Oak Ridge Today

TBI: Knoxville man arrested after threatening former Rockwood mayor

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Thomas Pierce

Thomas Pierce

A Knoxville man was arrested Friday after he made threats against a former mayor of Rockwood and was found with several guns in his vehicle, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Saturday.

TBI special agents helped the Rockwood Police Department and the Ninth District Attorney General’s office investigate threats made by Thomas William Pierce, 59, against a former Rockwood mayor, a press release said.

Ninth District Attorney General Russell Johnson asked the TBI to help, the press release said.

Pierce is a former long-time Rockwood city employee, and he is set to go on trial in Roane County for theft of money from the City of Rockwood, the TBI said. [Read more…]

Dr. William Culbert to discuss Affordable Care Act on Aug. 22

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William Culbert

William Culbert

William Culbert Jr., MD, a family practice physician who is an advocate of the Affordable Care Act, will be the guest speaker at the Monday, August 22, dinner meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The club meets at 6 p.m. in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Dr. Culbert will speak on “Progress with the Affordable Care Act and Next Step.”

Culbert has written several guest newspaper columns supporting the Affordable Care Act and the comprehensive health insurance reforms that the federal law, also known as Obamacare, brings.

Board certified in family practice medicine, Culbert has been a physician with Covenant Health Systems in Anderson County for 17 years. He is a 1996 graduate of Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, Tennessee, receiving his MD degree. [Read more…]

Youth soccer: Equally rewarding for adult volunteers

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Youth Soccer

The blossoming growth of youth soccer in the United States is creating demand for more and more adult volunteers. (Submitted photo)

 

Reminder: Register for fall AYSO soccer from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, August 4

The blossoming growth of youth soccer in the United States is creating demand for more and more adult volunteers.  Oak Ridge is no exception—as the local American Youth Soccer Association (AYSO) Region is always looking for more volunteers to help grow its youth soccer programs.

AYSO is an all-volunteer organization, with parents, kids, and friends of AYSO working together as coaches, players, referees, and administrators. It’s not unusual to find two, three, or more children in the same family playing AYSO soccer—while Dad serves as a referee and Mom as coach. It can be a family experience like no other that gets everyone outside together.

But here in Oak Ridge, AYSO’s volunteers go well beyond family members. Having seen their children grow up successfully participating in youth sports, many parents whose kids have gone on to college or beyond are still volunteering to help the next generation of youth. [Read more…]

Anderson County Democratic Party Headquarters now open

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Anderson County Democratic Headquarters July 2016

Anderson County Democratic Party Headquarters is pictured above at 136 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The Anderson County Democratic Party celebrated the grand opening of its headquarters at 136 South Illinois Avenue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, a press release said. The headquarters are in the former Polaris Travel Building.

After the ribbon cutting, there was a watch party for the historic acceptance speech of Hillary Clinton, the press release said.

“We had such a large turnout, that headquarters couldn’t hold everyone, and some of the people met at Swifty’s across the street to watch it,” the release said. “The party headquarters will become the one-stop shop for all matters related to Team Hillary 2016.”

Among those attending were Melody Shekari, a candidate for the United States House of Representatives Third District and Herman Collins, write-in candidate for State Representative for the 33rd District. [Read more…]

Temporary road closures at Melton Hill Recreation Area

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The Tennessee Valley Authority will be making road and parking improvements at Melton Hill Recreation Area, some of which will require changes in traffic patterns during the work, a press release said.

Beginning Saturday, August 6, TVA crews will be conducting road and parking improvements along Melton Hill Dam Road and the recreation access road off Highway 95.

The work will take place daily from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m., weather permitting. [Read more…]

In child abuse case, police allegedly find drugs, knives; dog urine, feces; roaches, dirty dishes

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Jordan Tyler Etheridge and Honey Lee Hook July 2016

Jordan Tyler Etheridge, left, and Honey Lee Hook are pictured above. (Photos by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

An Oak Ridge man and woman were charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect after police conducting a welfare check on North Hollywood Circle on Saturday allegedly found drugs, paraphernalia, and several knives lying where a small child could reach them; dog urine and feces in several spots on the floor; roaches and dirty dishes with mold and bugs throughout the home; no running water that an officer could find; and a large bucket of dirty water in the middle of the floor, court records said.

The bathroom toilet was full of human waste, and there was a “foul odor throughout the residence,” according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

There were several small individual wrapped plastic baggies lying in plain sight on the living room floor, and some had a green leafy substance inside that looked and smelled like marijuana and several had a white powdery substance inside them, packaged for resale, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Sherrill Selby said in the warrants. There were two spoons with a white powder substance on them lying on a television stand, Selby said.

The home is within 1,000 feet of the playground of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, making it a drug-free school zone, the warrants said. [Read more…]

ORHS cross country team, boosters have pancake breakfast on Saturday

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Oak Ridge High School cross country seniors 2016

The Oak Ridge High School cross country seniors are pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge High School cross country seniors, along with the rest of the team and the Booster Club, have their annual pancake breakfast on Saturday.

The public is invited. The pancake breakfast is from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, August 6, at First United Methodist Church.

Tickets are $5 each and are available from any team member or at the door. The money raised will help with travel and other team needs throughout the season.

Roane State Shooting Sports Team athletes earn state honors

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Roane State Shooting Team

The Roane State Shooting Sports Team competed in June in the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program Championships. From left are team member Andy Carey, Assistant Coach Kevin Hembree, team member Lauren Sanders, Assistant Coach James Wattenbarger, team member Nathan Hembree, Head Coach Kenny Carey, team member Nathan Wattenbarger, and team member Cody Chattin. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Roane State Community College Shooting Sports Team athletes won top honors in the collegiate division at the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program Championships in June in Nashville.

Lauren Sanders of Soddy Daisy won first place in sporting clays and second place in skeet. Andy Carey of Crossville won first place in sporting clays. Nathan Hembree of Crossville won second place in skeet and third place in trap.

Nate Wattenbarger of Crossville and Cody Chattin of Spring City also competed for Roane State.

Coaches Kevin Hembree, James Wattenbarger, and Kenny Carey said they were “very proud of the entire team for their efforts and excellent marksmanship.” [Read more…]

Baby’s Best Fest celebrates World Breastfeeding Month

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Best-Fest-2015-Group

Community members gather to show their support for breastfeeding during the 2015 Baby’s Best Fest. This year’s event will take place on Aug. 4 at the A.K. Bissell Park playground. (Photo by MMC)

 

By Kelly Goodman/Covenant Health

Like ice cream and a summer day, some things are just made for each other. That’s how we feel about breastfeeding. Breast milk is made especially for babies, and the staff at Methodist Medical Center and the Family Birthing Center want to encourage all new mothers to consider breastfeeding for your baby’s best health and development.

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Month, Methodist Medical Center, the Anderson County Health Department, and La Leche League will host Baby’s Best Fest, a free event featuring a family ice cream social, children’s activities, community resources, and more. Baby’s Best Fest will take place Thursday, August 4, from 6-7 p.m. at the A.K. Bissell Park Playground, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“Breastfeeding is about making it work for you and your baby for an extended time,” says Cher Stallings (RN, BSN, IBCLC, CCE), International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center. “So many mothers start out breastfeeding, but as they return to work or get caught up in a busy home life, they may give up breastfeeding earlier than they would ideally like. For some women, it’s a lack of support from family. For others, it’s a lack of tools or knowledge.” [Read more…]

Roane State students construct turtle habitat in Costa Rica

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Roane State costa_rica_class

As part of their study abroad service learning class, Roane State students constructed a turtle habitat for ASVO, a conservation organization in Costa Rica. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Sixteen Roane State Community College students traveled to Costa Rica this summer to build a sea turtle nursery, give needed school supplies to elementary school children, help teach English to college students, and immerse themselves in a foreign culture.

The students were part of a Roane State study abroad service learning class. The class has been offered for the past eight years and gives students the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica and earn college credit in business or education.

Costa Rica is home to four species of sea turtles. Roane State students constructed a nursery that will protect turtle eggs from poachers, tourists, and other harmful elements. The eggs are monitored around the clock until they hatch. [Read more…]

Training session on new overtime rules for businesses on Aug. 30

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College is offering a training session on “Navigating the New Overtime Rules” on August 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The cost to attend is $10, which includes lunch.

The training session is offered in partnership with The University of Tennessee-PTAC, Strategic Consulting Solutions, and Bass, Berry and Sims. [Read more…]

Free small business start-up seminar on Aug. 26

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College is offering a free training session on “How to start a small business” on August 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The workshop is held at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

To register, call (865) 483-2668 or email jbangs@tsbdc.org.