We’ve added several new events to our events calendar, including some happening this weekend. Take a look here.
Clinton Christmas Parade tonight
The Clinton Christmas Parade starts at 6 p.m. today on Christin Drive near the Anderson County Fairgrounds.
It proceeds down Eagle Bend Road, which is south of Charles G. Seivers Boulevard and runs roughly parallel to it. The parade ends at the Clinton Community Center.
Restaurant worker reports assault while taking out trash
An employee at Lincoln’s Sports Grille on South Illinois Avenue reported that he was hit in the head by an unknown suspect as he took out the trash early Friday morning, authorities said.
The employee said he was taking the trash to a dumpster behind Lincoln’s at about 12:23 a.m. Friday when he was struck from behind without warning, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said. The restaurant worker said the suspect laughed after hitting him, but made no other statement before fleeing east across ORAU Way.
Oak Ridge Playhouse has auditions Monday, Tuesday
The Oak Ridge Playhouse will have auditions for the political drama “Farragut North” at 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
The auditions are open to everyone. No experience is required, although it is helpful, and requirements can differ from production to production, an announcement said.
Burglary, interrrupted: Armed son confronts man in parents’ home
Note: This story was updated at 10:23 p.m.
After spotting a strange vehicle in his parents’ driveway Thursday, the son of an Andersonville Highway couple armed himself with his father’s shotgun and confronted and detained a burglar inside the home, authorities said Friday.
The son detained the suspect until deputies arrived, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said in a Friday news release.
Rep. Fleischmann appointed to House Appropriations Committee
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, an East Tennessee Republican, has been appointed to the House Appropriations Committee.
Fleischmann, re-elected to a second term on Nov. 6, is one of six new members appointed to the powerful committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. The appointments were approved by the House Republican Steering Committee on Thursday.
Fleischmann’s district includes Oak Ridge. In a press release, he said the committee does critical work to ensure that tax revenues from hardworking Americans are spent wisely.
Kern United has alternative gift fair on Saturday
Kern United Methodist Church has an alternative craft fair on Saturday. It starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.
A press release said the fair will offer shoppers the chance to get unique gifts that make a difference; help provide income, hope, and dignity for some of the world’s poorest people; provide stewardship of the Earth’s resources; and support local and global programs that change lives.
Report: Man evades arrest, drives on sidewalk, backs toward officer
An Oak Ridge man fleeing from undercover agents at Walgreens on Tuesday allegedly drove on the sidewalk and accelerated backward toward a police investigator, forcing the officer to run between two vehicles to avoid being hit, according to Anderson County court records.
The alleged driver, Frederick R. Black, 28, of West Pasadena Lane, has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of evading arrest. He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility on Thursday, and his bond has been set at $500,000.
Oak Ridge school superintendent search down to three finalists
Two candidates have dropped out, and the five-month search for a new Oak Ridge schools superintendent is down to three finalists.
They are:
- Dan Lawson, superintendent of Tullahoma City Schools in Tullahoma, Tenn.;
- Neyland Clark, superintendent of South Harrison Community Schools in Corydon, Ind.; and
- Roger Collins, superintendent of Nelson County Public Schools in Lovingston, Va.
The Oak Ridge Board of Education had scheduled interviews with five finalists. Those interviews, which lasted a total of eight to 10 hours, began Friday and continued Tuesday and Wednesday.
Children’s Museum Gala features Jamaican dinner, steel drums
Vere Henry, arranger and director of Carib Sounds, from the Caribbean island of Antigua. (Submitted photo)
The 11th annual gala at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Dec. 7 will feature the flavors and rhythms of Jamaica.
The evening will feature a steel drum band, a Jamaican meal, auctions, the Oak Ridge High School Chorus, and an ORHS String Quartet.
The gala, which starts at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, will benefit the Children’s Museum. This year’s theme is “Jamaica: Rhythm ‘n Paradise,” a press release said.
Guests will be entertained by the steel drum band Carib Sounds and island dancers, the press release said.
Holiday Craft Fair at Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday
Ceramic artist Linda Sullivan, an Oak Ridge resident and member of the Foothills Craft Guild, is one of the artists who will be featured at the ORUUC Craft Fair on Sunday. (Submitted photo)
The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will have a Holiday Craft Fair on Sunday.
It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the ORUUC Social Hall, a press release said.
“A longtime community favorite, the ORUUC Holiday Craft Fair has become a source of inspiration and a place of diversity and discovery in selecting those ‘only one of its kind’ gifts for those special people on one’s holiday gift list,” the release said.
The Craft Fair will feature the work of some of the region’s finest artists who work with glass, ceramic, wood, quilts, and other hand-sewn items, the release said. Photographs will be available for purchase.
TVA high-voltage line fails, falls into city power lines
A 161-kV Tennessee Valley Authority transmission line failed Wednesday morning and fell into 13,200-volt city power lines below it, knocking out power to 154 customers in west Oak Ridge for four hours. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Electric Department)
A high-voltage Tennessee Valley Authority power line came loose and fell into Oak Ridge power lines below it Wednesday morning, and about 154 customers on the west end of town lost electricity for roughly four hours.
But power was restored to all customers just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, said Margaret Elgin, Oak Ridge Electric Department engineering manager.
Elgin said a 161-kilovolt TVA transmission line failed in a wooded area near Bear Creek Road in west Oak Ridge at about 9 a.m. Wednesday. As a result, a conductor came loose, and the line fell into 13,200-volt city electrical lines below it.
Elgin said there was no threat to public safety during the line failure or power outage.
