Oak Ridge Today

Five confirmed bullying cases in Oak Ridge last year, state report says

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Oak Ridge Schools School Administration Building

Oak Ridge Schools reported five confirmed cases of bullying in the 2012-2013 school year. The Oak Ridge Schools’ School Administration Building is pictured above.

There were five confirmed cases of bullying in Oak Ridge Schools last year, a number that is much lower than in many other school districts across the state and in some other nearby districts.

The numbers were reported in a new, first-of-its kind report that said there were 7,555 reported cases of bullying in Tennessee schools last year. Nearly 73 percent of them—or 5,478 cases—were confirmed after investigation.

The report said Oak Ridge Schools had 14 bullying cases reported in the 2012-2013 school year, but only five were confirmed after investigation. All five of those were related to sex or gender discrimination, the report said. [Read more…]

TVA’s Green Power Switch generates one million megawatt-hours of electricity

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TVA Ed Stephens and Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm

Ed Stephens, program manager for the Renewable Energy Program at the Tennessee Valley Authority, explains the 18 wind turbines at the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm north of Oliver Springs.

WINDROCK MOUNTAIN—A Tennessee Valley Authority program that allows customers to buy electricity produced by renewable energy sources has generated about one million megawatt-hours—enough to power 68,000 homes, officials said Monday.

TVA considers the innovative Green Power Switch program, the first of its kind in the Southeast when it started 13 years ago, a success story. TVA said the program has helped prevent more than 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. That’s equal to keeping about 135,000 cars off the road for a year.

And it’s grown from 2,000 customers in 2000 to roughly 12,000 today. That could be because customers today are more aware of environmental concerns and have a greater understanding of their power sources, said Patty West, director of TVA’s Renewable Energy Program. [Read more…]

Trick or treating is on Halloween in Oak Ridge, Clinton, AC, OS, officials say

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Trick or treating is on Halloween in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and Oliver Springs, officials said Monday.

Some parents and Oak Ridge Today readers have asked whether there is an official trick or treating date and time. There is not. The Oak Ridge City Manager’s Office said trick or treating is always on Halloween, and the city doesn’t specify times, leaving it up to the parents’ discretion.

Government representatives in Anderson County, Clinton, and Oliver Springs confirmed that there aren’t officials dates and times there either. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Today adds front page News section

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Oak Ridge Today has added a News section on the front page. It’s below the Top Stories section.

This new section gives us extra flexibility to post more stories about community news, upcoming events, meeting announcements, and other general interest news. We hope this will help you keep up with all the latest local news.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments, and thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Big Ed’s owner’s wife releases statement on David Neusel’s death, funeral

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Big Ed's Pizza

David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Jackson Square, died Thursday. The front of the landmark restaurant is pictured above.

Melissa Neusel, the wife of Big Ed’s Pizza owner David Neusel, released a statement Saturday on his death, funeral plans, and the future of the restaurant.

She said her husband, who was 60, died at 1:30 p.m. Thursday of heart and kidney failure at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. That was caused by a virus that had settled in and weakened his heart about two years ago, Melissa Neusel said.

She said Big Ed’s Pizza will remain open and continue operating normally, other than on funeral day(s). [Read more…]

Chemistry experiment waste starts trash can fire in ORHS classroom

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Oak Ridge High School Trash Can Fire

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day. (Photos courtesy of Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The fire occurred just before 9 p.m. Friday. The classroom was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived, but they were able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in a fire-resistant wastepaper container, which was inside a locked classroom, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Wildcats extend district win streak to 3-0 at Central; play Anderson County on Halloween

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Isiah Jones

Oak Ridge Wildcats sophomore Isiah Jones runs for 138 yards on 18 carries on Friday night at Central High School. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Wildcats extended their district win streak to 3-0 against the Central High School Bobcats on Friday in Knoxville.

The final score was 24-13.

Next up is district rival Anderson County on Halloween. It’s the last regular-season game and a district title could be at stake.

Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis has emphasized that he wants the Wildcats to go 4-0 in the final four district games. [Read more…]

Gatti’s Pizza, Market House restaurants close

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Gatti's Pizza

A sign posted on the door of the former Gatti’s Pizza next to the Oak Ridge Mall says the business has been sold.

A longtime pizza restaurant and a newer “farm-to-table” diner have closed in Oak Ridge.

A sign posted on the front door of the former Gatti’s Pizza earlier this month said the business has been sold.

Meanwhile, the owners of The Market House at Jackson Square posted on their Facebook page on Oct. 14 that they will no longer be open but will continue to fulfill any private party obligations.

Oak Ridge Today has not been able to reach the owners of either business to elaborate. [Read more…]

Big Ed’s Pizza owner David Neusel dies; restaurant still open

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Big Ed's Pizza

David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Jackson Square, died Thursday. The front of the landmark restaurant is pictured above.

David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Oak Ridge, died Thursday in Nashville, longtime friend Randy Tedford said.

The cause of Neusel’s death and his age weren’t immediately available. It also wasn’t immediately clear who would now own and operate the landmark restaurant in the city’s historic Jackson Square area. (Note: More information on Neusel’s death, funeral, and the future of the restaurant is available in this newer story here.)

But Big Ed’s, which was recognized as one of America’s 51 great pizza parlors in 2010, is still open, server Kim Paluso said Friday morning. As far as she knows, the popular pizzeria will continue operating as usual.

“It was pretty hard for everybody,” Paluso said of Neusel’s death. “A lot of people showed up last night for support.” [Read more…]

Second-place finish for boys’ cross country sends ORHS to state

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Oak Ridge Cross Country's Wesley Robinson

Wesley Robinson, a junior and top finisher for the Oak Ridge High School boys’ team, finished sixth in a 5K race during a cross country regional championship at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photos by Nichole Zawisza)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge High School boys’ cross country team finished second in a regional championship in Knoxville on Thursday and will race in the state championship in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The girls’ team ran well but finished fourth, meaning they won’t get to compete in the state championship. It’s only open to the top three teams in the region.

Finishing first in the 5K race for the Oak Ridge boys, and sixth overall, was junior Wesley Robinson. He had a time of 16:44.31. That was his best race all year, Robinson said.

“I was very happy with my race,” he said. The course—two loops around Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville and a downhill finish—had several difficult hills and some rocky areas, Robinson said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Mall plan receives key endorsement from city board

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Oak Ridge Mall TIF Public Hearing

Ray Evans, right, Oak Ridge economic development consultant, explains an economic impact plan for the proposed $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall. Also pictured seated at left are Tim Sittema, a partner in Crosland Southeast, a North Carolina commercial real estate company, and James Murphy, center, a Nashville attorney.

The $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall received a key endorsement Thursday when a city board unanimously recommended a plan that would allow new property tax revenues generated at the site to be used to help pay for development costs.

It’s known as a tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement, and it could be worth $13 million and last 20 years. In an 8-0 vote during a special meeting Thursday, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board recommended the plan to the Oak Ridge City Council and Anderson County Commission, which could consider it in November.

Tim Sittema, a partner in Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that has had a purchase contract on the mall since January, said the commercial real estate firm doesn’t have signed leases for the proposed redevelopment yet but is focused on 20 or 30 larger potential tenants.

If all goes well, the sale of the mall could close in the middle of next year, and demolition could then start immediately and last three to four months. Construction could last about 1.5 years, Sittema told the IDB. That means the redeveloped property, which would be named Freedom Park, could open in 2016. [Read more…]

Mall TIF could be worth $13 million, last 20 years

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Oak Ridge Mall Concept Plan Featured

The proposed tax financing agreement to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall could be worth up to $13 million and last 20 years, and when complete, the 60-acre site in the center of the city could include a mix of mostly retail and some office space, a hotel, and up to 50 multi-family residential units.

The proposed tax financing agreement to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall could be worth $13 million and last 20 years, and when complete, the 60-acre project in the center of the city could include a mix of mostly retail and some office space, a hotel, and up to 50 multi-family residential units.

The developer, C4 Investments LLC of North Carolina, could spend more than $85 million converting what is now a mostly empty enclosed mall into an open-air, retail-driven, mixed-use property.

The redevelopment plan calls for about 400,000 square feet of retail space and roughly 60,000 to 100,000 square feet of office space, according to an economic impact plan to be discussed at a public hearing at 5 p.m. today (Thursday) and considered during a special meeting of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board. [Read more…]