Oak Ridge Today

Clinton School Board has opening

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Information from WYSH Radio

Due to the resignation of Clinton School Board member R.C. Hutchins, an opening for a new school board member is currently available.

As a result of this vacancy, the Clinton Board of Education is requesting that interested candidates attend the board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 5:30 p.m. in the Clinton Municipal Building and bring a resume to share with the school board. All candidates will be given three minutes to address the board as to their qualifications and interest in serving.

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Chance of snow 100 percent today, black ice possible Friday

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Winter Storm Snow Forecast

Forecasters say air moving into the southern Appalachians will turn rain into snow by this afternoon. (Image courtesy of National Weather Service in Morristown.)

There is a 100 percent chance of snow in the Oak Ridge area today as cold air moves into the southern Appalachians, turning rain showers into snow by this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

The rain will start turning to snow by about 2 to 3 p.m., and the precipitation should be all snow by about 4 to 5 p.m., said Derek Eisentrout, spokesperson for the National Weather Service in Morristown. He said the snow should start tapering off by 7 or 8 p.m.

The Weather Service doesn’t expect a lot of snow in the Oak Ridge area, forecasting about a one-inch accumulation.

A major concern for forecasters is the black ice  that could be on roads tomorrow morning as temperatures plunge into the 20s overnight.

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Family withdraws lawsuit over fatal 2010 Oak Ridge police shooting

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Note: This story was last updated at 9:15 a.m. Jan. 17.

The family of a man fatally shot by Oak Ridge police after he allegedly threatened officers with a knife and stabbed a police dog has withdrawn a lawsuit against the city, municipal officials, and four police officers.

The voluntary withdrawal of the lawsuit, a stipulation of dismissal, was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Nov. 16.

The plaintiffs—the estate of Rodney Eugene Harris, 48, and his wife, Patricia Harris—have one year to refile the civil lawsuit, which sought an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.

A Feb. 4 trial had been scheduled before Senior U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell.

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Debriefings today on Y-12/Pantex consolidated contract

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Debriefings scheduled for today were offered to the teams that bid unsuccessfully on a consolidated contract to manage the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas.

The unsuccessful bidders have up to 10 days to protest the decision to award the five-year contract to Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS, a team that includes Bechtel National Inc. and Lockheed Martin Services Inc. The contract award was announced Tuesday, Jan. 8.

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Houston brothers indicted on federal firearms charges

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A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted two brothers who were tried twice but never convicted in the 2006 shooting deaths of a Roane County Sheriff’s Department deputy and his ride-along partner, authorities said.

A 14-count indictment was returned against Rocky Houston, 52, charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms, according to the office of U.S. Attorney William C. Killian in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

A one-count indictment was also returned again Leon Houston, 54, for possessing firearms while being an unlawful user of controlled substances, a press release said.

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Rain, flooding through Thursday; Anderson County schools, roads closed

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Irwin Mill Road Flooding

Water rushes over Irwin Mill Road off Sinking Springs Road northeast of downtown Clinton on Wednesday, burying a one-lane bridge on a narrow, winding road under what appears to be several feet of water.

Anderson County schools closed today, and weather forecasters say a stationary storm system could continue dumping light to moderate rain on the region through Thursday, possibly creating more flooding along some waterways and other low-lying areas.

Ten Anderson County roads are closed, impassable, or affected by flooding, authorities said. Among the closed roads are Batley Road at Airport Road and the 300 block of Bush Road in Marlow, Midway Drive and Airport Road in Oliver Springs, Irwin Mill Road in Clinton, and the bridge on Pumpkin Hollow Road at Brooks Gap Road near Interstate 75.

Anderson County dispatchers said Lower Clear Creek Road and Dairy Pond Road in Norris are impassable, and Brooks Gap Road and the 400 block of Old Dutch Valley Road have a lot of water over them.

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Family Day at Civic Center Feb. 23

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host a Family Day at the Civic Center on Feb. 23.

The new event will include games, activities, a chili cook-off, and free swim assessments for children, a press release said.

The Family Day is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 23, and adult volunteers are needed to help with the event, the city press release said.

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WYSH: Clinton store robbed

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred at the AT&T store in Tanner Place on Saturday night.

Police were called to the store at around 7 p.m. Saturday by a contract sales associate for AT&T, who told investigators that she had been packing up her belongings to leave for the night when she heard the front door open. When she turned around, she spotted a white man with a pistol approaching her. The man laid the gun on the counter facing her and demanded money.

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Houston brothers face federal firearm charges

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Information from WYSH Radio

Two brothers who were tried twice but never convicted in the 2006 shooting deaths of a Roane County Sheriff’s Department deputy and his ridealong partner are now facing federal charges.

Rocky and Leon Houston were both arrested Friday on federal firearms charges at the family’s home in the Ten Mile community after agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Roane County Sheriff’s Office; and other agencies executed search and arrest warrants.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian says that Rocky Houston is charged with being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and that Leon Houston is charged with possession of firearms while being an unlawful user of controlled substances.

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Clinton MLK Prayer Breakfast on Monday

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The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast will be held at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center and Museum in Clinton at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

The prayer service begins at 9 a.m.

The Green McAdoo Cultural Center and Museum is located at 101 School Street in Clinton.

Limited adult, plenty of kids’ flu vaccine at Anderson Health Department

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Information from WYSH Radio

Seasonal influenza vaccine is still available at the Anderson County Health Department. The flu vaccine will be offered during normal clinic hours at 710 N. Main Street in Clinton.

Call the Health Department at (865) 425-8801 to make an appointment to get your flu vaccine.

There are a limited number of adult shots remaining, but there is an ample supply of the vaccine for children.

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Weekend of Irish music, culture, fun scheduled for February

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Traditional Irish Arts of Knoxville has organized a weekend of Irish music, culture, and fun in February at the Grove Theater in Oak Ridge and Boyd’s Jig and Reel in Knoxville.

It’s the 5th Annual Tune Junkie Weekend, and it will feature workshops, sessions, and a showcase concert.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, Feb. 17, with an open house and staff session at the Historic Grover Theater. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the session begins at 7 p.m., a press release said.

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