Three Oak Ridge High School football players were taken to two hospitals after a crash in Blount County on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
The three were reportedly leaving Maryville to come to practice in Oak Ridge at the time of the crash, Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis said.
He said two players were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and the third was taken to Blount Memorial.
Gaddis said the three had apparently spent the night with a friend. [Read more…]
Rachel Minardo, president of the Anderson County Education Association, and others have advocated for a 4 percent pay raise for county school teachers and staff. Above, Minardo talks to the 16-member Anderson County Commission in Clinton on Monday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m.
CLINTON—After rejecting a few other proposals, Anderson County commissioners on Monday approved a 10-cent property tax rate increase to fund 2 percent pay raises for county employees and school teachers and staff.
The vote for the tax rate increase was 9-5-1.
Eight cents of the 10-cent increase is for Anderson County Schools, and the other two cents will cover the pay raise for county employees, with the exception of elected officials and county commissioners.
Earlier in the five-hour meeting, commissioners rejected proposals to:
Teachers said they haven’t had a pay raise since 2012, and they last received a bonus in 2013 and that was $200. They have said all the surrounding school districts except Campbell County pay more, and they want to be able to recruit and retain good teachers—and not be a training ground for other districts. [Read more…]
Robin Biloski
Note: This story was updated at 9:45 a.m.
CLINTON—Anderson County Commissioner Robin Biloski is resigning August 3 because she and her husband Bill are moving to Madeira Beach, Florida.
First elected in 2006, Biloski has served two four-year terms on County Commission. Re-elected for a second time in August 2014, she is now in her ninth year and represents District 8, which includes Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland in Oak Ridge.
Biloski was the only woman on County Commission for eight years, and she served as vice chair for three years and also chaired the Operations Committee.
She has also served for six years on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission. [Read more…]
Ed Steinebach, right, general manager for Magna International’s Eagle Bend Manufacturing plant located in Clinton, announces a $10,000 donation to start an animal shelter in Anderson County. Also pictured are Anderson County Commissioner Robin Biloski, left, and Mayor Terry Frank, center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
CLINTON—A total of $25,000 in donations was announced on Monday to help start an animal shelter in Anderson County.
The first donation of $10,000 was announced by Ed Steinebach, general manager for Magna International’s Eagle Bend Manufacturing plant in Clinton. Steinebach said his company is number two in the world for automotive manufacturing, and it is very important to give back to the community.
A matching donation of $10,000 was announced by Eileen Slater from her and NOAH Companion Animal Center in Marlow. Slater said it is very urgent to set up a holding facility at Blockhouse Valley Road.
The third donation of $5,000 was announced by members of S.A.R.G. (Shelter Animals Rescue Group), a nonprofit organization. [Read more…]
File photo courtesy Atom Ray Photography
The Seventh Annual Taste of Anderson County will be at Jackson Square on Saturday, September 19, and it will feature food and local musicians.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a sampling of food from some of Anderson County’s best restaurants, which will showcase their fare in small, taste-sized portions, a press release said.
“This event is a great opportunity for local restaurants to share some of their favorite dishes, while proceeds will benefit the United Way of Anderson County and the Free Medical Clinic,” the release said.
“Tastes” from each vendor will be priced from $1 to $4 per item. Tickets will be available to purchase for $1 at entrances to the event. Attendees may buy as many tickets as they like; in addition, beer and wine will be available for sale. [Read more…]
Josie Fellers and teammate Olivia Jones assemble their robot’s arm at the ORAU Oak Ridge Robotics Academy. (Photo courtesy ORAU)
More than two dozen students from across East Tennessee recently spent a week designing, building, and programming robots during the Oak Ridge Robotics Academy.
Held at ORAU’s Center for Science Education, the week-long, free camp was led by Instructors Tad Douce and Ed Goodwin, both co-directors of the National Robotics Challenge, with help from Kayla Canario, the 2011 Extreme Classroom Makeover contest runner-up and the technology coordinator for Bearden Middle School.
The 6th annual ORAU Oak Ridge Robotics Academy included 26 students in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades.
Students were randomly placed into teams and faced daily engineering challenges such as programming their robots to solve a maze without being controlled or designing an arm to pick up a tennis ball.
“We call it a robotics academy, but it’s really an engineering academy,” Douce said. “Our main goal is to get the students to work with others, think logically and solve problems.” [Read more…]
The long-term lane closures on State Route 61 at Interstate 75 are scheduled to start Wednesday, July 22, officials said.
One lane will be closed in both directions for bridge repairs, the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced on Twitter.
This is the bridge that crosses over I-75 in east Clinton on the way to the Museum of Appalachia and Norris. [Read more…]
Coach Marcus Caldwell, left, and Mayor Warren Gooch at the NABF World Series in Oak Ridge on Thursday, July 16, 2015. Caldwell is assistant head coach for Oak Ridge High School baseball. (Photo courtesy Greta Ownby)
Three dozen baseball teams played at fields in Knoxville and Oak Ridge this weekend in the 2015 NABF World Series.
The NABF is the National Amateur Baseball Federation.
The tournament play included Junior Division (16U, or 16 and younger) and High School Division (17U, or 17 and younger).
The baseball tournament was from Thursday, July 16, to Sunday, July 19, and it included teams from the United States and Canada. [Read more…]
A house on North Slope Lane near Hidden Hills Drive received the most damage, authorities said. Hidden Hills Drive is off Hidden Valley Road, which runs between State Route 61 and Laurel Road northeast of Oak Ridge.
The storms that blew through on Saturday brought high winds and heavy rain to parts of East Tennessee. There were some trees and power lines down in Anderson County.
“The Claxton area, especially around West Wolf Valley Road, and near Laurel Road between Clinton and Oak Ridge were the hardest hit,” Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said Saturday evening.
He said there was minor damage reported from trees or limbs on houses. One house on North Slope Lane near Hidden Valley Road received the most damage, Lucas said.
There were no reported injuries.
Most trees and power lines across roads were cleared by Saturday evening, Lucas said. [Read more…]
Joseph Dillman, right, was battling brain cancer for the second time when this picture was taken in January, and he received more than 100 pounds of mail and gifts for his 10th birthday. Above, family friend Brian Bruce helped Dillman open gifts during Joseph Dillman Day at Claxton Elementary School on Saturday, January 24, 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 4:27 p.m. July 20.
Joseph Dillman, a Clinton boy who inspired the community with his battle against brain cancer, died Saturday. He was 10.
Joseph had earned the love and admiration of many people from across the country. It was his second battle against brain cancer.
Joseph had been made an honorary firefighter and honorary Clinton police officer. For his 10th birthday in January, he received more than 100 pounds of birthday mail and gifts from well-wishers across the country, including Peyton Manning and Johnny Majors.
“Joseph Dillman was such a fun-loving kid and put up a hard fight to beat cancer,” family friend Tiffany Taylor said on a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with funeral expenses. “Unfortunately, little Joseph’s fight ended yesterday morning with his family by his side.”
There was a candlelight prayer service for Joseph on July 11 in Clinton. Joseph was unable to attend, so supporters brought the event to him. Members of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department—along with local law enforcement, fire departments, and Emergency Medical Services—drove by Joseph’s house with lights flashing and sirens blaring. [Read more…]
The former Paragon Athletic Club on Emory Valley Road has been demolished. This picture was taken on Sunday, July 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 7:52 p.m.
The former Paragon Athletic Club on Emory Valley Road has been demolished.
The building, which hadn’t been used for years, has been knocked to the ground, although debris remains at the site.
The former fitness center is near the former Food Lion grocery store in east Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
Three people were taken to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike at Athens Road on Sunday afternoon, July 19, 2015, authorities said.
Three people were taken to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike at Athens Road on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Two of the three were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and the other was taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, authorities said.
The crash, which briefly closed the eastbound lanes of the Turnpike, was reported in east Oak Ridge at about 4:09 p.m. Sunday. It occurred on the stretch of the Turnpike that runs between Milt Dickens Park on the north side of the four-lane roadway and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information on the south. [Read more…]
