Oak Ridge Today

Roane crash leads to alleged carjacking

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Information from WYSH Radio

Authorities in Roane County spent part of Tuesday searching for a man suspected of carjacking another motorist after crashing his own car earlier in the day.

Authorities responded to the scene of a one-vehicle crash on Old Harriman Highway shortly after 7:45 a.m. Tuesday and found the two passengers—Randall Rhodey of Clinton and David Russo of Oak Ridge—suffering from injuries. They were taken to Methodist Medical Center for treatment of those injuries. The driver of the car, however, was not immediately located as he had already fled the area by the time officers arrived. [Read more…]

Three seniors at ORHS, one at ACHS named National Merit semifinalists

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Three seniors at Oak Ridge High School and one at Anderson County High School have been named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program. The students have a chance to continue competing from some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring.

The semifinalists at Oak Ridge High School are Lara S. Blokland, Abigail Greenhalgh, and Logan B. Rumbaugh.

The semifinalist at Anderson County High School is Robert J. Spurling.

There are other students from 10 Knoxville-area high school who were also named semifinalists, including from Farragut High School, Grace Christian Academy, Hardin Valley Academy, and Bearden High School, Knoxville Catholic, and Webb. [Read more…]

Drop off household hazardous waste in Oak Ridge on Saturday, Sept. 17

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You can drop off household hazardous waste in Oak Ridge on Saturday, September 17.

The collection will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex at 100 Woodbury Lane, behind the Kmart shopping center.

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection is sponsored by Anderson County Solid Waste Management and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. It’s a state-sponsored event and open to any Tennessee resident. Residents of other counties are also welcome, a press release said.

Household hazardous waste is considered to be anything generated in the home that has a hazardous property. A material is considered hazardous if it is flammable, corrosive, toxic, or reactive with heat or contact with metals.

Household hazardous waste material is considered flammable, toxic, reactive, and/or corrosive, and should not be placed with regular garbage. Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent lamps, lithium and button batteries, aerosols, adhesives, medications, brake fluid, swimming pool chemicals, paint thinner, and used needles in sturdy containers. [Read more…]

Clinton Driver Services Center closed Thursday, moved to Oak Ridge on Monday

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The Clinton Driver Services Center was scheduled to close at the end of the business day on Thursday, September 8, and re-open in Oak Ridge on Monday, September 12.

The move was announced by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

The new location is at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

The Clinton Driver Services Center is located at 704 North Charles G. Sievers Boulevard in Clinton. It was scheduled to stop serving customers at the close of business this past Thursday. The new Oak Ridge facility was scheduled to be open for business this Monday (September 12). [Read more…]

Sister City makes major contribution to Friendship Bell Pavilion, Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization

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Masami Kinefuchi, second from right, Consul-General of Japan based in Nashville, represented Japan as the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization celebrated the 25th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Naka-shi, Japan. At the celebration, Alan Tatum, left, and Pat Postma, second from left, received a check for almost $10,000 from Naka for the International Friendship Bell’s new Peace Pavilion. With them is Shigeki Uppuluri, who was instrumental in bringing the bell to Oak Ridge and serves with Tatum and Postma on the Citizens Advisory Committee raising funds for the new pavilion. (Submitted photo)

 

Naka-shi, Japan, Oak Ridge’s sister city for 25 years, recently made a major contribution for the newly designed Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell in Bissell Park.

Residents of the City of Naka contributed almost $10,000 for the new Peace Pavilion when an Oak Ridge Sister City delegation visited the Japanese city this summer. Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn accepted the check on behalf of Oak Ridge.

Chinn presented the check to Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee, at the August welcome reception for Naka-shi students and chaperones celebrating the sister cities’ 25th anniversary. The advisory committee is spearheading the fundraising campaign for the Peace Pavilion and plans to formally kick off the campaign in November.

Masami Kinefuchi, Consul-General of Japan based in Nashville, spoke at the Jefferson Middle School reception hosted by the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization, welcoming guests from Japan and representing Japan during the ceremonies. He said he hoped Oak Ridge would be the home of the international friendship between Japan and the United States. [Read more…]

Roane State EMT student awarded Colton Stout Memorial Scholarship

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Zachary Kennedy (left) is the recipient of the 2016 Colton Stout Memorial Scholarship established by Tracy Stout-Powers (right). (Photo by RSCC)

 

Roane State Community College emergency medical technician student Zachary Kennedy of Andersonville has received the 2016 Colton Stout Memorial Scholarship.

Kennedy, a firefighter with the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department and a certified nursing assistant at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, is studying EMT this fall. He plans to complete advanced EMT training in the spring and then enroll in the college’s paramedic program.

Kennedy said his long-term goal is to become a critical care paramedic and work for UT Lifestar. The $1,500 annual scholarship, Kennedy said, has provided needed assistance with the cost of his education. [Read more…]

Cleanup at Worthington Cemetery scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24

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Prairie Rosinweed at Worthington Cemetery: Clean-up volunteers enjoy the bird deck at Worthington Cemetery in 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and Tennessee Valley Authority will partner again to clean up in the Worthington Cemetery area, near Elza Gate Park, on Saturday, September 24.

The cleanup is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. September 24 in the Worthington Cemetery area, which is on the Melton Hill Reservoir. It is classified as an ecological study area, or ESA.

This has become an annual National Public Lands Day celebration, with a complimentary noon pizza lunch for volunteers, a press release said. There are new bird boxes and bat boxes, thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the press release said.

Ann Worthington, family historian for the Worthingtons, will talk about the Worthingtons, who lived here and are buried here, along with their slaves, the press release said. [Read more…]

Like what we’re doing? Subscribe to Oak Ridge Today

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If you appreciate what we do here at Oak Ridge Today, please consider becoming a voluntary subscriber. You don’t have to subscribe to read our stories, but your contribution will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can.

We currently offer three subscription levels: $5, $10, or $25 per month. We accept payments through PayPal. You can also send check payments to our P.O. box. Please visit our subscription page for information on these options.

There isn’t currently a difference between the three monthly subscription levels. It’s mostly a matter of what you can contribute or want to contribute. We believe that most of our subscribers support us because they like what we’re doing and want to see us succeed. [Read more…]

Dine & Donate, which helps ADFAC, is Monday, Sept. 12

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Dine & Donate is Monday, September 12. Participating restaurants are Burchfield’s, Gallo Loco (shown in photo), Gondolier in Clinton, Hoskins, Mediterranean Delight, and Razzleberry’s. Each of these restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. (Submitted photo)

 

Dine & Donate is Monday, September 12.

Participating restaurants are Burchfield’s, Gallo Loco, Gondolier in Clinton, Hoskins, Mediterranean Delight, and Razzleberry’s. Each of these restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

Dine and Donate is a year-long event, with different restaurants participating on the second Monday of each month.

For a full calendar of restaurants and list of sponsors, please visit www.adfac.org. [Read more…]

Taste of Anderson County, a fundraiser for United Way, is this week

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The Eighth Annual Taste of Anderson County is next week. It’s scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, September 15, in the Jackson Square parking lot. (Photo via United Way of Anderson County/Eighth Annual Taste of Anderson County on Facebook)

 

The Eighth Annual Taste of Anderson County is this week. It’s scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, September 15, in the Jackson Square parking lot.

It’s a fundraiser for United way of Anderson County.

“United Way of Anderson County is thrilled to invite the community to this event, which will feature delicious local food, live music, and free family entertainment including a magic show and balloon animals,” a press release said.

Among the local restaurants offering sample food will be The Soup Kitchen, Swifty’s, Crossroads Coffee, Aubrey’s, and more, the press release said. Tickets are $1, and all food samples will be available for two tickets each.

“This year, we also have an amazing selection of wine, beer, and moonshine tastings,” the press release said. Tasters will be able to vote for their favorite drinks, or simply enjoy an exclusive cocktail, available at the bar. [Read more…]

Last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge, mayor says; read presentation here

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Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This is a lightly edited version of a presentation that Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch gave to the East Tennessee Economic Council on Friday, September 9.

It is a pleasure for me to be here this morning as I begin my 22nd month as mayor and to share my thoughts about the positive direction of our city, and why that is important to you and your companies. First, I want to thank you for supporting Oak Ridge and investing your time and your money here.

My family and I have lived in Oak Ridge for 23 years. But my law firm, Kramer Rayson, has been involved in one way or another with Oak Ridge from its earliest days when our founding partner, Russell Kramer, received a call from an old friend in Washington. (Gooch tells a story about a telephone call with President Roosevelt.)

By any standard, the last seven days have been great for Oak Ridge and have increased the excitement that is being expressed about the momentum of our city.

First, demolition has accelerated at the old mall as construction for Main Street Oak Ridge ushers in a new and exciting era for our community. The tax increment financing (TIF) loan for Main Street had closed, and so has the loan for the new Marriott hotel that is being built. The importance of Main Street Oak Ridge to the image and self-confidence of our city and the economic vitality of Oak Ridge, Anderson, and Roane counties cannot be overstated. The success of Main Street and the continued redevelopment of our center city’s retail, residential, and commercial properties is my number one priority. We must work hard to maintain this momentum and take full advantage of it in the coming months. If we are successful, it will help you recruit the new workers you require for your businesses.

Second, LeMond Composites announced its licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and that the company is coming to Oak Ridge to manufacture innovative, high-volume, low-cost, carbon fiber in the Horizon Center Industrial Park.

Third, the National Park Service named Kris Kirby as the superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

Haslam to be guest speaker at Anderson Chamber luncheon

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Bill Haslam during Presidential Visit at Pellissippi State

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama to Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9, 2016. (File photo by Rob Welton)

 

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam will be the special guest speaker at a quarterly business luncheon of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.

The luncheon is from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, September 15, at Junior Achievement of East Tennessee at 2135 North Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton.

There is limited seating, and reservations are requested by September 13. Call the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce at (865) 457-2559 for more information.

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