United Grocery Outlet in west Oak Ridge is closing January 18.
“We are unable to provide our customers with the options we have at our other locations, and we are unable to sustain in our current environment,” the store said in a sign posted on its front door.
New hours went into effect today (Monday, January 6): Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Samuel McCoy Wade
An Oak Ridge man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal charge of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will honor area business leaders and businesses at its first An ExtraORdinary Evening Installation and Awards Dinner this week.
It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., Friday, January 10, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. The cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m.
Bob and Carol Smallridge and Colin Anderson will be presented with the Chamber’s most prestigious awards at the event, a press release said.
Bob and Carol Smallridge will be the recipients of the Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award.
“The award is given to recognize and celebrate individuals who have truly distinguished themselves and embody the essential values of volunteerism, community service, and dedication to the economic vitality of our community,” the press release said. “It is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s preeminent award given to honor the memory of the late Eugene L. Joyce.” [Read more…]
Citing a warrantless search, an Anderson County judge has dismissed drug and conspiracy charges in a case where police allegedly found 45.1 grams of methamphetamine in a backpack in an Oak Ridge motel room in May.
“I hate to dismiss serious charges,” said Roger Miller, judge of the Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge. But, he added, “I don’t think the proof would hold up.”
Suggesting that a search warrant should have been obtained, Miller said he is accessible and signs many search warrants.
The two people charged in the case had been William Michael Renfro, 18, of Oak Ridge, and Carlie Alise Wisman, 22, also of Oak Ridge.
Renfro had been charged with manufacturing, selling, delivering, or possessing a schedule II controlled substance (the 45.1 grams of meth), a Class A felony; criminal conspiracy, a Class B felony; manufacturing, selling, delivering, or possessing a schedule IV controlled substance (9.5 grams of marijuana), a Class D felony; and possession of a firearm (a Ruger Security Six .357 revolver with six rounds) during the commission of or attempt to commit a dangerous felony, a Class D felony.
All four of those charges were dismissed after a preliminary hearing for Renfro in Anderson County General Sessions Court on Thursday, December 12. During a preliminary hearing, a judge can hear from witnesses, victims, and police officers, and determine whether there is probable cause to send the charges to the Anderson County Grand Jury.
[Read more…]Three Oak Ridge schools—Glenwood Elementary, Jefferson Middle, and Robertsville Middle—recently learned they had been awarded grants for projects involving science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. The grants were for $5,000 and $10,000.
Glenwood Elementary School received a grant for $5,000 to fund a project titled, “Engineering a Brighter Future.” That’s a hands-on initiative to engage students in STEM-based learning focused on careers of the future.
This competitive grant came from a program sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority that provides teachers an opportunity to apply for funding up to $5,000. Preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic and career development, and community problem solving.
[Read more…]The City of Oak Ridge recently updated junked vehicle ordinances and has scheduled implementation in 2020.
There will be a grace period in January and February to inform residents of the ordinance changes, a press release said. Written warnings will be provided during the grace period—before violation notices are issued—until March 1, 2020. After that, written warnings will no longer be given prior to a violation notice, the press release said.
“The changes to this ordinance now provide greater clarity for property owners and city staff regarding what constitutes an unlawful vehicle,” the press release said. “Additionally, the changes will help reduce blighted conditions, improve quality of life in the neighborhoods, and enhance effective enforcement by city departments.”
Under the updated ordinance, vehicles declared as junked, abandoned, inoperable, or a public nuisance will be removed from public or private property if not addressed by the owner in an allotted amount of time, the press release said. Removal by the city, if necessary, will be at the owner’s expense, the release said.
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A new federal designation for Anderson County will mean more federal funding for the county’s drug and violent crime task force and a full-time agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Anderson County is now a high-intensity drug trafficking area, or HIDTA. That designation came from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. It occurred in September and will go into effect January 1.
As part of a two-part announcement this month, law enforcement officials said the White House also selected the county’s task force, the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, as an Appalachia HIDTA, or AHIDTA. It’s the only locally led drug task force in Tennessee, according to Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark. The county’s Crime Task Force, or CTF, is led by Director Simon Byrne.
“No other drug task force in Tennessee has been awarded an AHIDTA grant,” Clark said. “I am very proud of our leadership team for thinking outside of the box and in looking for smart ways to make our communities safer as well as be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. We are more excited than we can convey, but in short believe that this development has the potential to be transformative as to what we are able to do in Anderson County to protect and serve our communities.”
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Tennessee Valley Authority Police and local law enforcement officers are investigating a suspicious package found on Norris Dam on Thursday.
TVA Police responded to Norris Dam to investigate the suspicious package at about 3 p.m. Thursday. When they arrived, officers found an abandoned package on top of the dam.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the highway was closed, and mutual aid was requested from the Knox County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad,” TVA said in a statement. “The bomb squad responded and determined that the package was not a threat to the dam nor the public. The highway crossing the dam was then reopened (9 p.m.). TVA Police and local law enforcement agencies will continue to follow up on this matter.”
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Parker Hardy
Parker Hardy will retire next summer after more than 20 years as president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
Hardy has been president and CEO of the Chamber since November 1996. Under his leadership, the Chamber received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber of the Year designation in 2010, a press release said.
“During Hardy’s tenure, the Chamber has played a vital role in recruiting new retail to (the) city, including the Main Street development, as well as the Marriott TownePlace Suites,” the press release said. “Residential development has been a key area of focus for the Chamber as well. The Chamber has been instrumental in recruiting residential developers now building in The Preserve, Groves Park Commons, and Forest Creek Village. The Chamber also was instrumental in the attraction of Bristol Park, Centennial Village, and Centennial Bluff multi-family developments.” [Read more…]
Royce Scott Earley, 42, of Clinton was arrested Sunday night on three charges of rape of a child and incest, law enforcement officers said.
Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Detective Darrell Slater was dispatched to the victim’s home in Clinton to investigate a sexual offense, Sheriff Russell Barker said in a press release Monday. After obtaining a statement from the witness, Slater turned his attention to finding Earley.
Earley was located in his parked truck at the Mountain View boat ramp in Clinton, the sheriff said. Earley was taken to the Criminal Investigations Division at the Sheriff’s Office and interviewed by Slater.
After the interview, Slater obtained arrest warrants and placed Earley in custody, the press release said. He was transported to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton without incident.
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday that it will issue an early site permit to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the Clinch River site in west Oak Ridge, where small modular nuclear reactors could eventually be built.
The early site permit closes several site-related issues, including many related to environmental impacts, for small modular reactors at the site, the NRC said in a press release Tuesday.
The Commission authorized the agency’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to issue the permit following a hearing on August 14. The Commission found the staff’s review of TVA’s application to be adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings, the press release said.
The early site permit, which will be valid for up to 20 years, is expected to be issued in the next few days.
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The East Tennessee Economic Council honored four winners of the Muddy Boot Award and one recipient of the Postma Young Professional Medal during its annual awards luncheon this month.
The four Muddy Boot Award recipients have long ré sumés of service in East Tennessee, ETEC said. They are Harold Conner Jr., Edwena Crowe, Lee Riedinger, and Lamar Alexander.
Conner and Crowe have served in “just about every capacity one can in the community and the Oak Ridge Department of Energy Complex,” ETEC said, while Riedinger is recently retired as director of the University of Tennessee’s Bredesen Center. The three were named 2019 Muddy Boot Award winners.
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