Oak Ridge Today

Georgia man, woman indicted in Check Into Cash robbery

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Check Into Cash

The Oak Ridge Police Department reported that a robbery was reported at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—A Georgia man and woman have been indicted in a robbery at Check Into Cash in Oak Ridge in June 2015.

Arvenzio Clyde Miles, 24, and Kianna Denise Hill, 22, were indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on July 6, 2016. They had arraignments in Anderson County Circuit and Criminal Court in Clinton on Friday.

Miles and Hill are both charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, a Class B felony; especially aggravated kidnapping with a gun, a Class A felony; and aggravated assault while displaying a firearm, a Class C felony.

Hill and Miles are accused in an armed robbery at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015. They were arrested less than two weeks later in East Point, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, on Wednesday, July 8, 2015.

The indictments allege that Hill and Miles confined Calvin Murray, a store manager, and employees Morgan Gist and Joy Jennings, and took their cell phones while displaying a firearm. All three were forced into a restroom at gunpoint against their will, and they were held captive there until the robbery was complete, according to arrest warrants filed in July 2015. The warrants alleged that the cell phones were taken to prevent the victims from calling the police. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Mall demolition

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Oak Ridge Mall Sears Demolition July 26 2016 10

Demolition of the enclosed unused spaces at the former Oak Ridge Mall started at the former Sears store on Tuesday, July 26, 2016, as developer Realty Link of Greenville, South Carolina, starts construction on Main Street Oak Ridge, a 58-acre open-air mixed-use development that will include eight new stores in addition to Belk and JCPenney. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Demolition of the enclosed unused spaces at the former Oak Ridge Mall started at the former Sears store on Tuesday. Here are photos of the work.

The demolition is expected to include the enclosed space between Belk and JCPenney, the two remaining anchors at the former mall.

Demolition could last three months, and the construction of two new stores, T.J. Maxx and Dick’s Sporting Goods, could start where the former Sears building is in October, said Neil Wilson, principal of RealtyLink, the Greenville, South Carolina, company that is redeveloping the property.

Plans call for replacing the former mall with Main Street Oak Ridge, an open-air, 58-acre, $75 million mixed-use development that could include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and a hotel. Belk and JCPenney are part of Main Street Oak Ridge, and they remain open during demolition of the mall’s enclosed spaces and construction of new stores. [Read more…]

Mall demolition begins

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Oak Ridge Mall Demolition Sears July 26 2016

Demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall began Tuesday. Crews demolished a significant part of the former Sears store Tuesday morning, July 26, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 p.m.

Demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall began Tuesday. Crews demolished a significant part of the former Sears store Tuesday morning.

The demolition is expected to include the enclosed space between Belk and JCPenney, the two remaining anchors at the former mall.

Plans call for replacing the former mall with Main Street Oak Ridge, a 58-acre, $75 million mixed-use development that could include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and a hotel. Belk and JCPenney are part of Main Street Oak Ridge, and they remain open during demolition of the mall’s enclosed spaces and construction of new stores. [Read more…]

ETEBA has information session on new low-level waste disposal facility on Wednesday

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EMDF Onsite Disposal Location Options

There is a public information session on Wednesday on the U.S. Department of Energy’s proposal to build a new on-site low-level waste disposal facility on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The public information session is hosted by the Energy, Technology, and Environmental Business Association, or ETEBA. It’s scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at Pollard Auditorium, which is at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. The public is invited.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM, has identified four site alternatives for the proposed facility, which is called the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, or EMDF.

“The purpose of this session is to provide the public with information about these four sites in preparation for the formal public comment period that will occur later this year,” a press release said. “Representatives of DOE, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide an overview of the site alternatives as well as the regulatory issues and requirements associated with these four sites, and will be on hand to address questions from the public following the presentations.” [Read more…]

Navarro Research, Engineering buys Tech 2020 building

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Technology-2020-Jan-27-2016

Navarro Research and Engineering Inc. acquired the Tech 2020 building late last week, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce said Monday, July 25, 2016. The purchase of the building will allow the company’s corporate headquarters to remain in Oak Ridge, retaining more than 100 jobs in the community. The board of directors for Technology 2020 voted Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to wind down operations after more than two decades of operations. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Navarro Research and Engineering Inc. acquired the Tech 2020 building in Oak Ridge late last week. The purchase of the building will allow the company’s corporate headquarters to remain in Oak Ridge, retaining more than 100 jobs in the community, a press release said.

The Tech 2020 building was placed on the market following the January 2016 announcement that the organization would be winding down operations. Tech 2020 was a nonprofit organization that had focused on technology-based entrepreneurial support and access to capital. The organization contributed to the success of several area start-ups.

“We are pleased that Navarro has found a new home in the Tech 2020 building,” said Phil Andrews, chief financial officer of Oak Ridge Associated Universities and chair of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors. “It’s a win for the community to be able to keep the company and employees in Oak Ridge. The fact that the company has purchased a building, rather than leasing or renting one, shows the kind of commitment Navarro has to the city.” [Read more…]

Fox Auto Salvage shutting down, could be replaced by heavy equipment leasing company

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Fox Auto Salvage July 22 2016

Fox Auto Salvage on Melton Lake Drive is shutting down, and the business could be replaced by a company that leases heavy equipment, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission was told Thursday, July 21, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Fox Auto Salvage on Melton Lake Drive is shutting down, and the business could be replaced by a company that leases heavy equipment, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission learned Thursday.

Owner Tom Fox of Fox Auto Salvage said the business has been open since 1981, and he’s owned it since 1997.

Fox Auto Salvage is no longer accepting salvaged cars, and the company has disposed of most everything, Fox said. [Read more…]

CNS reinforces commitment to small businesses

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Submitted

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC purchased more than $210 million in goods and services from small businesses during the first nine months of fiscal year 2016, including more than $149 million at the Y-12 National Security Complex and $61 million at the Pantex Plant. Small business contracting at Y-12 includes more than $10 million in small business obligations for work on the Uranium Processing Facility project, which is managed by Bechtel National Inc., through a subcontract with CNS, a press release said.

In recognition of the significant role small businesses play in the national economy—as well as the economies in East Tennessee and the Texas Panhandle—CNS uses small businesses in a variety of roles, from technical and administrative support to staff augmentation and construction support and strives to provide the maximum possible contracting opportunities to small businesses in a host of categories recognized by the Small Business Administration, the press release said. Those categories include 8(a), woman-owned, Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), veteran-owned, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, small and small disadvantaged businesses. [Read more…]

Leadership Oak Ridge remodeling Boys & Girls Club teen room

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Leadership Oak Ridge Class of 2016 (Submitted photo)

Leadership Oak Ridge Class of 2016 (Submitted photo)

 

For 30 years, Leadership Oak Ridge has been informing, training, and empowering leaders in Oak Ridge and the region. With more than 1,000 graduates, Leadership Oak Ridge is one of the longest continuously running leadership programs in the United States.

Each year, a Leadership Oak Ridge class takes on a project aimed at benefiting the Oak Ridge community. This year’s class will lead and implement a plan to renovate a vital part of the Boys & Girls Club in Oak Ridge.

The Boys & Girls Club provides an opportunity for youth to engage in programs and activities to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

“The Boys & Girls Club is a well-known and vital part of the Oak Ridge community, and like all programs of this type, it relies heavily on volunteer support and donations to maintain the quality and relevance of the services it delivers,” said Dennis Yates, of Centrus Energy and Leadership Oak Ridge Class of 2016. [Read more…]

Mall demolition begins with ceremonial groundbreaking, knocking down of wall

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Main Street Oak Ridge Groundbreaking July 20 2016

Demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall began Wednesday, July 20, 2016, with a ceremonial groundbreaking and the knocking down of a wall near the former Goody’s store, starting construction on a 58-acre mixed-use retail development known as Main Street Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7 p.m.

Demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall began Wednesday with a ceremonial groundbreaking and the knocking down of a wall near the former Goody’s store, starting construction on a 58-acre mixed-use retail development known as Main Street Oak Ridge.

Demolition could last three months, and the construction of two new stores, T.J. Maxx and Dick’s Sporting Goods, could start where the former Sears building is in October. New stores could open in the spring of 2017.

Officials, business representatives, and the community celebrated with a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday. About 300 or more people attended. After the groundbreaking on a hot, sunny summer afternoon, those celebrating, including children and adults, had a chance to spray graffiti on part of the old mall as a fundraiser for the renovation of Blankenship Field.

Main Street Oak Ridge is now the largest multi-tenant commercial retail project in the city, said Parker Hardy, president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. [Read more…]

MMC: Renovations under way on third Hospitality House for visiting patients, families

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To help the renovation efforts, employees from National Strategic Protective Services, or NSPS, have put in many hours of hard labor at Methodist Medical Center’s soon-to-be third Hospitality House. (Submitted photo)

To help the renovation efforts, employees from National Strategic Protective Services, or NSPS, have put in many hours of hard labor at Methodist Medical Center’s soon-to-be third Hospitality House. (Submitted photo)

 

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation and the Hospitality Houses are adding a third Hospitality House near Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

The Hospitality Houses are located just minutes from MMC, and they primarily serve patients and families visiting for cancer care, wound care, intensive care, cardiac critical care, or certain short stays related to specific tests and procedures. There are no charges for guests staying at the Hospitality Houses. All costs are covered by charitable contributions raised through annual fundraising events and by food and related necessities donated by caring individuals, area churches, civic clubs, and businesses, a press release said.

Last year, 211 guests spent 1,787 nights in Methodist’s two existing Hospitality Houses. They came from 18 Tennessee counties and 14 different states. One guest with a family member in Intensive Care Unit came all the way from France, the press release said. [Read more…]

Donate $10, spray paint on part of old mall—money goes to Blankenship Field

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Main-Street-Oak-Ridge-Celebration-1

As part of the Main Street Oak Ridge groundbreaking on Wednesday, you will have a chance to spray paint on part of the old mall in exchange for a $10 donation, and the money raised will be used for the Blankenship Field Renovation Project.

It’s part of the Main Street Oak Ridge celebration at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 20. The City of Oak Ridge is helping to raise the money for Blankenship Field.

“The fundraising opportunity will be one of the last items in the program, after the groundbreaking and ceremonial demolition we have planned,” a city statement said. “Participants will be asked to donate $10 to the field renovation project. In return, they’ll get to spray paint a designated area on the outside of the old mall building. People can write whatever they’d like (as long as it’s tasteful), but we see this as a special opportunity for the community to bid the ‘mall’ farewell.” [Read more…]

Dale Carnegie ‘How to Win Friends, Influence People in Digital Age’ seminar at Oak Ridge Chamber

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has once again teamed up with Dale Carnegie of Tennessee to offer a workshop series on Leadership Essentials. A discount is available for members of the Chamber. The next session will be held on July 28 from 8-10 a.m. at the Chamber, located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The session was postponed from an earlier date in June.

The July 28 session is entitled, “How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age.” According to the description of the seminar: “The digital age is changing how we work, play, communicate, and think. It is an exciting frontier that rewards those who leverage the power that it presents. This workshop provides and introduction to the tools needed to develop the attitudes of success necessary to move to new levels of effectiveness in the digital age.”

The cost for members of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is $30. The cost for non-members is $50. [Read more…]