Oak Ridge Today

Man charged in attempted ATM theft with Bobcat on Christmas Day 2013

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Bobcat and ATM Safe from Y-12 Federal Credit Union

A Bobcat allegedly involved in a plot to steal a safe from an ATM in east Oak Ridge on Christmas Day 2013 is tipped over on its side in a small ditch next to the safe, which had not been opened. (File photo/December 25, 2013)

 

Stanley Wallace II

Stanley Junior Wallace

A Kingston man has been arrested and charged in the alleged conspiracy to steal an ATM safe loaded with $26,000 in cash using a Bobcat and pickup truck on Christmas Day 2013.

The plot to steal the 4,000-pound safe was unsuccessful. But the suspects were able to demolish the stand-alone Y-12 Federal Credit Union automated teller machine near Tractor Supply in east Oak Ridge and pull the safe several hundred feet across a field before the Bobcat tipped over in a small culvert next to Bogola Road. An attempt to remove the cash box with a stolen Ford F250 pickup truck also failed, so the suspects left the area, authorities said.

Stanley Junior Wallace, 25, of Lawnville Road in Kingston, has been charged in the case. He was arrested March 26 and faces charges of attempted theft of more than $10,000, vandalism of more than $10,000, attempted aggravated burglary, auto burglary, conspiracy, aggravated trespassing, and joyriding.

Oak Ridge Police Department Detective William Weaver said he interviewed Wallace at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on April 21, 2014. Wallace was given his Miranda warning and agreed to speak with Weaver, according to arrest warrants. [Read more…]

Anderson County Chamber has Job Fair in Oak Ridge on April 30

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The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host a Job Fair on Thursday, April 30, to recruit employees for local businesses and industries. It’s scheduled from 3-7 p.m. April 30 at New Hope Center at 602 Scarboro Road in Oak Ridge.

This one-day event allows job seekers to connect face to face with local businesses and industries seeking employees, a press release said.

As of late March, Job Fair exhibitors included Eagle Bend Manufacturing, Express Personnel Professionals, MAG-USA, SL Tennessee, Temp Systems Inc., Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville, and Y-12 National Security Complex. [Read more…]

Curves re-opens in Oak Ridge

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Josee Tousignant

Pictured above are Mary Ann Gubank, director of St. Joseph’s Food Pantry, and Josee Tousignant, new owner of Curves of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Curves of Oak Ridge re-opened in March, with a new location at 130 Ridgeway Center, a new local owner, and new classes, a press release said.

The release said Curves is a facility specifically designed for women featuring a complete 30-minute workout that is fun, fast and safe.

“The new owner, Josee Tousignant, is thrilled about reopening the Curves now at Ridgeway Center, and is most proud to say that there will always be a ‘personal coach’ on site, which is included in the membership plan,” the release said. “One of the most appealing things about Curves is that women can complete an entire body workout designed specifically for women in 30 minutes.” [Read more…]

Tech 2020 Announces autoXLR8R 2015

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Application process now open

Tech 2020 of Oak Ridge is accepting applications for autoXLR8R 2015, a business accelerator for startups seeking to commercialize technology in the automotive industry. The application process is detailed on the program website: www.autoXLR8R.com. The deadline for applications is May 29.

The program opens in Oak Ridge on July 6 and runs through the week of August 31.

autoXLR8R is in it’s third year, having started at the Southern Middle Tennessee Entrepreneur Centers in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Tech 2020 has been involved with providing educational support since its inception, a press release said. [Read more…]

Jackson Square fountain won’t be ready by Lavender Fest, but other work should be

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Jackson Square Parking Lot Work

The interactive fountain in the center of the Jackson Square parking lot won’t be finished before the Lavender Festival in June, but work around the fountain should be completed by then, a city official said Monday.

 

The interactive fountain won’t be in place by the Lavender Festival in June, but other perimeter work around the Jackson Square parking lot should be completed, a city official said Monday.

Construction work on the $1 million rebuild of the parking lot area at Jackson Square started in January. The construction contract was awarded to Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City by the Oak Ridge City Council in October.

The work is funded with help from a $741,609 Tennessee Department of Transportation Enhancement Grant that was awarded to the city in June 2012. The TDOT grant covers 80 percent of the work, and it requires a 20 percent city match.

Jackson Square is Oak Ridge’s original town center. [Read more…]

Planning Commission considers revised master plan for Main Street Oak Ridge

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The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission will consider a revised master plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall, during a Thursday meeting.

It’s a planned unit development, or PUD, master plan.

The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

Shop the Historic Grove Center Day is Saturday

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The shop keepers of the Historic Grove Center would like to announce “Shop The Historic Grove Center Day” on Saturday, April 18, from 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. The day will include live music, karaoke, and more, organizers said.

“This event is to bring awareness to people that Historic Grove Center is here, and we have some awesome shops,” organizers said. “Shop small and help the small businesses.”

Public invited to Chamber’s Primetime on Thursday

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Spring Primetime networking event will be held on Thursday, April 16.

Close to 50 Chamber-member organizations have already reserved exhibit space for the event, which is titled “Fiesta Primetime.” It will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday under the tent in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Primetime is one of the Chamber’s biggest networking events of the year. Anyone—Chamber member or not—is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]

New one-megawatt solar array at Heritage Center can power 133 homes

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Powerhouse Six Solar Array Ribbon-cutting April 9, 2015

Company executives and city and federal officials celebrate a new one-megawatt solar array at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge on Thursday with a ceremonial “plugging in.”

 

A new one-megawatt solar array at the Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge will provide enough clean energy to power 133 average-size homes per year, officials said.

Company and nonprofit executives joined city and federal officials for a ceremonial “plugging in” of the new Powerhouse Six photovoltaic solar array on Thursday.

The $1.8 million array has 3,268 solar modules, and it will be used to sell electric power to the Tennessee Valley Authority through the Oak Ridge Electric Department.

“We’re going live today,” said Gil Hough, renewable energy manager for RSI, or Restoration Services Inc., the Oak Ridge-based company that developed the array. [Read more…]

East Tennessee FARM Markets opening soon

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East TN Farmers Association Logo

East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM, a nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce the opening of its 39th season of farmers’ markets in East Tennessee, in three convenient locations in Knoxville and Oak Ridge. Established in 1976, FARM is Tennessee’s longest continuously operating farmers’ market organization.

“We are proud to offer this service to the Knoxville-Oak Ridge community,” said Steve Colvin, president of East TN FARM. “Our membership typically includes about 70 producer-vendors, offering more than 100 different Tennessee grown products from April through November.”

FARM vendors will offer a wide variety of spring bedding plants, fresh produce, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, artisan bread and cheese, local honey, and fresh eggs. As the season goes on, they offer the freshest produce possible, including just-picked strawberries, peaches, sweet corn, and heirloom tomatoes. [Read more…]

Council to consider traffic signals, access at ORHS, Main Street Oak Ridge

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Main Street Oak Ridge Master Plan March 26, 2015

Here is the master plan for Main Street Oak Ridge. (See a larger version of the plan in the link below.) The traffic signal and access would be on Rutgers Avenue in the bottom middle of the map above.

 

The City Council on Monday will consider resolutions that would allow new traffic signals at Oak Ridge High School and Main Street Oak Ridge.

Main Street Oak Ridge is the proposed project that would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The proposed traffic signal would be on Rutgers Avenue at a new access to Main Street Oak Ridge that the City Council could approve on Monday.

The other traffic signal would be on Oak Ridge Turnpike between Oak Ridge High School and the Civic Center. Council postponed a vote on that stoplight in March. [Read more…]

Support local restaurants, ADFAC with ‘Dine and Donate’

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Soup Kitchen

The Soup Kitchen—specializing in homemade soups, breads, sandwiches, and salads—has been an Oak Ridge favorite for decades. Located at 47 E. Tennessee Avenue, the Soup Kitchen will be open from 11 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Dine and Donate on Monday. (Submitted photo)

 

On Monday, April 13, seven local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

Launched in 2013, “Dine and Donate” is a yearlong event, with different restaurants participating on the second Monday of each month.

“We have truly enjoyed watching Dine and Donate grow over the past year and a half,” said ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay, who also chairs the Dine and Donate committee. “It has been wonderful to see so many families and individuals enjoying meals to support ADFAC’s work in the community!” [Read more…]