Oak Ridge Today

Free guitar, banjo lessons for seniors 50 and older

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Senior Guitar Lessons Class 2014

First Row: Jack Copeland, Rosevelt Gilliland, Lu Ann Christy, Ken Carter, Wendall Cook, Instructor, Don Snouffer. Second Row: Dee Williams, Don Bourgrand, George Davis, Bobby Neal, John Dorflinger, Roe Sutherland, Charlie Orr, Billie Joe Campbell. Third Row: Ernie Blair, Jim Sells, Joe Henderson, Unidentified Visitor, Ken Newton. (Submitted photo)

 

Free guitar lessons for senior citizens will resume on Friday, January 9, at 9 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Senior Citizen Center on Emory Valley Road.

All levels of guitar players are welcome, a press release said. Beginner’s lessons start at 9 a.m. and intermediate lessons at 10 a.m. Wendall Cook, who has many years of experience playing and teaching, conducts the lessons. [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Bella

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pet of the Day: Bella

Submitted

I am Bella, Bella, sweet Bella! I sure do love miss Tina!

I’m about one year old, and am a larger Beagle mix. I am a doll baby, and am OK around the cats.

I am the perfect family dog. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge man in critical condition after crash that killed son

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Alcoa Police Department Logo

An Oak Ridge man remained in critical condition at a Knoxville hospital on Tuesday after a Monday morning crash that killed his son, authorities said.

Joseph Eatherly, 61, of Oak Ridge, was taken by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after the crash on southbound Alcoa Highway at Airport Hilton. The two-vehicle crash killed Eatherly’s son, Eric Eatherly, 35, of Hixson, the Alcoa Police Department said.

The APD said the accident occurred at 6:37 a.m. Monday when Joseph Eatherly tried to make a U-turn from the right-hand lane of Alcoa Highway. [Read more…]

More than 80,000 Tennesseans pick Health Insurance Marketplace plan in first month

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Logo

Federal officials announced Tuesday that 87,137 people in Tennessee selected plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace leading up to the December 15 deadline for coverage beginning January 1.

It was the first month of open enrollment this year.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 83 percent of Tennesseans who selected a 2015 plan are getting financial assistance to lower monthly premiums. That compared to 75 percent who selected plans over a similar period last year.

Of the 87,137 Tennesseans who selected a plan, 51 percent re-enrolled in a Marketplace plan in 2015, and 49 percent signed up for the first time, HHS said in a press release. [Read more…]

East Tennessee man charged with rape, assault, false imprisonment

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Robert John Davis

Robert John Davis

An East Tennessee man is accused of raping his ex-girlfriend in a Claxton home, shoving her backward and causing her head to go through a sheetrock wall, pointing a pistol at her and himself, and threatening to burn down her house, authorities said.

Robert John Davis, 34, is accused of using the victim’s debit card without permission to withdraw $200, throwing objects and ransacking her house, and telling her she had to have sex with him if she wanted to have her car keys, according to warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

Davis has been charged with rape, aggravated assault, domestic assault, false imprisonment, property theft, unauthorized use of an auto/joyriding, and violation of an order of protection, the warrants said. Davis, who has addresses listed in Powell and Greenback, remains jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, and his bail has been set at $237,500, according to court records. [Read more…]

Adjusted 911 rates to take effect Jan. 1

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

911 Decal

A new state law that takes effect on Thursday, January 1, will result in changes to 911 surcharges on residential and business lines and cellular phones.

The Anderson County Emergency Communications District said the new law, the 911 Funding Modernization and IP Transition Act of 2014, passed the Tennessee General Assembly in April. It changes the way 911 surcharges are collected and paid and affects all 911 districts in Tennessee, including Anderson County.

“It updates the existing model for funding 911 to account for changes in technology and consumer choice by establishing a single, uniform 911 surcharge rate across the state,” the Anderson County Emergency Communications District said in a press release. [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Martin

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pet of the Day: Martin

Submitted

Hmmm, let’s see. Did they mean to name me Martian instead of Martin? I’ve got the best antennae ever, just listening for your footsteps coming home! That’s to OUR home!

I’m pretty good on a leash, and I really love to run with the kids! I’m happy, but gentle at the same time. Just the right mix! [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats play William Blount Monday after defeating Loudon Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Courtney Ellison of Lady Wildcats

Lady Wildcat Courtney Ellison (10) was one of four players who scored in double digits against Loudon on Saturday. Ellison led all scorers with 12 points, and she made seven key free throws down the stretch. (Photos courtesy David Scott/Tom Scott)

 

By Coach David Scott

The Lady Wildcats defeated Loudon 55-50 on Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats (10-5, 5-1 in District 3-AAA) had four players in double figures. They were led by Courtney Ellison’s 12. Ellison made seven key free throws down the stretch. [Read more…]

Two injured in Roane crash

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

Two people were injured in a Saturday traffic accident in Roane County.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said two vehicles were headed east on Interstate 40 around noon when they collided on the overpass near Gallaher Road. The collision caused one vehicle to fall off the overpass and land on Gallaher Road.

Troopers said the two people had to be cut from the vehicle, and that Lifestar was sent to the scene. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Two flown to hospital by Lifestar, more taken by ambulance after Friday crash in west Knox

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Multiple people were taken to the hospital on Friday night after a crash in west Knox County that resulted in at least three people being pinned in a vehicle or vehicles, authorities said.

Officers from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 610 Canton Hollow Road just before 8:30 p.m. Friday after two vehicles were involved in a crash. [Read more…]

Gov. Haslam announces Insure Tennessee plan

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Governor Bill Haslam

Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam this month unveiled his Insure Tennessee plan, a two-year pilot program to provide health care coverage to Tennesseans who currently don’t have access to health insurance or have limited options. The program rewards healthy behaviors, prepares members to transition to private coverage, promotes personal responsibility, and incentivizes choosing preventative and routine care instead of unnecessary use of emergency rooms, a press release said.

The governor announced that he plans to call a special session to focus on the proposal after the 109th General Assembly convenes in January.

“We made the decision in Tennessee nearly two years ago not to expand traditional Medicaid,” Haslam said in the press release. “This is an alternative approach that forges a different path and is a unique Tennessee solution. This plan leverages federal dollars to provide health care coverage to more Tennesseans, to give people a choice in their coverage, and to address the cost of health care, better health outcomes, and personal responsibility. [Read more…]

Camera Club to feature photo exhibition, competition on Jan. 13

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pat Postma Photo

Image by Pat Postma

 

Submitted

If you would like to learn more about photography, one of the most cost- and time-efficient ways to do so is to join a camera club and Oak Ridge has a good one!

The Camera Club of Oak Ridge has monthly meetings that alternate between presentations by some of the area most accomplished professional photographers and intra-club competitions with expert judging who teach photography during the process of evaluating the images. The public is welcome to attend an initial meeting for free, and a yearly membership cost is nominal. [Read more…]