Oak Ridge Today

Last Applewood Apartments tenant moves out Friday

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The last tenant of the Applewood Apartments on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle moved out Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:55 a.m. Oct. 12.

The last tenant of the Applewood Apartments was moving out Friday when Oak Ridge Today stopped by for an update.

Tenants had been told in early August that the apartments would close September 30.

On Monday, property owner Joe Levitt said he decided in the last 90-120 days to shut down the 13 apartment buildings on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle and board them up. He said it was his understanding that the last tenant was moving out this past Friday.

Levitt said he is 85 and has had health problems, and he’s trying to clean up his estate. Most of his estate will probably go to the University of Tennessee and nonprofit organizations, Levitt said.

“I’ve outlived all the people I need to take care of,” he said. [Read more…]

Two women escape fire that destroys log home in Clinton

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Two women escaped a fire that destroyed a home on Riverview Drive in south Clinton on Friday morning, Oct. 7, 2016, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—Two women escaped a fire that destroyed a log home in Clinton on Friday morning, authorities said.

The fire at the two-story log home was reported at about 9:50 a.m. Friday on Riverview Drive in south Clinton.

One adult female inside at the time of the fire jumped from the second floor to escape, said Jeff Little, assistant chief of the Clinton Fire Department. She had what appeared to be minor injuries on Friday morning, Little said.

The woman’s mother also escaped from the fire. [Read more…]

Report: Medical isotope company plans to build manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge

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A building at the entrance of Heritage Center is pictured above. (Photo by CROET)

Note: This story was updated at 8:45 a.m. Oct. 10.

A Florida newspaper reported on Wednesday that a medical isotope company will build a manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, rather than relocating to a city in north Florida.

Coquí RadioPharmaceutical had planned to build a $250 million manufacturing facility in Alachua, which is near Gainesville, with 164 jobs paying an average of $75,000, the Gainesville Sun reported.

But the company announced Wednesday that it will instead build its facility in Oak Ridge, lured by a gift of 170 acres from the U.S. Department of Energy and the opportunity to work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a DOE lab, the newspaper said.

On Saturday, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said he is aware of the company, and it is working with the state of Tennessee. [Read more…]

Cross country: Oak Ridge boys, girls finish first in Cherokee Invitational

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ cross country team finished first in the Cherokee Invitational in Knoxville on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. (Photo by Nichole Zawisza)

 

The Oak Ridge boys’ and girls’ cross country teams finished first in the Cherokee Invitational in Knoxville on Saturday. Senior Jake Etheridge was the top overall runner in the boys’ 5k, or 5,000-meter race. Junior Genevieve Schwartz finished second overall in the girls’ race, and senior Abbey Greenhalgh was third.

The Oak Ridge boys had seven of the top 14 runners, and the girls had six of the top 13.

The first-place finish for the boys on Saturday came one week after they finished first in the Wendy’s Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Etheridge was also the top overall runner.

Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge said Saturday’s race on Cherokee Boulevard in Knoxville is a hard race that was run during Fall Break, when the team is out of the normal school rhythm. The team has to run to “get its work in,” but is never “super satisfied,” Etheridge said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge plays in District 3-AAA girls’ soccer semifinal game on Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team will play in a District 3-AAA semifinal tournament game at home on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge (10-6-1, 3-1), the number two seed, will play Central (16-0-1, 6-0), the number three seed, at Oak Ridge High School at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Central (16-0-1, 6-0) beat Gibbs 1-0 on Saturday to advance to the seminal game against Oak Ridge. Gibbs was the number six seed.

Oak Ridge and Central did not play during the regular season. [Read more…]

Temporary greenway closure due to work on eighth rowing lane

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A section of Melton Lake Greenway will be temporarily closed during construction of the eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course.

The project will require approximately 500 feet of greenway to be removed and replaced at the end of construction, a press release said. The affected area is located along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway.

Due to the restricted project work zone, a temporary bypass is not expected to be feasible, the press release said. The specific start date for the closure has yet to be determined, but signs will give notice to those in the area once the closure begins. Trail users are asked to be cautious and observe all trail closure barricades and signage. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s Chamber Series kicks off Saturday

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Fandango! (Photo courtesy ORCMA)

Fandango! (Photo courtesy ORCMA)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association opens its 2016-17 Chamber Series with Fandango! on Saturday. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 8, at the Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge.

“The most exciting new group on Chicago’s musical scene, Fandango! is a toe-tappingly spicy mix of Latin, Spanish, Sephardic, Balkan, and classical sounds founded by four multi-award-winning, globe-trotting virtuosi who hail from Spain, the USA, former Yugoslavia, and the UK, and who have played, separately and together, on the world’s most prestigious stages,” a press release said.

Made of two husband-and-wife virtuoso duos, Fandango! features flautist Eugenia Moliner, guitarist Denis Azabagic, violinist Desiree Ruhstrat, and cellist David Cunliffe. The quartet will perform an eclectic mix of genres, including familiar favorites by Vivaldi and Boccherini, and music by American composer Alan Thomas, Macedonian composer Miroslav Tadic, and more, the press release said.

“Audiences are sure to enjoy this festive concert,” the release said. [Read more…]

Volleyball: Region 2 tournament is Tuesday at Farragut

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats swept the Anderson County Lady Mavericks in three close sets to win the District 3-AAA volleyball championship at Karns on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Region 2-AAA volleyball tournament is Tuesday evening at Farragut.

The first matches, both semifinal games, start at 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 11. Court 1 will feature Farragut, the District 4-AAA champion, and Anderson County, the District 3-AAA runner-up. Court 2 will feature Oak Ridge, the District 3-AAA champion, and Hardin Valley Academy, the District 4-AAA runner-up. [Read more…]

Photo: Concrete Batch Plant for UPF at Y-12

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Construction is almost complete on a batch plant that will provide concrete for the Uranium Processing Facility, or UPF, at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The components for the batch plant arrived at Y-12 in 41 trucks and the plant was assembled onsite. The batch plant will provide concrete for the construction of UPF, a first-of-its-kind facility for enriched uranium operations in support of Y-12 missions. (Photo by Y-12 National Security Complex)

 

Construction is almost complete on a batch plant that will provide concrete for the Uranium Processing Facility, or UPF, at Y-12 National Security Complex.

The components for the concrete batch plant arrived at the Y-12 National Security Complex in 41 trucks, and the plant was assembled onsite. The batch plant will provide concrete for the construction of UPF, a first-of-its-kind facility for enriched uranium operations in support of Y-12 National Security Complex missions. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats sweep Anderson County to win District 3 volleyball championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats swept the Anderson County Lady Mavericks in three close sets to win the District 3-AAA volleyball championship at Karns on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:50 p.m. Oct. 6

KARNS—Oak Ridge swept Anderson County in three close sets to win the District 3-AAA volleyball championship at Karns on Wednesday.

All three sets were decided by four points or less: 25-21, 28-26, and 25-22.

“It’s really exciting to beat our biggest rival of the entire season,” said senior Alex Sherles, who played outside hitter and was named most valuable player of the tournament and will go to East Tennessee State University next fall. “This is what we worked for the entire season.

“Everything just came together,” Sherles said, citing blocking, setting, coverage, and attacking.

Oak Ridge, the top seed in the district tournament this year, lost to Anderson County in the District 3-AAA championship last year, but has won the district tournament three of the last four years, Sherles said.

Oak Ridge Coach David Kolodney said Sherles had big, timely kills on offense on Wednesday. [Read more…]

Dump truck driver cited for trailer brake, safety chain violations after crash with car

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Rescuers said it was a miracle that a woman survived when a trailer carrying a small skid steer loader crashed into her Toyota Camry on Emory Valley Road on Friday evening, Sept. 2, 2016. The black dump truck reported to be pulling the trailer before the crash is partially visible in the background behind the tow truck above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Knoxville man who was allegedly driving a dump truck pulling a trailer that came loose and struck a car head-on on Emory Valley Road in September, trapping and injuring a driver, has been cited for violations of state laws governing trailer brakes and adequate safety chains, according to court records.

Gerald D. Cureton, 71, had an initial appearance scheduled on Wednesday morning in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. The court date was reset to November 9 to see if Cureton hires an attorney.

A violation of the brake requirement is a Class C misdemeanor, according to a copy of that section of state law, Tennessee Code Annotated 55-9-204, posted on LexisNexis.

A violation of the safety chain requirement is punishable by a fine of $50 on a first offense and a fine of between $50 and $500 on second and subsequent offenses, according to a copy of another section of state law, TCA 55-7-114, posted on LexisNexis. [Read more…]

Second homicide charge added, preliminary hearing set in crash that killed school employee

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Vicki G. Gilmore, 62, of Oak Ridge, is facing three more felony charges, including a second vehicular homicide charge, in the death of a 37-year-old Harriman mother and Roane County Schools employee in a fatal three-vehicle crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue on May 6, 2016. A preliminary hearing for Gilmore, who is pictured above on Thursday, Sept. 29, has been set for 10 a.m. Oct. 21 in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An Oak Ridge woman is facing three more felony charges, including a second vehicular homicide charge, in the death of a 37-year-old Harriman mother and Roane County Schools employee after a three-vehicle crash at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue in May.

The new charges, filed against Vicki G. Gilmore, 62, on September 29, also include aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. The new homicide charge is vehicular homicide (recklessness).

The original charges filed against Gilmore, who is suspected of using a narcotic pain-reliever, were vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, reckless driving, failure to maintain a single lane, leaving the scene of an accident, violation of the implied consent law, and duty upon striking a fixture. The original charges were filed in May.

A preliminary hearing has been set for 10 a.m. October 21 in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. During a preliminary hearing, a judge can hear from victims, witnesses, and investigators, and determine whether charges should be bound over, or sent to a grand jury for its consideration. An indictment by a grand jury bumps a case from general sessions court to criminal court. [Read more…]