Oak Ridge Today

Reward offered in Coalfield murder of Vietnam vet who retired from Boeing, B&W

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jerry Pete McCarroll

Jerry “Pete” McCarroll. Photo via Facebook/BBB-TV

Family and friends are offering a $10,000 reward for specific information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of Jerry “Pete” McCarroll, a Vietnam veteran and cancer survivor who was retired from Boeing and B&W Clinch River in Oak Ridge, authorities said.

McCarroll was found murdered on April 18 outside of Allied Metal Recovery and Refining on Gouge Hollow Road in the Coalfield area of Morgan County, according to the Office of the District Attorney General in the Ninth Judicial District, which includes Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane counties.

McCarroll worked at Allied Metal Recovery and Refining, a press release said. His body was found at 6:30 a.m. Monday, April 18, and he had been beaten and shot, the press release said. McCarroll was known to carry cash, and the motive may have been robbery, authorities said. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival features something for everyone

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Charlie-Daniels-Band-Secret-City-Festival-2016

The Charlie Daniels Band will headline the Friday night, June 10, concert at the 2016 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The 14th annual Secret City Festival on June 10 and 11 is fast approaching, and it promises great entertainment, music, a World War II battle re-enactment, family fun, arts and crafts, food, historical displays, and much more, a press release said.

The Secret City Festival kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 10, and 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, with full days of fun and exciting events happening on the pavilion stage and around the festival venue. The annual festival is at the Oak Ridge Civic Center and Alvin K. Bissell Park in central Oak Ridge.

The Charlie Daniels Band takes the stage Friday night, June 10, for an evening of great music and energy. A 2016 inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Charlie Daniels has parlayed his passion for music into a multi-platinum career and a platform to support the military, a cause that is close to his heart. With songs like “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” The Charlie Daniels Band is a must-see concert. [Read more…]

Dick’s Sporting Goods, PetSmart, T.J. Maxx, Ulta to locate at Main Street Oak Ridge

Posted at
By 23 Comments

Main-Street-Oak-Ridge-Sign-Dec-21-2015

Workers from Masstar Signs of Greenville, S.C., install a new shopping center pylon sign at South Illinois Avenue and East Tulsa Road that announces Main Street Oak Ridge, the planned $80 million redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall. Pictured above on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, is Will Biggs of Masstar Signs. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:57 p.m.

Dick’s Sporting Goods, PetSmart, T.J. Maxx, and Ulta will have new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge, Mayor Warren Gooch said Tuesday.

Also, Belk and JCPenney are renewing their leases at the 58-acre site, Gooch said during a State of the City speech to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

“Negotiations with other major retailers are ongoing,” Gooch said.

The mayor got an update from Neil Wilson of RealtyLink, which took over as master developer in September, on Monday. Wilson told Gooch that RealtyLink has come to terms with both its senior construction lender and the tax increment financing construction lender.

“We are closer to the closing on the sale of the mall property and the start of construction,” Gooch said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department recognized as organization of year at fire instructors conference

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORFD Jody Durham and ISFSI Steve Pegram

Oak Ridge Fire Department Assistant Chief Jody Durham, left, accepts an Organization of the Year award on behalf of the ORFD from International Society of Fire Service Instructors President Steve Pegram, at the 2016 ISFSI Conference. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department was recently presented with the Organization of the Year Award by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors at the 2016 Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson announced the award on Monday.

The award was presented in recognition of the significant contributions the Oak Ridge Fire Department made as a co-host of the 2015 International Conference last year, a press release said. There were more than 300 fire instructors from several different nations that attended the conference in East Tennessee last October. The Oak Ridge Fire Department provided equipment, staff, and logistical coordination for the conference.

That was the first time the ISFSI International Conference had been hosted in Tennessee, but after the success of last year’s conference the ISFSI is considering returning to Tennessee in the upcoming years, the press release said.

This press release was submitted by the City of Oak Ridge.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Council will consider ordinance to allow up to six hens at Oak Ridge homes

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Mark-Watson-and-Kayla-Wyatt-April-19-2016

Pictured above during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, are Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, and Kayla Wyatt, an advocate for allowing a small number of hens at Oak Ridge homes. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider an ordinance that would allow residents to keep up to six female chickens, or hens, at homes in the city, possibly starting this year. No roosters would be allowed, and henhouses would not be allowed in front yards.

Council will consider an ordinance that was adopted by Knoxville in 2010 and amended for potential use in Oak Ridge.

Under the proposed ordinance, which has been requested by City Council members, the Oak Ridge Police Department Division of Animal Control would have authority to permit residents to keep hens. The Oak Ridge Community Development Department would be responsible for permitting and inspecting residential henhouses and fencing for the hens, often referred to as “backyard chickens.”

Fenced enclosures and henhouses for the chickens would have to be properly ventilated, clean, dry, and odor-free. The enclosures and henhouses would have to kept in a neat and sanitary condition and not disturb neighbors due to noise, odor, or other adverse impact. They would have to provide adequate ventilation, sun, and shade, and be built to resist access by rodents, wild birds, and predators, including dogs and cats. The access doors to henhouses would have to be capable of being shut and locked at night.

If adopted, the ordinance would require $25 annual permits for domestic hens, plus a one-time $50 building permit fee for the required henhouse, according to a memo from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to City Council members. Permits would expire on December 31 each year, although permits issued in 2016 would extend through December 31, 2017. Only one permit would be allowed per property.

Permits could be suspended or revoked by Animal Control when there is a risk to public health or safety or failure to comply with applicable ordinances or law. [Read more…]

Scottie Mayfield visits Woodland after student taste test suggests plastic milk containers

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Scottie-Mayfield-at-Woodland-4-April-15-2016

Scottie Mayfield, president emeritus of Mayfield Dairy Farms, visited Woodland Elementary School on Friday, April 15, 2016, after hearing from 40 third-graders who conducted a blind taste test of milk stored in two different containers—wax-cardboard cafeteria containers and plastic yellow Mayfield jugs, like those used for store-bought milk—and determined they preferred milk stored in plastic. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Scottie Mayfield, president emeritus of Mayfield Dairy Farms, visited Woodland Elementary School in April after hearing from 40 third-graders who conducted a blind taste test of milk stored in two different containers—wax-cardboard cafeteria containers and plastic yellow Mayfield jugs, like those used for store-bought milk—and determined they preferred milk stored in plastic.

In the blind taste test, about 94 percent of the students preferred the milk that had been stored in plastic jugs, Woodland teacher Linda Young said. The persuasive opinion writing students, who are in the third-grade classes of Young and Inger Scudder, sent letters to Mayfield Dairy Farms suggesting that cafeteria milk be stored in plastic bottles like those used in grocery stores, Young said.

Impressed by the letters and responding to consumer concerns, Mayfield visited the school and met with the students on Friday, April 15.

He said the students were right.

“I appreciate your work,” Mayfield told the third-graders. “It appears to be accurate.” [Read more…]

Jury selection starts this week in first-degree murder, death penalty case

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Norman Lee Follis

Norman Lee Follis

A jury will be selected this week in the trial of a man facing first-degree murder charges in the death of his 79-year-old uncle, whose body was found hidden underneath an apartment staircase in Claxton in 2012, authorities said.

Jury selection in the trial of Norman Lee Follis Jr., 52, is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday this week, and the trial is scheduled to continue on Monday, May 9, in Anderson County Criminal and Circuit Court in Clinton. Three days have been scheduled for the trial next week, although court officials said it’s possible that more time could be needed.

The state is seeking the death penalty against Follis and Tammy Sue Chapman, 47, who has also been charged with first-degree murder. The pair is accused of killing Sammie J. Adams, 79, who was Follis’ uncle, sometime between December 5, 2011, and January 24, 2012. Adams’ body was found under a stairwell in his home after friends and neighbors reported that they hadn’t seen him in a while, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in an August 2014 press release.

Adams’ age—he was over 70—was an aggravating factor leading to the death penalty request, Clark said.

It’s the first death penalty case in Anderson County in decades. Deputy District Attorney General Tony Craighead and Assistant DA Emily Abbott will prosecute the case.

Follis is represented by defense attorneys Mart S. Cizek and Wesley D. Stone. [Read more…]

Methodist recognized for ‘Straight A’ status in hospital safety

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above.

 

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge has continued its “Straight A” recognition in hospital safety scores that were launched four years ago. MMC has never received a grade lower than “A” since the The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Scores started in June 2012, a press release said.

Also receiving “A” grades in the Spring 2016 scores were Fort Loudoun Medical Center, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, LeConte Medical Center, and Roane Medical Center. The ranking mean the hospitals are among the safest in the United States, a press release said.

“It is gratifying to be a part of an organization with such a long-standing track record of quality,” said Jeremy Biggs, Methodist Medical Center president and chief administrative officer. “To be among such an elite group of hospitals to have received this type of national recognition and validation is truly an honor.”

“Patient safety and a constant focus on the quality of care we provide are top priorities for Covenant Health,” said Mike Belbeck, executive vice president of operations. “We are pleased that five Covenant hospitals received Leapfrog’s highest scores, and we will continue to focus on patient safety as part of our ongoing commitment to excellence in all aspects of patient care.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch has fundraiser at Pie Five Pizza on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program has a fundraiser at Pie Five Pizza on Thursday, May 5.

$2 per pizza pie, with beverage, will be donated to the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program.

The fundraiser is scheduled from 5-8 p.m. Thursday.

Pie Five Pizza is at 441 South Illinois Avenue.

Joana Springmeier is a contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Grace Lutheran hosts candle lighting service on May 7

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in observance, Grace Lutheran Church will host a candle lighting service in support of those challenged by mental illness, substance use disorders, and other brain disorders. The service will be held on Saturday, May 7, at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary, which is at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge.

This is a free community event, and everyone is invited to attend. A special invitation is extended to family members, caregivers, community support organizations, and the healing professions.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more than 60 million American adults experience mental illness in a given year. About 13.6 million of those live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. [Read more…]

Driver allegedly runs red light, causes five-vehicle crash that injures one

Posted at
By 18 Comments

Three-Vehicles-at-Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-Crash-April-30-2016

A driver who allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue caused a five-vehicle crash that injured one person on Saturday afternoon, April 30, 2016, authorities said. Three of the crashed vehicles are pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:15 p.m. May 2.

A driver who allegedly ran a red light caused a five-vehicle chain-reaction crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike that injured one person on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash was reported at about 2:11 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue/Lafayette Drive.

A westbound pickup truck allegedly ran a red light and caused the chain-reaction crash, authorities said.

The one person injured had minor injuries, according to emergency personnel. Also, one of the drivers who was involved said he thought his shoulder might be injured. [Read more…]

Today: ASAP helps ORPD, CPD take back expired, unwanted prescription drugs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

You can dispose of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs today in Oak Ridge and Clinton.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Oak Ridge Police Department and Clinton Police Department. Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are helping with the event.

It’s the 11th time in six years that an event like this has been held, a press release said.

You can bring your pills for disposal to the ORPD at 200 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge or to the Clinton Police Department at 125 West Broad Street in Clinton. The DEA cannot accept liquids, needles, or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous. No questions will be asked, the press release said. [Read more…]