Oak Ridge Today

Since Saturday, three crashes in Oliver Springs area required Lifestar response

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Oliver Springs Crash Tri County Boulevard

An Oneida woman driving the car above was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after a collision with a truck on Tri County Boulevard in Oliver Springs on Monday afternoon. (Photo by Oliver Springs Police Department/Kenneth Morgan)

For the third time since about noon Saturday, a Lifestar medical helicopter on Monday afternoon picked up a patient injured in a car crash in Oliver Springs.

The 1 p.m. Monday crash involved an Old Dominion truck driven by Steven Mayfield and a car driven by Lyndsay Phillips of Oneida. The truck was turning from eastbound Tri County Boulevard onto Knoxville Highway, or State Highway 62, headed toward Morgan County, Oliver Springs Police Chief Kenneth Morgan said. He said the car was traveling west toward Harriman on the Boulevard.

Phillips was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by Lifestar, Morgan said. [Read more…]

Harriman man dies in head-on crash in Oliver Springs on Saturday

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Oliver Springs Fatal Crash

A Harriman man died in a head-on two-car crash on State Highway 61 in Oliver Springs on Saturday night. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A Harriman man died in a head-on two-car crash on State Highway 61 on Saturday night, authorities said.

John E. Manis Jr., 57, was driving a 2000 Subaru Outback station wagon westbound on Highway 61 near Cemetery Road in Roane County, just outside Oliver Springs, when an eastbound Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck driven by a teenager crossed the center line and hit his vehicle head-on, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a preliminary crash report. The collision resulted in fatal injuries to Manis.

The crash occurred at about 9:57 p.m. Saturday. The 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck was injured, but she was not identified because she is a juvenile. Charges are pending, according to the THP report. The accident was investigated by Trooper Matthew Armes.

The THP said the teenager was not wearing a seat belt, and that would have made a difference. Manis was wearing a seat belt, the report said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Photos: Windrock Coal Miners Memorial

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Windrock Coal Miners Memorial Wall

The Windrock Coal Miners Memorial Wall wall is 31 feet long and includes the names of more than 1,000 miners.

 

WINDROCK MOUNTAIN—Here are pictures from the dedication ceremony for the Windrock Coal Miners Memorial on Saturday and the groundbreaking ceremony in November.

Windrock Coal Miners Memorial Unveiling

Family members press forward to find, touch, and take pictures of the names of their loved ones on the Windrock Coal Miners Memorial after it was unveiled Saturday.

[Read more…]

Windrock Memorial: ‘Proud to be a coal miner’s daughter’

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Windrock Coal Miners Memorial Unveiling

Family members press forward to find, touch, and take pictures of the names of their loved ones on the Windrock Coal Miners Memorial after it was unveiled Saturday.

 

WINDROCK MOUNTAIN—Today, it’s home to giant wind turbines that tower high above the Tennessee Valley and off-road vehicles that race up and down its gravel roads and steep slopes.

But 50 years ago or more, this mountain a few miles north of Oliver Springs was home to as many as 700 coal miners and their families. The mines have been closed for decades, but the memories have lived on, mostly in fond recollections and old black-and-white photos.

Windrock Miner's Memorial Groundbreaking

Pictured above are Carl Lively, right, who started working in a mine in Windrock Mountain north of Oliver Springs in 1939, when he was 16, and Manuel Tinker, who was born on top of the mountain and later worked in the mines.

Now volunteers are taking action to help preserve the history of the miners and their families. As part of that effort, they unveiled a Windrock Coal Miners Memorial wall on Saturday. It includes the names of more than 1,000 miners who once worked on the mountain.

The red brick-and-granite wall has been under construction for about six months, and several hundred people turned out for Saturday’s dedication ceremony at Lower Windrock at the end of Windrock Road, about three miles from downtown Oliver Springs. Some wept softly as they gently caressed the names of their loved ones on the memorial wall. Others proudly posed for pictures. It was an important day for many.

“It’s one of the greatest things that’s every happened to me, to see this,” said Carl Lively, 91, who started working in the mines on Windrock Mountain in 1939 at the age of 16. “We’re happy as we can be today.” [Read more…]

Volunteers dedicate memorial to Windrock coal miners today

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Windrock Miner's Memorial Groundbreaking

Pictured above are Carl Lively, right, who started working in a mine on Windrock Mountain north of Oliver Springs in 1939, when he was 16, and Manuel Tinker, who was born on top of the mountain and later worked in the mines.

 

WINDROCK MOUNTAIN—Volunteers who have worked for months to build a wall honoring more than 1,000 miners who once worked on Windrock Mountain north of Oliver Springs will have a dedication ceremony this afternoon.

The dedication and reception for the Coal Miners Memorial is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. today (Saturday) at Lower Windrock in front of Union Valley Baptist Church.

Descendants of Windrock coal miners, retired miners, and many others have worked together raising money to build the red brick and granite wall. The names of more than 1,000 Windrock coal miners have been engraved into the granite. [Read more…]

Clinton man charged after teen pierces tongue

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Clinton man was arrested Wednesday morning on charges of aggravated child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection to an incident that allegedly happened last fall.

Jeremy Vandinter, 36, is accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl’s father and signing a parental consent form that allowed the girl to get her tongue pierced at an Oliver Springs tattoo parlor, against her actual father’s wishes. The teen had apparently babysat for Vandinter in the past and approached him to sign the form so she could have the procedure done at Uptown Ink in Oliver Springs.

The incident allegedly occurred on Sept. 28 of last year but the girl’s father did not discover the tongue-piercing until late last month, when he called police. Vandinter will appear in court in Roane County on June 6.

Most Anderson commissioners seek re-election, six running in District 7 in OR

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

There are six candidates running for Anderson County Commission in District 7 in Oak Ridge in August, and a Democrat has joined the race for Tennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, an Independent, Bradley S. Rickett, has joined the race for Anderson County mayor, competing against Democrat Jim Hackworth and the winner of the May 6 Republican primary, either the incumbent, Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates.

Fourteen of the 16 Anderson County commissioners are seeking re-election to a four-year term. But Bates, from District 4 in the Lake City area, is not. And neither is Commissioner John Shuey. Shuey is one of two commissioners in District 7, which includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

District 7 is the most competitive in terms of number of candidates. In addition to the incumbent, Jerry Creasey, other candidates include Jimmy Bouchard, Michael Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 3—which includes Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris—has five candidates, including the two incumbents, Steve Emert and Dusty Irwin. The other three candidates are Josh Anderson, David Farmer, and Philip Warfield. [Read more…]

Rescuers locate trio stranded overnight on Windrock Mountain trail

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Rescuers have located three people stranded overnight on Windrock Mountain near Oliver Springs.

The trio—ages 19, 22, and 24 years old—were stuck in vehicles on a trail and called Anderson County 911, authorities said.

“Our dispatch mapped the coordinates and forwarded the information to the rescue squad,” Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

He said all three were located. The two men were checked out by EMS at the scene, and the woman was taken to Methodist Medical Center as a precaution. [Read more…]

THP investigating hit-and-run involving car, pedestrian on Old Batley Road

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a hit and run accident that occurred Monday evening in Oliver Springs and sent a man to the hospital.

Derek Jones, 23, said he was jogging on Old Batley Road at around 6:45 p.m. Monday when a small, black car hit him from behind. Jones landed on the hood of the car and struck the windshield, but the driver fled the scene without stopping. [Read more…]

Mixed bag for District 3 in Region 2 tourneys

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Information from WYSH Radio

Regional basketball tournaments began Friday for the girls of East Tennessee high school basketball, and Saturday for the boys.

On the girls’ side, the Region 2-AAA tournament ended quickly for all four District 3 teams as Heritage eliminated Anderson County, Bearden took out Halls, Farragut routed Campbell County, and Maryville blew out Powell.

Conversely, Saturday night’s Region 2-AAA boys’ first round saw District 3 go 4-0 on the night, with Oak Ridge beating Farragut, Karns handling Hardin Valley, Halls eliminating Bearden, and Powell taking out Maryville. [Read more…]

OSPD investigating possible animal cruelty

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Information from WYSH Radio

Oliver Springs police said they found two horses—one dead, the other alive but in poor condition—last week.

Few details have been released, but investigators said they are waiting on test results to see if any charges will be filed.

In the meantime, the owner has surrendered the surviving horse to Horse Haven of Tennessee.

Jeep pulling ATV knocks down railroad signal in Oliver Springs

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Tri-County Boulevard and ATV Railroad Crossing Crash

A Jeep pulling an ATV on Tri-County Boulevard on Monday evening went off the road and knocked down a railroad signal. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Information from photographer Tom Scott

A Jeep pulling a trailer hauling an ATV eastbound on Tri-County Boulevard on Monday went off the road near Edmonds Drive and knocked down a railroad crossing signal.

The ATV flipped and landed next to the vehicle after the crash, which occurred at about 5:50 p.m. Monday.

No injuries were reported. The Oliver Springs police and fire departments responded as did the Anderson County Emergency Medical Services. [Read more…]