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One dead in crash into Bull Run Creek

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Note: This story was last updated at 12:45 a.m.

CLAXTON–One person is confirmed dead after a vehicle crashed into Bull Run Creek in Claxton on Thursday night.

The crash was reported to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department on a straight stretch of New Henderson Road near Bull Run Park at about 9:19 p.m. Thursday.

The body of the man who died in the crash was removed from the water, but the vehicle remained submerged for several more hours until a dive team located it and a tow truck pulled it out at about midnight. The man is believed to have been alone in the vehicle, which appeared to be a silver sport utility vehicle.

Before the vehicle was removed from the water, rescuers, including a crew from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office with help from an Anderson County Rescue Squad boat, had circled an area about 20-40 feet from shore, looking for the submerged vehicle. They located it before midnight.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into the crash, and troopers examined a trail that appeared to lead from the road through roadside posts, gravel, and brush to the water.

Other rescuers assisted at the crash site as well, including the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department.

More information will be added as it becomes available.


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Driver in fatal crash receives 12-year sentence

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Scott-Gray-Hearing-Aug-11-2016

The driver in a fatal two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in April 2016 has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by intoxication and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and he received a 12-year sentence.

The defendant served more than the statutory minimum of 45 days before his plea agreement—he served about one year and one month in the Anderson County jail—and the rest of his 12-year sentence was suspended, to be served on intensive probation, among other conditions, according to Anderson County court records.

The crash three years ago killed a 23-year-old Heiskell woman.

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Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

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The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 22. The meeting will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served, a press release said.

Tennessee senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about this session of the Tennessee General Assembly and respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience, the press release said. The public is invited to attend.

“The popular community event offers firsthand information on upcoming legislation and House and Senate committee activities, while prompting dialogue among legislators and citizens, and providing a great networking opportunity for members of the community,” the press release said.

Breakfast with the Legislators is held the fourth Monday of each month while the Tennessee General Assembly is in session.

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City brush pickup starts April 29

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The citywide brush pickup program will begin in Oak Ridge on Monday, April 29. Tree limbs as well as bagged yard clippings and leaves will be picked up, a press release said. City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible.  

“Residents have always been very cooperative, and we ask for their continued cooperation this year by following a few guidelines,” the press release said:

[Read more…]

A.K. Bissell Park playground temporarily closed

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Alvin K. Bissell Park Playground due to a partially fallen tree nearby, the City of Oak Ridge said Thursday, April 18, 2019. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Alvin K. Bissell Park Playground due to a partially fallen tree nearby. The playground will remain closed until crews are able to safely remove the tree, a press release said.

Safety fencing has been installed around the playground, and signs have been posted to notify the public of the closure, the press release said.

“All residents and visitors should avoid the area until further notice,” the release said.

[Read more…]

Mother, son escape; cats rescued from basement fire

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A mother and her teenage son escaped from a basement fire on Monday evening, April 15, 2019, on Hugh Lane in Oak Ridge, and two cats were rescued. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A mother and her teenage son escaped from a Monday evening basement fire on Hugh Lane in Oak Ridge, and two cats were rescued.

The fire was reported at about 5:40 p.m. Monday, April 15.

When the Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived, firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the basement area of a three-unit condominium, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

[Read more…]

Flatwater Tales returns June 1

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Pictured above from left to right are Carmen Agra Deedy, Bil Lepp, and Bobby Norfolk.

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers, returns to Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 1.

It’s the second annual storytelling festival in Oak Ridge. The annual event is led by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge, all volunteers.

This year’s festival will be in the Historic Grove Theater. Due to public demand at the 2018 performances, a larger venue and an additional performance have been added, a press release said.

Bil Lepp, Carmen Agra Deedy, and Bobby Norfolk will perform for the 2019 festival. They have achieved national and international recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Education Foundation to award grants April 24

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Woodland Elementary School teacher Megan Sauer is pictured above with one of her students demonstrating her 2018 grant “Communication for All.” (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $99,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 24.

Oak Ridge High School’s retired math teacher and former department head Benita Albert will be the featured speaker at the event, sharing her talk titled “We’ve Come a Long Way Teachers.”

The ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Pollard Auditorium at ORAU beginning at 2:30 p.m. Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given in the lobby after the formal ceremony. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Oak Ridge Utility District, a press release said.

The 2019 grant recipients are as follows: [Read more…]

Nine Lakes Wine Festival is May 31-June 1

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The third annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival has been scheduled for May 31-June 1, 2019, in Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. The festival, pictured above in 2018, celebrates Tennessee wines and ciders that are 100 percent locally made. (Photo by Keely Rountree/Courtesy Nine Lakes Wine Festival)

The third annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival has been scheduled for May 31-June 1 in Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge. The festival celebrates Tennessee wines and ciders that are 100 percent locally made. Plus, the festival is home to the South’s only human-powered wine barrel race, benefitting 24 local charities, a press release said.

The Grand Tasting is Saturday, June 1, from 3 to 8 p.m., on the waterfront at Melton Lake Park, featuring 17 wineries sampling more than 100 Tennessee wines and ciders. Festival-goers can receive a complimentary tasting glass and a six-compartment wine tote, the press release said. They may purchase bottles of wine directly from the winemakers, and enjoy shopping with local artisans at the festival as well.

From 4 to 7 p.m., festival participants are invited to join in the Barrels of Fun Charity Race, in which pairs of rollers can earn cash for their chosen charity. “Winning teams will receive a bottle of Tennessee wine!” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Ellen Reid, who grew up in Oak Ridge, wins Pulitzer Prize in music

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Ellen Reid (Photo by James Matthew Daniel)

Ellen Reid, who grew up in Oak Ridge, has won the Pulitzer Prize in music.

Reid, 36, won the prize for her debut opera, titled “p r i s m,” which features a libretto by Roxie Perkins.

The Pulitzer Prize Board described “p r i s m” as “a bold new operatic work that uses sophisticated vocal writing and striking instrumental timbres to confront difficult subject matter: the effects of sexual and emotional abuse.”

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday.

“I am blown away and incredibly honored to receive this year’s Pulitzer Prize in music,” Reid said on her Facebook page. “Composing p r i s m was a challenging, rewarding, and deeply personal experience, and I hope this opera will help shed light on the experience of surviving sexual assault.”

[Read more…]

Celebrate Oak Ridge Business Awards Breakfast to be held May 7

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Consolidated Nuclear Security, UT-Battelle, and the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce are joining together to host a breakfast in May to honor local business leaders and outstanding small businesses. May is National Small Business Month.

The honorees at the May 7 breakfast will be ARS International LLC, Karen Prillhart, Kelsan, Dustin Mackey, and Stephanie Hale-Smith of State Farm.

The Celebrate Oak Ridge Business awards breakfast will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, at the Doubletree by Hilton.

To reserve a spot at the breakfast, visit the Oak Ridge Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org. [Read more…]

Edward Jones financial adviser moves to new office

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John Daniels

John Daniels of the financial services firm Edward Jones has opened a new office at 708 South Illinois Avenue. The new office opened for business on Monday, April 1. The phone number is (865) 272−3829.

Daniels, who has been a financial adviser since 2017, said, “We are excited about our new location, and we are eager for our clients and neighbors to visit us.”

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada, a press release said. [Read more…]

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