Oak Ridge Today

Woman sentenced to eight years after drugs discarded during police chase

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Clarissa Sharee Tindell

Clarissa Sharee Tindell

 

A Knoxville woman who fled from the Tennessee Highway Patrol in a car in Anderson County last year as methamphetamine and heroin were discarded from the moving vehicle pleaded guilty to four charges and was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday.

About 60 grams of methamphetamine and less than a gram of heroin were thrown out of a car window and two patrol vehicles were hit during the police chase, which started in Clinton and ended in Rocky Top on Sunday, July 30, 2017, according to court proceedings and affidavits.

The plea agreement hearing for the driver of the 1992 Honda Accord, Clarissa Sharee Tindell, 25, was Tuesday in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton. Her plea was by information, meaning she entered a plea before she was formally charged in an indictment by the Anderson County Grand Jury. Early pleas can lead to agreements more favorable to defendants.

Tindell, who was represented by defense attorney Paul Sexton of Oak Ridge, had been charged earlier in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton in a case that included additional counts such as aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony, speeding (117 mph in a 45 mph zone), and failure to yield the right of way, among other charges. Those charges were waived to the Grand Jury on June 6. [Read more…]

K-25 overlook to re-open in October

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The Visitor's Overlook, part of the Happy Valley property purchased in November, is pictured above across from East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Visitor’s Overlook, part of the Happy Valley property purchased in November 2016, is pictured above across from East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

K-25 Overlook will be ‘bigger and better,’ provide Manhattan Project and recreational information

The K-25 Overlook next to State Route 58 in west Oak Ridge will soon be re-opening as a much larger and nicer visitor center that will also have a new purpose, a press release said.

Owner John McCormick, vice president of Bionomics, purchased the 160-acre property known as Happy Valley through an auction at the end of 2016. The overlook on SR 58 across from the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, was part of the purchase.

But the overlook needed building repairs and updates to the historical information inside, the press release said. In 2017, McCormick partnered with Pam May, vice president of the Roane Alliance, who reached out to local historians, the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, and Explore Oak Ridge to discuss the future of the overlook.

“The idea to expand the overlook into a visitor center and recreational hub came from the National Park Service in one of the early meetings,” May said. “That aligned perfectly with what John had envisioned—to create trails and open spaces that people could enjoy while also learning Happy Valley’s history through its landmarks still evident on the property.” [Read more…]

Flat top house at AMSE is moving to new location

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american-museum-of-science-and-energy-front-jan-2-2017-slider

The American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge on Monday, Jan. 2, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The flat top house at the American Museum of Science and Energy is moving from its current location on South Tulane Avenue.

The new location hasn’t been announced yet, although an announcement about the move will be made Monday by representatives of the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The AMSE location on South Tulane Avenue has been used for more than 40 years. But it closed in late July because the museum is moving to a new location at Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall. The new AMSE will be near JCPenney on the northeast side of Main Street Oak Ridge. It is scheduled to open in October. [Read more…]

WYSH: Wandell elected Commission chair, Creasey vice chair

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Anderson County Commissioners are pictured above after being sworn in at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. At center front (third from left) is Tracy Wandell, who was elected chair by the other commissioners, and at right front is Jerry Creasey, who was elected vice chair. (Photo courtesy Shannon Wandell)

Anderson County Commissioners are pictured above after being sworn in at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. At center front (third from left) is Tracy Wandell, who was elected chair by the other commissioners, and at right front is Jerry Creasey, who was elected vice chair. (Photo courtesy Shannon Wandell)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

Newly elected and re-elected Anderson County commissioners were sworn in Tuesday morning at the Courthouse in Clinton.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, commissioners held a brief meeting during which they elected Tracy Wandell to serve as the next chair of the Commission, succeeding Tim Isbel.

Longtime Commissioner Jerry Creasey was elected vice chair. [Read more…]

WYSH: Clinton bridge project to begin Sept. 17

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Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge

The Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge over the Clinch River in downtown Clinton is pictured above in December 2013. (File photo/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

Wednesday afternoon, a pre-construction meeting for the project to replace the Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge over the Clinch River in Clinton was held at the Knoxville regional office of the  Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Contractor Blalock and Sons Construction announced during the meeting that traffic warning signs marking the project will be installed next week, with the project officially getting started on Monday, September 17.

Recently-retired Clinton Public Works Director Lynn Murphy is acting as a consultant for the city and will serve as the liasion between Blalock, the state and the city. On Wednesday, Murphy said that he has requested a seven-day notice for the eventual closing of Riverside Drive between Meadowbrook Street and South Seivers Boulevard, which will also include the boat launch under the current span connecting Clinton and South Clinton on Highway 25W. A natural gas line and a sanitary sewer pipe running underneath Riverside will have to be excavated and relocated as part of the project. [Read more…]

Safety Fest TN is next week in Oak Ridge

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Safety Fest TN

Safety Fest TN is next week in Oak Ridge. Safety Fest TN is an annual community event that offers more than 90 free safety classes and demonstrations to residents and companies, a press release said.

Safety Fest TN is scheduled from September 10-14. This year’s training classes will be offered at Y-12’s New Hope Center, ORAU’s Pollard Technical Center, and other local venues.

Registration and a complete list of classes can be found at www.safetyfesttn.org. [Read more…]

‘Religion in Human Evolution’ topic of local faith-science lecture

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Gordon M. Burghardt

Gordon M. Burghardt

 

Gordon M. Burghardt, Alumni Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Psychology and of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, will speak on “Religion in Human Evolution” on Wednesday, September 12, in Oak Ridge.

Burghardt is the first lecturer in a new faith-science lecture series sponsored by First Presbyterian Church and First United Methodist Church, a press release said. The lecture, which will feature videos, will be held at 7 p.m. in the multipurpose room of FUMC, which can be reached through the double doors facing Vienna Road.

Burghardt will speak on the book “Religion in Human Evolution,” by Robert Bellah, the late distinguished sociologist of religion who taught at the University of California at Berkeley, the press release said.

Part of Bellah’s book is devoted to Burghardt’s research on ritual and play. [Read more…]

Household hazardous waste collection in Oak Ridge on Sept. 15

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The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Anderson, Monroe, Montgomery, and Putnam counties on Saturday, September 15. The Anderson County collection will be in Oak Ridge.

“Our goal is to provide a convenient and no-cost option for residents to responsibly dispose of hazardous material to help protect Tennessee’s waterways, land and air from impacts by these common items,” said TDEC Commissioner Shari Meghreblian.

Any Tennessee resident is encouraged to bring their household hazardous waste—including cleaning fluids, pesticides, batteries, and more—to the designated drop-off locations, a press release said. You do not need to live in the county listed to participate in the event. (Note that hours listed indicate the local time.) [Read more…]

Three-part fiction writing workshop with award-winning Roane State professor starts Friday

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Elizabeth Genovise

Elizabeth Genovise

 

Have you ever felt the urge to write, but stopped yourself because you were not sure how to start?

You can learn how to create, write, and publish a story through a special three-part workshop offered by Roane State Community College assistant English professor and award-winning writer Elizabeth Genovise.

Genovise will teach the workshop—Fiction Writing 101—in September at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue. The sessions will be held on Fridays—September 7, September 14, and September 21—from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The cost is $89 for all three sessions. The workshop is open to anyone.

“I’ve always wanted to have a community workshop to help writers of any experience level express their ideas,” Genovise said. “If you can dream, you can write fiction and experience the joy of creating a story. I am very excited about this workshop.” [Read more…]

Ground broken on South Clinton Inclusive Playground

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Ground was broken last Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, on a new inclusive playground for children of all abilities at South Clinton Park. (Photo via WYSH Radio in Clinton)

Ground was broken last Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, on a new inclusive playground for children of all abilities at South Clinton Park. (Photo via WYSH Radio in Clinton)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

Ground was broken last Wednesday on a new inclusive playground for children of all abilities at South Clinton Park.

The Clinton City Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Milly’s Wings, is building the new playground at South Clinton Park. On Wednesday, August 29, city leaders were joined by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, State Representative John Ragan, and others to celebrate the new facility.

In addition, during the ceremony, the Lions Club International Foundation presented the Clinton chapter with a $100,000 donation that will be used for the playground, which is being funded by local money as well as several grants, and donations from local civic groups, businesses, and individuals. [Read more…]

Affidavit: Woman admits stealing from 83-year-old who was allegedly killed

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Christy Viola Comer

Christy Viola Comer

 

The Rocky Top woman charged with homicide last week admitted stealing from an 83-year-old man who was believed to have been strangled at his home on Friday, according to Anderson County court records.

The body of J.C. Copeland was found outside of his home in the 600 block of Jacksboro Avenue in Rocky Top on Friday morning, authorities said last week.

Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation started investigating at the request of Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark and with help from the Rocky Top Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

“During the course of the investigation, authorities developed information leading to Comer as an individual responsible for Copeland’s death,” the TBI said in a press release over the weekend.

An affidavit filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton said Christy Viola Comer, 37, who has been charged with criminal homicide, conspired to participate in the robbery and killing of Copeland. Copeland is believed to have been strangled to death, the affidavit said. [Read more…]

Air Force, ORNL partner in high-performance computing & weather modeling system

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To extend its weather modeling capabilities, the U.S. Air Force has joined the computing experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a strategic collaboration that includes procurement and operation of a new high-performance weather modeling computer system. Key members of the Air Force and ORNL teams gathered on July 10, 2018, to kick off the project and tour the facilities supporting the new system. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

To extend its weather modeling capabilities, the U.S. Air Force has joined the computing experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a strategic collaboration that includes procurement and operation of a new high-performance weather modeling computer system. Key members of the Air Force and ORNL teams gathered on July 10, 2018, to kick off the project and tour the facilities supporting the new system. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

For the U.S. military, accurate weather prediction is vital to both the planning and execution of worldwide missions. To extend its weather modeling capabilities, the U.S. Air Force has joined the computing experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a strategic collaboration that includes procurement and operation of a new high-performance weather modeling computer system. Key members of the Air Force and ORNL teams, including computing and global security team members, gathered on July 10 to kick off this project and tour the facilities supporting the new system, according to a story posted by ORNL.

The Air Force 557th Weather Wing provides the Air Force and Army with global- and regional-level numerical weather model forecasts. With the increasing scale of the requirements for the new system, the Air Force and ORNL identified an opportunity to take advantage of the capabilities of ORNL’s National Center for Computational Sciences—including expertise in high-performance computing facilities and infrastructure, systems administration, computing procurement and acquisition, and system operations, the story said.

“We learned about the Air Force’s needs, and it was immediately clear that ORNL could help them solve their problems,” said Jim Rogers, NCCS director of computing and facilities. “We can integrate the Air Force weather team’s needs into our facilities in a cost-effective way, leveraging our capabilities to deliver exceedingly high availability to support their mission.” [Read more…]