Oak Ridge Today

Man wanted in Oak Ridge after shooting, crash arrested in Knox

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Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

Note: This story was last updated at 1:21 p.m.

A 28-year-old Oak Ridge man wanted after a September shooting and three-car crash was arrested in Knox County on Sunday, authorities said.

Authorities are waiting for Larry Dewayne Williams, 28, to be transported to Anderson County.

“We’re very, very pleased with that,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said of the arrest, “and we eagerly await his transfer to Anderson County to answer the charges.”

The specific charges haven’t been released yet.

In September, the Oak Ridge Police Department said it seized 49.2 grams of suspected heroin in a West Outer Drive house that is the home of Williams and Chelsea Reign Lively, 22.

The ORPD said it found the drugs, which also included about 7.72 ounces of suspected marijuana, during a search after the September 21 shooting, which was on Wakefield Road, and three-car crash about two hours later at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive.

[Read more…]

Mall demolition could start end of Nov., eight new stores could open by Christmas 2016

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Sears at Oak Ridge City Center

Demolition work at the former Oak Ridge Mall could start at the end of November at the former Sears store, and eight new stores could open at the redeveloped 60-acre site by Christmas 2016, officials said Monday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:55 p.m.

Demolition work at the former Oak Ridge Mall could start at the end of November at the former Sears store, and eight new stores could open at the redeveloped 60-acre site by Christmas 2016, officials said Monday.

RealtyLink, the new master developer announced in September, has been looking at the mostly vacant shopping center in the heart of Oak Ridge since 2009. They replace Crosland Southeast, which had been working on the $80 million redevelopment project for more than two years.

RealtyLink, which is based in Greenville, South Carolina, hopes to close on the property, which is now owned by Oak Ridge City Center LLC, at the end of November.

A demolition permit has already been issued, but it’s not in RealtyLink’s name. [Read more…]

One injured after driver allegedly runs stop sign, hits city truck, report says

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Hillside Road and Pennsylvania Avenue Crash on Oct. 16, 2015

A 22-year-old Oak Ridge man was taken by an ambulance to a Knoxville hospital after he allegedly ran a stop sign and hit a city-owned pickup truck at Hillside Road and Pennsylvania Avenue on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015, authorities said. (Photo courtesy Kevin Rice)

 

A 22-year-old Oak Ridge man was taken by ambulance to a Knoxville hospital after he allegedly ran a stop sign and hit a city-owned pickup truck on Friday, authorities said.

Nathan D. Benvenuto was driving east on Hillside Road in a 1991 GMC compact utility vehicle when he ran the stop sign at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue at about 11:26 a.m. Friday, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

Benvenuto’s vehicle collided with a 2012 Ford pickup truck owned by the City of Oak Ridge and driven by Timothy Lynn Ward, 46, also of Oak Ridge. Ward was driving southbound on Pennsylvania Avenue at the time of the crash.

“(Benvenuto’s vehicle) did not stop for the stop sign on Hillside Road at Pennsylvania Avenue and entered the intersection in front of (the pickup truck driven by Ward), which did not have time to stop and collided with (Benvenuto’s vehicle),” said the crash report, written by ORPD Officer Daniel Freytag. [Read more…]

Firefighters, ambulance crew respond to roadside baby delivery

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Oak Ridge Fire Engine

Oak Ridge firefighters and an Anderson County ambulance crew responded to a report of a baby delivery at a car rental store on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Sunday night.

The call from Enterprise Rent a Car at 608 Oak Ridge Turnpike came in at 7:58 p.m. Sunday.

The baby was delivered in the short time before the Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived. Emergency workers cut the baby’s cord, and the newborn and mother were taken to the hospital on an Anderson County Emergency Medical Services ambulance, along with two firefighters.

The baby began to cry after firefighters treated it at the scene, and that’s a good sign, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. [Read more…]

Council to consider amending mall plan, inviting DOE to discuss travel practices

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Oak Ridge Mall

The Oak Ridge City Center, which could be redeveloped as a multi-use town center known as Main Street, is pictured above. Also known as the former Oak Ridge Mall, the L-shaped building is at center. The white building at center left is Walmart, and it is not part of the proposed redevelopment. Neither is the white building at center top, the Tinseltown Theater. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:35 p.m.

During a special meeting Tuesday, the Oak Ridge City Council will consider amending the economic impact plan for the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall. The change is being considered primarily because the master developer has changed.

The amendment to the economic impact plan, which also includes a date change, will be considered a day earlier, on Monday, October 19, by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and Anderson County Commission.

The Industrial Development Board has a public hearing and special meeting on the $13 million tax increment financing, or TIF, for the redevelopment and an amendment to the economic impact plan at 3:45 p.m. Monday, October 19, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Training Room. The County Commission is expected to consider the amendment in a meeting that starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. [Read more…]

City Council to discuss housing, infrastructure at Oct. 24 retreat

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Oak Ridge City Council on July 27, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council will discuss housing and capital infrastructure planning during a retreat on Saturday, October 24. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council will discuss housing and capital infrastructure planning during a retreat on Saturday, October 24.

The retreat is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 24 at the MCLinc Conference Facility at Heritage Center, 200 Heritage Boulevard. That’s 2010 Highway 58, Building K-1000.

Christina Kloker Younger of C.K. Young Creative Planning Systems will help lead the meeting, a notice said.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Powell girls win first district title in 5-4 win over Oak Ridge

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Powell District Soccer Champs Oct. 15, 2015

The Powell Lady Panthers won what is believed to be their first-ever district soccer title in a 5-4 win during a penalty kick shootout against Oak Ridge on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (Photo courtesy Powell High School Girls Soccer)

 

The Powell Lady Panthers won what is believed to be their first-ever district soccer title in a 5-4 win during a penalty kick shootout against Oak Ridge on Thursday.

No one scored in 80 minutes of regulation time during the District 3-AAA championship game at Powell Middle School on Thursday, October 15. Then the score remained tied 0-0 through two 10-minute overtimes and two five-minute sudden death overtimes.

The game then went to penalty kicks, with the Lady Panthers and Lady Wildcats each getting five tries.

But the two teams were tied 4-4 at the end of the fifth attempt, Powell Coach Mark Smith said. So, the game went to a sixth try, and that’s when Powell scored one and Oak Ridge (13-4, 4-1 District 3-AAA) did not.

Sophomore Brooke Huffaker of Powell (10-4-3, 5-0) scored the winning goal. [Read more…]

Mr. K’s could close at end of October or in November

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Mr. K's Used Books and CDs on Oct. 16, 2015

An exact closing date hasn’t been set yet, but Mr. K’s Used Books and CDs will probably close at the end of October or in November, the owners said Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An exact closing date hasn’t been set yet, but Mr. K’s Used Books and CDs will probably close at the end of October or in November, the owners said Friday.

Co-owners Kaveh and Mary Dabir, who are husband and wife, said their revenues are down since Kroger moved from its store next door at the South Illinois Avenue shopping center to a new shopping center at Oak Ridge Turnpike and North Illinois Avenue in June 2014.

The Dabirs said they kept Mr. K’s open for a year after Kroger moved to see if they could make it work, but foot traffic has been down.

The closure doesn’t have anything to do with electronic books, Mary Dabir said. [Read more…]

Pay cited most often as reason for ORPD turnover, low morale, MTAS report says

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Margaret Norris and Rex Barton of MTAS on Oct. 15, 2015

Margaret Norris, left, and Rex Barton of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee deliver the results of a six-month review of the Oak Ridge Police Department to City Council on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Oct. 16.

It probably wasn’t the explanation that many expected, but pay was cited most often as the reason for turnover and low morale in the Oak Ridge Police Department, according to a report released Thursday.

Some have pinned most of the blame for the department’s woes—or perceived woes, depending upon your perspective—on Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, and they had called for an investigation of the chief earlier this year on several different fronts.

Among those pressing for an investigation was Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn. She and others had raised questions about the chief’s temperament, including whether he has outbursts and is vindictive, and what Baughn suggested is a high turnover rate.

But the City Council instead approved a review of the ORPD that focused on morale, turnover, and administrative policies. In March, Council hired the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee to conduct the six-month review, which was first proposed by Council member Kelly Callison. MTAS presented its findings in a 20-page report presented to the Oak Ridge City Council in a special work session on Thursday.

The report identified a primary culprit familiar to many workers: pay. But as officers have pointed out, they, unlike most other workers, face danger on a daily basis.

Most of those interviewed by MTAS thought that ORPD salaries are not suitable for retaining good employees, MTAS consultant Rex Barton told Council members Thursday. Whatever raises have been given in the past few years have been outstripped by the rise in the cost of benefits, Barton said.

[Read more…]

Mayor Frank wants to serve as chair of AC Commission, sit with legislative body at meetings

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank wants to serve as chair of the County Commission, and she’s asked to be considered as a candidate in September 2016.

In an October 14 letter, Frank also asked commissioners to sit with them during meetings.

The proposals could be considered by the Anderson County Commission on Monday.

If she were commission chair, Frank said, she would have to surrender her veto power. She would have a non-voting position, but she would be able to cast a vote to break a tie.

“While this may seem a shocking proposal at first, I think we can look back over the history of Anderson County and see that the county mayor as chairman—or county executive or judge as the position used to be called—was an effective structure,” Frank said. [Read more…]

Some minor changes, but Main Street project still expected to open for Christmas 2016

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Main Street Oak Ridge Belk on March 2, 2015

Construction for the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall could start first near the Belk store, the city’s retail consultant said this month. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

There have been some minor changes to the plans, but the new developer at Main Street Oak Ridge still plans to open the retail-driven, mixed-use development by the Christmas 2016 holiday season, the city’s retail consultant said last week.

RealtyLink, the new South Carolina-based developer, took over as master developer in September, replacing Crosland Southeast, the firm that had led the redevelopment effort for more than two years.

Oak Ridge retail consultant Ray Evans said RealtyLink has a good relationship with Crosland, a North Carolina-based company.

“They have essentially picked up where Crosland left off,” Evans said.

RealtyLink has plans for about 60,000 more square feet of retail than Crosland did, giving the project a total of about 460,000 square feet of retail, including in the two remaining anchors, Belk and JCPenney. [Read more…]

Volleyball: AC, OR lose in region tournament; Bearden, Farragut advance

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Lady Wildcats and Farragut Alexis Parker on Oct. 13, 2015

Alexis Parker (6) of Farragut, shown spiking the ball here, had four digs and 14 kills against Oak Ridge in a 3-0 Region 2-AAA semifinal win for the Lady Admirals at Anderson County High School on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015. The Lady Admirals went on to win the region championship over Bearden 3-1, and Parker was named tournament MVP. Going for the block above are Olivia Milloway (29) and Stella Powell (16) of Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—The Anderson County and Oak Ridge girls volleyball teams were eliminated in the Region 2-AAA tournament at Anderson County High School on Tuesday, and Bearden and Farragut advanced.

The Lady Wildcats lost to Farragut in three straight semifinal games: 25-17, 25-11, and 25-12.

The Lady Mavericks lost to Bearden in three straight semifinal games as well: 25-23, 25-11, and 25-22.

Oak Ridge and Anderson County are District 3 teams in Region 2, and Bearden and Farragut are District 4.

The Lady Admirals went on to beat the Lady Bulldogs in the Region 2-AAA championship game 3-1. It was the fourth region title in a row for Farragut. Both teams advance to the state sectionals on Thursday.

Alexis Parker of Farragut, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, had 14 kills and five digs against Oak Ridge. The Lady Admirals’ Madi Howell had nine digs, seven aces, five kills, and four blocks. [Read more…]