Oak Ridge Today

Man arrested after armed standoff outside Clinton on Friday morning

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A 30-year-old man was arrested after an armed standoff with Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies just outside Clinton on Friday morning, March 25, 2016, authorities said. (Photo by Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

A 30-year-old man was arrested after an armed standoff with Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies just outside Clinton on Friday morning, authorities said.

The standoff occurred on Hollingsworth Lane just outside Clinton. Deputies went to the home of Adam Jacob Daniels, 30, to serve arrest warrants from two incidents that occurred Thursday evening and earlier Friday morning, said Mark Lucas, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy.

Daniels allegedly went to an apartment on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton around 9 p.m. Thursday and threatened two people with a handgun, Lucas said. He allegedly returned shortly after 3 a.m. Friday and shot through an apartment window. [Read more…]

Updated: McNally to seek Senate speakership

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

Note: This story was updated at 9:30 a.m. March 25.

Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, will seek to become the next speaker of the Senate.

If elected, McNally would replace Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey, a Blountville Republican who recently announced he is not seeking re-election.

McNally, a longtime legislator, is chair of the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee.

“I want to thank Ron Ramsey for his tremendous leadership over these last 10 years,” McNally said in a Thursday press release. “If elected speaker, I will continue to support an independent state Senate, and I will remain committed to keeping taxes low, while maintaining the financial integrity of our state that benefits all Tennesseans.”

In the press release, McNally said he plans to spend his summer and fall working with Ramsey to help Tennessee Republicans maintain and grow their strong majority in the state Senate. [Read more…]

Rockslide work continues, but one lane re-opens on I-75 North in Campbell Co.

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I-75 North Campbell County March 24 2016

The Tennessee Department of Transportation re-opened one lane of traffic on Interstate 75 North in Campbell County on Thursday morning, March 24, 2016. (Photo courtesy Mark Nagi via Twitter)

 

Work continues on rockslide at Mile Marker 142

The Tennessee Department of Transportation re-opened one lane of traffic on Interstate 75 North in Campbell County on Thursday morning. Both lanes had been closed since February 26 due to a rockslide that occurred at Mile Marker 142.

TDOT said one lane will remain closed on I-75 North. Work continues in the area as crews remove slide debris, stabilize the existing slope, and repair the interstate. The entire repair project is scheduled to be complete on or before April 15.

One northbound lane remains closed. I-75 reduces to one lane starting at MM 141.

TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi reported that traffic was moving smoothly on Thursday morning. [Read more…]

NRC to discuss TVA application process for small modular reactors in Oak Ridge

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TVA Clinch River Site

The Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge, where small modular reactors could be built. (Photo courtesy TVA)

 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be in Oak Ridge in April to discuss the safety and environmental review process related to a Tennessee Valley Authority permit application for small modular reactors at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge.

TVA expects to submit what is known as an early site permit, or ESP, application by May 12.

“A key topic to be discussed is how and when the public may participate in the NRC review process, if desired,” a NRC meeting notice said. “The public is encouraged to ask questions about the NRC review process for this ESP Application.”

Two sessions are scheduled in the auditorium of the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Eighth rowing lane could cost more than $500,000, up to about $1.2 million

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Twelve of the nation’s best NCAA Division I women’s rowing teams competed this month in the Cardinal Invitational Regatta in Oak Ridge. Pictured above, a West Virginia University team competes at Oak Ridge Marina on Saturday, March 12, 2016. The eighth lane would require some work along the Melton Lake Drive side of the course, which is on the right side of this picture. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 5:30 p.m.

An eighth lane at the seven-lane Oak Ridge rowing course could cost more than $500,000 and up to about $1.2 million, officials said Tuesday.

The eighth lane has been on the wish list of rowers and many local officials for years. They say it would allow the Oak Ridge Rowing Association to compete for bigger races and international regattas, which require an eighth lane. It would also keep the site a top-tier rowing venue and provide more on-water capacity, allowing more competitors in events. It’s also expected to significantly increase the economic impact of rowing races, or regattas.

Officials announced a $250,000 state grant for the eighth lane in April 2015.

In August, the city hired Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon Inc. for design and survey work, among other tasks.

A March 1 memo from BWSC to Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks director, outlines five construction options with various estimates of probable costs ranging between $543,771 and $1,162,444. The five estimated construction costs include a 20 percent contingency. All five options would include a retaining wall and earthwork, which would include excavation and dredging. [Read more…]

Firefighters stop Cedar Hill Park fire from spreading

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department douses a bench that caught fire, possibly due to cigarettes discarded in mulch, at Cedar Hill Park, a beloved community-built playground, on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A fire that burned a bench at Cedar Hill Park—a beloved community-built playground—might have been started by cigarettes discarded in mulch, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 10:22 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters were able to extinguish it within 10 minutes or less.

The quick response likely prevented additional damage to the playground on a windy night, Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief David Harrington said.

Firefighters don’t think the fire was intentional, Harrington said.

He said the bench was made of a plastic composite-like material. [Read more…]

Roane State lectures to address differences between Islam, Islamic State (ISIS)

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Rihab Sawah

Rihab Sawah

Scholar Rihab Sawah from St. Louis Community College will discuss differences between Islam and the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, on Thursday, March 31, at Roane State Community College’s Roane and Oak Ridge campuses.

The Roane County lecture will be held at 11:30 a.m. in room 101 in the O’Brien Humanities Building on the main campus in Harriman, 276 Patton Lane. The Oak Ridge lecture will be held at 3 p.m. in the City Room at the Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Ave.

The lectures, presented by Roane State’s International Education Department and the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or ORICL, are free and open to the public.

The presentations will define Islam and the Islamic State and will contrast 12 main points that highlight the diverging point of view of ISIS in relation to Islam. Sawah will also present the historical roots of a movement such as ISIS and explain why the movement misuses Islamic ideology and how it serves ISIS leaders’ aim to establish their influence in the region. [Read more…]

Oh, Baby! Labor, delivery nurse takes job to new level with her own at-home delivery

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Clockwise from top: David, Jakob, Deegan, Megan, and Emery gather for a picture before leaving for home as a family of five. (Photo by Covenant Health/MMC)

 

As a labor and delivery nurse in the Family Birthing Center at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Megan Whaley, RN, FNP, knows a thing or two about childbirth. She has 11 years of experience and two boys of her own, but her delivery skills were put to the test on March 21 when the family’s newest addition made a dramatic entrance.

Megan was two days overdue and had been experiencing gradual contractions, but her previous labors had been hours-long and she was sure she had plenty of time. But as the morning went on her contractions got stronger, so she called her husband David who was at work in Lenoir City.

“She didn’t seem panicked in the first phone call,” remembered David. “I was at work in a meeting and an hour away. We thought we’d be fine, but then she called back and said we need an ambulance.”

“By 10 a.m. I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the hospital,” said Megan who recalls the overwhelming need to push that signaled her impending delivery. [Read more…]

Taco Bell temporarily closed after truck crashes into building

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A landscaping truck crashed into the Taco Bell on South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, March 22, 2016. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

Note: This story was updated at 5:48 p.m.

The Taco Bell on South Illinois Avenue is temporarily closed after a landscaping truck crashed into the building on Tuesday afternoon.

The crash was reported at about 2:10 p.m. Tuesday at 353 South Illinois Avenue. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department both responded.

An Eastwood Landscaping truck crashed into the front of the building, a press release said. The driver of the vehicle was Joshua Tice, 25, of Knoxville. The cause of the crash was determined to be driver error, and no charges are being filed. [Read more…]

Clinton men win TN Team Trail Fishing Tournament

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First prize in the TN Team Trail Fishing Tournament at Anderson County Park on Saturday, March 19, 2016, was won by B.J. Henderson and Billy Joe Henderson from Clinton, with a total of 22.14 pounds. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

The TN Team Trail Fishing Tournament was a huge success with 176 boats and 348 anglers participating in the event on Saturday, March 19, at Anderson County Park on Norris Lake. Participants came from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and throughout East and Middle Tennessee.

First prize was won by B.J. Henderson and Billy Joe Henderson from Clinton, with a total of 22.14 pounds. Second place was Jordan Lane and Roger King with 19.72 pounds. Third place was Wayne Moyher and Casey Baker with 19.65 pounds.

The Largemouth Lunker was caught by Rick Disney and Mike Miller with a weight of 7.35 pounds.

A total of 486 bass were caught and released at a total weight of 1,342 pounds. Total cash payout for the tournament was $39,350. [Read more…]

Anderson County secures Tennessee College of Applied Technology facility

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission learned Monday night that the county has been chosen by the state to be the next home of a Tennessee College of Applied Technology—or TCAT. TCATs are training facilities aimed at improving the skill levels of members of Tennessee’s workforce and are seen by potential industries as great training grounds for potential employees.

Anderson County Economic Development Association President Tim Thompson told commissioners Monday that his organization and the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce have been working hard on securing the facility for more than a year and that the county had beaten out Blount County.

Thompson credited the owners of the former Hensley’s IGA grocery store in Andersonville and SL Tennessee in the I-75 Industrial park for their roles in making the TCAT a reality. The Hensley owners have agreed to donate the vacant 20,000-square foot store to the state to renovate and use as a temporary training facility for a period of about two years. The temporary facility will be needed while the state builds the new College of Applied Technology on a seven-acre parcel of land donated for the project by SL Tennessee. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge-Clinton baseball

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Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats baseball team beat Clinton 11-6 at home on Monday. Here are photos by John Huotari.

The Wildcats are 5-1 overall and 2-1 in District 3-AAA.

The Dragons are 4-2 overall and 1-2 in District 3-AAA.

Oak Ridge will play at Clinton tonight (Tuesday, March 22).

The Wildcats’ one loss this season was at Halls on March 16.

See the Oak Ridge baseball schedule here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

 

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today

[Read more…]