The City of Oak Ridge has named Travis Solomon as its new fire chief.
Solomon, who previously served as Oak Ridge Fire Department fire marshal, has served as interim fire chief since former Chief Darryl Kerley’s departure in August. Solomon begins serving as fire chief immediately, a press release said.
“Oak Ridge has always been the model and leading fire service,” Solomon said in the press release. “I want to continue that and enhance the services we provide to better our ability to serve the public.”
Nine Oak Ridge congregations will present a free drive-through nativity from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, December 19.
Everyone is invited to drive through the parking lots of the following churches in order, beginning with First Christian Church on the west end of town, to view scenes from the Christmas story, a press release said. [Read more…]
These charts show the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations reported by month in Anderson County. Note: December is a partial month. (Charts by Oak Ridge Today)
With two weeks remaining, December has become the worst month for COVID-19 in Anderson County.
The number of new cases, deaths, and hospitalizations this month have all passed November’s totals. Until now, November had been the worst month.
In the first 16 days of December, 1,354 new cases of COVID-19, 14 deaths, and 22 hospitalizations were reported in Anderson County, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.
Those are all higher than the 1,239 cases, 13 deaths, and 21 hospitalizations reported in the 30 days of November.
Anderson County is switching to online teaching starting Tuesday and canceling extracurricular activities because of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and quarantines, among other considerations.
Nine deaths, 14 hospitalizations, and 1,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Anderson County in the nine-day period that ended Tuesday. That’s more deaths, hospitalizations, and new cases in a little more than a week than has been reported in all previous months except November.
Only halfway through the month, there have already been more cases of COVID-19 reported in Anderson County in December than in all of November, which had been the worst month of the pandemic. And total hospitalizations and deaths this month are already close to last month.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
Note: This story was updated at 12:20 p.m. Dec. 16.
Nine deaths, 14 hospitalizations, and 1,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Anderson County in the nine-day period that ended Tuesday. That’s more deaths, hospitalizations, and new cases in a little more than a week than has been reported in all previous months except November.
Nine deaths, 14 hospitalizations, and 1,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Anderson County in the nine-day period that ended Tuesday. That’s more deaths, hospitalizations, and new cases in a little more than a week than has been reported in all previous months except November.
Only halfway through the month, there have already been more cases of COVID-19 reported in Anderson County in December than in all of November, which had been the worst month of the pandemic. And total hospitalizations and deaths this month are already close to last month.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
Anderson County courts announced on Monday that they will suspend in-person appearances and cases, with certain exceptions, starting Wednesday and continuing until early January.
The suspension of those in-person appearances and cases due to COVID-19 was announced by county judges, the district attorney general, district public defender, and child support magistrate.
The exceptions to the suspension of in-person hearings include “important emergency hearing exceptions or constitutionally-mandated processes such as the setting of bail and arraignment of those in custody,” according to a press release from the judicial officials. The courts will remain open for any constitutionally required function, and exceptions to the suspension of in-person business could include matters that are urgent or involve important rights such as personal liberty, the press release said.
The other in-person appearances and cases will be suspended after the close of business Wednesday, December 9, through January 4, 2021.
Santa will be on hand at this year’s Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s “reverse” parade to be held Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, from 6-8 p.m. (Submitted photo)
The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade will be held this year, but with a twist. This year’s offering will be a “reverse” parade, a press release said.
The event will be held on Saturday, December 12, from 6-8 p.m. The theme of this year’s “reverse” parade is “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” More than 40 individuals and organizations have signed up to display along the parade route, the press release said. [Read more…]
A temporary road closure is planned for Lafayette Drive on Saturday, December 12, to allow for the “reverse” parade to take place.
The northbound lanes of Lafayette Drive will be closed to traffic beginning around 3 p.m., a press release said. The southbound lanes and access roads will be closed to traffic beginning around 5 p.m. Both will remain closed to traffic until the parade ends at 8. [Read more…]
First Presbyterian Church will provide a free meal and bag of groceries to food-insecure guests who stop by the church between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 10.
The church’s monthly Welcome Table community meal program plans to supply each guest with a meal consisting of taco soup, Fritos, fruit, and brownies, a press release said. In addition, each family in a car will receive a bag containing foods for making a holiday dinner. [Read more…]
An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.
The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, now 53, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. Mason was sentenced to more than 28 years on federal gun and drug charges in the case in a U.S. District Court hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 1:40 p.m. Dec. 10.
KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.
An Anderson County man previously convicted of two homicides and charged with attempted murder last year after allegedly trying to shoot a deputy was sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison on Wednesday on federal gun and drug charges.
The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
A bank robbery was reported at One Bank in Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
A Rocky Top man has been indicted for allegedly robbing One Bank in Oak Ridge in October.
Warren Calvin Lavender, 31, was charged in a one-count indictment filed by a federal grand jury in Greenville, Tennessee, on November 18.
Lavender entered a plea of not guilty to the charges in the indictment on December 3, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Lavender will remain in custody pending trial, which has been set for December 28 in front of United States District Court Judge Travis McDonough, the press release said.
Free-range eggs, radishes, and broccoli are just some of the products available all season at the Winter Farmers’ Market. (Photo courtesy Grow Oak Ridge)
The fifth season of the Winter Farmers’ Market begins indoors Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and it is focused on safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, a press release said.
The market is open Saturdays through March (closed December 26), at St. Mary’s Catholic School at 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge.
All vendors and customers must wear masks, and vendors are spread apart for social distancing, the press release said.
New this year is a 100 percent touch-free curbside pickup program called Market-to-Go. Customers can shop farmers’ market products online during the week, and pick them up curbside on Saturday mornings, the press release said.
“We have been working all year to get ready for a safe, indoor market. Not many towns our size offer a Winter Farmers’ Market, much less one with more than 30 vendors and a convenient online store,” said Rebecca Williams, director of Grow Oak Ridge, the nonprofit organization that produces the market.
