Oak Ridge Today

Margaret ‘Peggy’ Power Larkin

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Margaret "Peggy" Power Larkin

Margaret “Peggy” Power Larkin

Margaret (Peggy) Power Larkin, age 89, died peacefully at the Summit Assisted Living in Lynchburg, Va., on Thursday, March 7.

She was the wife of the late William Joseph Larkin.

Born Jan. 8, 1924, she was the daughter of the late Richard and Hannah Cullen Power of Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland. She was educated by the Sisters of Charity at the Star of the Sea Convent in Tramore.

In 1946, Mrs. Larkin emigrated from Ireland to New York City, where she met William Joseph Larkin, whom she married on Jan. 29, 1949. They moved to Oak Ridge, where Mr. Larkin was appointed assistant director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Engineering Practice School at Union Carbide. She became a U.S. citizen in 1952.

[Read more…]

Frances Beatrice Lee

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Frances Beatrice Lee

Frances Beatrice Lee

Frances Beatrice Lee, 95, of Oak Ridge passed away Wednesday, March 6, at Emeritus of Oak Ridge.

She was born Jan. 19, 1918, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the late Frank and Myrtle Crippen Vandergrif.

She was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church of Oak Ridge and a retired seamstress from Levi Strauss. She dearly loved her children and grandchildren.

She married her husband Howard F. Lee on March 11, 1946, in Bacon County, Ga. They were married 60 years at the time of his death on Dec. 30, 2006.

[Read more…]

Barbara Jean Keever

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Barbara Jean Keever

Barbara Jean Keever

Barbara Jean Keever, 76, of Oak Ridge, passed away Thursday, March 7, at Tennova West Medical Center in Knoxville.

She was born Feb. 6, 1937, in Spring City, Tenn., the daughter of William and Nellie Vittitoe Neal. Mrs. Keever was a long-time member of Royce Baptist Church. She enjoyed flower gardening and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She also enjoyed bird watching.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by husband, Ray Clifton Keever on May 26, 2010.

[Read more…]

Catch the Leprechaun 5K at Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The American Cancer Society Catch the Leprechaun 5K starts at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Oak Ridge waterfront.

It is an Irish-themed 5k, and participants are encouraged come adorned in green, a press release said. It’s a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

The course will follow Melton Lake Drive and Melton Lake greenway. One lane of Melton Lake Drive will be closed from 8-8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.

[Read more…]

‘American Idol’ contestant from Oliver Springs makes Top 10

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

Janelle Arthur of Oliver Springs is among the 10 finalists on the Fox-TV show “American Idol.”

Host Ryan Seacrest called her name last night during the girls’ elimination round. This is the farthest Arthur has made it in the competition in this, her third appearance.

After she was sent through to the Top 10, she sang a Dierks Bentley song and expressed her gratitude to her friends, family, and fans in East Tennessee.

Manhattan Project national park bill reintroduced

Posted at
By 2 Comments

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has reintroduced legislation to set up a Manhattan Project national park that would include Oak Ridge.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park would also include Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash. All three sites played important roles in the top-secret World War II program to build the world’s first atomic weapons.

“The Manhattan Project is one of the most significant events in American history, and the facilities at Oak Ridge continue to be an important source of jobs and research for Tennessee and the rest of the country,” said Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.

The legislation was introduced Thursday.

[Read more…]

Kmart pharmacy robbed again

Posted at
By 8 Comments

Oak Ridge Police Respond to Kmart Robbery

The Oak Ridge Police Department responds to a reported robbery at the Kmart pharmacy on Tuesday evening.

A man who robbed the Kmart pharmacy on Tuesday fled on foot with $597 in cash but no pills, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Thursday.

It’s not clear yet if there is a connection between that stickup and a Feb. 26 pharmacy heist. It’s the second time in about a week that the pharmacy has been robbed.

ORPD Lt. Robin Smith said the suspect in this week’s robbery allegedly handed a note to a pharmacy clerk, demanding money and pills. The clerk cleaned out a cash drawer and gave the man $597, but no pills, Smith said.

[Read more…]

Sequester scenarios: DOE contractors in Tennessee could furlough 1,400, lose $90 million

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Daniel B. Poneman

Daniel B. Poneman

The federal funding cuts that went into effect March 1 could result in 1,400 furloughs or layoffs for U.S. Department of Energy contractors in Tennessee, an official said this week. The furloughs could start as early as April 1.

There could also be spending reductions of about $90 million for DOE contractors in the Volunteer State, DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel B. Poneman said in a March 5 letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

Funding for contractors at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge could be cut by roughly $41 million, and more than 1,000 contractor employees could be furloughed, Poneman said.

[Read more…]

Meth lab bust includes 90 pounds of ammonia, 700 coffee filters, acid, fuel

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Anderson County authorities serving a warrant at a mobile home on Becks Lane in Claxton on Monday found an alleged methamphetamine laboratory that included 90 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, 700 coffee filters, two gallons of muriatic acid, and more than a gallon of Coleman fuel, as well as a white substance that tested positive for meth, records said.

Ingredients and equipment that could be used to make meth were scattered around the home, including in a shed near the back of the home, in a 1996 Buick, and under a motor home in the driveway, according to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department report. Authorities detected the “distinct odor” of anhydrous ammonia at several places near the home, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Jason D. Leach said in the report.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge police identify Kmart robbery suspect

Posted at
By 6 Comments

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified a robbery suspect who allegedly stole $56 in cash and 387 oxycontin pills from the Kmart pharmacy last week.

The suspect has been identified as Jeramiah Frederick Webb, 35, of Morgan County, ORPD Lt. Robin Smith said Wednesday. Webb’s last known address was in Lancing, Smith said.

[Read more…]

Roane Chamber and SBDC announce business entrepreneur workshops

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Roane County Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College have joined together to offer three free workshops for entrepreneurs who are considering or have recently started their own business.

The two-hour workshops are scheduled for March 7, March 21, and April 11, from 1-3 p.m. at The Roane Alliance.

[Read more…]

Oliver Springs contestant impresses ‘American Idol’ judges again

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Information from WYSH Radio

Janelle Arthur of Oliver Springs had another strong performance on Tuesday night’s edition of “American Idol.”

Arthur, one of the last 10 women remaining in the competition, impressed the judges with what they call her “traditional country voice” and prompted Mariah Carey to label her “America’s Sweetheart.”

[Read more…]