Oak Ridge Today

Undefeated in district, Lady Wildcats win regular season district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats, who are undefeated in District 3-AAA, won the regular season district championship 47-32 at Campbell County on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, and they enter next week’s district tournament as the top seed. The Lady Wildcats and Coach Paige Green are pictured above during a Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, game against Karns at Wildcat Arena. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:50 p.m. Feb. 13.

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats, who are undefeated in District 3-AAA, won the regular season district championship 47-32 at Campbell County on Friday.

Down by five points at halftime, Oak Ridge (22-3, 16-0 District 3-AAA) rallied in the second half to defeat the Lady Cougars and will enter next week’s district tournament as the top seed.

The Lady Wildcats were led by freshman point guard Jada Guinn, who scored 17 points. Junior guard Courtney Ellison had 10, sophomore post Mykia Dowdell added nine, and senior forward Caelyn Thompson scored seven.

Campbell County (23-5, 14-2) only lost two district games this year and both were to Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

No major problems reported after snow Friday; Key Springs Road temporarily closed

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The Edgemoor Road exit ramp off South Illinois Avenue is pictured above after snow fell on Friday morning, Feb. 12, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Authorities reported no major problems when snow fell in Oak Ridge and Anderson County on Friday morning, although some area school districts closed.

Key Springs Road in north Oak Ridge was temporarily closed at the request of the Oak Ridge Police Department after a tractor-trailer got stuck coming up the steep, curvy road.

It wasn’t necessarily weather-related, and it wasn’t clear how long the road would be closed, said Pat Fallon, Oak Ridge Public Works division manager.

Four trucks with snow plows were out clearing roads and spreading salt. No problems had been reported for at least an hour, Fallon said at about noon Friday. [Read more…]

Basketball schedule changes for Friday, Saturday

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There have been some basketball schedule changes for tonight (Friday, February 12) and tomorrow (Saturday, February 13).

The Jefferson County and Maryville games that had been scheduled at Wildcat Arena on Saturday have been canceled.

The Oak Ridge and Fulton games are still scheduled though. The Oak Ridge girls are now scheduled to play Fulton at 6 p.m., and the Oak Ridge-Fulton boys game is scheduled to start at 7:30.

Today’s games at Campbell County, which was closed due to weather, will start earlier than scheduled. The girls game will start at 4:30 p.m., and the boys game will begin at 6.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Higgins one of three Mr. Basketball finalists in Class AAA

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This photo is property of Allen Greene. Unauthorized use of this photo is not permitted without consent.

Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) is one of three finalists for Mr. Basketball in Class AAA in Tennessee. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:45 p.m.

Already named Mr. Football this year, Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins is now one of three finalists for Mr. Basketball in Class AAA in Tennessee.

The Mr. Basketball finalists were announced Friday.

The other two Class AAA finalists are Nathan Hoover of Arlington and Alex Lomax of Memphis East.

Higgins had earlier committed to play football at the University of Tennessee, but he recently re-opened his recruitment in football and basketball. [Read more…]

Former Anderson County commissioner, teacher indicted in alleged church theft

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James Michael Cox

James Michael Cox

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 12.

A former Anderson County commissioner, commission chair, and teacher has been indicted on one count of theft over $60,000 from a church in Rocky Top, authorities said.

James Michael “Mike” Cox surrendered at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Thursday afternoon, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said.

Cox was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury on the Class B felony on February 2.

The theft of about $100,000 is alleged to have occurred from Longfield Baptist Church in Rocky Top, the former Lake City, between June 1, 2011, and December 1, 2014, Clark said. [Read more…]

Man pleads guilty to murder-, robbery-related charges in drug deal that ended in death

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Bronx Washington

Bronx Washington

An Oak Ridge man has pleaded guilty to murder- and robbery-related charges in what police described as a marijuana deal that ended with one man dead.

Bronx Shavon Washington, who is now 22, pleaded guilty in Anderson County Criminal Court on Monday. He entered the guilty pleas on a reduced charge of facilitation to commit second-degree murder, a Class B felony, and a reduced charge of facilitation to commit aggravated robbery, a Class C felony. Washington received a total 14-year sentence on those two charges as well as a drug possession charge. He was the last of three defendants to plead guilty in the case.

Washington and two brothers, Brandon Javon Brooms, now 25, and James Stefan Brooms, now 27, had each been indicted in March 2012 on charges of first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery in the death of Antonio “Tony” Phillips, 22. [Read more…]

Demolition starts on last of big five uranium-enriching buildings at K-25

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A high-reach machine is used to start demolishing the four-story, 10-acre K-27 Building on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. K-27 is the last of the big five uranium-enriching buildings at the former K-25 site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Demolition started Monday on K-27, the last of the big five uranium-enriching buildings at the former K-25 site, and officials expect the work to be complete by the end of the year.

The five buildings—K-25, K-27, K-29, K-31, and K-33—once used a process called gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Officials credit them for helping to win World War II and end the Cold War, and for playing significant roles in technological developments and the nuclear industry.

The K-25 site, which is now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center, was built during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first nuclear weapons. The site is now slowly being converted into a large industrial park.

“The majority of the property will be reused,” said Ken Rueter, president and project manager for UCOR, or URS |CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

With four games scheduled, record-breaking crowd expected at Wildcat Arena on Saturday

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With four basketball games scheduled, including Oak Ridge vs. Fulton, officials are expecting a record-breaking crowd at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. (Photo by David Clary)

 

There are four basketball games scheduled at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, including Oak Ridge vs. Fulton. Officials are expecting a record-breaking crowd, and they are encouraging all Oak Ridge fans to arrive early.

The schools that will be playing are Fulton, Jefferson County, Maryville, and Oak Ridge.

Here are the basketball games scheduled for Saturday, February 13:

3 p.m. girls game—Maryville vs. Jefferson County

Maryville is 19-6 overall and 11-3 in District 4-AAA.

Jefferson County is 16-9 overall and 10-3 in District 2-AAA.

4:30 p.m. girls game—Oak Ridge vs. Fulton

Oak Ridge is 20-3 overall and 14-0 in District 3-AAA.

Fulton is 10-8 overall and 4-4 in District 3-AAA. [Read more…]

Wildcats finish top in district, enter playoffs as No. 1 seed

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Oak Ridge senior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) scored 10 points for the Wildcats during an 86-60 win over Karns on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats, who are undefeated in their district, won the regular-season district championship on Friday and will enter the basketball playoffs as the top seed.

The Wildcats (26-2, 14-0 District 3-AAA) will also automatically get a spot in the Region 2 tournament, Coach Aaron Green said.

Oak Ridge played Karns again on Friday. That game was not as close as the last meeting between the two teams, when the Wildcats escaped with a 72-68 win. In that January 5 game, the Beavers whittled the lead down to two points, 70-68, with 1:04 remaining, and they had a chance to tie the game or even take the lead with about 35 seconds left.

The second game, at Wildcat Arena on Friday, February 5, was competitive, but Oak Ridge maintained a healthy lead through most of it, often leading by 10 points or more. They were up by 13 points, 43-30, at halftime, and widened the lead in the fourth quarter to finish with an 86-60 win.

Oak Ridge has two district games remaining. The first had been scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, at Halls (6-19, 2-12), but it has been postponed to Wednesday. The second is at Campbell County (14-12, 5-9) on Friday. [Read more…]

TBI investigation of Oak Ridge apartment death still open, ongoing

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Thomas Stephen "T.S." Thrasher

Thomas Stephen “T.S.” Thrasher

The investigation of the death of an Oak Ridge man in an apartment in December 2014 remains open and ongoing, a state official said Monday.

Thomas Steven Thrasher Jr., 29, also known as “T.S.,” died December 8, 2014. He was found dead in a second-floor apartment when the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a report of a possible intruder at about 4:40 a.m. that Monday at 615 West Vanderbilt Drive.

Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said that month that a criminal investigation was under way, but there had not been an arrest and no charges had been filed. Clark said at the time that an autopsy had been performed by the Anderson County medical examiner.

“As a result of the circumstances, the Oak Ridge Police and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been conducting a criminal investigation,” Clark said. “There has been no arrest or charges filed at this time.” [Read more…]

Maine man pleads guilty to murder charge in OS drug deal that ended in death

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Scott Benjamin Pike (November 2014 photo by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

A 32-year-old Maine man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the death of an Oliver Springs man after a drug deal in May 2011.

Scott Benjamin Pike, of Lewiston, Maine, entered the guilty pleas in Anderson County Criminal Court on Friday, January 29.

Pike received a 20-year sentence on the second-degree murder charge, a Class A felony, and a 12-year sentence on the aggravated robbery charge, a Class B felony. There is no probation on either count, according to court records. The sentences will run concurrently. He will receive credit for time served.

Pike was indicted on a first-degree murder charge on February 7, 2012, by the Anderson County Grand Jury. Also indicted were Ronny Blake Hamrick of Oliver Springs and Tristin Jane Dayon of Lewiston, Maine. A first-degree murder charge could include a premeditated killing or an unlawful death that occurred during a robbery or attempted robbery, according to the indictments. [Read more…]

ORHS teacher suspended while police investigate info reported to schools

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An Oak Ridge High School teacher has been suspended from all teaching duties without pay while information reported to Oak Ridge Schools is investigated by the Oak Ridge Police Department, an official said Friday.

Officials have not identified the teacher.

“If the teacher is vindicated or reinstated following the investigation, the teacher shall be paid full salary for the period of the suspension,” Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a brief statement issued in response to questions from reporters. [Read more…]