Oak Ridge Today

Senior Center has free Veterans Day pancake brunch

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The Oak Ridge Senior Center will honor the men and women who have served the United States both past and present with a pancake brunch on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11. Brunch will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be on a first-come, first-serve basis until the pancakes are gone.

This is a free event for seniors 50 and over, as well as veterans of any age.

For more information about this and other programs at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, like them on Facebook, call them at (865) 425-3999, or visit the website at orrecparks.org.

Suspect in alleged assault over pregnancy check turns himself in

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Aaron Eugene Seiber

Aaron Eugene Seiber

Information from WYSH Radio/Anderson County Sheriff’s Department

The Briceville man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, who wanted to go to the doctor to see if she is pregnant, turned himself in at the jail on Tuesday, authorities said.

Aaron Eugene Seiber, 25, remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday afternoon. He has been charged with aggravated assault, and his bond has been set at $50,000.

Seiber is accused of hitting his 21-year-old girlfriend in the stomach and choking her after she asked if she should go to the doctor to see if she was pregnant. The Clinton woman reported that Seiber allegedly swung a hammer at her, choked her, and struck her in the stomach.

The woman told deputies that the attack happened at Seiber’s home near Rocky Top early Saturday morning, November 1, and that she intended to seek an order of protection against him.

Sheriff: Arrest made after indoor marijuana grow, other drugs found

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Nathan Allen Underwood

Nathan Allen Underwood

A Rocky Top man was arrested Tuesday when officers serving a search warrant found marijuana plants in various stages of a grow operation, along with indoor grow equipment such as lights, as well as other drug paraphernalia, authorities said. In addition, mushrooms and suspected prescription narcotics were also found, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said.

White said investigators with the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit, along with officers from the Rocky Top Police Department, and the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force, served a search warrant at a home on Industrial Park Road in Rocky Top on Tuesday afternoon. The search warrant was the result of a joint drug investigation with these agencies.

Authorities arrested Nathan Allen Underwood, 32, of Rocky Top, and he was charged with several drug and weapons offenses, White said. The charges include manufacturing, delivering, selling, or possessing a controlled substance; possession of Schedule I drugs; possession of Schedule II drugs; possession of drug paraphernalia; and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The sheriff said charges on two other people are expected, pending more investigation into the case.

Underwood remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday afternoon, and his bond has been set at $35,000.

State officials, local agencies to crack down on seat belt use, impaired driving

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Kendell Poole

Kendell Poole

Traffic fatalities in Anderson County are up significantly this year, and Tennessee officials and local law enforcement agencies will announce a campaign on Monday to crack down on drivers not using seat belts or driving while impaired during the holidays.

The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, November 10, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Among those participating will be Kendell Poole, director of the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office, and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, as well as representatives of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, and Rocky Top police departments.

“There have been 16 traffic fatalities in Anderson County in 2014, which represents a 77 percent increase compared to 2013,” a press release said. “This is the third highest year-to-date difference in fatalities that an individual county has seen in Tennessee. Seventy-five percent of the fatalities were unrestrained. In an effort to prevent additional fatalities and injuries, Anderson County agencies will be increasing enforcement and conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.” [Read more…]

‘Dine and Donate’ to support ADFAC on Monday

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Popeyes Sign

Popeye’s is a first-time Dine and Donate participating restaurant. Dedicated to providing “Louisiana Fast” food, Popeye’s menu takes a step outside the box, offering chicken and seafood prepared spicy or blackened. Side items range from freshly made biscuits and Cajun fries to red beans and rice and jambalaya. (Photo and caption by ADFAC)

“Dine and Donate,” a monthly fundraiser for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, is back for November—and it features 11 restaurants throughout Anderson County.

“We are very fortunate to have wonderful representation in Oak Ridge, and are very pleased that November offers a broad range of restaurants that reach all corners of the county,” said ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay, who also chairs the Dine and Donate committee. “Over half of all ADFAC clients served live in these rural areas, and we hope residents will dine out to help their less fortunate neighbors.”

On Dine and Donate Mondays (the second Monday of each month), local restaurants donate a significant portion of their daily sales to ADFAC.

Restaurants participating on Monday, November 10, are: [Read more…]

City board to reconsider repair, demolition orders for Tyrone Road building

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Wender Building

The deadline for the demolition of a commercial building that once housed The Oak Ridger newspaper on Tyrone Road near Jackson Square expires Thursday, and after a five-month postponement, a city board will reconsider a repair or demolition order for the building that day. Under plans announced in May, the Magic Wok restaurant, which is separate from the building, would remain, as would a small northwestern portion of the building.

 

The deadline for the demolition of a commercial building that was once home to The Oak Ridger newspaper and other businesses on Tyler and East Tyrone roads expires Thursday, November 13, and a city board could reconsider a repair or demolition order that day.

The partially occupied commercial structure has been declared unfit for human occupation or use because of code violations, the city staff said.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals previously tabled the repair or demolition order for five months to allow for partial demolition in preparation for the construction of the remaining building. The demolition deadline expires Thursday, and permit applications are to be submitted to the city by December.

The potential demolition and repair orders to be considered Thursday would not apply to the separate manufactured structure that now houses the popular Magic Wok restaurant. [Read more…]

ORHS Math Bowl team finishes second in large school competition

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Oak Ridge Schools Logo

Thirty students from Oak Ridge High School competed in the annual Pro2Serv Fermat Competition and Math Bowl on Thursday, and the school’s Math Bowl A team finished second in the large school competition, a press release said.

“Our Math Bowl teams were very competitive, with our A team narrowly losing by one point,” the release said. The A team was comprised of Albert Xue, Tina Wang, and Katherine Zhang, along with alternate Sheichen Zhang.

The B team of Vincent Jodoin, Gabe Vacaliuc, and Joe Andress, with alternate Adi Sujithkumar, also had an amazing run, but came up a match short of placing, the release said. [Read more…]

Today: ‘Say No to Drugs’ balloon release in Oak Ridge

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Say No to Drugs Balloon Release

Have you or someone you love ever suffered from drug abuse? Have you ever given thanks that the negative effects of drug abuse haven’t entered into your life?

If so, you are invited to join the family and friends of Clayton Smith along with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition for a special prayer and balloon release at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 9, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The event is being held to honor the recovery efforts of anyone who has suffered from drug addiction and to remember the lives of loved ones lost due to drug abuse. [Read more…]

Guided gratitude mediation offered Saturday morning

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Linda D. Doyle

Linda D. Doyle

A guided meditation of gratitude will be hosted by the Mental Health Ministry of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 8. The meditation, which will be led by licensed clinical social worker and CONTACT volunteer Linda Doyle, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the church fellowship hall.

The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge. The event is free and open to the public, and child care will be provided.

Doyle said in notes about the meditation that it is a type appropriate for all faiths and for the coming holiday season.

“The theme will be gratitude, keeping in mind the upcoming celebration of our country’s national holiday in November,” Doyle said in a press release. [Read more…]

Recycle electronics, other items; shred documents on Saturday

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You can recycle certain electronics and other items and shred documents during a recycling event on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Saturday.

The recycling program is sponsored by Keep Anderson County Beautiful. It is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 8, at the Potter’s Clearance Center next to Willow Ridge Garden Center.

It’s part of the national America Recycles Day, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.

During the local event, Scott Recycling of Knoxville will collect old computers and peripherals, cell phones, rechargeable and button batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs (no tubes), used books (not text books), and eyeglasses. For televisions, there is a charge of $20/TV and $1 per CRT computer monitor because of current expenses associated with recycling CRT screens. No TV cabinetry will be accepted. Scott Recycling from Knoxville will be recycling the electronics. [Read more…]

Daughters of American Revolution chapter meets Saturday in Oak Ridge

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The Clinch Bend Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will meet Saturday afternoon in Oak Ridge.

The meeting starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 8, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

The chapter will be honoring the nation’s veterans with a guest speaker, (retired) Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Johnson, a press release said. Johnson will present “My Life as a Soldier Girl.”

Refreshments will be served. For information, call (865) 945-5605 or visit http://tndar.org/~clinchbend/.

Sign up for Dec. 6 ACT Prep Workshop at Roane State

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

Students will learn the hidden rules of the ACT in an ACT Prep Workshop presented by Roane State and SailAway Learning at the college’s Roane County campus in December.

Seating is limited. The deadline to register is November 29.

At the workshop, students will learn valuable test-taking tips and receive helpful review materials and resources. According to data from SailAway Learning, 66 percent of past workshop attendees raised two or more subtest scores, and 60 percent improved their composite score. [Read more…]