Oak Ridge Today

Lady Wildcats play Farragut in regional Monday, boys play LC Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Caelyn Thompson and Courtney Ellison

Oak Ridge junior Caelyn Thompson (22) had seven points during a district tournament semifinal game against Powell on Saturday, February 14, and sophomore Courtney Ellison, seen here running slightly behind Thompson, led all Lady Wildcats with 17, including three three-point shots. The Wildcats haven’t played since because of weather. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:21 a.m. Feb. 24.

The final district tournament games were first postponed and then canceled, and the Oak Ridge Wildcats’ basketball teams will start the Class AAA regional tournament this week.

Update: These games have been postponed again as of Tuesday, February 24, due to weather. The latest is that the games will be played Wednesday.

The Lady Wildcats (19-11) play at Farragut (21-8) in the Region 2 quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Monday.

The Lady Wildcats are the number three seed from District 3, and Farragut is the number two seed from District 4. The games are played at the higher seed. [Read more…]

Anderson, Roane, Clinton schools closed Monday

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

Anderson County Schools will be closed Monday, February 23, due to icy conditions on many of the county’s back roads. The Central Office will be closed as well.

Roane County Schools will also be closed Monday. The Central Office status will be determined at a later time.

Clinton City School Schools will also be closed Monday due to weather. [Read more…]

No one injured, but three briefly trapped by factory roof collapse

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Pharma Packaging Roof Collapse

The factory roof at Pharma Packaging in Andersonville collapsed on Saturday night. Three workers were briefly trapped, but no one was injured.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:47 p.m.

ANDERSONVILLE—No one was injured, but three workers were briefly trapped when a roof collapsed at a factory in Andersonville on Saturday, possibly because of ice and snow buildup, authorities said.

The roof collapse was reported at about 7:40 p.m. Saturday. Seven people were inside the Carton Service/Pharma Packaging building on First Quality Drive at the time, said Del Kennedy, chief of the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department.

Four workers were able to make it out, and firefighters had to help the other three escape from a break room, near the front of the building, at the edge of the factory space behind it. All the workers were in or near the break room at the time of the collapse, Kennedy said.

He estimated that 50 percent of the roof, which was about 40 feet above the factory floor, had collapsed over that portion of the building. There was only a small crew working at the time, Kennedy said. [Read more…]

THP: Woman drank bourbon, took Xanax before Edgemoor Road crash

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Edgemoor Road Crash Valentine's Day 2015

One person was trapped in a car, and rescuers had to remove a car door from this 2000 Honda Accord after a nighttime crash on Valentine’s Day. The collision pushed this car about 35 yards into the parking lot of the Shell gas station on Edgemoor Road.

 

The Knoxville woman who allegedly caused a crash on Edgemoor Road that injured two on Valentine’s Day told a state trooper that she consumed two drinks of bourbon and took Xanax not too long before the crash, and she also uses heroin, authorities said.

One person was trapped in a car after the crash, and rescuers had to remove a car door, said Steven Newby, deputy chief of the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department. He said two people were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville in stable condition.

The Knoxville woman accused of causing the 9:45 p.m. crash, Jill A. Graham, 39, was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and vehicular assault. She remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Saturday afternoon. [Read more…]

Flood watch starts this afternoon after week of winter weather

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Flood Watch Feb. 21, 2015

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:31 p.m.

A flood watch will be in effect for parts of East Tennessee, including Anderson County, and parts of southwest Virginia and North Carolina starting this afternoon (Saturday, February 21) and continuing through Sunday afternoon, forecasters said.

The flood watch follows a week of winter weather that included icy precipitation on Monday, snow on Wednesday morning, bitter cold on Thursday and Friday, and more snow starting Friday night.

But the National Weather Service in Morristown said the forecast calls for melting snow and ice Saturday night in addition to rain. [Read more…]

Snow: Basketball tournament canceled; city centers, some businesses closed

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Taylor Road Snow Lady Feb. 21, 2015

Ashlynn and Myrah Forgety build a snow woman on Taylor Road in Oak Ridge on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Leah M. Bevins)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:58 p.m.

The snow overnight, which covered some roads that were already treacherous, has forced more closings, cancellations, and delays.

The Oak Ridge Civic Center, Scarboro Center, Senior Center, and Public Library will all be closed today, Saturday, February 21.

The District 3-AAA basketball tournament, which had been rescheduled for today at Central High School in Knoxville, has been canceled. The regional tournament is scheduled to start Monday, and the seedings that stand now will be used in the regional tournament.

Some businesses in Oak Ridge announced they are closed or opening later, possibly after the temperature warms and the precipitation changes to rain. For example, ORNL Federal Credit Union announced that all of its locations will be closed today. Hot Bagel Co. announced it will be closed today but will reopen at 6 a.m. Monday. The Other One in Grove Center said they will not open this morning, but could reopen this afternoon. You might consider calling ahead if you have a question about a specific business. [Read more…]

Water line leak in Anderson County located, repaired

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The major water line leak that might have affected some customers in north Anderson County has been located and repaired, but it may take a few hours for residents to see their water service return to normal, Mayor Terry Frank said Friday evening.

In a Facebook post, Frank said the leak was on a fire line that supplies a major industry, SL Tennessee.

“That is a 10-inch line—they were losing a thousand gallons a minute on that line,” Frank said.

She said water service might not return to normal until as late as midnight in some of the higher elevations of the county.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

City crews treat all streets by Thursday, now working on water main breaks

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Oak Ridge Snow Plow on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Feb. 17, 2015

An Oak Ridge snow plow is pictured above at center on Oak Ridge Turnpike, which was mostly clear on Tuesday evening, February 17. 

 

Crews from the Oak Ridge Public Works Department had treated all 230 miles of streets by the time they left work on Thursday, and they’re now battling a half-dozen small water main breaks.

Oak Ridge Public Works Director Gary Cinder said crews focused on what are known as Level 3 and Level 4 streets on Thursday. They removed all loose snow. But there could still be patches of ice on some roads, Cinder said.

“You can’t get ice off the street until you get much warmer temperatures,” he said. [Read more…]

Updated: Driver charged with DUI in four-car crash that damaged home

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Robertsville Road Car and House Crash

No one was injured in a crash involving four vehicles and a house on Robertsville Road on Thursday night.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:20 p.m.

The driver of a car that allegedly caused a four-vehicle crash and damaged a home on Robertsville Road has been charged with driving under the influence, authorities said.

Officers located Brandon Kyle Baez, 18, of Oak Ridge, after he walked away from the crash at 184 Robertsville Road and tried to hide in a wooded area, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Ben Higgins said in a warrant.

The crash occurred at about 10:40 p.m. Thursday just east of North Illinois Avenue. An SUV-type vehicle driven by Baez allegedly left the road, drove through the front yard of one home on Robertsville Road, crashed into a Ford four-door sedan parked in the driveway, and pushed it about three or four car lengths into a neighbor’s front yard—and reportedly caused a collision with two cars parked in the neighbor’s driveway (the home of Mike and Judy Coen).

[Read more…]

TVA sets all-time power demand record; stores sell out of heaters

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Downtown Hardware on Nov. 2013

The Downtown Hardware crew is pictured above in November 2013. Co-owners Ann Clary Bratton and Roger Clary are pictured second from right and at left. (File photo)

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority set an all-time record for power demand in February on Thursday morning, and local stores have sold out of heaters.

TVA said the record set at 7 a.m. Thursday was 32,109 megawatts, with an average temperature of 7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Downtown Hardware in Oak Ridge reported that they were down to two electric heaters.

“We’re completely sold out of kerosene and propane,” said Ann Bratton, who co-owns the store with her brother Roger Clary. “That seems to be what people are asking for.” [Read more…]

Dangerous wind chills Wednesday night, Thursday

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Dangerous Wind Chills

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

The National Weather Service in Morristown has issued a wind chill advisory for Wednesday night and Thursday, with the wind chill forecast at five below zero to 15 below in parts of East Tennessee and southwest Virginia.

The wind chill advisory is in effect until 1 a.m. Friday, and it applies to Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Scott, and Union counties. It includes Clinton, Oak Ridge, LaFollette, Maynardville, Oneida, and Wartburg.

There is also a winter storm watch in effect from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, bringing a threat of wintry precipitation. [Read more…]

Use caution: Main roads mostly clear, but side streets slippery

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Tennessee Avenue Snow Feb. 18, 2015

Even well-traveled side streets such as Tennessee Avenue were a mix of cleared sections, snow, and ice as snow fell in Oak Ridge on Wednesday morning.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:08 p.m.

Main roads were mostly clear Wednesday morning, but many side streets were slippery and treacherous for driving or walking.

The wintry mix that fell Monday and lingered Tuesday appeared to have frozen in many places. And the snow that fell Wednesday morning covered that slick mix and dusted some roads that had earlier been cleared, such as Michigan Avenue in central Oak Ridge.

Milan Way, which runs parallel to Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of the Jackson Square post office, was skating-rink slick. And that was true of many other side streets across the city.

Heavily-traveled roads like Illinois Avenue, Emory Valley Road, and Oak Ridge Turnpike were mostly clear and easy to drive on. But even some well-traveled secondary streets such as Tennessee and Manhattan avenues, Robertsville Road, and West Outer Drive were a mix of cleared areas, light snow, and ice. [Read more…]