A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

COVID-19 cases surged up this week in Anderson County and four adjacent counties—Campbell, Knox, Loudon, and Roane—to the highest levels since near the peak of the delta surge in mid-September. The positivity rate was very high, more than 20%, in all five counties.

On Wednesday, Anderson County reported 80 or more cases for the second day in a row, the highest since September 16. The 80 new cases reported Wednesday followed the reporting of 87 new cases on Tuesday, according to Tennessee Department of Health data.


A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

 

COVID-19 cases surged up this week in Anderson County and four adjacent counties—Campbell, Knox, Loudon, and Roane—to the highest levels since near the peak of the delta surge in mid-September.

On Wednesday, Anderson County reported 80 or more cases for the second day in a row, the highest since September 16. The 80 new cases reported Wednesday followed the reporting of 87 new cases on Tuesday, according to Tennessee Department of Health data.

It’s not clear if the spike in cases in the five counties, including Anderson, was related to the new omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. The Tennessee Department of Health was not available for comment Friday while state offices were closed. However, the omicron variant has caused a quick, steep rise in cases in other countries and in other parts of the United States.

If the surge continues, it would be the fourth in Anderson County since the pandemic began March 20, 2020. The last surge, the delta surge, was the third of the pandemic in the county, and it peaked at 152 new cases on September 10.

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Roane reports 67 new cases of COVID in one day, positivity rate near 20 percent

A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Roane County on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

Roane County reported a record-high new 67 COVID-19 cases on Monday, and the test positivity rate in the county is very high, close to 20 percent, according to data published by the Tennessee Department of Health.

In a Facebook update, Roane County Executive Ron Woody reported an even higher number of new cases on Monday, 72. Woody said about half of those cases might be linked to one group of people.

The previous record of new daily cases in Roane County was 41 on Wednesday, October 28. (The high in Anderson County, also reported last week, is 46.)

The 14-day case average through Thursday was 26.2 new cases per day. That’s up from 15.3 in the previous two-week period in Roane County and higher than the current two-week average of 24.9 new cases per day in Anderson County.

On Thursday, the state health department said the seven-day average of the positivity rate in Roane County was 19.4 percent. That’s very high. The World Health Organization has recommended that the positivity rate be at 5 percent or lower for 14 days before activities re-open. The daily positivity rate measures the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests out of the new daily tests.

[Read more…]

Graves Gap fire burned more than 300 acres

The mountaintop fire at Graves Gap along Highway 116 in north Anderson County burned more than 300 acres this week, a state official said Thursday afternoon, Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The mountaintop fire at Graves Gap along Highway 116 in north Anderson County burned more than 300 acres this week, a state official said Thursday afternoon, Nov. 30, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

GRAVES GAP—The mountaintop fire at Graves Gap in north Anderson County burned more than 300 acres this week, a state official said Thursday afternoon.

The fire off New River Highway (Highway 116) burned about 377 acres, said Nathan Waters, assistant district forester in the Tennessee Division of Forestry Administration’s East Tennessee District.

It was officially called the Switchback Fire. Graves Gap is near the top of a mountain reached by a series of switchbacks on New River Highway. It is between Frost Bottom Road and Briceville Highway, which connect Oliver Springs and Briceville, and New River and Rosedale.

The cause of the Graves Gap fire is under investigation, Waters said. He wasn’t aware of any structures that were endangered, although there are homes and churches near the mountaintop. [Read more…]

USW, UCOR offer hazardous waste response training to local high school students

Students from three Morgan County high schools receive certificates after completing 40-hour HAZWOPER training. Also pictured are Joseph Miller, Director of the Morgan County Career and Technical Center, and Sarah Seavers, counselor. (Photo by UCOR)

Students from three Morgan County high schools receive certificates after completing 40-hour HAZWOPER training. Also pictured are Joseph Miller, Director of the Morgan County Career and Technical Center, and Sarah Seavers, counselor. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Students from three Morgan County high schools are now trained in hazardous waste emergency response thanks to a 40-hour class offered by the United Steel Workers in partnership with URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, a press release said.

Participants in the class, commonly called HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response), were from Coalfield High School, Sunbright School, and Wartburg Central High School. Twenty students attended the training, which was held at the Morgan County Career and Technical Center in Wartburg from March 27 to April 3.

“We were very excited to participate with USW and UCOR to offer this hazardous waste training class,” said  Joseph Miller, director of the center. “As a result of this training, our students have earned a credential that will allow them to more easily transition from school to the work force.” [Read more…]

Author to discuss the Civil War, how it affected Morgan County

Aaron Astor

Aaron Astor

 

Author Aaron Astor of Maryville College will discuss the Civil War and how it affected Morgan County in Wartburg on April 15.

The program, which includes a discussion and book signing, is hosted by Obed Wild and Scenic River. It’s scheduled from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, April 15.

Astor is the author of the book “The Civil War along Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau,” and he will be on hand to sign copies of his book following the program, a press release said. [Read more…]

Petros fire updates: Few embers, smoke on Friday

jason-oshell-crew-at-mountain-fire-morgan-county-1-nov-2016

Jason O’Shell, right, leads a crew on a mountaintop in Morgan County, near Petros, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016. (Photo by Tennessee Department of Agriculture)

 

PETROS—A few embers and smoke remained on a mountaintop just north of Oliver Springs in Morgan County on Friday as a Tennessee Division of Forestry crew headed out for another fire reported in nearby Roane County, state officials said.

The firefighters, led by crew boss Jason O’Shell, worked the day building fire lines and backfiring to keep the Morgan County fire from spreading in an area frequented by four-wheelers, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture said. The crew was helped by a federal fire crew from western states.

Crews have been battling two blazes this week north of Oliver Springs, near Petros. The two fires have been about 12-16 miles northwest of Oak Ridge.

One fire, the Bald Knob Road fire, has been roughly east and northeast of Petros near the Anderson County-Morgan County line, in mountains east of Highway 62 and south of Highway 116. Crews first responded to that fire on Sunday. Since then, it has grown to 1,173 acres. It’s an arson, and it’s 100 percent contained, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry said Friday afternoon. [Read more…]

Arson suspected in Little Brushy fire near Petros

highway-62-fire-4-nov-23-2016-web

Arson is suspected in the Little Brushy forest fire that has burned 100 acres along Highway 62 a few miles south of Petros, authorities said Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. The fire is above Petros-Joyner School and homes and businesses along Highway 62, near the intersection with Highway 116. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Arson is suspected in a forest fire that has burned 100 acres along Highway 62 south of Petros, authorities said Thursday.

The Little Brushy fire is in mountains above Petros-Joyner School near the intersection of Highway 62 and Highway 116 in Morgan County. It was 10 percent contained early Thursday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Residents said they first noticed the fire, which is above homes and businesses along Highway 62, at about 11 a.m. Wednesday. The fire burned vigorously at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, and it blew heavy smoke across Highway 62, reducing visibility on a section of road between Petros and Oliver Springs.

It’s the second fire this week near Petros. The other fire, which firefighters started battling on Sunday, is called the Bald Knob Road fire. That fire is roughly on the other side of Petros and about five miles north of Little Brushy. It appeared to have started in mountains east and northeast of Petros near the Anderson County-Morgan County line in an area that residents call the Gillontine Trail.

The Bald Knob Road fire held at 790 acres, and it was 100 percent contained on Thursday, according to a fire update from the Tennessee Division of Forestry early Thursday afternoon. Arson is also suspected in that fire. [Read more…]

Two forest fires burn near Petros

highway-62-fire-4-nov-23-2016-web

The Little Brushy fire burns on a ridge above Highway 62 near Petros-Joyner School and the intersection with Highway 116 on Wednesday evening, Nov. 23, 2016. The fire is a few miles south of Petros. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 24.

PETROS—One forest fire that has burned close to 800 acres since Sunday had scorched down to the north side of Petros by Wednesday evening, and a second nearby mountain fire that residents said started Wednesday morning billowed smoke across a section of Highway 62 south of Petros, near Petros-Joyner School in Morgan County.

The first fire, the one that firefighters have been battling since Sunday, is the Bald Knob Road fire. It’s named for a road that runs east out of Petros. It had charred 790 acres as of noon Wednesday, according to the Tennessee Division of Forestry. The fire is a suspected arson, and it was 60 percent contained on Wednesday afternoon. On Wednesday evening, firefighters appeared to have set back fires, which they use to contain blazes, near several homes in Petros, including off Armes Road in north Petros.

That fire had grown from what was reported to be a few hundred acres on Monday, when it emitted a smoke plume that could be seen for miles, including in Oak Ridge, to about 450 acres on Tuesday. It had almost doubled in size by Wednesday. [Read more…]

Updated: Arson suspected in mountain fire emitting miles-long smoke plume

beech-grove-fire-from-rosedale-nov-21-2016-web

Arson is suspected in a fire that has burned about 450 acres in mountain forests about five miles northeast of Petros, authorities said. Smoke from the fire is pictured above from Highway 116 in north Anderson County on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. The smoke plume could be seen for miles. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

beech-grove-fire-from-rosedale-nov-21-2016-web

Arson is suspected in a fire that has burned about 450 acres in mountain forests about five miles northeast of Petros, authorities said. Smoke from the fire is pictured above from Highway 116 in north Anderson County on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016. The smoke plume could be seen for miles. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

PETROS—Arson is suspected in a fire that started this weekend and has burned about 452 acres in mountain forests a few miles east and northeast of Petros, authorities said Monday.

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Man injured, facing charges after pursuit ends with crash into power pole

Truck-Crash-Oliver-Springs-March-13-2016

A 32-year-old man was injured and is facing a half-dozen charges after he allegedly went off State Route 62 in a pickup truck while fleeing from Morgan County officials early Sunday, struck a utility pole and broke it in half, and then traveled down an embankment and rolled over in a ditch, authorities said. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:50 p.m.

OLIVER SPRINGS—A 32-year-old man was injured and is facing a half-dozen charges after he allegedly went off State Route 62 in a pickup truck while fleeing from Morgan County officials early Sunday, struck a utility pole and broke it in half, and then traveled down an embankment, where the vehicle he was driving rolled over onto its top in a ditch, authorities said.

Travis Lyles, 32, of Oliver Springs, was driving east on SR 62 in a 2004 Ford F-250 when his pickup truck went off the westbound side of the road at about 12:35 a.m. Sunday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. The crash occurred while Lyles was evading arrest and being pursued by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, which was trying to stop him for speeding and swerving on the roadway, the THP said.

The crash occurred in the Morgan County portion of Oliver Springs on Winter Gap Road near Lookout Avenue. [Read more…]

No one injured when car goes off SR 62, van rolls into creek

SR-62-Van-Crash-Creek-Jan-14-2016

No one was injured when this 1997 Dodge van went down a steep embankment and rolled into a creek alongside State Route 62 on the north side of Oliver Springs in Morgan County on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. Above, workers prepare to pull the van out of the creek. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—No one was injured when a car went down a steep embankment and a van rolled into a creek alongside State Route 62 on the north side of Oliver Springs on Thursday, authorities said.

The two-vehicle collision was reported Thursday afternoon just inside Morgan County, headed toward Wartburg.

Neither driver had to be taken to the hospital, Oliver Springs Police Chief Kenneth Morgan said. The drivers were identified as Larry Oliver and William Byrge. One was driving a 1997 Dodge van, and the other was driving a 1999 Toyota car.

Morgan said the vehicles appeared to be going in opposite directions when one crossed the center line. [Read more…]

Updated: Two teens injured in ATV crash in Morgan County

UT-Lifestar-Oliver-Springs-Nov-27-2015

Two teenagers were injured in an ATV crash in Coalfield in Morgan County at about 3:16 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, and one was flown to a hospital by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter that landed in Oliver Springs, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Nov. 28.

OLIVER SPRINGS—Two teenagers were injured in a two-vehicle ATV crash in Coalfield in Morgan County on Friday afternoon, and one of them was flown to a hospital by a medical helicopter that landed in Oliver Springs, authorities said.

The teenager flown to the hospital is a 14-year-old who had been driving a 2007 Suzuki Eiger 400 on Back Petros Road at about 3:16 p.m. Friday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. It was headed in the same direction as a second all-terrain vehicle, a Honda Recon driven by another 14-year-old.

But the right front tire of the Suzuki ran into the left rear tire of the Honda as the two vehicles were going around a curve, a THP preliminary report said.

The 14-year-old driving the Suzuki then lost control of the ATV, and it overturned, the THP said. The driver was wearing a helmet, but had multiple injuries, the THP said. A 15-year-old passenger in the Suzuki was not wearing a helmet and was injured, the report said. [Read more…]