Oak Ridge Today

Project Linus and Haley Farm host Blanket Bee on Saturday

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Project Linus of East Tennessee and the Children’s Defense Fund Haley Farm will host a Blanket Bee on Saturday at Haley Farm in Clinton.

The Blanket Bee is a gathering of friends, family, co-workers, and others to knit, crochet, quilt, sew, or make a no-sew fleece blanket for a child in need, a press release said.

Saturday’s event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The purpose is to make Project Linus blankets, share techniques for making blankets, encourage people to volunteer with Project Linus, and to raise awareness about Project Linus and the Children’s Defense Fund, a press release said.

“The bee will include plenty of demonstrations on making blankets, and visitors can make their own Project Linus bookmark or notecard,” it said.

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Changes at Illinois and Turnpike include new traffic signals

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Cars driving east on Oak Ridge Turnpike could soon be required to stop before turning right onto South Illinois Avenue.

And those vehicles will no longer be able to use the short acceleration lane on South Illinois Avenue, a city press release said.

It’s part of a series of changes that include new traffic signals, pavement markings, and traffic control signs at that busy intersection.

City workers expect to start implementing the changes on Thursday, the city press release said. The new systems are meant to make the intersection safer for pedestrians, but they could be delayed due to bad weather.

For more information, contact the Oak Ridge Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875, City Engineer Steven R. Byrd at (865) 425-1807, or visit the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.

Three charged with drug, gun crimes in OS raid

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Oliver Springs police seized almost 15 pounds of marijuana, several firearms, and drug paraphernalia during a raid at a home on Wilson Road on Sunday night, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

WYSH reported that police found 13 firearms, several boxes of ammunition, two homemade gun silencers, two vehicles, and paraphernalia including scales and assorted equipment that could be used to grow marijuana.

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Y-12 protesters ask for extra month to file motions in federal case

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Attorneys for the three anti-nuclear weapons activists accused of sneaking into the Y-12 National Security Complex have asked for more time to file motions.

The three defendants—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli—have been charged with property destruction, property depredation, and trespassing. They face a Feb. 26 trial in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.

Tuesday was the deadline to file motions in the federal case against them. The activists and their attorneys have asked for an extra month.

In a motion filed Tuesday, the attorneys asked for the deadline to be extended to Nov. 9 because they haven’t finished investigating the “circumstances of this case and therefore cannot yet fully advise the defendants regarding the filing of motions in this matter.”

Walli is represented by Christopher Scott Irwin of Knoxville and William P. Quigley of New Orleans, Rice is represented by Francis L. Lloyd Jr. of Knoxville, and Boertje-Obed is representing himself, although he has the assistance of “elbow counsel,” Knoxville attorney Bobby E. Hutson Jr.

During the July 28 security breach at Y-12, the three activists allegedly spray-painted slogans and splashed human blood on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where bomb-grade uranium is stored.

They have pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against them. They face potential penalties of up to 16 years in jail and $600,000 in fines.

State official: Voter ID not expected to be a problem in Nov. 6 election

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Tre Hargett and John Ragan at Emory Valley Center

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, left, and Rep. John Ragan, right, tour the workshop at Emory Valley Center on Wednesday with David Brooks, Work Training Center coordinator.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett said he doesn’t expect a new voter identification law to be a problem in Tennessee in the Nov. 6 election.

It hasn’t been an issue in two other elections in Tennessee this year, Hargett said after a Wednesday morning tour of the Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge.

He said about 300 people didn’t have photo identifications in the March and August elections, but roughly half of them—or 150 voters—later returned to their local election commissions and presented IDs, which allowed their votes to be counted.

Others might have decided not to come back when they saw that their votes would not have made a difference, even if they had been counted.

The new voter ID law went into effect on Jan. 1. It requires voters to show an ID that includes their name and photograph.

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City board considers home, warehouse demolitions, repairs

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Lawton Road House Fire

A city board on Thursday will consider whether to demolish a Lawton Road duplex that burned this summer. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A city board on Thursday will consider ordering the demolition of a Lawton Road duplex that burned this summer.

The board will also consider ordering the repair or demolition of a warehouse on Tuskegee Drive that has a deteriorated exterior and exposed or open roof.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals will also consider whether to declare one abandoned unit in a duplex on Bettis Lane to be unfit for human occupation or use, and to order that it be repaired.

The board meets at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Municipal Building Training Room.

A meeting agenda said the Bettis Lane duplex unit has been neglected, is extremely unsanitary, and insects and rodents have been observed.

The owners of the Lawton Road duplex are interested in selling their property to the city, the agenda said.

The board is re-hearing the case of the Tuskegee Drive warehouse. Ceiling and roof sheeting and rafters are deteriorated and have been repeatedly exposed to moisture, and there are electrical system hazards and general fire safety violations, the agenda said.

UT Arboretum Society to hold fall plant sale Saturday

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s Fall Plant Sale will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the arboretum.

Proceeds benefit the arboretum at 901 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge.

Four vendors and the UT Arboretum Society will have plants for sale. All sales are cash or check only, a press release said.

“Dr. Will Witte, the Society’s ‘Answer Man,’ will be there to answer all of your plant questions,” the release said.

The release said fall is the best time to add plants to your landscape because milder temperatures and more dependable rainfall allow them to establish a stronger root system, giving them a head start in the spring.

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Secretary of State Hargett joins Rep. Ragan on Anderson County tour

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Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett will tour Anderson County on Wednesday with Rep. John Ragan, stopping at the Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge and at a town hall meeting in Lake City.

The Emory Valley Center tour begins at 11 a.m. The town hall starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Lake City Town Hall,195 South Main Street. It’s hosted by Anderson County commissioners Tim Isbel and Zach Bates. A range of issues will be discussed, from the Nov. 6 election to Tennessee’s business climate, a press release said.

The release said Hargett plans to stop by county libraries and small businesses in Clinton and Lake City as well.

“All Anderson County residents are invited to attend,” the press release said.

Chamber’s Primetime Tailgate Party features area businesses

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is having a networking event for businesses on Thursday.

It’s the second annual Primetime Tailgate Party, and it’s scheduled to run from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

“Last year’s Primetime Tailgate Party was a huge hit among our membership,” said Parker Hardy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce president. “We are pleased to provide this large-scale networking event and to provide an opportunity for people in the community to come find out more about our member businesses.”

More than 70 Chamber member businesses have already reserved exhibit space at this year’s Primetime, a press release said. Participants have been encouraged to come dressed in their favorite team colors and to decorate their display areas with a football tailgate theme.

The evening will include bluegrass music, food, beverages, door prizes, and a few games—”everything you would expect in a tailgate environment,” the release said.

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Oak Ridge Fire Department promotes escape plans during Fire Prevention Month

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department will visit all the elementary and middle schools as well as many day cares during the next few weeks to talk to children about home fire escape plans.

It’s part of the department’s activities during national Fire Prevention Month, Oak Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo said in a press release.

The national fire prevention theme this year is “Have 2 Ways Out.” The release said children will be bringing home information to review with their parents to make sure that they have working smoke alarms, emergency exit plans, two ways out of their homes during a fire, and a safe meeting place.

“It is important to have a home fire escape plan that prepares your family to think fast and get out quickly when the smoke alarm in your home sounds,” the release said. “What if your first escape route is blocked by smoke or flames? That’s why having two ways out is such a key part of your plan.”

The press release said Tennessee routinely ranks in the Top 5 nationally in deaths from residential fires, and the lack of smoke detectors and home exit plans are contributing factors.

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Betty Jean Sawicki

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Betty Jean Sawicki

Betty Jean Sawicki

Betty Jean Sawicki, age 86, of Oak Ridge, died Saturday, October 6, 2012 at Park West Medical Center in Knoxville.

She was born Jan. 21, 1926, in Knoxville, the daughter of Alexas M. and Osa Cox Graham.

Mrs. Sawicki was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She enjoyed sewing and making dolls. Mrs. Sawicki had a great interest in and was instrumental in organizing services for the mentally retarded in Paducah, Ky., as well as in Oak Ridge.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Joseph Michael Sawicki in 2004, and by sisters, Maxine Coward, Helen Rouss, and Peggy Davis.

She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Joseph Sawicki; son, David Sawicki of Greeneville; daughter, Sandy Snyder and her husband Dr. Paul Snyder of Chattanooga; two grandchildren, Renee Everhart and her husband Dr. Todd Everhart of Johnson City, and Paul Snyder III and wife Jennifer of Centerville, Va.; four great-grandchildren, Daniel and Adam Everhart of Johnson City, and Toby and Lucas Snyder of Centerville, Va.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

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Willodean Rogers McNeely

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Willodean Rogers McNeely

Willodean Rogers McNeely

Our mother, Willodean Rogers McNeely, departed this life on Oct. 5 at NHC Oak Ridge.

She was born July 26, 1923, in Graves County, Ky., to Maggie and Ira Atwell Rogers. She was raised there on a farm with numerous brothers and sisters.

She met and ultimately married her high school sweetheart, Billy Joe McNeely. Their marriage lasted almost 70 years and produced two sons, Joe and his wife Patsy of Oak Ridge, and Mike and his wife Teresa of Kingston.

She also leaves three grandsons, Michael, Matthews, and Brett, and adored great-grandchildren, Harleigh, Noah, Cora, and Andrew.

She and her husband came to Oak Ridge in 1943. Willodean was a longtime member of New York Avenue Church of Christ, where she became close friends with Opal, Kathleen, and Midge.

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