Oak Ridge Today

Reward offered in Coalfield murder of Vietnam vet who retired from Boeing, B&W

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Jerry Pete McCarroll

Jerry “Pete” McCarroll. Photo via Facebook/BBB-TV

Family and friends are offering a $10,000 reward for specific information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of Jerry “Pete” McCarroll, a Vietnam veteran and cancer survivor who was retired from Boeing and B&W Clinch River in Oak Ridge, authorities said.

McCarroll was found murdered on April 18 outside of Allied Metal Recovery and Refining on Gouge Hollow Road in the Coalfield area of Morgan County, according to the Office of the District Attorney General in the Ninth Judicial District, which includes Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane counties.

McCarroll worked at Allied Metal Recovery and Refining, a press release said. His body was found at 6:30 a.m. Monday, April 18, and he had been beaten and shot, the press release said. McCarroll was known to carry cash, and the motive may have been robbery, authorities said. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival features something for everyone

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Charlie-Daniels-Band-Secret-City-Festival-2016

The Charlie Daniels Band will headline the Friday night, June 10, concert at the 2016 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The 14th annual Secret City Festival on June 10 and 11 is fast approaching, and it promises great entertainment, music, a World War II battle re-enactment, family fun, arts and crafts, food, historical displays, and much more, a press release said.

The Secret City Festival kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 10, and 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, with full days of fun and exciting events happening on the pavilion stage and around the festival venue. The annual festival is at the Oak Ridge Civic Center and Alvin K. Bissell Park in central Oak Ridge.

The Charlie Daniels Band takes the stage Friday night, June 10, for an evening of great music and energy. A 2016 inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Charlie Daniels has parlayed his passion for music into a multi-platinum career and a platform to support the military, a cause that is close to his heart. With songs like “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” The Charlie Daniels Band is a must-see concert. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department recognized as organization of year at fire instructors conference

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ORFD Jody Durham and ISFSI Steve Pegram

Oak Ridge Fire Department Assistant Chief Jody Durham, left, accepts an Organization of the Year award on behalf of the ORFD from International Society of Fire Service Instructors President Steve Pegram, at the 2016 ISFSI Conference. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department was recently presented with the Organization of the Year Award by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors at the 2016 Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson announced the award on Monday.

The award was presented in recognition of the significant contributions the Oak Ridge Fire Department made as a co-host of the 2015 International Conference last year, a press release said. There were more than 300 fire instructors from several different nations that attended the conference in East Tennessee last October. The Oak Ridge Fire Department provided equipment, staff, and logistical coordination for the conference.

That was the first time the ISFSI International Conference had been hosted in Tennessee, but after the success of last year’s conference the ISFSI is considering returning to Tennessee in the upcoming years, the press release said.

This press release was submitted by the City of Oak Ridge.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Methodist recognized for ‘Straight A’ status in hospital safety

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above.

 

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge has continued its “Straight A” recognition in hospital safety scores that were launched four years ago. MMC has never received a grade lower than “A” since the The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Scores started in June 2012, a press release said.

Also receiving “A” grades in the Spring 2016 scores were Fort Loudoun Medical Center, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, LeConte Medical Center, and Roane Medical Center. The ranking mean the hospitals are among the safest in the United States, a press release said.

“It is gratifying to be a part of an organization with such a long-standing track record of quality,” said Jeremy Biggs, Methodist Medical Center president and chief administrative officer. “To be among such an elite group of hospitals to have received this type of national recognition and validation is truly an honor.”

“Patient safety and a constant focus on the quality of care we provide are top priorities for Covenant Health,” said Mike Belbeck, executive vice president of operations. “We are pleased that five Covenant hospitals received Leapfrog’s highest scores, and we will continue to focus on patient safety as part of our ongoing commitment to excellence in all aspects of patient care.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch has fundraiser at Pie Five Pizza on Thursday

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The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program has a fundraiser at Pie Five Pizza on Thursday, May 5.

$2 per pizza pie, with beverage, will be donated to the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program.

The fundraiser is scheduled from 5-8 p.m. Thursday.

Pie Five Pizza is at 441 South Illinois Avenue.

Joana Springmeier is a contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Grace Lutheran hosts candle lighting service on May 7

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in observance, Grace Lutheran Church will host a candle lighting service in support of those challenged by mental illness, substance use disorders, and other brain disorders. The service will be held on Saturday, May 7, at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary, which is at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge.

This is a free community event, and everyone is invited to attend. A special invitation is extended to family members, caregivers, community support organizations, and the healing professions.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more than 60 million American adults experience mental illness in a given year. About 13.6 million of those live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. [Read more…]

Today: ASAP helps ORPD, CPD take back expired, unwanted prescription drugs

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You can dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs today in Oak Ridge and Clinton.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Oak Ridge Police Department and Clinton Police Department. Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are helping with the event.

It’s the 11th time in six years that an event like this has been held, a press release said.

You can bring your pills for disposal to the ORPD at 200 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge or to the Clinton Police Department at 125 West Broad Street in Clinton. The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous. No questions will be asked, the press release said. [Read more…]

‘Liberal Redneck,’ ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ to perform in comedy show at Grove

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Comedy at Grove May 28 2016

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Fresh off 14 million views (and counting) for his Facebook rant on public restroom use by transgender people, Trae Crowder will join headliner Drew Whitney Morgan onstage for Comedy at the Grove on Saturday May 28.

Crowder, who calls Knoxville home, went “viral” recently when he posted a short video supporting transgender public restroom use and in the process turned the stereotype of the bigoted southern redneck on its ear by becoming an improbable ally to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community, a press release said. The self-proclaimed “Liberal Redneck,” who was a cast member for an Impractical Joker spin-off for CMT and is a writer/comedian for NBC Universal’s Talent Infusion Program, likens his material to being “southern-fried intellectual humor.”

Morgan is the New York City-via-East Tennessee headliner and the 2015 winner of the Stand-Up Showdown at the Pit. He is the son of a preacher man who has traveled the world to weave together intense stories with cutting edge observations on culture, religion, and identity, the press release said. His style has been described as “decidedly southern, extremely smart, and charmingly sarcastic,” the release said. [Read more…]

Traffic alert on I-75 due to bridge repairs, construction work

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Traffic Alert

The Tennessee Department of Transportation says bridge repairs and related construction work will require temporary lane closures in Anderson County. The lane changes will be through Thursday, May 5.

Interstate 75 Northbound will be reduced to one lane between Mile Markers 122 and 123 on Thursday, April 28, from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., and then again on Friday, April 29, from 9 p.m. through Monday, May 2, at 6 a.m.

On Thursday, May 5, I-75 Northbound will be again reduced to one lane between Mile Marker 122 and Mile Marker 123 from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Please expect delays if traveling in this area.

Information from Anderson County Sheriff’s Department

Dogwood Junior Regatta to feature about 2,000 young rowers this weekend

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Dogwood Juniors Regatta

The Dogwood Junior Regatta will be in Oak Ridge from April 30-May 1, 2016. Pictured above from left are an Atlanta Junior Rowing Association crew preparing to race in Oak Ridge, an Atomic Junior Rowing racing crew, and youth rowers from Asheville Rowing Club preparing to launch. (Photos by Explore Oak Ridge)

 

Junior rowing, for those under 19 years old, has grown by leaps and bounds in the southeastern United States during the past 10 years. Whether due to the extensive opportunities for rowing college scholarships or the general improvement in quanity and quality of rowing programs offered, junior rowing is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.

This weekend, Oak Ridge will welcome about 2,000 junior rowers from all over the Southeast and Midwest to compete in the Dogwood Junior Regional Regatta. The regatta is one of the largest in the Southeast.

A crew’s performance at the event will be considered heavily for seeding purposes at the USRowing Regional Championship, where rowers compete to qualify for the Junior National Championships.

“If you’re a junior rower (from the Southeast) you’ll want to be in Oak Ridge this weekend,” said Shannon Moore, head coach of Atomic Junior Rowing in Oak Ridge. “It’s going to be the best opportunity for crews to test their speed prior to the regional championships. This regatta will inform coaches on how to train for the weeks leading to regionals, and (it) can be the difference between qualifying for nationals or not.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge mayor to give ‘State of City’ talk at Lunch with League on Tuesday

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch (Photo by Savanna Schubert)

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will give his “State of the City” address at the next Lunch with the League on Tuesday, May 3. The talk is scheduled to start at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Gooch was elected to the Oak Ridge City Council in November 2014 and later selected by Council members to serve as mayor.

Gooch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee with high honors, and he has practiced law with the Knoxville firm Kramer Rayson since completing his legal education at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1977. [Read more…]

Volunteers needed for Roane State Community Garden; learn more at April 28 meeting

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garden_meeting

Front from left, student volunteers Shelley Edwards, Angelo Ferrante, and Jeremiah Johnson work to get Roane State’s Community Garden ready for its next crop. Food grown in the garden is donated to local charities. In back from left, Roane State President Chris Whaley and alumni relations director Tamsin Miller also pitch in. (Photo by RSCC)

 

Volunteers are invited to assist with the Roane State Community Garden, located near the college’s main campus in Harriman.

An informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 28, at 4:30 p.m. in the Walden Ridge Conference Room on the main campus. The conference room is located within the student lounge.

The garden is open to everyone in the community along with all Roane State students and employees. Expert farmers and beginners are welcome. [Read more…]