Oak Ridge Today

Geotechnical testing for eighth lane on Oak Ridge rowing course starts next week

Posted at
By 21 Comments

USRowing Club Nationals

Racing in the USRowing Club National Championships in Oak Ridge on Saturday, July 19, 2014, consisted of heats and semifinals setting up the second round of finals on Sunday, July 20. (Photo by USRowing)

 

An engineering company will start geotechnical testing next week along Melton Lake Greenway for the installation of an eighth rowing lane, officials said Thursday.

Work will be done by Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc. engineering, the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department said. The testing is scheduled to begin Monday, October 12, and be complete on Friday, October 16, weather permitting.

The testing areas will be concentrated between Palisades Parkway and Amanda Drive, a press release said. During the geotechnical testing process, the use of Melton Lake Greenway may be disrupted. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge plays Halls in district volleyball semifinals, championship game follows

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

2015 District 3-AAA Volleyball Tournament

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play Halls in the semifinals of the 2015 District 3-AAA Volleyball Tournament at Halls today.

The semifinal game starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 7. The championship game starts at 7 p.m.

Anderson County and Gibbs are playing in the other semifinal game at 5:30 p.m. today.

The Lady Wildcats beat Powell 3-0 in a quarterfinal game on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals.

Here is more information on the high school volleyball tournaments, courtesy of our news partner WYSH Radio in Clinton: [Read more…]

Wildcats football game rescheduled to Thursday, JMS league championship game starts earlier

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Joe Gaddis

Joe Gaddis, Oak Ridge Wildcats football coach

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play McMinn County at home on Thursday rather than on Friday because of a high chance of thunderstorms on Friday, and a league championship game featuring Jefferson Middle School will start earlier Thursday.

The Wildcats game starts at 8 p.m. Thursday, October 8, on Blankenship Field, Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said. Gates will open at 7 p.m.

There is also a previously scheduled game on Blankenship Field on Thursday. That’s the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference league championship game, and it features undefeated Jefferson Middle School and Grace Christian, which has lost two football games, including one to JMS. That game had been scheduled to start at 6 p.m., but it will now start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Gaddis said.

He said there is a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms on Friday and Friday night, continuing into Saturday morning, and coaches didn’t want to take chances. The Wildcats have already had one game this season stopped in the first quarter and then restarted a few days later because of lightning. [Read more…]

No one injured, black bear chased away after three hours at ACHS

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Black Bear at Anderson County High School on Oct. 6, 2015

No one was injured, and a black bear was chased away with rubber bullets and beanbag rounds after it spent three hours at Anderson County High School, mostly eating acorns, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:40 a.m.

CLINTON—No one was injured, and a black bear was chased away with rubber bullets and beanbag rounds after it spent three hours at Anderson County High School, mostly eating acorns, on Tuesday.

The bear was first seen at about 3:55 p.m. Tuesday on the east side of a parking lot on the east side of the high school campus.

ACHS Assistant Principal Ben Downs, Principal Andrea Russell, and a school resource officer were involved in a student issue in the parking lot, when Downs looked over his left shoulder and saw the bear.

“There it was coming out of the woods,” Downs said. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats back on ‘winning track,’ beat Catholic 2-0

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Lady Wildcats Leah Scudder and Catholic Oct. 5, 2015

Oak Ridge junior Leah Scudder (22) looks for a pass during a 2-0 win for the Lady Wildcats at home on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

After a short slump, the Oak Ridge girls soccer team got “back on the winning track” in a 2-0 win over Knoxville Catholic at home on Monday.

The Lady Wildcats (11-3, 4-1 District 3-Class AAA) scored one goal in each half. The first was by sophomore Zoe Van Hook with 3:38 remaining in the first half. She curled left from the center of the goal box and kicked the ball into the right side of the net from the left side of the box, past goalkeeper Katie Whitaker. Oak Ridge junior Olivia Hoyt got the assist on that goal.

Senior Katie Welsh scored the second goal for Oak Ridge after a corner kick by senior Ellie Brown. The ball bounced around a bit in front of the net before Welsh kicked it into the left side of the net past Catholic goalkeeper Miriam Janoyan at 12:55 in the second half.

“I think it was a good effort, back on the winning track,” Oak Ridge Coach Jeff Trombly said. [Read more…]

Man arrested after chases, alleged carjacking, stolen truck in Anderson, Campbell

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Joshua Lee Styles

Joshua Lee Styles

A Rocky Top man who had been involved in two recent police pursuits in Anderson County, including one chase after an alleged carjacking from a family member on Friday, was arrested in Campbell County on Monday after a vehicle and foot chase involving a stolen pickup truck, authorities said.

Joshua Lee Styles, 25, of Ross Cemetery Road in Rocky Top, was arrested Monday, October 5, by Campbell County deputies after the pursuit of the stolen truck and on numerous warrants from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, ACSD Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

He said Styles was originally wanted for a state probation violation.

The two pursuits with Anderson County deputies had occurred during the past week. [Read more…]

Report: Man pushes sister out of car, drives off in alleged carjacking

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Anderson County Sheriff Patch

A Rocky Top man pushed and kicked his sister out of the driver’s seat of a car during an attempted traffic stop on Oliver Springs Highway on Friday, and the man drove off, tires spinning, in an alleged carjacking, leaving his sister lying on the ground about one foot from the vehicle, authorities said.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Matthew T. Forsyth said he tried to stop the Lexus four-door sedan at about 3:50 p.m. on Tri County Boulevard on Friday, October 2, because the reverse lights were activating when the vehicle was moving forward. When he caught up to the car, Forsyth said, he recognized the front seat passenger as Joshua Lee Styles, 24, who has several warrants for his arrest in Anderson County.

“When the vehicle pulled into the turning lane to turn onto Oliver Springs Highway, I pulled up to the passenger side of the vehicle and activated emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop,” Forsyth said in an incident report. [Read more…]

Another convenience store door smashed by vehicle, this one in OS

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Lee's Food Mart and Jason Ross and Phil Brown on Oct. 4, 2015

Jason Ross, left, and Phil Brown of Allied Glass Co. in Knoxville repair a glass door smashed by a vehicle at Lee’s Food Mart in Oliver Springs early Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. Police suspect the crash was intentional. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—Another convenience store was hit by a vehicle this weekend, this one in Oliver Springs, and police suspect it was intentional.

The crash, which was reported at about 2:08 a.m. Sunday, smashed a door at Lee’s Food Mart on East Tri County Boulevard in Oliver Springs, at the bottom of the hill coming into Oliver Springs from Oak Ridge.

That crash followed one at K&J Market at about 2 a.m. Saturday in west Oak Ridge. In that case, a small sport utility vehicle was captured on tape smashing the front door of the convenience store, but it’s not clear why, a business representative said Saturday morning.

The Oliver Springs Police Department said the alarm at Lee’s Food Mart went off after an SUV hit it early Sunday, and nothing was taken. The SUV fled toward Oliver Springs, OSPD Sergeant Kevin Armes said. [Read more…]

Fire destroys unoccupied home on Marlow Circle

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Marlow Circle Fire Oct. 2, 2015

A fire destroyed an unoccupied home on Marlow Circle on Friday night, Oct. 2, 2015. The Marlow and Oliver Springs fire departments both responded to fight the fire. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

A fire destroyed an unoccupied home on Marlow Circle on Friday night.

The fire was reported at 516 Marlow Circle at about 10 p.m. Friday.

The house was engulfed in flames when the first Marlow Fire Department units arrived, fire photographer Tom Scott said. Two Marlow Fire Department engines and a tanker responded and so did two Oliver Springs Fire Department engines and a rescue unit, which responded on a mutual aid call.

The house was close to the roadway, and at the height of the fire, the contents of a mailbox across Marlow Circle caught on fire, Scott said. [Read more…]

SUV smashes front door at convenience store; cause unknown

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

K&J Market Door Damage on Oct. 2, 2015

A business representative said a small sport utility vehicle was captured on tape smashing the front door of a convenience store in west Oak Ridge early Saturday, but it’s not clear why. (Photo courtesy Kevin Rice/Tony Jarrett)

 

A small sport utility vehicle was captured on tape smashing the front door of a convenience store in west Oak Ridge early Saturday, but it’s not clear why, a business representative said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department received a call about the damaged door at K&J Market at about 2 a.m. Saturday.

Tony Jarrett, who is helping out at the relatively new store on Oak Ridge Turnpike, said the SUV appeared to have been parked in front of the door for about three minutes, facing toward it.

The truck backed up a bit and rammed the double doors, Jarrett said.

“It didn’t break on the first hit,” he said, and the SUV bounced back a bit. [Read more…]

Football stats: Oak Ridge and Karns

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wildcats T.J. Allison and Karns Travis Blair on Oct. 2, 2015

Oak Ridge senior running back T.J. Allison (6) ran for 171 yards and four touchdowns during a 56-14 win at Karns on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats rushed for more than 500 yards, and senior running back T.J. Allison scored four touchdowns in a 56-14 win at Karns on Friday. Here are preliminary stats by Mark Haste.

See a story on the game here.

See Julio Culiat photos of the game here.

TEAM STATISTICS

Oak Ridge

Karns

FIRST DOWNS

17

 Total 11

12

 By rushing 6

5

 By passing 2

0

 By penalty 3
RUSHING

41

 Attempts 32

526

 Yards gained 135

12

 Yards lost 51

514

 Net yards 84
PASSING

6

 Completions 8

13

 Attempts 2

46.15%

 Percentage 36.36%

1

 Intercepted 2

75

 Net yards 107
TOTAL OFFENSE

589

 Net yards 191
PUNTS

1

 Attempts 8

34

 Average 32.5
RETURN YARDS

38

 Punt returns 0

90

 Kickoff returns 103

22

 Interception returns 0
FUMBLES

2

 Total 0

1

 Fumbles lost 0
PENALTIES

18

 Total 3

168

 Yards lost 11

[Read more…]

Football photos: Oak Ridge and Karns

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wildcats Ka'Yon Waters and Adam Manookian and Karns Greg Tye on Oct. 2, 2015

Junior Ka’Yon Waters (31) and senior Adam Manookian (35) pressure Karns quarterback Greg Tye (12) during a 56-14 win for Oak Ridge on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats rushed for more than 500 yards, and senior running back T.J. Allison scored four touchdowns in a 56-14 win at Karns on Friday. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

See a story on the game here.

See stats here.

Wildcats T.J. Allison and Karns Travis Blair on Oct. 2, 2015

Oak Ridge senior running back T.J. Allison (6) ran for 171 yards and four touchdowns during a 56-14 win at Karns on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

[Read more…]