Oak Ridge Today

Construction starts at new AMSE location

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Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday. A crew was working at the new AMSE location on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday. A crew was working at the new AMSE location on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Construction work has started at the new American Museum of Science and Energy at Main Street Oak Ridge. Interior demolition work is under way, and exterior demolition work could start Wednesday.

The value of the improvements is estimated at roughly $1.5 million. A building permit was issued December 29.

AMSE will be relocated from its current home on South Tulane Avenue, where it’s been since the mid-1970s, to about 18,000 square feet of renovated space at Main Street Oak Ridge. That’s the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The move is part of an agreement that was signed by the City of Oak Ridge and U.S. Department of Energy in December 2016.

AMSE will have about 15,000 square feet of space in the former Sears Roebuck store near JCPenney and roughly 2,700 square feet in the former Cole’s Drug Store. Inside, there will be about 7,200 square feet of exhibit space, two 800-square-foot classrooms, and a large theater with a stage, consultant Ray Evans told Oak Ridge City Council members during a December 19 work session.

Evans said construction could take 4.5 to five months. An opening date had not been set as of the December work session. [Read more…]

ORPD: Roads slippery, crashes reported, Key Springs closed

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Slow down, and use caution, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. "Roads are very slick. Stay home if you don’t need to be out." Several crashes have already been reported this morning, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

Slow down, and use caution, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. “Roads are very slick. Stay home if you don’t need to be out.” Several crashes have already been reported this morning, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed. (Photo courtesy ORPD)

 

Roads are slippery, several crashes have been reported, and Key Springs Road, which goes down into Marlow, has been closed, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Monday morning.

“Roads are very slick in Oak Ridge,” the ORPD said. “If you must drive, slow down and use caution! Stay home if you don’t need to be out.”

The icy conditions had led school systems to close—including in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County—and some organization opened late, including the City of Oak Ridge and Roane County Courthouse. The Anderson County Courthouse is closed, and so is Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

Roads icy: Oak Ridge Schools, Roane State closed today

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A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m.

Oak Ridge Schools are closed today as a layer of ice coated the ground in Oak Ridge, making roads and sidewalks slippery.

The schools had originally planned to open two hours late.

Other local school systems are also closed today (Monday, January 8) as the forecast had called for freezing rain or a wintry mix of precipitation around school arrival time this morning. Among the other school systems closed are Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County. Roane State Community College is closed today as well (see here for more information). [Read more…]

Updated: Oak Ridge government, schools delayed; Anderson County Schools closed

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Light ice accumulations are possible late tonight and into Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. The main problems are expected to be patches of ice on roads. During the day Monday, temperatures will warm, and the precipitation should eventually turn to all rain. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

Light ice accumulations are possible late tonight and into Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. The main problems are expected to be patches of ice on roads. During the day Monday, temperatures will warm, and the precipitation should eventually turn to all rain. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:45 p.m.

Light icing and freezing rain are possible tonight (Sunday, January 7), and Oak Ridge government offices will open two hours late on Monday, Oak Ridge Schools will start two hours late, and Anderson County Schools will be closed.

Oak Ridge Schools said the two-hour delay is weather-related.

Anderson County Schools Director Tim Parrott said the county school closure is due to the predicted forecast of ice and the safety of students and staff. [Read more…]

New session of free exercise class starts Tuesday at Senior Center

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Pierce Physical Therapy

The Oak Ridge Senior Center, in partnership with Pierce Physical Therapy, will be sponsoring a free exercise class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for anyone age 50 and over.

The program begins on Tuesday, January 9. Participants can attend either an 11 a.m. class or an 11:50 a.m. class.

The Pierce Therapy Exercise Program, or P.E.P. for short, concentrates on strength, balance, and mobility, and it incorporates therapeutic exercise, functional training, and individual exercise modifications, a press release said. [Read more…]

Martin Luther King Breakfast to feature Hammond as speaker

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Derrick Hammond

Derrick Hammond

 

A Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast on Monday, January 15, will feature as keynote speaker the Reverend Derrick Hammond, pastor of Oak Valley Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.

It’s the 30th annual Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast hosted by the Atomic City Sportsmen.

The breakfast will be at the Oak Valley Baptist Church, 194 Hampton Road in Oak Ridge, on Monday, January 15. The program will begin at 8 a.m.

Hammond has served the Oak Valley Baptist Church for the past three years, a press release said. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University. He also completed the dual master’s degree program at Samford University, earning a Master of Divinity and a Master of Business Administration, the press release said. [Read more…]

City workers repair broken water lines Saturday

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An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge Public Works Department crew repairs a broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at lunchtime Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. The crew here is supervised by Oak Ridge Public Works Department Utility Line Maintenance Crew Chief Michael Brown, left. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department continued to repair broken water lines on Saturday as cold winter weather caused ground to shift, breaking some pipes.

One crew was repairing a six-inch water line underneath Northwestern Avenue near Nevada Circle at about lunchtime Saturday, and there was another busted line reported on East Tennessee Avenue just east of Georgia Avenue.

Saturday night, city workers repaired another broken water line underneath Northwestern Avenue, this time near Nasson Lane and Princeton Avenue, and two more water line breaks were reported on Emerson Circle and Kentucky Avenue.

A crew was out past 1 a.m. Sunday finishing repairs on that second water line break under Northwestern Avenue, the one near Nasson Lane, as temperatures dropped again overnight. [Read more…]

Wildlife nature walk at Freels Bend on Saturday, Jan. 20

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A wildlife management nature walk is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, January 20, in the Freels Bend area in south Oak Ridge.

“Have you ever seen a deer foraging in a field or heard a field sparrow calling in the distance and wondered what could be done to help these species of wildlife?” a press release said. “Join wildlife experts from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”

The wildlife management nature walk in the Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area is scheduled from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, January 20. Discussions during the tour, which is rescheduled from a rained-out date in October, will include game species, species of concern, and how to manage for them in fields and forests, the press release said. [Read more…]

City reports 20 water line breaks in four days

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A break in a 10-inch water line was reported about 10 feet under Tyler Road at about noon Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. A second crew was expected to provide relief to the first crew at about 10 p.m. Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A break in a 10-inch water line was reported about 10 feet under Tyler Road at about noon Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. A second crew was expected to provide relief to the first crew making repairs at about 10 p.m. Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1 a.m.

The City of Oak Ridge reported about 20 water main breaks in four days of below-freezing temperatures, and crews were working to repair one 10-inch water line about 10 feet below Tyler Road near Oak Ridge Turnpike on Friday night.

The City of Oak Ridge said the Oak Ridge Public Works Department has been working around the clock in cold temperatures to repair broken water mains and restore service.

The water line break under Tyler Road was reported at about noon Friday. City workers turned off nine valves between that break and Central Avenue and Tennessee Avenue, but water continued to flow. Workers weren’t able to completely close one valve after it broke, and they were waiting for a second crew to relieve them at about 10 p.m. Friday. In the meantime, a short section of Tyler Road remained closed at Oak Ridge Turnpike, and it wasn’t clear how long it would take to repair the water line. [Read more…]

ORPD: Missing teen is safe, back with family

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The teenager who was last seen at her home on Halloween is safe and back with her family, the Oak Ridge Police Department said Friday.

On Thursday, the Oak Ridge Police Department posted on Twitter that the search remained active for Shayla Cook, 16, of Oak Ridge.

On Friday morning, the ORPD said Cook came to the Police Department overnight, and she is now back with her family.

“Thank you to everyone who called and helped in this search,” the ORPD said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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Man escapes, home destroyed by fire

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A man escaped with minor injuries, but a home was destroyed in a fire on Friday morning, Jan. 5, 2018, on Lindale Lane in west Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A man escaped with minor injuries, but a home was destroyed in a fire on Friday morning, Jan. 5, 2018, on Lindale Lane in west Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A man escaped with minor injuries, but a home was destroyed in a Friday morning fire on Lindale Lane in west Oak Ridge.

The fire was reported at about 6:30 a.m. Friday at 15 Lindale Lane, which is off West Lincoln Road just north of the Dollar General store.

The fire was reported to have started in the basement, where there is a garage in a corner of the house. The cause was unknown, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said Friday morning.

The fire was fueled by natural gas, Kerley said. A gas line comes into the house in that area, and there is a water heater next to the gas line in the garage, he said.

The fire burned up a wall on that side of the house, went into the attic, and set the attic on fire, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Shelton named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017

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Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton was named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017 by the County Officials Association of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton was named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017 by the County Officials Association of Tennessee. (Submitted photo)

 

Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton was named Outstanding County Official of the Year in 2017 by the County Officials Association of Tennessee in November.

COAT had its three-day 49th Annual Conference in Franklin in early November.

The only other Anderson County official named Outstanding County Official was former Anderson County Trustee Patsy Stair-Lomeli. She received the award in 2000.