Oak Ridge Today

Already charged with murder, two also charged with child rape, sexual exploitation

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Sean Finnegan, one of two defendants in a series of gruesome alleged crimes in Oak Ridge some time between December 2019 and August 2020, including murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping, is pictured above in a mugshot from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Two Oak Ridge defendants who were previously charged with first-degree murder, aggravated rape, and abuse of a corpse in the death of a 36-year-old woman have now been charged with aggravated child rape and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Sean S. Finnegan, 53, and Rebecca E. Dishman, 23, were charged last summer with murder, sex crimes, kidnapping, and abuse of a corpse after Jennifer Gail Paxton, 36, was allegedly tortured, raped, and strangled, and her body was allegedly cut and broken before being stuffed into a freezer in a home on East Fairview Road in Oak Ridge.

The new child rape and sexual exploitation charges followed an investigation by the Oak Ridge Police Department, according to a press release from the office of Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark in Clinton. Finnegan and Dishman have been indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury, the press release said.

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Cole seeking re-election as county clerk

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Jeff Cole (File photo)

Jeff Cole is seeking re-election as Anderson County clerk in the 2022 election.

Cole has worked in the Anderson County Clerk’s office since 1989, and he has served as Anderson County clerk since 2002, a press release said.

Cole is a certified public administrator from the University of Tennessee, and he is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Local Government Leadership Program. Cole was president of the County Clerks Association for the State of Tennessee, and he was chosen as County Clerk of the Year by all county clerks in the state of Tennessee in 2015, the press release said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the office has had a continued interest in protecting Anderson County families and businesses that use the clerk’s office, the press release said. Recently, the office installed new counters that have enhanced safety features and allow for better service, the release said.

The County Clerk’s office is responsible for waiting on more than 120,000 customers a year, according to the press release. The office has more than $8 million in receipts per year and offers more than 15 different services to the citizens of Anderson County.

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Flatwater Tales Virtual Storytelling Festival is June 5

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Bil Lepp performs at the 2019 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, held at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. (File/submitted photo)

The 2021 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5.

The festival will offer an evening performance recorded in front of a live audience, three live online interactive workshops, and a live online after-party, a press release said.

The annual event is led by volunteers from the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge. Due to concerns about COVID-19, this year’s event will be online.

The featured storytellers are three acclaimed performers: Andy Offutt Irwin, Bil Lepp, and Kim Weitkamp. They are known to audiences nationwide for their wit, wisdom, and abilities to make audiences laugh, cry, and reminisce, the press release said. The three storytellers have achieved national recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

On Saturday, June 5, the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will present the art and magic of storytelling with a virtual performance at 8 p.m. The three tellers will record a live show that will be performed before a small audience exclusively for Flatwater Tales. This performance will include an unrehearsed improvisation segment, hosted by emcee Paula Gordon Lepp, a new feature in the storytelling world, the press release said.

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Garbage has to be brought to curb starting July 1

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The Waste Connections Convenience Center is pictured on Warehouse Road in east Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 p.m.

With limited exceptions, garbage cans in Oak Ridge will have to be brought to the curb for the weekly pickup starting July 1, and there will be a $1.20 monthly fee increase for the waste disposal service.

The city’s previous 25-year contract is expiring, and the new contract will start July 1.

Unlike many cities, Oak Ridge has had a “backdoor pickup” garbage service for years, but that is ending. With that back door service, garbage would be picked up away from the curb—at a back door, for example.

Under the new contract, people with qualifying disabilities will still be eligible for backdoor garbage and recycling services. (More information is included below.)

As part of the contract change to curbside pickup, new large 95-gallon trash bins will be provided at no cost, a press release said.

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Roane State ends COVID-19 mask requirement for fully vaccinated

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Part of the Oak Ridge branch campus of Roane State Community College is pictured above. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College is ending its face mask requirement for people who are fully vaccinated. The college also ended its daily wellness screening requirement on campus on Monday.

The changes are updates to the college’s pandemic response plan as COVID-19 cases decline in the area, state, and nation.

“These changes follow updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued on May 13,” Roane State said in a press release. “Over the next few weeks, Roane State will be working to implement these new protocols within its response plan and communicate changes to the campus community.”

Until further notice, Roane State will maintain some of the preventive measures put in place during the pandemic in order to keep campuses as safe as possible. Protocols that will remain in place include:

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COVID-19 vaccines at ORHS for students 12 and older in June

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Oak Ridge Schools and Anderson County Health Department will have a vaccine clinic for students 12 and older in June.

The vaccine clinic will be in Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School on June 4 and 25. It will feature the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, with the first shot on Friday, June 4, and the second on Friday, June 25. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose.

The vaccine clinic will begin at 9 a.m. both days.

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Masks to continue in ORS through May 28, optional for summer school

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Mask use will continue in Oak Ridge Schools through the end of the school year, May 28, but will be optional for summer school.

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers recommended the change during a special meeting Monday evening. The Oak Ridge Board of Education approved it unanimously.

Masks have been required in Oak Ridge Schools to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students can take off their masks outside. Visitors will be allowed starting in school in July.

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For members: Gas station supplies still limited

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The Kroger fuel center was closed Saturday evening, May 15, and Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2021, after the Colonial Pipeline shutdown last week. It’s not clear when the station will get more gas. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 10:20 a.m. May 17.

Gas stations in Oak Ridge still had a limited supply this weekend. Some stations had gas but not all types. For example, they might have had regular gasoline, or regular and diesel, or alternatively, no regular.

Soccer: Wildcats win district championship

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats won the District 3-AAA championship with a 1-0 victory at Powell on Thursday, May 13, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

POWELL—The Oak Ridge soccer team won the district championship with a 1-0 victory at Powell on Thursday.

It was the first time the Wildcats have won the District 3-AAA soccer championship since 2017.

Marvin Media-Jovel scored the one goal for the Wildcats in the 52nd minute on Thursday, getting the ball around a Powell defender on the left side of the net and kicking it into the right side.

Oak Ridge coach Tom Gorman said the first half was back-and-forth between the Wildcats and Panthers, but he was concerned because Powell had better scoring opportunities. But Oak Ridge weathered the storm, settled down in the second half, and played better, Gorman said.

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Most stations had no gas or limited supplies on Wednesday evening

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Most gas pumps were closed at the Kroger fuel center on Tuesday evening, May 11, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Most gas stations in Oak Ridge had either no gas to sell or had limited supplies on Wednesday evening.

Oak Ridge Today counted seven stations that had no gas to sell between about 7 and 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Four others appeared to be operating with some limits. Eddie Hair gas station had a $25 purchase limit. The Food City gas station said it had no regular and mid-grade fuel, while Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue said it had only unleaded gas and diesel. The Shell gas station at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson had only regular fuel (87 octane).

The Mobil gas station on Oak Ridge Turnpike, across from Food City, appeared to be operating normally.

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Soccer: Oak Ridge plays Powell for district championship

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Oak Ridge will play Powell for the District 3-AAA soccer championship on Thursday.

Powell is the number one seed in the district tournament, and Oak Ridge is the number two seed.

The Thursday game will start at 7 p.m. at Powell.

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Baseball: Wildcats eliminated by Powell in district semifinal

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Powell trailed Oak Ridge 8-2 after four innings in a District 3-AAA semifinal game on Tuesday, but the Panthers rallied to eliminate the Wildcats 9-8.

Powell scored six runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth inning, trying the game at eight, and senior Parker Haley hit a two-out home run to end the game.

The Wildcats, the number five seed in the district tournament, had advanced to the semifinal game against the Panthers, the number one seed, by upsetting Karns, the number four seed, 10-3 in a quarterfinal game on Monday. Before that loss, the Beavers (15-20) had defeated the Wildcats (18-15) three times this season, twice during the regular season and once in the opening round of the district tournament.

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