 1-3 Region 3-5A). “That’s a good way to finish the regular season.”

The 48 points was the most scored by Oak Ridge (3-7, 3-2) this season.

The Wildcats also had the most rushing yards and total yards of the season, by far, against the Cougars on Friday. They ran for 366 yards and totaled 517.

“This is kind of a breakout game,” Gaddis said. “We were able to run the ball.”

Oak Ridge sophomore De’Javius Dozier broke tackles and scored three touchdowns as he ran for more than 200 yards, the best performance of any Wildcat this season. He also ran for three touchdowns. Dozier’s previous team-high rushing total was 130 yards at Lenoir City on September 3.

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City to present design for converting railroad to trail

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The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The City of Oak Ridge continues to work on a Rails to Trails project that has been planned for years and will convert 4.6 miles of unused railroad into a greenway for walkers, runners, and bicyclists.

The city will have a drop-in public meeting about the project from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 10, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Gym. The trail design and next steps will be presented, and the city will seek input from residents. Masks are encouraged at the meeting, the city said.

The greenway along the former CSX railroad will extend from east Oak Ridge past Jefferson Middle School to Y-12 National Security Complex. It will start at Elza Gate at the Oak Ridge Turnpike; run along Belgrade Road, Warehouse Road, Fairbanks Road, and Lafayette Drive; and cross South Illinois Avenue to the Y-12 National Security Complex entrance on Scarboro Road.

“The greenway system brings parkland nearer to all Oak Ridge citizens,” Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick said. “It provides opportunity for motor-less commuting, enjoyable physical exercise, learning experiences about wildlife, and connections to parks, schools, and shopping areas.”

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Roane State volleyball wins region tourney

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The Roane State Raiders volleyball team won the NJCAA Region VII tournament Saturday with a 3-1 win over Walters State. (Photo from Roane State)

The Roane State Raiders volleyball team won the National Junior College Athletic Association Region VII tournament Saturday in only the team’s second year of competition.

The Raiders, the top seed in the tournament, defeated Walters State 3-1 in four sets: 25-20, 19-25, 25-20, and 25-21.

The win was the Raiders’ third victory over the Senators this season and improved the team’s record to 18-4, a press release said.

Head coach Steve Dallman said after the match, “Those kids gave 150-percent out there. (The win) is about Roane State athletics and not just us.”

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Oak Ridge Philharmonia resumes concerts

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Oak Ridge Philharmonia

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia is resuming concerts after more than a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Great news!” the Philharmonia said on its website. “The orchestra will finally be in concert again!”

These are the first concerts since March 2020, and they are free.

The first concert is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, October 31, at Cokesbury United Methodist Church on Kingston Pike in Knoxville. The second is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, November 7, at First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.

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