Oak Ridge Today

Three taken to UT hospital after three car, head-on collision

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Three Car Collision on Oliver Springs Highway

Three people were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after a three-car, head-on collision on Oliver Springs Highway on Thursday evening, and a fourth person was taken to a local hospital. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A head-on collision that involved three cars on Oliver Springs Highway on Thursday evening sent two drivers and a passenger to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and a third driver to a local hospital, authorities said.

The accident occurred at 5:53 p.m. Thursday when a Toyota 4-Runner driven by Danny Bean, 55, of Clinton, crossed the center line, causing a head-on collision with a Hyundai Elantra driven by Alberta Farrer, 56, of Clinton, according to information from the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

A third vehicle driven by Travis Gallaher, 19, of Oliver Springs, was behind Farrer, headed toward Oliver Springs. Gallaher swerved left to avoid the crash but collided with Farrer’s car.

Farrer and a passenger, Pat Smith, 62, also of Clinton, were flown by medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the accident report said. Bean, the first driver, was taken by ambulance to the UT hospital, and Gallaher was taken to a local hospital by a personal vehicle.

The accident occurred near Anderson Memorial Gardens on Oliver Springs Highway, which is also known as State Route 61.

Emergency responders from several local agencies responded. The accident is being investigated by THP Trooper Anthony Lay.

New pavilion erected at Oak Ridge Marina

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Melton Lake Park Pavilion

Construction workers erect a pavilion this week on the city’s waterfront at Melton Lake Park.

A few weeks after the old pavilion was removed, construction workers have started erecting a new pavilion at Melton Lake Park.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has hired Rich Construction of Lenoir City to build the 2,300-square-foot pavilion at the Oak Ridge Marina.

The pavilion is in the same spot as the old 880-square-foot picnic shelter that was between the playground and the Melton Lake Greenway. The picnic shelter was torn down in late September.

The $159,000 pavilion could be used for rowing and community events. The Oak Ridge City Council awarded a construction contract for it in May.

It’s the second major step in a waterfront development plan approved by City Council in December 2009. The first was the paving of the parking lot at Elza Gate Park.

Rich Construction began site work for the new pavilion in early October. The pavilion itself has arrived and is now under construction on the city’s waterfront, offering “exceptional views of Melton Hill Lake and the Oak Ridge rowing course,” a city press release said.

Construction could be completed sometime in late November, depending upon the weather, the press release said.

The city asked the public to use caution in the park while the pavilion is under construction.

The hexagonal, prefabricated picnic pavilion will include a metal roof, ceiling lighting, and a low stone wall with electrical outlets. It’s designed to serve as a “signature facility” that sets the theme for future waterfront development.

Funding for the proposed pavilion comes from a $140,000 donation from UT-Battelle, which manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and from savings that result from staff turnover in the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, the city staff said.

The park is used by rowers, runners, walkers, bikers, and families.

For more information, contact the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department at (865) 425-3450 or visit the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.

No one injured in small home fire on Cove Lane

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Cove Lane Fire

Firefighter Gary Williamson, left, and Capt. Jason Benjamin of the Oak Ridge Fire Department respond to a call for help at a Cove Lane home north of Oliver Springs on Wednesday morning. (Photos by Tom Scott)

No one was injured in a small fire in a two-story home on Cove Lane north of Oliver Springs on Wednesday morning, said Josh Waldo, Oak Ridge assistant fire chief.

Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the fire at about 11 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a call for help, but the Oliver Springs Fire Department had extinguished the flames by the time Oak Ridge firefighters arrived.

The home is in the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department district, and Marlow firefighters responded, as did emergency responders from several other local agencies.

Waldo said no one was home at the time of the fire, which was in the home’s dining room.

Oak Ridge Fire Department at Cove Lane

Oak Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo, left, and Oliver Springs Assistant Chief Justin Bailey, right, meet with Oak Ridge firefighters Andrew Murray, left center, and Steven Hales, right center. Murray and Hales started with the Oak Ridge Fire Department on Monday.

Monday forum on homelessness in Anderson County

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A Monday afternoon forum at the Oak Ridge Jewish Congregation will focus on homelessness in Anderson County.

The speaker will be Rick Morrow, executive director of the United Way of Anderson County. He will address the question, “Is there really a homeless problem in Anderson County?”

The community forum starts at 2 p.m., and it’s sponsored by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue, a press release said.

The release said 31 people were identified as unsheltered homeless in Anderson County in January 2012. Another 20 people were in shelters, and 34 more were “precariously housed” and almost homeless. That’s a total of 85 people in need of a home, the release said.

The primary causes for homelessness in Anderson County are job losses, a lack of affordable housing, underemployment or low incomes, domestic violence, and substance abuse, the release said.

Monday’s forum is expected to include information about initiatives to address the serious issue of homelessness in the area.

The Oak Ridge Jewish Congregation is at 101 W. Madison Lane.

Woman arrested for punching Clinton cop

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A Lake City woman was arrested late Saturday night after she allegedly punched a Clinton police officer in the face, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Clinton Police Department Officer Shawn Fritz was on patrol Saturday night at around 10:15 p.m. when he spotted a woman later identified as 28-year-old Ashley Bullock walking down North Charles Seivers Boulevard wearing only a T-shirt and blue jeans even though temperatures were only around 50 degrees, WYSH said.

Fritz conducted an unrelated traffic stop a short distance away and when he was finished there, doubled back to check on the woman to make sure she was OK. He located her standing in front of the Git N Go on North Seivers and attempted to make contact with her, the radio station said.

However, as he approached, she started walking away.

According to the arrest report, Fritz followed her, and Bullock stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned to him, saying that she had just gotten out of jail and would not go back. At that point, she allegedly swung at Fritz, hitting him on the left side of his face near the eye with her fist, WYSH said.

Fritz took her to the ground and placed her under arrest on a charge of assault, the radio station said. She was taken back to the Anderson County Jail, from where she had been released less than half an hour before Fritz first saw her walking along the side of the road.

The incident was witnessed by two people and statements were obtained, WYSH said. Bullock has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 2004.

This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.

Award-winning string quartet plays Saturday

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Tesla Quartet

The Tesla Quartet will play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

The award-winning Tesla Quartet will play at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The quartet will perform Gyorgy Ligeti’s “Andante and Allegretto” and Carter Pann’s “String Quartet No. 1: Love Letters.”

Korean-born clarinetist Wonkak Kim, a music faculty member at Tennessee Tech University, will join the quartet to play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings.”

It’s the second concert of the season in the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s 2012-13 Chamber Music Series. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

ORCMA said the young quartet won a gold medal at the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and third prize in the 2012 London International String Quartet Competition. A quartet-in-residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the group has performed in Austria, Canada, and England, as well as the United States.

The quartet formed at the Juilliard School in 2008, quickly establishing itself as one of the most promising young ensembles in New York, the press release said. Quartet members are violinists Ross Snyder and Michelle Lie, violist Megan Mason, and cellist Kimberly Patterson.

Wonkak Kim

Clarinetist Wonkak Kim, a faculty member at Tennessee Tech University, will play with the Tesla Quartet at Pollard Auditorium on Saturday. (Submitted photo)

The Tesla Quartet’s performances have been praised as “technically superb,” “full of urgency, color and subtle dynamics,” and as “a master class in quartet technique,” the release said.

It said Kim has captivated audiences around the globe. He has received praise from reviewers for “excellent breath control and fine command of his instrument,” “lyrical musicality and supple tone,” and “impressive range.” Since his solo debut in 2007 with the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic, Kim has performed in hundreds of venues on four continents.

The Tennessee Arts Commission is a co-sponsor of this and other ORCMA Chamber Series concerts.

For ticket information, visit the ORCMA website at www.orcma.org or call the ORCMA office at (865) 483-5569. A reserved seat ticket costs $25 ($12 for students).

Becky Ball’s program notes for the concert are on the ORCMA website, and the Tesla’s website is www.teslaquartet.com.

Entries accepted Friday, Saturday for amateur photo display at Y-12

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Camera Club of Oak Ridge at New Hope Center

Gallery at New Hope Center (Photo by Alice Reed)

Amateur photographers can have their artwork displayed starting Monday at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex.

The Camera Club of Oak Ridge has invited photographers from across East Tennessee to bring their artwork to New Hope Center on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning for possible inclusion in the display.

Entries will be judged starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, the Camera Club of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

The release said prints can be in color or black and white. All prints should be mounted on 16”x20” foamcore board.

Entry forms and labels are required. They can be found on the Camera Club’s website at oakridgecameraclub.org, along with instructions and rules.

Photographers who want to enter their work should bring it to the New Hope Center between noon and 5 p.m. Friday or from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. New Hope Center is open to the public near the main entrance to Y-12 on Scarboro Road.

Photographers and the public can watch the Saturday afternoon judging, but they cannot comment or participate in any way, the release said.

The Camera Club will have a Gallery Walk and Meet the Artist reception at New Hope Center from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9.

For more information about submitting artwork or attending the exhibition, call the Salon Chairman at (865) 482–3296.

Trio charged with aggravated robbery after alleged pistol-whipping

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Three Oak Ridge men have been charged with especially aggravated robbery after a Kingsley Road man was allegedly beaten in the head with a pistol during a drug deal and robbed of $250 on Tuesday afternoon, court records said.

Two of the men were buying Oxycontin at the Kingsley Road home when Nathaniel Tyhiene Johnson, 24, of Bettis Lane, allegedly attacked the victim and beat him in the head with a Raven .25-caliber pistol, Oak Ridge Police Officer Leslie A. Miller said in affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

The victim was treated for serious injuries at Methodist Medical Center and released.

Police found the pistol and a black hoodie and bandana used during the robbery in a black Cadillac on Hillside Road, the affidavits said.

The affidavits said the robbery and attack were allegedly planned by Andre Dominique Fritts, 26, of Wabash Lane, and Bobby Joseph Winn, 25, of Highland Ave., dropped off Johnson near the home “in order to commit the assault and robbery,” court records said.

Fritts, Johnson, and Winn remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility on Thursday morning. Bond has been set at $250,000 for Johnson, and at $500,000 for Fritts and Winn.

Initial court appearances have been set for Nov. 8.

Council candidates say city’s cost, housing, revenues are top issues

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Note: This story was updated at 2:03 p.m.

Early voting for the Nov. 6 election ends today, and the ballot includes five candidates running for three seats on Oak Ridge City Council.

The five candidates were asked to define the city’s biggest problem during a League of Women Voters forum last month. Two named revenues, one mentioned housing, another talked about repopulating the city as the original generation ages, and the last said the city is too expensive.

The five candidates are the three incumbents—Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, and Ellen Smith—and two challengers, Trina Baughn and Kelly Callison. [Read more…]

DOE inspector finds no evidence of cheating, but questions testimony

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Federal investigators found no evidence that WSI Oak Ridge tried to cheat on a test at the Y-12 National Security Comple this summer, but they also questioned the credibility of contractors who testified that there was no intent to cheat.

A copy of the test was found in a WSI Oak Ridge patrol vehicle on Aug. 29, one day before it was scheduled to be given to security guards. It was part of an inspection by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Health, Safety and Security that followed the July 28 security breach at Y-12.

In a special report this month, U.S. Department of Energy Inspector General Gregory H. Friedman said the test, as well as answers to test questions, had been distributed to many WSI Oak Ridge employees, including captains, lieutenants, and security police officers, “the very people whose knowledge was to have been evaluated.” At best, Friedman said, the transmission, review, and distribution of the test demonstrated a lack of due care and negligence.

[Read more…]

Andersonville Fire Department to become subscription-based

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The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department says it will switch to a subscription-based operation beginning Jan. 1 due to a lack of funds, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Fire Chief Jeff Bagwell says that a financial analysis of the department showed that if it did not change its operating plan, it would have to close down within three years, the radio station said.

The AVFD serves about 9,000 residents in a 68-square-mile area that also includes almost 60 businesses, four schools, several marinas, and an industrial park, WYSH said.

Memberships will be voluntary, and the subscription cost will be based upon the size of the home or business at a rate of eight cents per square foot. Officials estimate that the annual subscriptions will range from $150 to $200 but will be tax-deductible.

Currently, a very small percentage of homes and an even smaller percentage of businesses contribute to the department, WYSH said. After March 1, 2013, the department will begin charging non-subscribers for responding to the scene of a fire or an emergency medical call.

WYSH said Bagwell is scheduled to be a guest on the radio station’s “Ask Your Neighbor” show in a couple of weeks, and they plan to discuss the issue with him.

Andersonville is an unincorporated community in northeast Anderson County.

This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.

Register by Thursday for UT Arboretum Society annual dinner

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Andy Pulte

Andy Pulte

Reservations are due by Thursday for an annual dinner and auction with the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

The Nov. 13 dinner will feature keynote speaker Andy Pulte, radio host on WNOX and University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences gardening expert, a press release said.

The dinner and silent auction start at 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at The Elks Club, 684 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. The public is invited, and the cost is $25 per person, the press release said.

The release said Pulte is one of the hosts of “The Garden Guy” with Sue Hamilton on WNOX’s “Garden Talk,” a weekly radio show on from 8 a.m. to 9 .m. Saturdays.

His topic for the UT Arboretum Society dinner and auction is “Backgrounds and Borders Design Theory and New Plants for Everyone.”

“Paying attention to the specific emotions plant colors evoke is important,” Pulte said in the release. “Colors can be beautiful in peaceful, happy, relaxing, invigorating and even sad ways. The colors you ultimately choose for a garden should reflect the mood you want to express.”

He will also discuss using a set of newer or unusual plants you should consider adding to your landscape this year.

The press release said Pulte grew up in the nursery industry in Grand Island, Neb. He received his bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee in the area of public horticulture.

He has worked at the National Arbor Day Foundation in the education department and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb. He contributes to several gardening publications, speaks regularly to diverse groups, and travels extensively to feed his passion for people and plants, the press release said.

The Nov. 13 dinner and auction will begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour (cash bar) and silent auction followed by a buffet dinner at 7 p.m., then a brief business meeting and Pulte’s presentation. Silent actions items include fine crafts, gifts certificates, art, wine and accessories, hard tools, and more, the release said.

For more information on the Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, call (865) 482-9096 or send an e-mail to patrow@comcast.net. Cash or checks only will be accepted at the door.

To learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org.