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Woman dies in crash in Anderson County

Posted at 9:36 am January 3, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A 34-year-old woman died in a two-vehicle crash on East Wolf Valley Road in Anderson County on Tuesday morning, state troopers said.

The crash was reported at about 10:41 a.m. Tuesday, January 1, at the intersection with Crisman Road, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a fatality report.

Jenna McCue, 34, was driving a 2007 Toyota Corolla car east on East Wolf Valley Road when she lost control going around a curve at Crisman Road, the THP report said. McCue overcorrected, entered the westbound lane, and hit a 2018 Dodge Ram pickup driven west by Dennis R. Irwin, 65, the report said. [Read more…]

Updated: Woman charged with homicide in child’s death after crash

Posted at 3:07 pm January 2, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Fatal-Crash-Memorial-Lafayette-Drive-Emory-Valley-Road-Jan-15-2017-Slider

Oak Ridge Police Department officers started a memorial with stuffed animals for a child killed in a fatal two-vehicle crash at Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive on Friday evening, Jan. 13, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

A second person has been charged with homicide in the death of a young boy in a traffic crash in Oak Ridge in January 2017.

Jason Robert Braden III, 3, died in the two-vehicle crash, which injured at least three other people and was considered a mass casualty event. It was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2017, at the intersection of Emory Valley Road and Lafayette Drive.

In March 2018, Oak Ridge Today reported that an Anderson County man, Jason Robert Braden II, 25, had been charged, after the crash, in an 11-count indictment that included vehicular homicide by intoxication. The other charges against Braden included vehicular homicide by recklessness, four counts of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon (a motor vehicle) is involved, driving under the influence, driving without a license, speeding, and violation of the child restraint law.

That case is still pending in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. The homicide and assault charges are felonies, while the driving offenses are misdemeanors.

The second person, Ashley Marie Ann Braden, 23, was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton on December 4. She was charged with a single felony count of criminally negligent homicide. The indictment alleged that Braden engaged in criminally negligent conduct that resulted in the death of Jason Robert Braden III. The indictment does not elaborate on the alleged facts of the case, which is typical for indictments. [Read more…]

TVA confirms 2018 was wettest year

Posted at 1:21 pm January 2, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Valley Authority is spilling or sluicing through gates at reservoirs including Chickamauga, pictured above, with heavy rain in the forecast from Thursday, Dec. 27, to Friday, Dec. 28, 2018. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority was spilling or sluicing through gates at reservoirs including Chickamauga, pictured above, with heavy rain in the forecast from Thursday, Dec. 27, to Friday, Dec. 28, 2018. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority confirmed Wednesday that 2018 was the wettest year in the Tennessee Valley in 129 years of record keeping.

There was a basin average of 67.1 inches of rain across the Tennessee Valley in 2018, TVA said.

The previous record was 65.1 inches in 1973.

The TVA rain gauge on Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina received 118.8 inches of rain in 2018.

The Tennessee Valley region normally averages 51 inches of rain a year. [Read more…]

Records: Man shot last week has history of family disputes

Posted at 1:30 am January 2, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A 61-year-old Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Lee Lane on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26, 2018, police said, after he reportedly came on to his son’s property with a loaded gun and fired several shots toward the house, reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight. The son exited his home and returned fire, striking his father once in the buttocks, police said. Police found the man on the ground in front of his home, pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Clinton man who was shot during a dispute with his son last week, reportedly over the positioning of a floodlight, has had other disputes with family members, including another one involving a firearm, according to Anderson County court records.

In one of the previous cases, the man who was shot, Terry Lee Crawford, 61, allegedly vandalized his sister’s house with a tractor in October, also because of a floodlight, the court records said. That case is pending in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

Before the alleged vandalism this year, Crawford had pleaded guilty to an assault against his sister and another victim in 2015—that case involved a firearm—and to an attempted assault against his son in 2016.

The incidents have involved three homes plus Crawford’s, all on Lee Lane in west Clinton, court records said.

Besides those cases, there is an indictment pending against Crawford for driving under the influence, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.

It’s not clear what charges might be filed after last week’s shooting. Crawford was taken to the hospital after the shooting. He was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Monday. But affidavits, which include specific charges and brief descriptions of alleged crimes, were not available on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the day after the shooting, the district attorney general’s office called Crawford a “danger to society” and asked that his bond be revoked or increased in two of the previous cases. The motion appears to have been successful, at least for now; Crawford’s bond has been set at $1.7 million, an unusually large bond, and he remained in custody on Tuesday night, according to Anderson County jail records.

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Roane State to offer extended business hours

Posted at 5:31 pm December 30, 2018
By Owen Driskill Leave a Comment

Roane State Community College will offer extended business hours to help students get ready for the spring semester.

Friday, January 4: Business hours offered at all campuses, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. local time
Monday January 7- Thursday January 10: Business hours offered at all campuses, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. local time
Friday, January 11: Campuses on normal Friday schedule.
Monday January 14- Thursday January 17: Business hours offered at all campuses, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. local time
Friday, January 18: Campuses on normal Friday schedule.

Spring classes begin January 14.

MCLinc gives OR schools history book to assisted living facilities, nursing homes

Posted at 5:24 pm December 30, 2018
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

Pictured above at the Alexander Guest House are, from left, LuAnn Hanchett, community relations and activity director; MCLinc President Barry Stephenson; resident Muriel Bogardus; and Executive Director Amy Duncan. (Submitted photo)

This holiday season, Oak Ridge’s assisted living facilities and nursing homes received a special gift to help residents remember the history of Oak Ridge schools, a press release said. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc. (MCLinc) provided the facilities with collector’s edition copies of the book “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence in the Oak Ridge Schools 1944-2018,” which includes the history of the Oak Ridge school system, photographs, and memories from 1944 through the present.

The book was developed by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, and it includes anchor authors from each of the 75 classes who shared their memories and helped collect those of their classmates.

MCLinc donated more than 20 books to six facilities in Oak Ridge, including Brookdale, Canterfield, Alexander Guest House, Greenfield, The Courtyards, and NHC, the press release said.

“Each year MCLinc looks for ways that we can give back to the community where we live and work, and what better way to support our schools and provide cherished memories to residents than to make these books available,” said Barry Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of MCLinc. [Read more…]

Christmas tree recycling available in Oak Ridge

Posted at 5:11 pm December 30, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Employees to assist with drop-offs on two Saturdays in January

The City of Oak Ridge has two drop-off locations available for citizens to recycle their Christmas trees after the holidays. Signs will be posted in both locations. The drop-offs are:

Big Turtle Park, 2525 Oak Ridge Turnpike (parking lot)
Solway Park, 205 Edgemoor Road (parking lot adjacent to the boat launch)

Trees will be accepted any time through the end of January 2019. On Saturday, January 12, and Saturday, January 19, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department employees will be on site to assist with unloading trees at the Big Turtle Park drop-off location from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Please be sure to remove all tinsel and decorations from Christmas trees before dropping them off for recycling, a press release said. Wreaths and garland will also be accepted, but no brush.

For more information, contact the Recreation and Parks Department by phone at (865) 425-3450 or visit their departmental website at orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov.

ORICL announces winter/spring classes for 2019

Posted at 5:07 pm December 30, 2018
By Katherine Smith Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning has opened online registration for its winter/spring term. A total of 82 classes and 7 trips are being offered for the winter/spring term running from February 4 through April 26, 2019, a press release said.

For those unfamiliar with ORICL, it is a not-for-profit organization offering classes, field trips, and other opportunities for area residents of all backgrounds and educational levels. ORICL is sponsored by Roane State Community College and located at the Oak Ridge campus of RSCC. ORICL is administered by a board of directors elected by the members and has two part-time paid employees. RSCC provides classrooms, an office, and administrative support. ORICL’s motto is “Enriching Lives Through Continued Learning.” There are no tests.

In order to attend classes, one must join ORICL as a dues-paying member. [Read more…]

Suresh Babu to lead UT-ORNL Bredesen Center

Posted at 4:49 pm December 30, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Suresh Babu

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have selected Suresh Babu as the next director of their jointly operated Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education.

Babu will retain his position as UT-ORNL governor’s chair for advanced manufacturing when he assumes his new role on January 3, a press release said. He will be replacing Lee Riedinger, who is retiring at the end of January.

“Dr. Babu has worked extensively with both UT and ORNL through his governor’s chair position, and we’re excited about him taking on this new role,” UT Knoxville Interim Chancellor Wayne T. Davis said in the press release. “He is a nationally recognized expert in the development of advanced materials and advanced manufacturing and has helped us emerge as a leader in those critical research areas.” [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats win championship in Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic

Posted at 11:58 pm December 29, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the championship game in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament, beating Jefferson County 49-36 at Greeneville on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 30.

GREENEVILLE—After finishing second the past two years, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the championship game in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament in Greeneville on Saturday, beating Jefferson County 49-36.

It’s the sixth time Oak Ridge (15-2, 3-1 District 3-AAA) has won the title in 10 appearances in the tournament final. The Lady Wildcats have been runner-up four times, including in 2016 and 2017, when they lost to Bradley Central. Oak Ridge’s last championship win in the tournament was in 2002.

The team didn’t want to settle for second place again this year.

“When you want to play for championships, you want to win championships,” Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said.

It was the second championship win for Oak Ridge in about a week. The Lady Wildcats won their division championship in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix on Saturday, December 22.

Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn was named the most valuable player of both tournaments. [Read more…]

After two wins at the buzzer, Lady Wildcats play for championship today

Posted at 1:12 pm December 29, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn (24) was named most valuable player at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. She had a winning shot at the buzzer against Daniel Boone in a first-round game at the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament in Greenville on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Basketball/Paige Redman)

Note: This story was updated at 2 p.m.

After two wins at the buzzer this week, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play for the championship in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament in Greenville today (Saturday, December 29).

It’s the second championship game in a week for the girls. Oak Ridge (14-2, 3-1 District 3-AAA) won their divisional championship in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix last Saturday.

Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn was named the most valuable player of the Nike Tournament on Saturday, December 22.

She had one of the buzzer-beating shots, a layup, in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic this week. That was in the final five seconds of a 50-48 win over Daniel Boone, an upper East Tennessee team, in a first-round game on Wednesday.

The Lady Trailblazers ended the Lady Wildcats’ last season with a 62-51 Class AAA sectional win in March, and Guinn told 5StarPreps, a high school sports website, that she didn’t want to lose to Daniel Boone this week. [Read more…]

(For members) Y-12 class could be added to worker compensation program based on thorium, Pu-241 exposure

Posted at 6:33 pm December 28, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A new class of Y-12 employees could be added to a federal worker compensation program based on exposure to radiation from thorium metal parts and plutonium-241 isotopes between 1958 and 1976, health officials said.

The worker compensation program involves certain illnesses and work at sites like Y-12 that are affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The program is a result of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, which was enacted in October 2000. The act includes what is known as the Special Exposure Cohort. The new class of Y-12 employees could be part of that Special Exposure Cohort.

That designation would allow eligible claimants to be compensated without the complete reconstruction of a radiation dose or a determination of the probable cause. A covered employee would have to have at least one of 22 specified cancers.

The class of employees being evaluated now would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, through December 31, 1976, when Y-12 was manufacturing nuclear weapons components during the Cold War. The employees would have had an aggregate total of at least 250 work days, according to a notice published in the Federal Register this month. The class could change, however, based upon the evaluation.