Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Wildbots struggle in opening rounds, but rebound in later regional rounds

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The Secret City Wildbots of Oak Ridge High School are pictured above at the 2016 Smoky Mountain Regionals in Knoxville this week. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

Note: This story was updated at 12:45 p.m.

KNOXVILLE—The Secret City Wildbots struggled somewhat in the opening qualifying rounds at Smoky Mountain Regionals on Friday, falling to a rank of 32nd after lunch, but the team rebounded strongly in the last three of the day’s eight rounds, finishing with a ninth-place rank.

At the end of qualifying rounds at noon on Saturday, the top eight teams select an alliance partner, and those eight groups of two select their third partner team. In the event that one of the top eight chooses another from the top eight, the next ranked team moves up to team captain post.

Following Q41, the Wildbots moved up to number 13 by playing on their core strength of crossing defenses and scoring low goals in rapid succession. In Q51, they continued playing to core strengths but added a feat that only a few robots in this competition have mastered: climbing the tower.

In Q59, the final match of the day, the Wildbots again finished strong and in an excellent position to face the final two rounds Saturday: Q-70 at approximately 10:26 a.m., and Q-81 scheduled for 11:57 a.m. (the next to-the-last qualifying round of the tournament). [Read more…]

Warrants: Woman admits residents made meth in Tusculum Drive apartment

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Kimberly Hughes Welch

Kimberly Hughes Welch

An Oak Ridge woman who lives at an apartment raided by police on Wednesday admitted that she and a man who also lives at the home were using methamphetamine laboratory components, including chemicals and pseudoephedrine powder, to make meth there, authorities said.

Besides the chemicals and pseudoephedrine, officers also found gas generators, hoses, and what they described as bi-layer liquids, according to arrest warrants. Police described those items as meth lab components. They were allegedly found inside Apartment C at 197 Tusculum Drive during a Wednesday evening search, according to the warrants, which were filed by Simon Byrne of the Seventh District Crime Task Force.

Raynell Fountaine Hopson

Raynell Fountaine Hopson

After she was read her Miranda rights, apartment resident Kimberly Welch, 48, told police that she and Raynell Hopson, 47, who also lives in the apartment, were using the equipment to make meth, Byrne said.

Welch and Hopson have each been charged with the initiation of meth manufacturing, possession of drug paraphernalia, and the manufacture/delivery/sale of Schedule II drugs.

The alleged meth lab was within 1,000 feet of La Petite Academy on Tulsa Road, a drug-free school zone, so there could be a school zone enhancement to the charges, which would be applied at sentencing if Welch or Hopson are convicted, said Russell Barker, director of the Seventh District Crime Task Force. [Read more…]

Authorities find active meth lab on Tusculum Drive; three arrested

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Authorities found what they described as an active methamphetamine laboratory in a home on Tusculum Drive on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. Pictured above are three members of the 7th District Crime Task Force dressed in hazmat suits and using oxygen as they prepare to enter the back of the home. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 5:15 p.m.

Authorities found what they described as an active methamphetamine laboratory on Tusculum Drive on Wednesday, and three people were arrested, including two people who live at the home.

The Seventh District Crime Task Force determined the home was an active meth lab at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Director Russell Barker said. The alleged lab was inside a home at 197 Tusculum Drive, Apartment C.

Three members of the Crime Task Force first checked the home wearing hazardous materials suits and breathing oxygen. After they determined it was an active meth lab, they went back in to remove what Barker described as meth lab materials and trash left from cooking meth. Officers also found finished product, Barker said, although he didn’t have information on how much.

Officers collected the meth lab-related materials in front of the home on a blue tarp. Wearing gloves, boots, and sometimes using breathing masks with eye shields, they also placed some items in plastic five-gallon buckets.

A man and woman who live at the house were decontaminated and taken to jail in white Tyvek suits at about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday. Barker said one of them had been inside the home but was coming out when officers arrived. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge woman charged with traffic violations in fatal car-motorcycle crash

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An Oak Ridge woman has been charged with three traffic violations in the fatal car-motorcycle crash on North Illinois Avenue near the Kroger shopping center on January 31. Authorities said the woman, who was driving the car, made an improper left turn from a right-turn-only lane and failed to yield to the motorcyclist, who died. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

An Oak Ridge woman has been charged with three traffic violations in the fatal car-motorcycle crash on North Illinois Avenue near the Kroger shopping center on January 31.

Rufus E. Shephard III, 44, of Oak Ridge, died in the crash.

Noelle L. Patty, 29, is accused of failing to obey a traffic control device before the crash, according to arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. That traffic control device is on an access road that connects the Kroger shopping center to North Illinois Avenue. It indicates a right turn only, but Patty turned left, headed south, from the shopping center access road onto Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Chris Luethge said in the warrants.

That left turn put the Cadillac STS that Patty was driving into the path of northbound traffic on North Illinois Avenue, where a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle driven north by Shephard collided with the Cadillac driven by Patty, Luethge said.

Shepard was launched into the Cadillac and then over it onto the asphalt, where he died, the warrants said. [Read more…]

Calhoun’s opening on Oak Ridge waterfront

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Riverside-Grille-Closed-Feb-1-2016

The Riverside Grille was closed Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, and developers and businessmen Rick and Ryan Chinn announced the property on Melton Lake Drive has been sold to the Copper Cellar restaurant family. On Wednesday, March 30, the sign announced that the restaurant will re-open soon. (February 2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:27 p.m.

Calhoun’s is opening a restaurant on the Oak Ridge waterfront. The restaurant will be on Melton Lake Peninsula, where Riverside Grille and Flatwater Grill used to be.

Calhoun’s has applied for a beer permit from the Oak Ridge Beer Permit Board, which will consider the application on Wednesday, April 6.

The restaurant will be owned by the Copper Cellar Corporation, which purchased the property from businessmen and developers Rick and Ryan Chinn in February.

It’s not clear when Calhoun’s will open. The beer permit application said the restaurant will open in April. Restaurant executives were not available for comment Wednesday. [Read more…]

Three arrested after robbery reported near Clinton Tuesday morning

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Dylon James Dotson

Dylon James Dotson

Three people were arrested after a robbery was reported in a mobile home park near Clinton on Tuesday morning, authorities said. One of the three is a juvenile.

A 22-year-old Clinton man flagged down a deputy on patrol on Laurel Road near Cedar Grove Lane around 9 a.m. Tuesday to report he had been beaten and robbed by four people, three males and a female, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

“The victim said he had stayed overnight with one of the males, and the next morning he was offered a ride by another man,” Lucas said. “Instead of giving him a ride, the males along with the female beat him severely and stole money, prescription narcotics, and a cell phone. He was familiar with the three men and named them as his attackers along with providing a description of their car.”

A short time later, other deputies responded to a single-car traffic crash on Old Lake City Highway and soon learned the three male suspects in the robbery were involved in the crash, Lucas said. Two of the three were arrested at the scene for charges related to the robbery. The third male was a juvenile and was taken into custody after being treated for injuries from the crash at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. [Read more…]

Armed felon arrested after vehicle, foot chase, ACSD says

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Johnny Dewayne Thomas

Johnny Dewayne Thomas

An armed Rocky Top man was arrested and is facing several charges after a short vehicle and foot chase on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies tried to stop a vehicle driven by Johnny Dewayne Thomas, 41, of Rocky Top, at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

“The car attempted to evade but stopped, and Thomas ran on foot,” Lucas said. “While being chased, Thomas was seen to remove a handgun from his waistband and look back at the pursuing deputy. He then threw the gun and continued running. The deputy deployed his Taser and made the arrest without further incident.” [Read more…]

Vietnam veterans honored during Tuesday ceremony

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The Clinch Bend Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, along with Anderson County government, commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at the War Memorial in front of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. The local ceremony recognized and honored Vietnam veterans with the placing of a wreath on the Courthouse War Memorial and the raising of a special flag commemorating the 50th anniversary of the years-long conflict. (Photo by Leean Tupper)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

CLINTON—A crowd of about 100 people gathered outside the Anderson County Courthouse on Tuesday for a ceremony honoring Vietnam veterans on the fourth observance of what has been declared “Vietnam Veterans’ Day” by President Obama.

The event took place at the War Memorial in front of the Courthouse and included the laying of a wreath at the Memorial, the reading of the names of the 29 Anderson County soldiers who died in the conflict, and the raising of a special flag marking the 50th anniversary of U.S. involvement in the southeast Asian nation.

Remarks were made by County Mayor Terry Frank, and Veterans Services Officer Leon Jaquet read a special proclamation from the president.

The local observance was part of a nationwide effort led by the U.S. Department of Defense to thank veterans of the war for their service and sacrifice. Many Vietnam veterans were met with hostility, not gratitude, upon their return to U.S. soil from the unpopular war. In the years since, many organizations have taken up the cause of making sure that these veterans receive the recognition they deserve. [Read more…]

Church Women United addresses Community Matters on Friday

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Pictured above at a Community Matters forum at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Nov. 1, 2015, are the Rev. Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church, center, the Rev. Jake Morrill of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, left, and Father Brent Shelton of St. Mary’s Parish. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Church Women United invites the public to a program “Since Community Matters” on Friday, April 1, at Kern Memorial Methodist Church in Oak Ridge. Reverend Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church will be the guest speaker.

Hammond will summarize three community meetings initiated in fall 2015 by the clergy of Oak Valley, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, along with Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, to encourage citizens to speak up about community concerns. Hammond will give an update about the process of addressing those concerns and suggest steps that we and our church families can take to help strengthen our community.

Kern Memorial Methodist Church is at 451 East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. Fellowship at the Friday meeting begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a short meeting, prayer, and program at noon. [Read more…]

Tech 2020 to sell building; other groups will continue organization’s work

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The board of directors for Technology 2020, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, voted Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to wind down operations after more than two decades of operations. Tech 2020 announced March 30 that it will sell the building. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Tech 2020 Board of Directors approved a plan Tuesday that allows many of the organization’s top initiatives to be continued under the leadership of other enterprises, officials said. The Tech 2020 building, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, will be sold.

In January, the Tech 2020 Board agreed to wind down operations after more than two decades.

“Our goal these past few months has been to preserve some of Tech 2020’s important resources, and we believe we’ve accomplished that with the plan approved at Tuesday’s meeting of the Board,” said David Bradshaw, Tech 2020 chair.

That plan calls for the transfer of several of the Tech 2020 regional missions to other organizations on or before April 30, and the financial assets of a fourth to be returned to its founding members, a press release said.

“When the Board voted on January 26 to wind down operations, it asked that we explore options to transition existing missions to other not-for-profit organizations,” Bradshaw said in the press release. “We asked interested organizations to outline their ideas, and we are pleased that several have stepped forward with concrete proposals.” [Read more…]

One student arrested for bomb threat in Farragut; second identified in Hardin Valley threat

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Knox County Sheriff Badge
A 16-year-old male student from Farragut High School was arrested for making a bomb threat at the school on Tuesday morning, and a second student who made a bomb threat at Hardin Valley Elementary has been identified, authorities said.

The arrest and identification were announced by the Major Crimes Unit of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

Farragut High School was on lockdown on Tuesday while KCSO investigators searched the school and interviewed students and staff after a threat was found on a wall in a boys’ restroom. The 16-year-old is charged with vandalism and making a bomb threat, the KCSO said.

“Once again, cooperation between law enforcement and students and school officials helped solve the case,” authorities said. “KCSO is investigating other suspects and expects more arrests.”

The bomb threat at Hardin Valley Elementary was also made Tuesday, the Major Crimes Unit said. That investigation continues. [Read more…]

City approves water contract extension for Y-12, ORNL, but DOE rates questioned

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The Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant is pictured on Pine Ridge above the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. March 30.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday approved a one-year, $2.1 million contract extension for water supplied to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, but a few members questioned whether the U.S. Department of Energy is paying a fair rate.

The one-year extension is expected to give the city time to have a qualified third-party engineering firm study the city’s aging water plant on Pine Ridge above Y-12, consider what is needed, and develop options that could help Oak Ridge decide whether to renovate the 70-year-old facility—or build a new one at a new site.

City officials said bringing the existing plant up to code could cost $16 million or more. It was transferred to the city from DOE in 2000, more than 15 years ago. Officials declined to estimate how much it could cost to build a new one, although it’s also said to be in the multi-million-dollar range.

Among the challenges at the water plant now are a leak of 3,000 gallons per day. The city staff is not sure where the leak originates or whether the water that is leaking has already been treated, and so far they haven’t been able to stop the leak. [Read more…]