Oak Ridge Today

Home damaged by fire Monday, cause under investigation

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A fire damaged a home on Gorgas Lane in north Oak Ridge on Monday evening, Aug. 6, 2018. No injuries were reported. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A fire damaged a home on Gorgas Lane in north Oak Ridge on Monday evening, Aug. 6, 2018. No injuries were reported. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A fire damaged a home in north Oak Ridge on Monday evening. No injuries were reported.

The house fire was reported at about 8:22 p.m. Monday in the 100 block of Gorgas Lane.

When firefighters arrived, they could see flames coming from the rear of the home and the attic, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said in a press release. Firefighters from Engine 2 laid a supply line from the fire hydrant and used two hand lines to quickly extinguish the fire, along with crews from Engines 1 and 3, Tower 10, and Rescue 30, the press release said. [Read more…]

Nurse to discuss mental health issues among school-age children

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A registered nurse who works for Anderson County Schools will discuss mental health issues among school-age children in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The talk is hosted by the Grace Lutheran Mental Health Ministry. It’s title “Mental Health: Back to School Basics,” a free community program scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, August 4, in the church’s fellowship hall.

Kim Guinn, a registered nurse and director of the Project AWARE Initiative for Anderson County Schools, will discuss the current prevalence and status of mental health issues among school-age children and the correlation between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health problems, a press release said. [Read more…]

Anti-nuclear weapons activists to commemorate Hiroshima bombing

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Oak Ridge Today file photo)

 

Citizens calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons will gather in Oak Ridge on Saturday, August 4, at 10:30 a.m. at Alvin K. Bissell Park to commemorate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 and to call for the United States to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted in July 2017 by 122 nations, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge events on August 4 are sponsored by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, and they will include music and political theater as well as a report on ongoing nuclear weapons production activities at Y-12, the press release said.

“Y-12 represents the full circle in time,” said OREPA coordinator Ralph Hutchison. “The age of nuclear weapons started here, with the enrichment of the Little Boy bomb’s uranium. And it continues today, in the face of world condemnation, with the production of thermonuclear secondaries and plans for a new bomb production plant, the Uranium Processing Facility, which will continue to make nuclear bomb cores for decades to come.” [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society hosts Butterfly Festival on Saturday

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Photo courtesy University of Tennessee Arboretum Society

Photo courtesy University of Tennessee Arboretum Society

 

Everyone interested in both butterflies and beautiful landscapes is invited to attend the Butterfly Festival hosted by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, a press release said. The family-friendly event is scheduled for Saturday, August 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event will host various speakers and activities for adults and children.

Monarch butterflies will be released at noon from the patio and yard outside the auditorium. Butterflies are available for purchase at $10 each. You can claim your butterfly with your claim ticket at 11:45 a.m., the press release said.

The festival will host a wide variety of activities for children. Each activity requires a ticket to participate, and you can purchase tickets for $1. There will also be different food vendors, as well as artisans at the event. [Read more…]

Puppy Pool Party is Sunday, Aug. 19

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A dog enjoys the Puppy Pool Party at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

A dog enjoys the Puppy Pool Party at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host a Puppy Pool Party after the city’s Outdoor Pool closes for the season. The last day for open swim will be Saturday, August 18, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. The puppy pool party will take place on Sunday, August 19, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This is the third year for the puppy pool party, an event which marks the end of the summer swimming season at the outdoor pool. Owners may only wade in water up to knee deep and must clean up after their pet. Children are not allowed in the pool during the event. [Read more…]

Roane: Woody re-elected as county executive; Bowers wins Commission seat

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Ron Woody

Ron Woody

Roane County Executive Ron Woody was re-elected to a third four-year term as county executive on Thursday, and Charlotte Bowers of Oak Ridge won one of two seats on Roane County Commission in District 4, which includes west Oak Ridge.

Woody was first elected to his office in August 2010. On Thursday, he beat challenger David Morgan, a former Roane County property assessor, 8,217 votes to 3,113 (72.52 percent to 27.48 percent). That’s according to unofficial election results reported after all 24 precincts had been counted.

Bowers, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, was one of two Oak Ridge candidates to run for the District 4 seat on Roane County Commission in the August 2 election. The other was Cory Jenkins, general manager at Cumberland Utility District. They were among five candidates who qualified to run in the district.

The other three candidates were from Oliver Springs. They were James W. Brummett, an incumbent, and Thaxton H. “T.H.” Brown Jr. and Jerry W. White.

Brummett, a former chair of the Roane County Commission, was defeated Thursday, finishing third behind Bowers and White, who is also a new commissioner. (There is now a Jerry White on Anderson County Commission, and a Jerry White on the Roane County Commission; they are not the same person.) White has worked at K-25 and Y-12 in Oak Ridge, and he is currently employed providing security for the Roane County Sheriff’s Office at the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston. [Read more…]

Anderson: Barker elected sheriff; incumbents win in Oak Ridge

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 3.

Russell Barker, a Republican, won the race for Anderson County sheriff on Thursday, beating Mark Lucas, a Democrat, in a race decided by about 2,000 votes, according to unofficial results.

Meanwhile, four incumbents were re-elected in two Anderson County Commission districts where there was a challenger in Oak Ridge.

Barker is a detective sergeant with the Clinton Police Department who has served as director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County. Lucas is chief deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Barker had 7,684 votes (57.79 percent), compared to 5,613 votes (42.21 percent) for Lucas, according to the unofficial results posted after all 27 precincts had been counted Thursday night.

Anderson County Sheriff Paul White is retiring at the end of his third four-year term, and he did not seek re-election.

In another contested race, Regina Copeland, the Republican director of the 911 center, defeated Ebony Capshaw, a Democrat, by a 69.74 percent to 30.26 percent margin (8,981 votes to 3,987). The last elected trustee, Rodney Archer, is now executive director of the County Officials Association of Tennessee, and Myron Iwanski, a former county commissioner and commission chair appointed to the trustee job through this August election, did not seek the job in the election. [Read more…]

Barker leads in early, absentee voting for sheriff

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker

Note: This story was last updated at 8:50 p.m.

Russell Barker, who has served as director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County, leads in early and absentee voting for Anderson County sheriff, with a roughly 56-44 percent margin over Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas, according to unofficial results released Thursday evening after polls closed and before any precincts had been counted.

Barker, a Republican, had 4,182 early and absentee votes (55.72 percent), compared to 3,323 (44.28 percent) for Lucas, a Democrat.

It’s not clear if Barker’s lead will hold after all 27 precincts in Anderson County are counted. Early voting leads often or usually predict the eventual winner, but in prior elections, the lead has sometimes narrowed or even reversed. [Read more…]

Sample ballot for August 2 county election, state & federal primaries

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Here is the sample ballot for the August 2 general election in Anderson County. There are also write-in candidates who have been campaigning for some of these offices, although they don’t appear on the ballot.

The county general election includes selections for mayor, sheriff, county commission, trustee, circuit court clerk, county clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, and school board, among other positions. Some of the candidates have no opposition. [Read more…]

Voter’s guide: Notes from a candidate forum

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Note: This story was last updated at 10:35 a.m.

Today, August 2, is Election Day in Anderson County. The election includes the Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections.

It’s the second of three elections this year. The first was the county primary election on May 1, and the last is the municipal election and state and federal elections on November 6.

Here are notes about Anderson County candidates in today’s county general election from a forum at Oak Ridge High School in July. The county general election includes selections for mayor, sheriff, county commission, trustee, circuit court clerk, county clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, and school board, among other positions. Some of the candidates have no opposition.

Anderson County Sheriff [Read more…]

Celebrate summer in the park with Community Band on Sunday

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The Oak Ridge Community Band is pictured above at A.K. Bissell Park. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band is pictured above at A.K. Bissell Park. (Submitted photo)

 

Although Oak Ridge students returned to school this week, it is still officially summer, and you are invited to “come on down” to A.K. Bissell Park on Sunday evening, August 5, for the 7 p.m. “Summer” concert performed by the Oak Ridge Community Band. This is the third concert of the summer season, and if you missed the Memorial Day and July 4 concerts, make your plans now to hear the Community Band in Sunday evening’s performance, a press release said.

This is a free event and a great opportunity for family and friends to enjoy a casual evening in the park, the press release said. Bring chairs or blankets for outdoor seating. Refreshments will be available for sale.

This concert will have a variety of music featuring jazz, swing, show tunes, marches, and Broadway hits, the press release said. [Read more…]

Creasey seeks re-election to Anderson County Commission, District 7

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Jerry Creasey (Submitted photo)

Jerry Creasey (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge resident Jerry Creasey is seeking re-election to the Seventh District seat on the Anderson County Commission in the county general election on Thursday, August 2.

Creasey grew up in High Point, North Carolina, where he attended High Point College and graduated from Guildford Technical Institute in Electronics Technology following his four years of service with the United States Air Force as a B-47 Radar and Weapons In-flight Trouble Shooter, a press release said. Coming to Oak Ridge in 1968 to work at the Y-12 plant, Creasey retired as radio systems manager after 27 years of service. He has since been involved with his wife’s small telecommunications business.

Creasey has served as chairman of the Anderson County Commission, as well as chairman of the Legislative, ADA Oversight, Computer, Legislative, and the Veterans Committees. He is presently serving on the ADA Oversight, Broadband, and Budget committees. [Read more…]