Oak Ridge Today

THP: Man, 25, charged with DUI after pedestrian killed on Clinton Highway

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Isaac Alexander Irwin

Isaac Alexander Irwin

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11 a.m. March 13.

A 25-year-old Clinton man has been charged with driving under the influence, driving while license revoked or suspended, and hit and run of a person after a 35-year-old Jacksboro woman, a pedestrian, was killed on Clinton Highway early Sunday, authorities said.

The car-pedestrian crash was reported at about 12:58 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Clinton Highway and West Wolf Valley Road in Claxton, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a fatal crash report.

Isaac A. Irwin, 25, of Reynolds Avenue in Clinton, was driving south on Clinton Highway in a 2006 Pontiac four-door sedan when he struck a pedestrian, Jade T. Richardson, 35, of Jacksboro, in one of the lanes, the THP report said.

Irwin was not injured and he left the crash, but he was located later, the THP said. [Read more…]

Recreation and Parks announces spring indoor pool events

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is offering several classes and events at the Civic Center’s indoor pool this spring, a press release said.

Spring Break Open Swim Extended Hours: First, to take full advantage of spring break, the indoor pool will operate on extended hours between Monday, March 13, and Friday, March 24. Open swim times are as follows:

  • Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday and Thursday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ORCA Swim Team: Sign-ups for the Oak Ridge City Aquatics (ORCA) swim team are open through Tuesday, March 28, when the spring session begins. ORCA is open to anyone 5-18 years old and the only prerequisite is the ability to swim 25 yards unassisted. Practices are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. The swim team fee is $70 ($80 for those living outside of Oak Ridge). The season runs from March 28 through May 18.

Adult Swimming Lessons: Beginner and intermediate level adult swimmers are invited to enroll in a swim course that will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays between March 7 and March 23. Classes are scheduled between 5 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. on those days.

Red Cross Swim Lessons: Red Cross Swim Lessons are also offered in two sessions this spring: [Read more…]

Wilson Huang wins first place at state Junior Science, Humanities Symposium

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Oak Ridge High School participants with Tammy Carneim. (Submitted photo by Tammy Carneim)

Oak Ridge High School participants with Tammy Carneim. (Submitted photo by Tammy Carneim)

 

By Holly Cross of Oak Ridge Schools

Several Oak Ridge High School students participated in the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park in Knoxville on February 23-24. The symposium is sponsored by the United States departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and it is administered by the Academy of Applied Science in cooperation with the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory also sponsors this event for the region.

Wilson Huang presented at the 11:10 a.m. time slot in Session I on Friday, February 24, with the topic, “Designing Acoustically-Driven Microrobots to Stimulate Active Matter.” Logan Rumbaugh presented at the 1:50 p.m. time slot in Session II on Friday, February 24, with the topic, “Modeling Collective Motion with Periodic Obstacles.”

Poster sessions from students at Oak Ridge High School included Ryan Armstrong presenting “Quantifying the Evolution of Gas from Li-ion Battery Materials” and Dylan Payne presenting “Correcting image distortion from an SEM.” Tammy Carneim is the school’s official teacher sponsor. [Read more…]

Two people have minor injuries after two fires this month

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A fire was reported in a storage room at Tennessee Tool and Engineering (TTE Casting Technologies Inc.) in Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A fire was reported in a storage room at Tennessee Tool and Engineering (TTE Casting Technologies Inc.) in Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Two people were injured in fires in Oak Ridge this month, although the injuries were reported to be minor.

The first fire was reported at 515 Utica Circle in central Oak Ridge at about 3:33 p.m. Friday, March 3. One adult was taken by an ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, said Sergeant Jeremy Huddleston of the Oak Ridge Police Department. The fire was extinguished by the Oak Ridge Fire Department.

ORFD Battalion Chief Eric Rackard said a stove eye that had been left on in the second-floor apartment started a fire in grease in a pan. The resident tried to bring the pan outside to throw it outside, but the grease was burning too much for the resident to be able to handle the pan properly, Rackard said.

The fire burned the resident’s arm, Rackard said. The injuries were described as minor. The fire was deemed to be accidental.

The second fire was reported at Tennessee Tool and Engineering (TTE Casting Technologies Inc.) in Bethel Valley Industrial Park in south Oak Ridge at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday. That fire started in a storage room, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. [Read more…]

Planning Commission to consider new assisted living facility, medical office building

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A preliminary master plan for the planned unit development known as Azalea Place is shown above. See a larger version of this plan by clicking on the link included in the story below.

A preliminary master plan for the planned unit development known as Azalea Place is shown above. See a larger version of this plan by clicking on the link included in the story below.

 

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider a rezoning and abandoning part of West Madison Lane for a proposed assisted living facility, medical office building, and senior living homes.

The development, called Azalea Place, would be on 5.62 acres north of Methodist Medical Center and west of Michigan Avenue. It’s been proposed by Oak Ridge Senior Living LLC of Oak Ridge.

A preliminary master plan for the planned unit development, or PUD, shows a three-story, 60-bed assisted living facility of 40,000 square feet. The medical office building would be one story and 4,000 square feet. The plan also shows eight attached 1,000-square-feet senior living units with two-car garages. There would be open space, a turnaround, and a parcel that could be used for an office building. [Read more…]

Small quantity of explosives, used for training, reported missing

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A submitted photo of the item reported missing. The cell phone in the photo is for a size reference only; there was no cell phone with the substance In the cotton bag.

A submitted photo of the item reported missing. The cell phone in the photo is for size reference only; there was no cell phone with the substance in the cotton bag.

 

K-9 Search On Site LLP has reported missing a small quantity of explosives within the City of Oak Ridge. The substance, which is used for training purposes, is believed to have been lost during transportation in the vicinity of Scarboro Road between Bethel Valley and Illinois Avenue, a press release said. The substance is contained in a small cotton bag.

The training substance was discovered missing on Friday, March 10. The Oak Ridge Police Department and other federal authorities were notified Friday evening and searches are under way, the press release said.

Members of the public are urged to contact the Oak Ridge Police Department at (865) 425-3605 or 425-4399 if a suspicious object is found in this area. Residents are warned to not handle the training substance, but to promptly report its discovery to the Oak Ridge Police Department, the press release said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Oak Ridge schools advance to state chess team finals

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Several Oak Ridge teams advanced to the state chess team championship this month after a regional tournament in Lenoir City on March 4.

Two teams from Oak Ridge High School qualified, and so did teams from Jefferson Middle School, Woodland Elementary School, and Linden Elementary School, a press release said.

The Tennessee Chess Association regionals held at Lenoir City High School on Saturday, March 4, included 151 students on 32 teams from 18 schools across East Tennessee, the press release said. In each of the four grade divisions, the top four teams qualified to play in the state team championship at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville on March 25.

The K-9 division was won by the ORHS freshman team of Logan Ogle (captain), Justin Blanchard, Edward (“Bear”) Moran, and Minwoo Kim, the press release said. They were tied for first with top-rated Episcopal School of Knoxville at the end of the last round, necessitating a blitz (10 minute) match to determine the winner. This match was tied 2-2 so a second match followed, which ORHS won. This matched the result of the 2016 ORHS freshman team, which also won the team regionals in a playoff. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Philharmonia has open house Sunday; bring your instrument if you’d like to play

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The Oak Ridge Philharmonia performs at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in 2016. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia performs at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in 2016. (Submitted photo)

 

By Dale Gedcke

Would you like to join an ensemble that plays famous Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary music…with strings attached?

The March 12 Open House with the Oak Ridge Philharmonia may be the opportunity you need to explore the benefits of playing with this excellent orchestra. Bring your instrument, and discuss the possibilities with Director/Conductor Marcelo Urias, the board members, and current players in the Philharmonia.

Refreshments will be served, and you may be able to play a few pieces with us, just for fun, while you are there. No auditions are necessary. Within a few rehearsals, you will be able to decide whether you and the orchestra are a fulfilling match.

Aspiring musicians typically encounter little difficulty locating concert bands in which to play. But orchestras, with the full complement of strings added to the woodwinds and brass, are hard to find. Even experienced professionals have to compete intensely for the scant positions open in sparse, professional orchestras.

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia is a community orchestra dedicated to committed volunteers. It presents a rare opportunity for musicians who want to polish their skills, while enjoying playing with the full spectrum of sounds only the combination of woodwinds, brass, and strings can deliver. [Read more…]

Dine & Donate is Monday, March 13

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Cande Seay, left, and Teresa Myrick enjoy a festive lunch at Gallo Loco, located at 21 E. Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Cande Seay, left, and Teresa Myrick enjoy a festive lunch at Gallo Loco, located at 21 E. Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Eleven local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, on Monday, March 13, as part of the monthly Dine & Donate.

In Clinton, the participating restaurants are: [Read more…]

Boys & Girls Club baseball sign-ups end March 18

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Boys and Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley Logo IV

Sign-ups for the 2017 baseball season at Boys & Girls Club end March 18. Children must be five before May 1 to sign up.

See the sign-up form here: Baseball Registration2017.

Anderson County Democratic Party to elect new leaders at reorganization convention

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Image by Anderson County Democratic Party

Image by Anderson County Democratic Party

 

The Anderson County Democratic Party will have a Biennial Reorganization Convention to elect new leaders at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 25, a press release said. The meeting will take place in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. All county Democrats are welcome, the press release said.

Local Democrats will elect a new chairperson, first vice chair, second vice chair, secretary, treasurer, and the Executive Committee, which is comprised of 16 members. Executive Committee members will be elected from each district in Anderson County for 2017-2018, and they will serve two-year terms.

“All Democratic residents who are eligible voters of Anderson County are urged to attend to discuss the party’s agenda and events scheduled for 2017-2018,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Art Center show to highlight works by instructors, students

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student2

The next installation in the Oak Ridge Art Center’s galleries will be the Instructor/Student Show titled “Movers, Shakers, Mentors, Makers II.”

This will showcase works by the current instructors and their students, a press release said.

“So if you were curious as to what happens in their classes, you will not want to miss this amazing show!” the press release said.

There will be an opening reception for this show from 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 17, with a gallery talk about the newest installation at 6:30 p.m. It’s a free event, and everyone is welcome to attend, the press release said.