Oak Ridge Today

Volleyball: If they beat Halls on Tuesday, Lady Wildcats will be undefeated in district

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play their last regular-season district game against Halls at home at Wildcat Arena on Senior Night, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge High School Volleyball)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play their last regular-season district game against Halls at home in Wildcat Arena on Senior Night, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge High School Volleyball)

 

If they beat Halls on Tuesday, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats volleyball team will be undefeated in the district during the regular season.

The Tuesday evening game at home is the last district game of the regular season. The junior varsity match starts at 5 p.m., and varsity play begins at 6 in the Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School. It’s also Senior Night, and the last regular-season home game.

The Lady Wildcats (20-4) are currently 5-0 in District 4-AAA, and they are ranked 12th in the state, according to MaxPreps.com.

The girls’ five district wins started late last month: at Powell (3-0) on August 31, at home against Karns (3-0) on September 5, at Bearden (3-0) on September 7, at West (3-1) on Tuesday, and at home against Campbell County (3-0) on Thursday. [Read more…]

Photos: Junior ROTC Color Guard at Blankenship Field on Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard is pictured above on Blankenship Field at the Oak Ridge-West football game on Friday, September 15, 2017. (Photo by Linda Ripley)

The Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard is pictured above on Blankenship Field at the Oak Ridge-West football game on Friday, September 15, 2017. (Photo by Linda Ripley)

 

Here are photos by Linda Ripley of the Oak Ridge High School Navy Junior ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) Color Guard on Blankenship Field at the Oak Ridge-West football game on Friday, September 15. The photos are used here with Ripley’s permission.

Ryan Nicholls is the Navy JROTC teacher.

[Read more…]

Man stabs dog, then starts fire, police say

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An Oak Ridge man stabbed a dog, which died from its wounds, and then started a fire in the living room of a home on Villanova Avenue on Friday, according to police.

Skyler C. Griffin, 19, has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, aggravated arson, and vandalism, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Kenneth Prickett said Griffin came through the front door of an apartment on Villanova Avenue on Friday and physically attacked a 10-year-old male beagle mix that lives there.

“Griffin admitted to striking the dog with his hands and closed fists before pulling out his pocket knife and stabbing the dog in the neck and in the lower abdomen,” Prickett said. “The dog ran from the living room area and onto the outside balcony, where it succumbed to the stab wounds.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge volleyball photos

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School won the Early Bird Tournament Silver Bracket the weekend of Aug. 25-26, 2017. The championship game, which they won in two sets (26-24, 25-22), was against GPS out of Chattanooga. The Lady Wildcats were 8 and 1 in the tournament. (Photo courtesy Cathy Lawless)

Oak Ridge High School won the Early Bird Tournament Silver Bracket the weekend of Aug. 25-26, 2017. The championship game, which they won in two sets (26-24, 25-22), was against GPS out of Chattanooga. The Lady Wildcats were 8 and 1 in the tournament. (Photo courtesy Cathy Lawless)

 

Undefeated in their district, the Oak Ridge volleyball team has won 12 straight games. They’ll play another district game, their fifth of the season, at home today (Thursday, September 14) at Oak Ridge High School. Here are pictures from the Early Bird Tournament in late August and a game at Bearden on Thursday, September 7. [Read more…]

Volleyball: Undefeated in district, Lady Wildcats win 12 straight

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a 3-0 district win at Bearden on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, is Oak Ridge senior Olivia Milloway (13). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Pictured above during a 3-0 district win at Bearden on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, is Oak Ridge senior Olivia Milloway (13). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Undefeated in their district, the Oak Ridge volleyball team has won 12 straight games. They’ll play another district game, their fifth of the season, at home today (Thursday, September 14) at Oak Ridge High School.

The Lady Wildcats (19-4, 4-0 District 4-AAA) have played four district teams since August 31. They won in three sets at Powell on August 31, at home against Karns on September 5, and at Bearden on September 7.

In their most recent district game, they beat West 3-1 at West on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge will play Campbell County in a district match this evening in the Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School. The junior varsity games start at 5 p.m., and varsity play begins at 6 p.m.

Under this year’s classification, Oak Ridge is in District 4 in Class AAA’s Region 2 along with Bearden, Campbell County, Karns, Halls, Powell, and West. [Read more…]

Man pleads guilty to homicide in fatal crash, but not clear if he had heart attack

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a plea agreement hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, are Danny Lee Bean, right, and Tom Marshall, public defender in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above during a plea agreement hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, are defendant Danny Lee Bean, right, and Tom Marshall, public defender in the Seventh Judicial District (Anderson County). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—A Marlow man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to two charges of vehicular homicide in a fatal crash on Oliver Springs Highway in Marlow in November 2012, but it’s not clear if he might have had a heart attack, possibly before the crash.

Danny Lee Bean, 59, received an effective 10-year sentence for his guilty pleas in the head-on three-vehicle crash that killed Alberta Farrer, 56, and Pat Smith, 62.

Bean’s sentence was suspended, and he was placed on supervised probation. He had to surrender his driver’s license, and he can’t drive.

Bean had hydrocodone and alprazolam in his system, but he had prescriptions for those medicines at therapeutic levels, attorneys said at a plea agreement hearing in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Wednesday morning. Hydrocodone is a narcotic pain-reliever, and alprzazolam can be used to treat anxiety and panic disorders. It’s not clear whether a doctor had advised Bean to not drive after taking either medication.

Before the plea, a question had been raised about whether Bean had experienced a heart attack around the time of the crash, possibly before it. [Read more…]

Girls soccer photos: Oak Ridge vs. West, Grace Christian

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a 3-1 win over Grace Christian at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, is senior Alex Rouse (11). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above during a 3-1 win over Grace Christian at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, is senior Alex Rouse (11). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team beat Grace Christian 3-1 at home on Tuesday, August 29, and the girls defeated West 2-1 at home on Tuesday, September 12. Here are photos from the games by John Huotari of Oak Ridge Today.

(See a season summary here.) [Read more…]

Soccer: Lady Wildcats win four straight games

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a 2-1 win over West at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, is freshman Lilah Brown (12). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above during a 2-1 win over West at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, is freshman Lilah Brown (12). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team has won its last four games, and the girls have won both of their district games this season.

The most recent win for the girls was a 2-1 victory at home against West on Tuesday. That was a non-district game.

Before that, the Oak Ridge girls won their last three games. Those were a 8-1 win at Heritage on August 30, a 3-1 victory at home against Grace Christian on August 29, and an 8-3 win at Campbell County, a district game, on August 22.

In their first district game on August 17, the Lady Wildcats (6-2-1, 2-0 District 3-AAA) beat Halls 8-0 at home.

Oak Ridge is playing at Farragut (5-5, 3-0 District 4-AAA) in a non-district game at 7 p.m. today (Wednesday, September 13).

Here is the girls’ record of wins and losses so far this season: [Read more…]

ORAU awards $36,000 in education grants to local teachers

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Teachers representing 14 schools in Anderson County received STEM teaching tools, new technology, and grant funds worth $36,000 on Sept. 11 at the 2017 ORAU Education Grants Award Ceremony & Reception in Pollard Technology Conference Center. (Submitted photo)

Teachers representing 14 schools in Anderson County received STEM teaching tools, new technology, and grant funds worth $36,000 on Sept. 11 at the 2017 ORAU Education Grants Award Ceremony & Reception in Pollard Technology Conference Center. (Submitted photo)

 

ORAU awarded 38 teachers from 14 East Tennessee schools more than $36,000 on Monday at the 16th annual ORAU Education Grants ceremony.

Educational materials and equipment purchased with the grant awards—such as iPads, computer software, robotics kits, and more—will help teachers continue to meet state-wide curriculum standards and enhance the learning experience of their students in STEM subjects, a press release said.

“ORAU is proud to support schools in Anderson County by helping local educators obtain the resources and tools required to engage students of all ages in STEM subjects while enriching their education,” ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Page said. “These educators never fail to demonstrate their dedication to student success.”

Since beginning the Education Grant program in 2002, ORAU has provided more than $487,000 to area schools to fund educational projects that complement its mission of enriching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Basketball Golf Classic is Sunday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Basketball Golf Classic Sept 17 2017

The 20th Annual Oak Ridge Basketball Golf Classic is set for Sunday, September 17, at Oak Ridge Country Club.

The tournament format will be a four-person scramble with a shot gun start at 2 p.m., a press release said.

“Please mark your calendars and join us for a fun day of golf!” the press release said. “All proceeds go to support the Oak Ridge boys basketball program.”

Here is more information: [Read more…]

Police allegedly find pills, meth, marijuana, cash, ammo

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Samuel McCoy Wade

Samuel McCoy Wade

A police search of a home on Marion Road on Friday found pills, methamphetamine, marijuana, cash, and ammunition, authorities said.

The home at 102 Marion Road was searched by the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force and Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT team on Friday, September 8, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

During a search of the home, officers, who had a search warrant, found two bags containing about 34.7 grams of methamphetamine, about one pound of marijuana in various bags, and a bag of pills that included five alprazolam, five methylphenidate hydrochloride, and 19 two-milligram Xanax pills, the affidavits said.

Police also found cash, drug paraphernalia, a sealed bag of marijuana, .380 ammunition, and a Mercedes C20 car reportedly purchased with money from drug sales, according to the affidavits. [Read more…]

Anderson County man charged with attempted murder

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jason Bradley Braden

Jason Bradley Braden

 

An Anderson County man was charged with attempted first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault with serious bodily injury, and carjacking, among other charges, in indictments filed September 5.

Jason Bradley Braden, 28, of Longmire Road, is also facing theft, burglary, and trespassing charges.

The indictments said Braden intentionally tried to kill Marietta Banks on August 12, and he seriously injured her during the assault. Braden also assaulted Melissa Byrge, seriously injuring her, the indictments said.

The assaults were committed while Braden was displaying a crowbar and a knife, according to the indictments.

It’s not clear from the indictments if the alleged assaults occurred at the same time. [Read more…]