Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary: Fire prevention celebration includes parade Saturday

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Map courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Map courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

A fire prevention celebration on Saturday will include a parade as part of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary celebration.

The celebration will kick off with a “Then and Now”-themed parade that will start at Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Station Number 3 on Tuskegee Drive and end at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Lineup for participants begins at 9 a.m., with the parade getting underway at 10 a.m.

The city that is now Oak Ridge was built as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Among other things, uranium enriched at Y-12 fueled the first atomic bomb used in wartime. Code-named “Little Boy,” it was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the end of the war. [Read more…]

Council to consider design contracts for Senior Center, Preschool

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oak-ridge-city-council-december-2016

The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above in December 2016. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider design contracts for the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center at the Civic Center.

The two contracts could total about $771,000. They would be awarded to Studio Four Design Inc. of Knoxville, which has been working on the projects. They would include architectural, interior design, and consulting engineering services.

The contracts could use $1 million in bond funding being considered by the Oak Ridge City Council for the design services and other initial project costs.

Council had earlier authorized a professional services agreement to Studio Four Design to provide architectural services for various projects, including the Preschool and the Senior Center, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in an October 2 memo to City Council. [Read more…]

IDB approves tax abatement as MCLinc plans to build at Horizon Center

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Barry Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of MCLinc, discusses the analytical testing laboratory's plan to build a 29,000-square-foot building at Horizon Center during an Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board meeting on Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Barry Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of MCLinc, discusses the analytical testing laboratory’s plan to build a 29,000-square-foot building at Horizon Center during an Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board meeting on Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A city board on Monday approved a six-year, 50 percent property tax abatement for a company that plans to move from Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, to Horizon Center, a few miles northeast.

MCLinc is now in Building K-1006 at Heritage Center, which is also known as East Tennessee Technology Park. A conference center at ETTP’s main entrance is leased for special events, and MCLinc has the next building on the right. It’s been home to a laboratory since 1965. MCLinc (Materials and Chemistry Laboratory) has been there since 1998, when the company started.

But the building is owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, and it is slated for demolition, said Barry Stephenson, MCLinc president and chief executive officer. Attempts to acquire the building have not panned out, Stephenson told the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board on Monday.

Three years ago, the company, an analytical testing laboratory, received notice that they have to move, Stephenson said. He told the IDB that MCLinc has to be out of the building by September 2018. [Read more…]

Volleyball: Lady Wildcats win District 4 championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 4-AAA volleyball championship in Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 4-AAA volleyball championship in Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge won the District 4-AAA volleyball championship on Tuesday, sweeping Bearden in three straight sets. It’s the second year in a row the girls have won a district championship and the fourth district championship for Oak Ridge in five years.

The District 4-AAA tournament was played in Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats (24-9, 6-0 District 4-AAA) advanced to the championship game by beating Halls in three straight semifinal sets.

The scores of the Oak Ridge-Halls semifinal sets were 25-14, 25-17, and 25-18.

The scores of the Oak Ridge-Bearden championship sets were 25-12, 25-23, and 25-17.

Lady Wildcat senior Olivia Milloway was named most valuable player of the district tournament. Seniors Emily Lawless and Reagan Dickens were named to the All District Tournament Team. [Read more…]

16th Annual Pet Fest & Blessing is Saturday

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Sammie Harris blessing a small dog at the 2016 Pet Fest and Blessing. (Submitted photo)

Sammie Harris blessing a small dog at the 2016 Pet Fest and Blessing. (Submitted photo)

 

Grace Lutheran Church will celebrate its 16th Annual Pet Fest and Blessing on Saturday, October 7.

“This year’s event will provide a chance to spend a productive day with your pet while you gather important information about the services and associations available to pets and their owners,” a press release said.

The Blessing of the Animals is held in the pavilion behind the church at 4 p.m. The church will also hold a Bake Sale, Rummage Sale, and Silent Auction to raise funds for all the participating rescue groups. Boy Scouts and other volunteers will walk your pet while you shop.

Activities will take place from 1-5 p.m. and parking will be available for the mobility-impaired at the church or in the Woodland Elementary School parking lot behind the church.

“If you’ve been looking for a new pet, you will meet representatives from numerous pet adoption agencies, some of whom will bring animals that are available for fostering or adoption,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Updated: Homicide charge in drug-related fatality could be a first in Anderson County

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Troy Andrew Venable

Troy Andrew Venable

 

This story was last updated at 5:30 p.m.

The reckless homicide charge filed against an Oak Ridge man in a grand jury indictment after a drug-related fatality could be a first in Anderson County, a law enforcement official said.

Troy Andrew Venable, 29, was indicted in April on a reckless homicide charge in the death of Lauren Alexandra Fritts, 26.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said it is, as far as he knows, the first time in Anderson County that someone has been indicted on a homicide charge in a drug-related fatality. [Read more…]

Shooting victim in serious condition at UT Medical Center

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William Molette

William Molette

The woman who was shot on Walsh Lane on Friday night, possibly five times around her torso, is in serious condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, a spokesperson said Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting at 104 Walsh Lane was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday. It started with a grudge over a puppy, according to affidavits filed Tuesday in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

William Antwon Molette, 43, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in the case. He tried to incapacitate or kill the victim, Kathy Griffin, by pointing a small, black .380 caliber Ruger LCP at Griffin and firing numerous times, until the magazine was empty, “with the sole intent of killing the victim,” according to the court affidavits, which were filed by Oak Ridge Police Department Detective A. Marvell Moore. The facts as alleged in the affidavits were based on witness statements and officer statements and observations, Moore said.

Griffin had life-threatening injuries because of the shooting, and she had to be airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Trauma Center in Knoxville, Moore said.

“Medical personnel observed multiple (five) defects to or about the victim’s torso that were believed to have been created by high-velocity projectiles,” Moore said. [Read more…]

Football photos: Students, band, cheerleaders, color guard, fans

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The Oak Ridge High School student section is pictured above at Jack Armstrong Stadium during the football game against Karns on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

The Oak Ridge High School student section is pictured above at Jack Armstrong Stadium during the football game against Karns on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Here are photos by Luther Simmons of the Oak Ridge Wildcats student section, WildBand and Color Guard, and cheerleaders and fans at three recent football games. [Read more…]

Football photos: Oak Ridge-Karns

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Oak Ridge junior linebacker K-Juan Stacey-Wright (16) tackles Karns junior wide receiver Thomas Harper (10) during a 49-3 homecoming win for the Wildcats on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. Also pictured are sophomore linebacker Jacob Adams (44) and senior linebacker Matt Thompson (23). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge junior linebacker K-Juan Stacey-Wright (16) tackles Karns junior wide receiver Thomas Harper (10) during a 49-3 homecoming win for the Wildcats on Blankenship Field on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017. Also pictured are sophomore linebacker Jacob Adams (44) and senior linebacker Matt Thompson (23). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Nine Oak Ridge Wildcats scored in a 49-3 rout of Karns in the homecoming football game on Blankenship Field on Friday. Seven different Wildcats scored touchdowns, and two kickers added extra points. Here are photos by Luther Simmons. [Read more…]

Resident escapes when fire destroys outbuilding, damages home

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The resident escaped when an outbuilding and part of a home burned on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A resident escaped when an outbuilding and part of a home burned on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—A resident escaped when a fire destroyed a storage building and damaged a home on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton late Sunday morning.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department reported that the fire call came in to the 911 center a little before 11:30 a.m. Sunday. When deputies arrived, they found the storage building engulfed in flames, along with the portion of the home closest to the outbuilding, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Deputies reported that the homeowner, Kathrine Lively, told them she had just finished using her lawn mower and put it back in the shed when she went inside to take a shower. A few minutes later, she heard someone at her door yelling at her that she needed to come outside. [Read more…]

THP: Charges pending in fatal motorcycle-pickup crash in Claxton

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Charges are pending in a fatal collision between a motorcycle and pickup truck on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton on Tuesday, authorities said.

The crash, which killed a motorcyclist, was reported at about 7 a.m. Tuesday, September 26, at the intersection of Blockhouse Valley Road and Lost Ridge Road, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a fatality report.

The report said Joshua Williams, 29, of Clinton, was riding a 2015 Suzuki GXS motorcycle west on Blockhouse Valley Road when a 2004 Nissan Titan pickup truck driven east by Travis Darwin, 35, of Oak Ridge, turned left onto Lost Ridge Road in front of the motorcycle. The motorcycle ridden by Williams hit the front right side of the truck driven by Darwin, and Williams was thrown off the motorcycle, the THP said.

Williams was wearing a helmet, but he was killed, the report said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police warn of scam phone calls

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has warned area residents to be on the lookout for “spoofed” phone calls that appear to come from the police department, but are actually from scammers.

Local residents have notified officers that they are receiving calls that appear to originate from the police department’s non-emergency line at (865) 425-4399. These calls are not legitimate. The department will never contact you by phone in an attempt to collect money or financial information.

Residents have also advised officers that the scam calls sometimes threaten arrest, jail time, and other legal action if payment is not made, a press release said. [Read more…]