Oak Ridge Today

Friends of Haw Ridge proposes bike skills area on Edgemoor

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Haw Ridge Bike Skills Area

Steve Dittner, president of Friends of Haw Ridge, talks about plans to build a bike skills area on unfinished soccer fields off Edgemoor Road in Oak Ridge.

A city board has recommended that horses be banned from Haw Ridge Park for now, and a nonprofit organization that helps maintain the park wants to build a bike skills area on an abandoned, unfinished soccer field off Edgemoor Road.

Friends of Haw Ridge expects to vote on a plan for the bike skills area on June 28, said Steve Dittner, the organization’s president. The plan could then be presented to the city.

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Music this weekend at Throttle Down Bar and Grill

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Rollin 7 and Kudzu will play music this weekend at Throttle Down Bar and Grill.

The Rollin 7 show starts at 9:30 p.m. Friday, and Kudzu performs at the same time on Saturday.

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Paul Garrett

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Paul Garrett

Paul Garrett

Paul Garrett, age 87, of Oak Ridge, passed away Tuesday, June 19, at his home.

He was born January 20, 1925, in the Cartecay community of Ellijay in Gilmer County, Ga., the son of William B. and Mary L. Anderson Garrett.

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More than 100 tickets issued under new parking ordinance

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About 140 tickets have been issued since the grace period ended on a new city ordinance that prohibits parking on curbs and sidewalks, a city official said today.

The tickets have been issued all over the city, many to vehicle owners who have parked with their cars facing against the flow of traffic, Oak Ridge Police Chief James Akagi said early this afternoon.

“It’s so visible,” Akagi said. “It’s such a dangerous violation.”

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DOE drafts $17.5M plan to preserve K-25 history

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All of the K-25 building would be demolished under a draft agreement issued by the U.S. Department of Energy last week, but a replica equipment building would be erected as part of a plan to honor the history of the massive uranium enrichment plant.

The replica building would have three stories and a basement, and it would display equipment used to enrich uranium through a process called gaseous diffusion.

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Donald Ray Hammitt

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Donald Ray Hammitt

Donald Ray Hammitt

Donald Ray Hammitt, 72, of Oak Ridge, died on June 17, 2012.

He was born in Corinth, Mississippi, on October 3, 1939, to parents J.E. and Mary Morgan and was a veteran with the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam.

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Larry Seiber

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Larry Seiber, age 58, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Saturday, June 16, 2012, at his home.

Larry was born September 3, 1953 in Oliver Springs. He is a lifelong resident of this area.

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Wanda June Lyon

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Wanda June Lyon, age 60, a resident of Oliver Springs, passed away Saturday, June 16, 2012, at her home.

Wanda was born June 25, 1951, in Muskegon, Mich.. She has lived in Oliver Springs since 2000.

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Jerry Ridenour

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Jerry Ridenour, age 65 of Clinton, Tenn., passed away Sunday, June 17, 2012 at his residence.

Jerry was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and he loved being with his grandchildren. He enjoyed motorcycles, going to the river, where he loved to fish, and spending time in the family’s cabin.

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Man charged with rape, kidnapping of 16-year-old girl

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A 19-year-old Oak ridge man was arrested Friday after he allegedly drove a 16-year-old girl to his home on West Outer Drive, punched her, forced her into his home, and raped her before threatening to possibly kill her, Anderson County court records said.

Marvin J. Slater has been charged with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, assault, and coercion of a witness. He remained in the Anderson County jail on Tuesday afternoon, and his bond has been set at $500,000.

Slater faces a June 26 hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

According to court records, the girl said Slater had been giving her a ride home from a friend’s house when he stopped by his West Outer Drive home. When she refused to go into Slater’s house, he allegedly punched her on the arms and face and pushed and pulled her from the car and into the house, an affidavit said.

He is also accused of assaulting her in the bedroom, but the girl stopped resisting when she saw a handgun on Slater’s dresser, the records said.

The girl told Oak Ridge Police Officer John Criswell that Slater warned her that “he better not hear about this (rape) or he was going to kill her.”

The affidavit said the girl had a bruise on her leg and a cut on her lip.

Anderson commissioners approve no-tax-increase budget

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After weeks of wrangling, a budget standoff between Anderson County officials and the sheriff was quickly resolved Monday as county commissioners voted 13-0 to approve a budget that doesn’t include a tax increase but sets aside money for more jailers.

The goal was to give Anderson County Sheriff Paul White a total of 13 jailers so he can open a new 128-bed minimum security dormitory this summer. After a tax hike last year, county officials didn’t want to raise the property tax rate again this year.

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Republican Party invites candidates to meeting tonight

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Candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Anderson County Commission have been asked to speak at an Anderson County Republican Party meeting tonight.

That meeting, the last general monthly meeting before the Aug. 2 election, starts at 7 p.m. at 103 Jefferson Ave.

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