Oak Ridge Today

Fire at Clinton Towers injures none, displaces 30

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Information from WYSH Radio

What was described as a “room and content” fire at the Clinton Towers on Seivers Boulevard on Wednesday night caused some damage and displaced about 30 residents.

The fire was reported at around 11 p.m. inside a room on the second floor. No one was injured.

Clinton Fire Chief Archie Brummitt said the sprinkler system inside the room “did its job,” allowing firefighters to completely extinguish the blaze within just a few minutes of their arrival. But he described the room as a “total loss.” [Read more…]

Traffic delays expected in Anderson County during presidential visit Friday

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President Obama and Vice President Biden in Limo July 21, 2010

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden ride in the motorcade from the White House to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2010, to sign the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza) 

There will be some traffic delays in Anderson County on Friday because the presidential motorcade will be traveling through the county, including the cities of Oak Ridge and Clinton, authorities said.

But the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said it cannot release the times, the motorcade route, or the duration of the traffic delays.

“We also cannot release any other information concerning this event,” the Sheriff’s Department said.

The City of Oak Ridge also announced Thursday that traffic in Oak Ridge could be disrupted during the Friday afternoon visit to west Knox County and Clinton by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden’s wife Jill. [Read more…]

Traffic in Oak Ridge could be disrupted Friday afternoon during president’s visit

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President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama

Traffic in Oak Ridge could be disrupted during the Friday afternoon visit to west Knox County and Clinton by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden’s wife Jill.

The City of Oak Ridge sent out the traffic advisory on Thursday morning.

“The City of Oak Ridge is advising the public that traffic may be disrupted in Oak Ridge Friday afternoon due to the president’s visit to East Tennessee,” the advisory said. “Motorists should plan accordingly to arrive at their destinations on time. [Read more…]

President Obama to launch manufacturing hub during Knoxville visit

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Dan Pfeiffer

Dan Pfeiffer

President Barack Obama will launch a new manufacturing innovation hub  during his visit to Knoxville and Clinton on Friday, a presidential aide said Wednesday.

The manufacturing innovation hub will be  a private-sector partnership that will attract more well-paying middle-class jobs in high-tech manufacturing to Tennessee, said Dan Pfeiffer, an assistant to the president and senior adviser.

During their Friday visit, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with his wife Jill Biden, will stop at Pellissippi State Community College in west Knox County and at manufacturer Techmer PM in the Eagle Bend Industrial Park in Clinton. [Read more…]

Clinton city manager: Presidential visit an honor, cost to city unknown

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City of Clinton, Tennessee

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

Clinton City Manager Roger Houck told WYSH Radio in Clinton on Wednesday morning that being chosen for a presidential visit is an honor for a city of Clinton’s size and worth the extra effort that local officials have been making this week.

Houck also talked about how the visit will give national attention to the city, its attractiveness for both companies and potential employees, and even more economic development.

Houck also said that the extra costs to the city associated with the visit, which will not be reimbursed by the White House, are unclear at this time but will be worked out during the next few weeks. [Read more…]

Letter: Commissioner Isbel asks President Obama to visit Rocky Top

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Tim Isbel

Tim Isbel

Mr. President:

I am writing this letter to respectfully ask for your assistance in the resurgence of a small impoverished coal mining community that was very instrumental in the development of this great nation, during the Industrial Revolution, due to the ability to produce coal. Since the decline of the coal industry, this community has suffered economically and 50 percent of the current population lives below the poverty level.

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tim Isbel, the Anderson County commissioner that represents this community of Lake City, Tennessee.

Just over a year ago, the mayor and city council of Lake City and myself set out to change the direction of the city. This city, nestled between Norris Lake and the Cumberland Mountains, has the assets of having two major interchanges off the I-75 corridor, an abundance of uninhabited property, existing infrastructure, and just 25 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee, and Interstate I-40. [Read more…]

Former TBI fugitive charged with kidnapping, murder of missing Campbell County woman

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Lonnie Vann

Lonnie Vann

KNOXVILLE–A former Top 10 fugitive who had been wanted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for armed robbery has now been charged with killing a woman who had been reported missing in Campbell County more than a month ago.

Lonnie Lee Vann, 44, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping, the TBI said in a press release Wednesday, the same day a Campbell County grand jury returned the indictments.

At the request of 8th District Attorney General Jared Effler, TBI special agents, helped by investigators from the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in East Tennessee, began investigating the disappearance of Rhonda Daugherty on December 4. The 49-year woman went missing from her home on December 2. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools on two-hour delay Thursday as temperature plummets

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Bitterly Cold Temperatures

Images courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Note: This story was updated at 7:12 p.m.

The temperature in Oak Ridge is expected to drop to 7 degree Fahrenheit Wednesday night, and Oak Ridge Schools will be on a two-hour delay on Thursday morning because of the cold weather.

The high on Thursday is forecast at 25 in Oak Ridge, and it’s expected to climb to 34 on Friday, when President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden’s wife Jill visit Pellissippi State Community College in west Knox County and Techmer PM in Clinton. [Read more…]

TDOT: Ready to tackle winter weather

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John Schroer

John Schroer

NASHVILLE—The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it is stocked and ready to clear roadways of ice and snow this season. Over the last several weeks, salt supplies have been replenished in all 95 counties, and crews have readied snow plows and brine trucks for the winter season.

“Tennessee often sees the bulk of its winter weather in January and February,” TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said. “Our salt bins are fully stocked, and we have more than a thousand employees ready to mobilize in the event of inclement weather.”

There are 215 salt trucks and 215 snow plows and 69,758 tons of salt in Region 1, which includes 24 counties in East Tennessee, TDOT said. Region 1 has 9,182 lane miles on interstates and state routes and a $7.9 million ice and snow budget, as well as 373,000 gallons of salt brine. [Read more…]

TVA asks consumers to reduce electricity use; offers money-saving tips

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TVA LogoKNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking for a voluntary reduction in electricity use until Thursday afternoon because of frigid temperatures that are causing high demand across the Southeast.

The request extends to all electric power consumers—residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

The voluntary reduction will help ensure a continued supply of power to essential services throughout TVA’s seven-state service territory and avoid interruptions of service, a press release said. [Read more…]

Alexander elected chair of Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions Committee

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, to be the chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

“The work of no Senate committee affects the daily lives of more Americans more than this one—whether we are fixing No Child Left Behind, or reducing federal paperwork to make it easier for students to attend college, or making it simpler for medical treatments and cures to make their way through the Food and Drug Administration to patients who need the help,” Alexander said in a press release. [Read more…]

Former IHOP server suspected of taking money by changing credit card receipts

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A former server at IHOP Restaurant in Oak Ridge is suspected of taking an unknown amount of money from customers by changing the tip amounts on several credit card and debit card receipts, authorities said.

The suspected thefts occurred between October 1 and December 28, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

It’s not clear how much money might have been taken during a period estimated to be about two months. ORPD Officer Garrett L. Robbins reported that the IHOP regional manager who reported the suspected theft is still calculating how much might have been taken.

More information will be added as it becomes available.