Oak Ridge Today

Small quantity of explosives, used for training, reported missing

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A submitted photo of the item reported missing. The cell phone in the photo is for a size reference only; there was no cell phone with the substance In the cotton bag.

A submitted photo of the item reported missing. The cell phone in the photo is for size reference only; there was no cell phone with the substance in the cotton bag.

 

K-9 Search On Site LLP has reported missing a small quantity of explosives within the City of Oak Ridge. The substance, which is used for training purposes, is believed to have been lost during transportation in the vicinity of Scarboro Road between Bethel Valley and Illinois Avenue, a press release said. The substance is contained in a small cotton bag.

The training substance was discovered missing on Friday, March 10. The Oak Ridge Police Department and other federal authorities were notified Friday evening and searches are under way, the press release said.

Members of the public are urged to contact the Oak Ridge Police Department at (865) 425-3605 or 425-4399 if a suspicious object is found in this area. Residents are warned to not handle the training substance, but to promptly report its discovery to the Oak Ridge Police Department, the press release said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Snow possible Saturday night

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Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

On Friday, crews prepared roads for possible winter weather this weekend in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee, potentially including snow on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said winter will return this weekend with snowfall expected Saturday night across most of the region. Snow accumulations of one to three inches are possible across the Tennessee Valley and Cumberland Plateau, and three to six inches are possible in the Great Smoky Mountains. [Read more…]

Warrants: Driver who crashed stolen car into river had slurred speech, trouble staying awake

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Darrell Wayne Bouck

Darrell Wayne Bouck

 

CLAXTON—The Knoxville man who crashed a car reported as stolen into Bull Run Creek on Wednesday, prompting a nighttime search of the water with the help of divers, had slurred speech and trouble staying awake, authorities said.

Darrell Wayne Bouck Jr., 38, of Byington Solway Road, has been charged with driving under the influence; theft of more than $1,000; stolen plate; no driver’s license; and a due care violation, according to traffic citations, arrest warrants, and a preliminary crash report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The license plate and the vehicle, identified as a 2003 Honda Civic in the traffic citations, had been reported stolen in Knox County, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 7:53 p.m. Wednesday on New Henderson Road in Claxton, near Bull Run Park. [Read more…]

See the 2017 Secret City Festival schedule here

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Secret City Festival Flyer 2017

See the Secret City Festival schedule of events above. The events start Friday, June 2, and end June 17.

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available. For more information, contact sponsor@celebrateoakridge.org.

Oak Ridge to play Brentwood in boys’ state quarterfinal on Wednesday

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2017 Class AAA State Boys' Basketball Tournament Bracket

Oak Ridge (30-2) will play Brentwood (26-8) in a quarterfinal game in the Class AAA boys’ state basketball tournament on Wednesday.

The Oak Ridge-Brentwood game starts at 2:45 p.m. Central time (3:45 Eastern) on Wednesday, March 15, in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Here are the other three quarterfinal games on Wednesday: [Read more…]

Boys soccer: Regular season starts Tuesday

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The 2017 Oak Ridge High School boys' soccer team is pictured above.

The 2017 Oak Ridge High School boys’ soccer team is pictured above.

 

The regular season starts Tuesday for the Oak Ridge boys’ soccer team. The boys will play at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at Clinton.

The Wildcats have had five scrimmages. The last one was against South Doyle at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday. Other scrimmages in February and March included games against Catholic, Morristown West, West and CAK at the Jamboree in Knoxville, and Alcoa.

Tuesday’s game is the first District 3-AAA game of the season.

The Wildcats have their first home game on April 4 against Gibbs.

Here is the regular season schedule. Games in bold are district games. [Read more…]

Marshall named Norris city manager

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Matthew Marshall

Matthew Marshall

Matthew Marshall, the purchasing and risk management director in Athens, has been named city manager of Norris, according to the Norris Bulletin.

The Norris City Council made the selection during a special meeting last week, the Norris Bulletin said. Marshall was one of five candidates interviewed during a two-day process.

Marshall has been director of purchasing and risk management for Athens since July 2011, or almost six years. He graduated from Farragut High School in 2002, and he has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Tennessee (2011), according to his LinkedIn profile. [Read more…]

Knoxville man facing charges after crashing car into Bull Run Creek

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Rescuers respond to a single-vehicle crash off New Henderson Road and into deep water near Bull Run Park on Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Rescuers respond to a single-vehicle crash off New Henderson Road and into deep water near Bull Run Park on Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—The 38-year-old Knoxville man who crashed a car into Bull Run Creek on Wednesday night is facing charges that include driving under the influence, theft of more than $1,000, stolen license and due care violations, and a charge of no driver’s license, authorities said.

Darrell W. Bouck Jr. had minor injuries, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a preliminary crash report. It’s not known if he was using a seat belt.

The car he was driving was a 2001 Infiniti I30. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said the vehicle had been reported stolen to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

The THP report said Bouck was driving north on New Henderson Road in Claxton and “failed to maintain the lane of travel.” He and the Infiniti went off the two-lane roadway, which runs parallel to a wide river-like section of Bull Run Creek, and struck two wooden barrier posts. There are barrier posts on the shoulder of the road, which is up an embankment from the creek.

The car then rolled over and entered the water, the THP said. The crash was reported at about 7:53 p.m., according to the THP report. [Read more…]

Driver injured after car, reported as stolen, crashes into water near Bull Run Park

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The Anderson County Rescue Squad searches for a vehicle that was reported to go into the water off New Henderson Road near Bull Run Park just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, 2017.

The Anderson County Rescue Squad searches for a vehicle that went off New Henderson Road and into Bull Run Creek near Bull Run Park in Claxton on Wednesday evening, March 8, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. March 9.

CLAXTON—The driver of a car that had been reported stolen was injured when the vehicle plunged off New Henderson Road and into deep water near Bull Run Park in Claxton on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

When deputies arrived, the driver was found lying on the embankment near the water, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

Rescuers received a report that two men working at a nearby home heard the crash and pulled the driver of the car from the water to safety, Lucas said.

Divers from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Anderson County Rescue Squad, and Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad checked the car and surrounding area in the water, but no other occupants were found, according to Lucas and Claxton Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Dusty Sharpe and Lieutenant Mike Dabney.

Authorities said the driver was not initially alert. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Dabney said. The driver’s name, age, and condition weren’t available Wednesday night. [Read more…]

Turnovers, 31 points of Stewart hurt Oak Ridge in state quarterfinal loss

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oak-ridge-huddle-coach-green-bradley-central-dec-31-2016-web

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats huddle with Coach Paige Redman during a December 31, 2016, game against Bradley Central in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic in Greeneville. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:30 p.m.

Turnovers and the 31 points of Memphis Central junior Johne’ Stewart hurt Oak Ridge in a 74-63 quarterfinal loss in the Class AAA girls’ basketball tournament in Murfreesboro on Wednesday.

The season is over for the Lady Wildcats (30-4), who were the state Class AAA runner-up last year.

The Lady Warriors (29-7) move on to a state semifinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University on Friday.

Oak Ridge had 21 turnovers in the quarterfinal, the first of the Class AAA BlueCross Basketball Championships on Wednesday. Memphis Central, a quick team that applied a lot of defensive pressure, scored 23 points off of Oak Ridge turnovers. [Read more…]

Council to consider selecting Scarboro Park for new preschool

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The new preschool could be located at Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge or Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge, pictured above on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, and the city's school board expects to recommend one of the two sites on Monday, Feb. 27, a school official said Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The new preschool could be located at  Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge, pictured above on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider selecting the Scarboro Park as the site for a new preschool on Monday.

The Scarboro Park site, off Carver Avenue in central Oak Ridge, has already been unanimously selected by the Oak Ridge Board of Education. The board endorsed that site during a February 27 meeting.

The other option had been Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge.

Elm Grove Park had been identified as the preferred site after a preschool report was published in October 2015. But there has been opposition, including a petition drive, to building the new preschool there.

Meanwhile, the Scarboro community has welcomed the idea of building the new preschool at Scarboro Park, officials said. [Read more…]

Council to consider supporting OS request to have state widen SR 61

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The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider supporting an Oliver Springs request to ask the state to widen nine miles of State Route 61 between Oliver Springs and Harriman, where 114 crashes—some of them fatal—were reported between February 2013 and December 2016.

In a January 24 email, Oliver Springs Mayor Cecil E. Crowe told several city and county mayors that Oliver Springs has asked that State Route 61, which is two lanes, be widened to four.

“This highway project has been discussed for a number of years, but it has lacked the support necessary to get it approved,” Crowe told Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, and Roane County Executive Ron Woody. “We need your support to increase the priority of this highway project to reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities.”

The improvement could boost both the economies in Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs, as well as in Harriman and Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties, according to Crowe and the Oliver Springs resolution. [Read more…]