A float at the Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is pictured above. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)
Scout.com: Higgins a top playmaker in Class of 2017 in Tennessee
A touchdown catch by sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) at 7:57 in the fourth quarter narrowed the Rhea County lead to 28-21 in the Class 5A quarterfinal playoff game on Nov. 21. Higgins led all receivers with 147 yards on six catches, but the Wildcats were eliminated from the playoffs in a 35-21 defeat. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
Sports website Scout.com calls Oak Ridge Wildcats wide receiver Tee Higgins a top playmaker in the Volunteer State’s 2017 class.
“Tee Higgins can make a profound case of being the best wide receiver prospect in the Volunteer State and the top offensive playmaker in the state’s 2017 recruiting class,” the website said in a Monday article by recruiting analyst Danny Parker.
Several schools have taken early notice, Parker said, and Clemson, Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, and Tennessee have each offered Higgins a scholarship.
Read the Scout.com article for more on Higgins, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who also plays basketball: http://tennessee.scout.com/story/1494917-vols-in-early-on-tee-higgins.
Andersonville home destroyed by fire
Information from WYSH Radio
A fire early Wednesday morning destroyed a home in Andersonville.
The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department was called to the home on Foust Hollow Lane at around 1 a.m. and had the fire extinguished about an hour and a half later.
One person inside the home at the time of the fire was able to make it out safely, and no injuries were reported. Officials deemed the house a total loss and are continuing to investigate to determine the cause of the early-morning blaze.
Photos: Breakfast Rotary Christmas Angels at Linda Brown Realty
Members of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club’s Christmas Angels and friends and family met at Linda Brown Realty on Saturday to load vans and SUVs with Christmas gifts for families in need. (Photos by D. Ray Smith)
Members of the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club’s Christmas Angels and friends and family met at Linda Brown Realty on Saturday morning to load vans and SUVs with Christmas gifts for families in need.
“Thanks to all who participated and thanks especially to Linda Brown and Nancy Donsbach for organizing the effort,” photographer D. Ray Smith said. “Linda has graciously made her office into ‘Christmas Angel Central’ again as she has for the past several years. I well remember when my grandkids were young and they came with me to distribute gifts to three families. My grandsons still recall that experience with fondness at each Christmas gathering of the Smith family!”
Here are are four more photos by Smith: [Read more…]
Angel Tree recipients visit Clinton police
Angel Tree recipients at Clinton Police Department. (Submitted photos)
Six area children will have a little bit brighter Christmas this year, thanks to the efforts of Clinton Police Department officers.
On Tuesday, the kids, ranging in age from two to 12 years, went to the Police Department, where Santa had left several large bags of toys. Officers were there to help them unwrap a big assortment of games, dolls, videos, and more, a press release said.
Patrolman Anthony Godwin obtained the names of the children from the Clinton City Schools Angel Tree, then asked his fellow officers to donate. Godwin says the response was great. Nearly $800 was collected to purchase gifts. [Read more…]
Key Club, Kiwanis members, friends help with toy project at Holiday Bureau
Clinton and Oak Ridge High School Key Club Members helped move toys at the Holiday Bureau on December 9. (Submitted photos)
Key Club and Kiwanis members and friends helped with a Toy Moving Project at the Holiday Bureau on December 9, a press release said.
The Key Club members were from Clinton and Oak Ridge high schools. They joined members and friends of Oak Ridge Kiwanis. Toys were moved from storage areas, and related tasks were completed such as filling grab bags with small gifts, the press release said.
Toys and gifts were selected by family representatives for their children and youth beginning Thursday, December 11. Toy selection followed clothing and food voucher distributions to families who registered with The Holiday Bureau at 728-B Emory Valley Rd in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
Suspect arrested in GameStop robbery, Walmart theft
Ernest James Glenn
Oak Ridge police have arrested a Knoxville man who is suspected of grabbing a Playstation 4 from an employee on GameStop on August 9 before fleeing, and stealing a computer from Walmart on July 28 by going out a fire door in the lawn and garden section.
Ernest James Glenn, 28, of Merchant Drive in Knoxville, was arrested Sunday by Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Garrett Robbins. Glenn has been charged with robbery and theft over $500, and he remains jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.
The alleged Playstation theft at GameStop in Oak Ridge has been classified as a robbery, according to warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. [Read more…]
Report: Stolen BMW set on fire on Old Batley Road
A BMW that had been reported stolen in Oak Ridge burned on Old Batley Road on Saturday, authorities said.
The fire appeared to have been set intentionally in the front passenger seat of the green four-door sedan, according to volunteer firefighters from Marlow, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy James Presson wrote in an incident report. Valued at about $6,900, the 2000 BMW 3-series car was towed to Tate’s Towing in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
DA: No suspect, no charge in alleged rape by officer or security guard
Dave Clark
Note: This story was last updated at 8:40 p.m.
The six-month investigation of an alleged rape by a security guard or police officer has been completed, and no suspect has been identified and there is no basis for a criminal charge, Anderson County’s top prosecutor said. Also, the credibility of the alleged victim is in doubt, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a Tuesday letter to Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.
The Oak Ridge Police Department reported the alleged rape in June. An adult female had reported that she was raped by a uniformed man who appeared to be a police officer or security guard, although it wasn’t clear if a specific agency was ever named. The woman reported that she was handcuffed and raped behind Oak Ridge Mall in the back seat of a police-type cruiser.
The woman was interviewed by Oak Ridge police officers, and the ORPD then contacted the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, which notified the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of the allegation.
“Due to the nature of the allegation, Chief Akagi thought it would be best to have another agency conduct the investigation,” Clark said in a two-page investigative report.
The TBI investigation of the high-profile case is now complete. [Read more…]
Generator part weighing 200 tons shipped from Shawnee to Kingston
A 200-ton stator, the stationary component of an electric generator, being shipped by barge from a TVA plant in Shawnee, Kentucky, to another one in Kingston, Tennessee. (Photos courtesy TVA)
Submitted
KINGSTON—The holiday tradition of gift giving came a bit early this year for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant due to the generosity of a sister TVA plant in Shawnee, Kentucky. And, though it wasn’t Santa performing the delivery, the 200-ton generator stator made a significant journey involving the hard work of many.
During a maintenance outage at Kingston Unit 1, the existing stator—the stationary component of an electric generator—was determined to be beyond repair. Designed and built more than 50 years ago, modern replacement components aren’t available, so the Kingston team was looking at the possibility of a complete generator replacement.
When the TVA team at Shawnee heard about the challenges at Kingston, they realized they had the perfect “gift.” Unit 10 at the Shawnee plant was retired four years ago, but had the same Siemens-Westinghouse generator as Kingston, and it was still in operating condition. [Read more…]
TVA: Kingston Ash Recovery Project follows new EPA guidelines
Photo courtesy TVA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for coal combustion products released on Friday are consistent with work the Tennessee Valley Authority has already done at the Kingston recovery project, the public utility said in a press release.
“TVA is already making substantial changes in the way we work with coal combustion products, including coal ash and gypsum, said TVA President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson. “This included committing an estimated $2 billion to convert all our coal fleet impoundments from wet to dry storage. While recognizing the significant potential for beneficial reuse of ash and other products, we agree it needs to be handled and stored safely.”
The project area surrounding the Kingston Fossil Plant near Harriman is in the final restoration stage following the coal ash spill in December 2008. It was the largest ash spill in U.S. history. [Read more…]
UT-Battelle donates $100,000 to Children’s Hospital expansion
UT-Battelle has donated $100,000 to the capital campaign for the proposed expansion of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville.
The announcement was made during groundbreaking ceremonies for the expanded facility, a press release said. The planned expansion includes:
- 250,000 square feet of new space;
- a new neonatal intensive care unit with private rooms;
- a new inpatient/outpatient-surgery center;
- a family lounge and resource center overlooking a rooftop garden;
- 60,000 square feet of renovated space to include a chapel, laboratory, and a neonatal abstinence syndrome care unit and resource center; and
- a specialty clinic for diabetes, cleft palate, cystic fibrosis, and healthy ways weight management program.
