Oak Ridge Today

Updated: South Illinois re-opens after crews clean up diesel from truck crash

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South Illinois Avenue remained closed early Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017, after about 100 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the road following a crash involving a dump truck and two vehicles at Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road in south Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

South Illinois Avenue remained closed early Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017, after about 100 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the road following a crash involving a dump truck and two vehicles at Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road in south Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 2:40 p.m.

South Illinois Avenue re-opened Friday afternoon after being closed for about six hours to clean up about 100 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled onto the road following a crash involving a dump truck and two vehicles at Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road in south Oak Ridge.

The fuel was spread out over about 100 yards, or roughly the length of a football field.

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department dumped sand to contain the fuel, which was spread across the five-lane roadway, and city workers and equipment, including from the Oak Ridge Fire Department, helped sweep it up with help from several vehicles, including a sweeper.

An environmental cleanup company was responding to help with the cleanup and dispose of the waste, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 7:55 a.m. Friday. The Oak Ridge Police Department, which investigated the crash, announced that the road had re-opened at 1:47 p.m. [Read more…]

Two protesters questioned, released at Y-12’s east gate

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Two women protesting the U.S. Department of Energy and trying to inform the public of the effects of global warming were questioned and released at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge on Monday morning, authorities said.

New Energy Secretary Rick Perry was at Y-12 for a tour on Monday morning, but it’s not clear if the two women were there because of Perry.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a call of two protesters trespassing at Y-12’s east gate at 301 Bear Creek Road at about 10:13 a.m. Monday. Perry was reported to have left the nuclear weapons plant by then. [Read more…]

Responding to disturbance near DOE landfill, police allegedly find drugs, stolen gun in vehicle

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Daniel Ray Price

Daniel Ray Price

 

Note This story was updated at 11:50 a.m. Nov. 1.

Oak Ridge police allegedly found marijuana, Xanax, drug paraphernalia, and a stolen pistol in a vehicle after responding to a report of a disturbance near the U.S. Department of Energy landfill on Bear Creek Road near the Y-12 National Security Complex on Sunday, May 14, court records said.

Oak Ridge Police Department K-9 Officer Christopher Wallace said a search of the vehicle with the help of a drug-detecting canine officer found 18.4 ounces of marijuana, along with 97 Xanax (alprazolam) tablets; drug paraphernalia that included rolling papers, a grinder, digital scales, glass marijuana pipe, glass meth/crack cocaine pipe, and a snort straw; an SCCY Industries 9mm CPX2 semi automatic pistol; and a North American Arms (N.A.A.) .22LR mini revolver pistol that the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office had reported as stolen.

Charged after the search was Daniel Ray Price, 35, of Coster Lane in Knoxville. Price said all the items belonged to him, Wallace said in affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Update: Truck driver was ill, but shipment was routine, posed no threat to public

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Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2017, after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2017, after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 6:45 p.m.

Authorities investigated a truck shipment labeled radioactive after a driver was reported ill on Wednesday afternoon, and they found the shipment was routine and posed no threat to the public, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the call of the truck driver who was ill on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Newport Drive at about 11:50 a.m. Wednesday.

When they arrived, firefighters saw the truck and its flatbed trailer were transporting hazardous waste, so as they evaluated the patient, the Fire Department said in a City of Oak Ridge press release.

Firefighters also followed procedure to evaluate the shipment to ensure there was no association with the truck driver’s illness, the press release said.

“Officials closed that section of the Oak Ridge Turnpike as a precautionary measure until the patient could be evaluated and transported to the local hospital,” the press release said. “The truck was relocated off of the state highway to a city parking lot for additional evaluation and the highway was re-opened.” [Read more…]

Turnpike re-opened, truck escorted to business after authorities investigate possible hazardous materials

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Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2017, after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 2017, after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:45 p.m.

Oak Ridge Turnpike re-opened near Big Turtle Park after about 1.5 hours Wednesday afternoon after authorities investigated a possible hazardous materials situation involving a truck pulling a flatbed trailer with two cargo containers marked radioactive.

The Turnpike was closed between Montana Avenue and Newport Drive at about 12 p.m. Wednesday. It re-opened after the truck and trailer were moved to a parking lot at Big Turtle Park near the dog park and a soccer field.

At about 1:30 p.m., the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department escorted the truck and trailer through central Oak Ridge to Toxco on Flint Road.

It wasn’t immediately clear if there was any hazardous materials detected, although the truck and its containers were presumably deemed to be okay since they were escorted through town, and workers and police officers were standing near them at Toxco. Toxco repackages low-level radioactive waste. [Read more…]

Law enforcement to be honored during ceremony this afternoon

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Law enforcement personnel will be honored during a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony in Oak Ridge today, and certificates and letters of commendation will be awarded to Oak Ridge Police Department personnel this afternoon.

The Oak Ridge Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies across the nation in celebrating National Police Week, Sunday, May 14, through Saturday, May 20, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department will honor all law enforcement personnel during a Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony held in front of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 15. The keynote speaker will be Bishop Richard Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville.

Beginning at 3 p.m., following the memorial service, certificates and letters of commendation will be awarded to Oak Ridge Police Department personnel in the Municipal Building Courtroom. [Read more…]

CodeRed alerts can save lives in emergencies, but many residents disconnecting, not answering

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Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley

Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley

The CodeRed Emergency Notification System used by the City of Oak Ridge can be a life-saving tool during an emergency, officials said, but many residents are not answering their phones or they are disconnecting before a pre-recorded message can begin.

This week, the Oak Ridge Fire Department reminded residents that use of the CodeRed Emergency Notification System is important during severe weather.

But a review of past CodeRed notifications found that many residents either did not answer their phone or they disconnected the call before the pre-recorded message could begin, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

Here’s how CodeRed works, according to the city: If you have a land-line phone at your home or business through AT&T or Comcast, you will automatically receive a call from CodeRed alerting you of a tornado. If the city has a local emergency, the fire department will send an automated call to affected homes and business in order to provide information about the event. These messages can be a life-saving tool in an emergency, the press release said.

“One of the major issues that has come to light following the Sevier County wildfires is the importance of community notification of a pending emergency,” ORFD Chief Darryl Kerley said. “Oak Ridge is not able to use emergency warning sirens to alert the community of fire or tornadoes. The outside emergency alert sirens in Oak Ridge are for U.S. Department of Energy emergencies only, so the fire department subscribes to the CodeRed Emergency Notification System.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during storms, city says

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Fallen Tree House April 2017 Storms 1

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said Monday, April 24, 2017. That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said.

That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages.

Power was nearly 100 percent restored, but the cleanup was still under way Monday afternoon. [Read more…]

Trees fall, roads flood, driver escapes floodwaters as rains continue

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The driver was reported to have made it out of floodwaters before emergency responders arrived on Saturday afternoon, April 22, 2017, but her black Nissan Altima remained partially submerged on Airport Road near Oliver Springs on Sunday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8 p.m.

Roads flooded and trees fell—sometimes on homes, power lines, and roads—as rain continued to fall in East Tennessee on Sunday. One driver was reported to have escaped from her car in floodwaters on Airport Road near Oliver Springs on Saturday afternoon, but the black Nissan Altima remained partially submerged in the water on Sunday.

There appeared to have been at least 10 reports of fallen trees in Oak Ridge during the severe thunderstorms that started Saturday afternoon and continued with rain showers on Sunday. Most of those trees were reported to have fallen on homes, power lines, across roadways, or on personal property such as an automobile. There were five reports of fallen trees between about 3 and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, including a tree that fell across both lanes of Melton Lake Drive near Calhoun’s restaurant, causing a temporary closure of that two-lane road.

There were more reports of trees that had fallen but not damaged anything.

Large trees are falling due to excess rain, the City of Oak Ridge said Sunday. Electric crews have been out all night, and backup is on the way, the city said, but it may be tomorrow (Monday, April 24) before all power is back.

At various times on Sunday, there were reports of flooding or flood watches across Oak Ridge, including on Vermont Avenue, near Heritage Center (the former K-25 site), on California Avenue, and at Jefferson Avenue and North Jefferson Circle.

There were also reports of trees down and road closures in Clinton. Briceville Highway was reported to be closed in Briceveille due to sinking pavement on Sunday afternoon. Earlier Sunday, State Route 71 in Anderson County was closed for several hours at Norris Dam State Park because trees were blocking the road, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Some school districts have announced they will be closed Monday. Roane County Schools said it will be closed due to “concerning road conditions throughout the county.” Anderson County Schools said it will be closed because of dangerous conditions with flooded roads and trees being down.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said a record for daily rainfall was set at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport on Sunday. The NWS said 1.89 inches had fallen as of 5 p.m. Sunday, breaking the old record of 1.63 inches in 1977.

[Read more…]

Emergency workers respond to car crash, fallen trees, flooding

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Oak-Ridge-Flooding-Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-Illinois-Avenue-April-22-2017-Slider

Floodwaters rose close to road level at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue after heavy rains fell in Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon and evening, April 22, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge emergency workers responded to a car crash that injured two people, two fallen trees, and a possible apartment complex evacuation due to flooding during the severe thunderstorms on Saturday.

Heavy rain from the storms led to widespread flooding in Oak Ridge starting late Saturday afternoon. The water appeared to have receded in places a few hours later, or by early Saturday night.

Emergency workers made preparations Saturday evening to possibly evacuate apartments on Royce Circle, where water covered part of the roadway and rose near the first floor of an apartment complex at the northeast end of the circle. The apartments, which are next to Robertsville Road and just east of Willow Brook Elementary School, are in a low-lying area between two creeks that flow down along Jefferson Avenue and intersect with East Fork Poplar Creek, which was swollen with floodwaters on Saturday.

Authorities had made preparations to see how many people lived on the first floor of the Royce Circle apartment complex in case the residents had to be evacuated, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. Of the 10 people there, all but one had another place to go, he said. Authorities were watching the water, Kerley said.

“We think it’s receding,” he said Saturday night. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy is in June

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Oak Ridge Police Department Badge

The sixth annual Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy will be held this summer from June 11 through June 29. The Junior Police Academy will be using an age-appropriate format this year, which will allow three separate sessions.

Sessions will be based on the grade that is obtained for the 2017 through 2018 school year, a press release said.

  • 7th grade through graduating seniors: This session will be a Junior Police Forensic Academy, an intensive week of forensic training in crime scene investigation, and the science involved. It is targeted toward those who may be interested in a career in forensic science. The training environment will be classroom and lab setting.
  • 8th grade through graduating seniors: This session will target students who may be interested in a law enforcement career. Training will focus on basic policing and law enforcement techniques.
  • 5th grade through 7th grade: This session will be a junior police camp with a police theme and will focus on group activities and team building exercises.

Are you right for the Junior Police Academy? Answer these questions: Have you thought about what you are going to do after school? Have you ever wondered exactly what a police officer does? Are you interested in a career in law or paralegal? Would you be interested in learning more about law enforcement? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you are a great candidate for the Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy. [Read more…]

Child reported missing Monday evening was located Monday night

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The 12-year-old boy reported missing from Georgia Avenue on Monday evening was located Monday night, authorities said.

The boy was reported missing sometime around 7 p.m., according to Nixle alerts sent out by the City of Oak Ridge.

On Tuesday morning, the city said the boy was located shortly after 10 p.m. Monday and reunited with his parents. [Read more…]