Oak Ridge Today

Clinch River Antique Festival in Clinton this weekend

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Clinch River Antiques Festival

The Clinch River Antiques Festival in 2012 is pictured above. (Photo by Carl Warner)

 

The annual Clinch River Antique Festival is on Friday and Saturday in Clinton.

The 15th annual festival includes a kick-off party and “Cruze-In” on Friday, October 9, and the Antique Street Festival on Saturday, October 10.

The kick-off party in Historic Downtown Clinton is from 6-9 p.m. Friday. Admission and parking are free, and there will be entertainment and three cash giveaways at 7, 8, and 9 p.m.

The Antique Street Festival is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The festival features antique and artisan dealers and antique apprasier Joe Rosson. You can shop, and there will be food and entertainment. There will also be a re-enactment of the Burr-Hamilton duel. [Read more…]

No one injured, black bear chased away after three hours at ACHS

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Black Bear at Anderson County High School on Oct. 6, 2015

No one was injured, and a black bear was chased away with rubber bullets and beanbag rounds after it spent three hours at Anderson County High School, mostly eating acorns, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:40 a.m.

CLINTON—No one was injured, and a black bear was chased away with rubber bullets and beanbag rounds after it spent three hours at Anderson County High School, mostly eating acorns, on Tuesday.

The bear was first seen at about 3:55 p.m. Tuesday on the east side of a parking lot on the east side of the high school campus.

ACHS Assistant Principal Ben Downs, Principal Andrea Russell, and a school resource officer were involved in a student issue in the parking lot, when Downs looked over his left shoulder and saw the bear.

“There it was coming out of the woods,” Downs said. [Read more…]

Man arrested after chases, alleged carjacking, stolen truck in Anderson, Campbell

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Joshua Lee Styles

Joshua Lee Styles

A Rocky Top man who had been involved in two recent police pursuits in Anderson County, including one chase after an alleged carjacking from a family member on Friday, was arrested in Campbell County on Monday after a vehicle and foot chase involving a stolen pickup truck, authorities said.

Joshua Lee Styles, 25, of Ross Cemetery Road in Rocky Top, was arrested Monday, October 5, by Campbell County deputies after the pursuit of the stolen truck and on numerous warrants from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, ACSD Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

He said Styles was originally wanted for a state probation violation.

The two pursuits with Anderson County deputies had occurred during the past week. [Read more…]

Report: Man pushes sister out of car, drives off in alleged carjacking

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Anderson County Sheriff Patch

A Rocky Top man pushed and kicked his sister out of the driver’s seat of a car during an attempted traffic stop on Oliver Springs Highway on Friday, and the man drove off, tires spinning, in an alleged carjacking, leaving his sister lying on the ground about one foot from the vehicle, authorities said.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Matthew T. Forsyth said he tried to stop the Lexus four-door sedan at about 3:50 p.m. on Tri County Boulevard on Friday, October 2, because the reverse lights were activating when the vehicle was moving forward. When he caught up to the car, Forsyth said, he recognized the front seat passenger as Joshua Lee Styles, 24, who has several warrants for his arrest in Anderson County.

“When the vehicle pulled into the turning lane to turn onto Oliver Springs Highway, I pulled up to the passenger side of the vehicle and activated emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop,” Forsyth said in an incident report. [Read more…]

Another convenience store door smashed by vehicle, this one in OS

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Lee's Food Mart and Jason Ross and Phil Brown on Oct. 4, 2015

Jason Ross, left, and Phil Brown of Allied Glass Co. in Knoxville repair a glass door smashed by a vehicle at Lee’s Food Mart in Oliver Springs early Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. Police suspect the crash was intentional. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—Another convenience store was hit by a vehicle this weekend, this one in Oliver Springs, and police suspect it was intentional.

The crash, which was reported at about 2:08 a.m. Sunday, smashed a door at Lee’s Food Mart on East Tri County Boulevard in Oliver Springs, at the bottom of the hill coming into Oliver Springs from Oak Ridge.

That crash followed one at K&J Market at about 2 a.m. Saturday in west Oak Ridge. In that case, a small sport utility vehicle was captured on tape smashing the front door of the convenience store, but it’s not clear why, a business representative said Saturday morning.

The Oliver Springs Police Department said the alarm at Lee’s Food Mart went off after an SUV hit it early Sunday, and nothing was taken. The SUV fled toward Oliver Springs, OSPD Sergeant Kevin Armes said. [Read more…]

Fire destroys unoccupied home on Marlow Circle

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Marlow Circle Fire Oct. 2, 2015

A fire destroyed an unoccupied home on Marlow Circle on Friday night, Oct. 2, 2015. The Marlow and Oliver Springs fire departments both responded to fight the fire. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

A fire destroyed an unoccupied home on Marlow Circle on Friday night.

The fire was reported at 516 Marlow Circle at about 10 p.m. Friday.

The house was engulfed in flames when the first Marlow Fire Department units arrived, fire photographer Tom Scott said. Two Marlow Fire Department engines and a tanker responded and so did two Oliver Springs Fire Department engines and a rescue unit, which responded on a mutual aid call.

The house was close to the roadway, and at the height of the fire, the contents of a mailbox across Marlow Circle caught on fire, Scott said. [Read more…]

Evans to give update on Oak Ridge mall redevelopment Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Mall

The Oak Ridge City Center, which could be redeveloped as a multi-use town center known as Main Street, is pictured above. Also known as the former Oak Ridge Mall, the L-shaped building is at center. The white building at center left is Walmart, and it is not part of the proposed redevelopment. Neither is the white building at center top, the Tinseltown Theater. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Ray Evans, retail consultant for the City of Oak Ridge, will give an update on the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

Main Street Oak Ridge could redevelop the mall, now officially known as the Oak Ridge City Center, as a 60-acre mixed-use project that would include retailers, restaurants, a hotel, and residential units. The vacant enclosed space between the two remaining anchors, JCPenney and Belk, would be demolished, although those two stores would remain.

The goal has been to complete the first phase of the redevelopment in time for the Christmas season in 2016. [Read more…]

SUV smashes front door at convenience store; cause unknown

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K&J Market Door Damage on Oct. 2, 2015

A business representative said a small sport utility vehicle was captured on tape smashing the front door of a convenience store in west Oak Ridge early Saturday, but it’s not clear why. (Photo courtesy Kevin Rice/Tony Jarrett)

 

A small sport utility vehicle was captured on tape smashing the front door of a convenience store in west Oak Ridge early Saturday, but it’s not clear why, a business representative said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department received a call about the damaged door at K&J Market at about 2 a.m. Saturday.

Tony Jarrett, who is helping out at the relatively new store on Oak Ridge Turnpike, said the SUV appeared to have been parked in front of the door for about three minutes, facing toward it.

The truck backed up a bit and rammed the double doors, Jarrett said.

“It didn’t break on the first hit,” he said, and the SUV bounced back a bit. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge receives $2.9 million grant from TVA for Energy Makeover

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

The City of Oak Ridge has been selected for a $2.9 million grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority that will “undoubtedly change the lives of people living in legacy Oak Ridge homes by helping them save money on their utility bills,” officials said Friday.

This grant is part of TVA’s Extreme Energy Makeover project and will allow the start of an unprecedented revitalization of the legacy homes in the Oak Ridge community and provide assistance to those that need it the most, a press release said.

“The City of Oak Ridge is honored to be selected for participation and award for use in the Extreme Energy Makeover program, which will be used to encourage use of the legacy housing of the city when it was a ‘Secret City,’” City Manager Mark Watson said. “This investment will demonstrate our housing’s continued value for residents for years to come. As historical housing, our demonstration project has shown that electrical usage can be substantially reduced creating a ‘win-win’ for our residents, TVA, and the Oak Ridge electrical system alike. We look forward to the challenge and partnership with TVA to become a model for the entire TVA service region.” [Read more…]

Artists ‘chalk the walks’ Saturday for scholarships for Roane State students

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Blue Phantom

A sidewalk chalk painting from the 2014 Street Painting Festival. (Submitted photo)

 

The 16th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival is drawing near—it will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 3 (rain day on Sunday), at the Oak Ridge Campus, Roane State Community College.

Dozens of artists will be brushing up on their skills as they bring colorful faces and scenes to concrete sidewalk squares using free art supplies. Would-be Rembrandts will “paint” with chalk the squares that sponsors “purchase” by writing checks.

You, too, can write a check to the Roane State Foundation to fund scholarships for RSCC students. These students have been out of high school for a few years and are not eligible for Tennessee Promise scholarships.

The public is invited to this free festival organized by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge in conjunction with Roane State. [Read more…]

TORCH, Blossom Center have spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday

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Torch Logo

Trinity Outreach Center for Hope, or TORCH, and the Blossom Center will have a spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday, October 3, at Grace Covenant Church.

The church is located at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. Dine-in or carry out will be available between 5 to 8 p.m.

Tickets prices for adults are $10, children $5, and $25 for families, and they will be available at the door and in advance at Ruby Miller’s State Farm office, which is at 574 Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Telephone (865) 483-5663.)

Those who want to purchase tickets online may do so by sending a message to Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence Inc. or Creed Mushimbo on Facebook. [Read more…]

Atomic City Classic Car Show on Saturday

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Atomic City Car and Bike Show

The fundraising Atomic City Classic Car Show is on Saturday, October 3. The rain date is October 10.

All proceeds will benefit Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. The car show is sponsored by Atomic Speed Shop.

It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Midtown Community Center (the Wildcat Den) at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. It is expected to include classic cars, trucks, street rods, motorcycles, and motor scooters up to 1975.

Dash plaques for each entry, people’s choice awards in each class, and door prizes will be given away. Barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sodas will be sold. [Read more…]