Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department joins U.S. Marshals’ Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force

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Six deputies from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department have been sworn as special deputy U.S. marshals and form an Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) Unit. The ACE Unit is made up of Sergeant Wally Braden, Corporal Rick Coley, and deputies Charles Relford, Jason Leach, Shawn Williams, and Matt Forsyth. They will work part-time as needed with the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service. Also pictured above at left is Chief Deputy Mark Lucas. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

Six officers from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department have been sworn in as task force officers with the United States Marshals Service’s Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force, or SMFTF.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is the latest local law enforcement agency to become part of the specialized fugitive apprehension team, which is made up of the East Tennessee agencies listed at the end of this press release.

Task force officers are state and local police officers who receive special deputations with the Marshals Service, the press release said. While assigned to the SMFTF, these officers can exercise U.S. Marshals’ authorities, such as crossing jurisdictional lines.

Jimmy Fowler, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Tennessee, administered the oath of office to the deputies at the Marshals Service office in Knoxville.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department,” Fowler said in the press release. “Our communities are safer when local, state, and federal officers get to work together, and that is what the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force is all about. The Task Force is made up of great officers from throughout East Tennessee. From Chattanooga to Bristol, these officers work together to ensure the safety of everyone by apprehending dangerous fugitives and reducing violent crime.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridger wins Paul Bryant Alumni-Athlete Award

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On Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, Jack Bailey of Oak Ridge and Demeco Ryans of Bessemer, Ala., received the University of Alabama’s Paul W. Bryant Alumni-Athlete Award during halftime of the Crimson Tide’s first home game against Western Kentucky. (Submitted photo)

 

On Saturday, September 10, Jack Bailey of Oak Ridge and Demeco Ryans of Bessemer, Alabama, received the University of Alabama’s Paul W. Bryant Alumni-Athlete Award during halftime of the Crimson Tide’s first home game against Western Kentucky.

The award, presented by the University of Alabama National Alumni Association, was bestowed on the two men at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Bailey, past district governor of Rotary District 6780 (which has 3,200 Rotarians in 65 clubs in East Tennessee) and a graduate of Oak Ridge High School, is the first male track and field athlete to receive the award in its 29-year history.

Ryans played football for the Crimson Tide from 2002 to 2005 and in the NFL for 10 years.

The award honors them for “their exceptional accomplishments regarding character, contributions to society, professional achievements, and service to their fellowman.” Past recipients include Bart Starr, Ozzie Newsome, Lee Roy Jordan, Bill Battle, Mal Moore, Joe Namath, and Sylvester Croom Jr. [Read more…]

Park Service, DOE seek comment on foundation document for new Manhattan Project park

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park Opens Nov. 12, 2015

The iconic “War Ends” photo is recreated in part on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, with a “Park Opens” photo that celebrates the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge. (U.S. Department of Energy photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

The National Park Service and U.S. Department of Energy are asking the public to review and comment on a draft foundation document for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The park includes Oak Ridge, and it was established in November 2015.

The foundation document is designed to affirm the park’s core mission and significance, its key resources and values, and the interpretive themes that tell its stories, a press release said.

Formally established last November at DOE locations in three states, the park marks the history of the mid-20th Century people, science, and events that led to creation of the atomic bomb in the top-secret effort known as the Manhattan Project.

Foundation documents are guidance tools individualized for each of the National Park Service’s 413 units to direct basic park planning and management, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORNL United Way campaign tops $900,000, an increase from 2015

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s United Way campaign’s $900,000 “big check” with, from left, Ann Weaver, whose Facilities Management Division was the top special fundraiser; 2016 chair Sharon Kohler; co-chair Ken Tobin; Facilities and Operations Director Jimmy Stone, directorate challenge winner for large directorates; and David Keim, representing the Office of the Laboratory Director, the challenge winner for smaller directorates. (ORNL photo by Genevieve Martin)

 

The 2016 United Way campaign at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory raised $900,000—an increase of $30,000 over the 2015 campaign.

“This is a fantastic and generous offer of support from our employees, management, volunteers, and everyone who has been associated in one way or another with this year’s United Way effort,” said campaign chair Sharon Kohler.

The $900,000 total included a corporate contribution from UT-Battelle. Kohler credited the lab’s Leadership Givers, who contribute a certain percentage of their salary per pay period, for providing 65 percent of the total designated by staff through payroll deduction. There were 22 new Leadership Givers joining this year. [Read more…]

The Young and the Registered: LWVOR kicks off voter registration project for eligible youth

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One bright spot leading into the 2016 presidential race is that data shows that a record number of young people are paying attention, and they’re excited to vote this year. To celebrate “National Voter Registration Day” on September 27, the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will focus on registering and educating young people about the importance of being a voter.

During their lunch periods eligible students at Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Anderson County High Schools can register to vote at tables set up by LWVOR volunteers that will be located in or near the cafeterias.

Students and the public are also invited to register to vote at the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the first floor of the Goff building located next to the main building. [Read more…]

Photo: ORHS 2016 Homecoming King, Queen

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Pictured above are Oak Ridge High School 2016 Homecoming King Tyshawn Young, right, and Queen Courtney Ellison. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge High School 2016 Homecoming King and Queen were announced at halftime of the Oak Ridge-Sevier County football game on Friday, which was Homecoming.

The 2016 Homecoming King is Tyshawn Young, and the Homecoming Queen is Courtney Ellison. Wildcats fans may recognize them as members of the boys and girls basketball teams.

The 2016 Homecoming Court is pictured below. [Read more…]

Roane State mechatronics program to host Open House on Sept. 26

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Roane State mechatronics director Gordon Williams, center, says mechatronics is a field that requires creativity along with technical skills. (Photo by Roane State)

 

It’s the well-paying field of mechatronics, where skilled technicians operate, maintain, and repair high-tech automated manufacturing systems, and Roane State Community College is hosting an open house in September to recruit for next spring’s mechatronics classes.

The event will be from 5 until 8 p.m. on Monday, September 26, at Roane State’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility, located in a former National Guard Armory off Charles Seivers Boulevard at 214 Nave Street in Clinton.

Current mechatronics students will be available to answer questions. Prospective students will have “the hands-on opportunity to work with the equipment, including robotic arms,” program director Gordon Williams said. Light refreshments will be served. [Read more…]

Big change for FAFSA: Students can complete 2017-18 FAFSA starting Oct. 1

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Roane State enrollment assistant Josh Adkins and student Kaylee Avila of Harriman look over the online form for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which will become available to fill out in October. (Photo by RSCC)

 

Recent changes to this important application for college financial help should help ease the process of filing it.

It’s the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which students must complete to be eligible for financial aid including Pell grants, the HOPE scholarship, and Tennessee Promise scholarship.

New this year: The FAFSA will be available on October 1 instead of January 1 for the upcoming school year, which runs from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018.

The second major change is that the required financial information from the Internal Revenue Service can be used from the prior year’s income tax return, so there’s more certainty. [Read more…]

TORCH: Proud of community support for Applewood residents, but still work to do

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As of Friday, September 23, there were still 11 households that might not have a place to live when Applewood Apartments closes on September 30, according to an organization that helps homeless families in Anderson County. Pictured above is an Applewood Apartments building on Hunter Circle on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

As of Friday, September 23, there were still 11 households that might not have a place to live when Applewood Apartments closes on September 30, according to an organization that helps homeless families in Anderson County.

The closure of the 13-building apartment complex on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle in the Highland View neighborhood was announced in early August.

Andy O’Quinn of Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope, or TORCH, which is based in Oak Ridge, said he is “extremely proud” of the way the community and its organizations have worked together to help Applewood residents, but there is still work to do.

“At the moment, we are looking for landlords that would be willing to rent by the month to a few people that who receive a disability check and will be getting into income-based housing but need a place to go in the meantime,” O’Quinn said in a Friday status report. “We are also seeking two- and three-bedroom rentals below $550. for our working families. If you think you might have a unit to rent, please e-mail Andy O’Quinn at andy.oquinn@oakridgetorch.org.” [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School student confesses to making social media threats, ORPD says

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An 11-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School confessed to making potential threats of violence on Friday morning, authorities said.

The threats were made over social media and were against students who attend Jefferson Middle School, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

When it learned of the threats, the ORPD Support Services Unit, or SSU, was sent to Jefferson to protect the property while an investigation was started by ORPD’s Criminal Investigations Division, or CID, a press release said. SSU officers and CID detectives coordinated with Oak Ridge Schools staff to interview several students who may have had knowledge of the threats, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State graduate’s 9/11 tribute gains national attention

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Roane State paramedic graduate Jason Harding said he was “absolutely amazed at the response” to his 9/11 tribute. Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Harding strapped on 75 pounds of firefighter gear and climbed 110 stories on a stair climbing machine at the Maryville Planet Fitness. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

Roane State paramedic graduate Jason Harding said he was “absolutely amazed at the response” to his 9/11 tribute. Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Harding strapped on 75 pounds of firefighter gear and climbed 110 stories on a stair climbing machine at the Maryville Planet Fitness. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

 

A public safety officer at McGhee Tyson Airport never dreamed his solitary, early-morning tribute on the anniversary of a national tragedy would gain so much attention.

Jason Harding’s unique way to observe the 15 anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks went viral on social media and caught the attention of national news outlets, from People magazine to Fox News.

Harding, who completed Roane State Community College’s paramedic program in September 2011, is a certified police officer, paramedic, and firefighter for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

He went into Maryville’s Planet Fitness at 6 a.m. September 11, wearing 75 pounds of firefighting gear, and asked permission to use one of the gym’s stair climbing machines. [Read more…]

Shots-fired call on Tuesday was due to blank cartridges, police say

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The Oak Ridge Police Department searched a home in east Oak Ridge after they responded to a shots-fired call and set up a perimeter around the house Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Police responding to a shots-fired call in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday determined that two blank cartridges had been fired inside a home, according to police records.

The shots-fired call was reported at 1:29 p.m. Tuesday. Multiple police units responded, including patrol and K-9 officers, detectives, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force truck.

Officers couldn’t make contact with the residents at 118 East Arrowwood Road, and they set up a perimeter and sent an entry team, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. [Read more…]