Oak Ridge Today

Follow-up: Roane shooting victim had been drinking, getting high

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Information from WYSH Radio

Following up on a story reported Monday, a 44-year-old Roane County man who accidentally shot himself in the chest with a .22-caliber rifle on Sunday was treated for his injuries and released from the University of Tennesseee Medical Center that same night.

Steve Brooks was flown to UTMC after the incident on Edwards Lane, just south of Rockwood. The Roane County Sheriff’s Office said that he told emergency personnel that he had been drinking before the incident and admitted to having smoked crack cocaine, an admission verified by his live-in girlfriend and her adult son. [Read more…]

AC Commission to consider sheriff’s salary suit in special meeting

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Anderson County Detention Facility

A legal dispute between the Anderson County mayor and sheriff largely revolves around funding to hire enough jailers to staff a 212-bed jail expansion at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

Information from WYSH Radio

After failing to discuss the ongoing legal dispute between the Anderson County mayor and the Anderson County sheriff last month, the County Commission will take the matter up during a special-called meeting at 6:30 p.m. today (Wednesday).

The meeting could include a closed-door executive session during which commissioners are expected to hear an update from Law Director Jay Yeager on the status of the salary suit filed by Sheriff Paul White against Mayor Terry Frank over her refusal to sign his salary agreement for this fiscal year. The salary dispute is scheduled for a hearing on Dec. 9 before Knox County Circuit Court Judge Dale Workman.

Some commissioners have publicly expressed their concern about the cost of the ongoing legal battle to taxpayers, as both sides have retained outside counsel. [Read more…]

Morgan voters OK distillery at former Brushy Mountain prison

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Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex

On Tuesday, Morgan County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of turning the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary in Petros, pictured above, into a moonshine distillery and tourist attraction. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Department of Correction)

Information from WYSH Radio

On Tuesday, Morgan County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of turning the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary into a moonshine distillery and tourist attraction. The measure passed with 2,431 votes to 1,150 votes against.

Chattanooga-based Brushy Mountain Group is leading the effort to build the distillery, which could bring more than 100 new jobs to Morgan County. In addition to producing moonshine at the former prison, the company also intends to open a gift shop, a museum, and horse trails on the property, and would also like to offer tours of the historic prison to the public.

The former Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex is located about 18 northwest of Oak Ridge in Petros. The maximum-security prison first opened in 1896 and closed in June 2009. At 113 years old, it was the oldest operating prison in Tennessee. Its most infamous inmate was James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Read more…]

ORNL receives GreenGov Presidential Award

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Central Campus

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s central campus is pictured above. (Courtesy Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Dept. of Energy)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory received one of eight GreenGov Presidential Awards announced Tuesday.

The lab won in the Good Neighbor category for a project titled “ORNL Good, Green, Sustainable Neighbor,” a press release said.

The fourth annual awards were announced by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. They honor federal civilian and military personnel as well as agency teams, facilities, and programs that have taken innovative steps to reduce energy use and carbon pollution, curb waste, and save taxpayer money in federal agency operations, the release said.

At a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C., senior administration officials recognized the eight award winners for exemplifying President Barack Obama’s charge to “lead by example and demonstrating extraordinary achievement in the pursuit of the president’s 2009 executive order on federal leadership in environmental, energy, and economic performance,” the release said. [Read more…]

U.S., international partners remove last weapons-grade uranium from Hungary

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Highly Enriched Uranium Removed from Hungary

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that all remaining highly enriched uranium has been removed from Hungary. (Photos courtesy National Nuclear Security Administration)

Note: This story was updated at 6:23 a.m. Nov. 6.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that all remaining highly enriched uranium has been removed from Hungary.

There was enough material removed in the multi-year international effort to fuel nine nuclear weapons, DOE said in a press release.

The removal of the highly enriched uranium, or HEU, was coordinated between Hungary, the United States, the Russian Federation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA.

Hungary is the 12th country to completely eliminate HEU since President Barack Obama announced an international effort in 2009 to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world, the release said. [Read more…]

Small business center has free seminars Tuesday, Thursday

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center has four small business seminars in Oak Ridge on Tuesday and Friday.

A Tuesday morning seminar from 9 a.m. to noon will focus on “how to do business with the government.”

A Tuesday afternoon seminar from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. will focus on the Small Business Administration’s 8a business development program. [Read more…]

More than 400 attend Rocky Top meeting in Lake City on Friday

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Information from WYSH Radio

More than 400 people attended Friday night’s bean and cornbread social and informational meeting on a proposal to change the name of Lake City to Rocky Top as the first step toward the creation of a massive Rocky Top theme park.

The event was held at Main Street Baptist Church and featured a presentation from the developers of the proposed tourist destination as well as from Anderson County Property Assessor Johnny Alley, who told the crowd that property taxes would not only not go up because of the project, but if all goes as planned, residents could actually see their property taxes decline as new revenue comes in. Lake City Mayor Tim Sharp told residents that the only cost to the town will be changing the name.

The park, as proposed, would be built on land owned by the city on Highway 441 between I-75 and Highway 25. The first phase of the development would be called the Rocky Top Pavilion and would feature a theater designed to attract musical acts like those found in Branson, Mo.; an indoor-outdoor water park; and a large restaurant. Developers also envision a sports hall of fame and museum. [Read more…]

Roane County man accidentally shoots self

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Roane County man was injured Sunday evening when a .22-caliber rifle went off accidentally and shot him in the chest.

The incident occurred at around 5 p.m. at a home on Edwards Lane outside Rockwood. The victim, whose name was not immediately available, was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by Lifestar for treatment of his injuries.

Deputies said the shooting appears to have happened as the man was handling the rifle and that it was purely accidental in nature.

WYSH: Pills stolen, ex-wife choked

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Clinton man was arrested Thursday and charged with choking his ex-wife into unconsciousness after allegedly stealing prescription medication from her.

Jason Hobbs, 30, was at his ex-wife’s house on Thursday babysitting her children, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. When she returned to the home, she told deputies that she had found Hobbs asleep on her couch and discovered that more than 50 Xanax pills were missing from her room, which had been ransacked.

She said that when she woke him up to confront him, Hobbs choked her until she was unconscious. Hobbs was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic assault.

Watson to discuss ‘State of the City’ at Lunch with the League

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will give an update on the state of the city during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The meeting starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Watson became Oak Ridge city manager in August 2010. He is the chief administrative officer of the city, and his responsibilities include planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and evaluating the operations of the municipal government in order to implement Oak Ridge City Council policies in an effective and economic manner, a press release said. [Read more…]

Clinton Library has classical guitar concert Monday

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Join the Friends of the Clinton Public Library as they host Jeff Bianchi to perform an hour-long classical guitar concert at 6 p.m. Monday.

The date is part of Bianchi’s fall performance schedule, which includes concerts in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Bianchi’s skill has earned him performances at the Rantucci International Guitar Festival, the Ithaca Guitar Festival, and a special concert in conjunction with the National Old Time Fiddlers’ Competition, a press release said. [Read more…]

Co-director to discuss Free Medical Clinic’s role under new health care law

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Tanya Vargas

Tanya Vargas

Dr. Tanya Vargas, co-director of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, will discuss the role of the clinic under the new health care act in a community forum to be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Grace Covenant Church, 320 Robertsville Road.

Her presentation is entitled “The Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge after the Affordable Care Act.” Vargas said she will address the question, “If everyone is going to be insured after the Affordable Care Act, why would free medical clinics like FMCOR be needed?”

Vargas moved to Oak Ridge in 1990, after completing her pediatric training at Tulane University School of Medicine and Affiliated Hospitals, and three years of private practice in New Orleans.

She has been active in multiple organizations in Oak Ridge, including Oak Ridge Playhouse, ShowKids, Oak Ridge Baseball Association, and Montessori School of Oak Ridge. She is a founding member of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge board of directors and has served in various capacities on that board, including service as president. [Read more…]