Oak Ridge Today

Sen. Corker completes Middle East trip with visits to Oman, Bahrain

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Sen. Bob Corker Meets with Tennessee Sailors and Marines

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, meets with Tennessee sailors and marines deployed to Bahrain with the U.S. Fifth Fleet. (Submitted photos)

Submitted

MANAMA, Bahrain—U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, completed a three-nation trip to the Middle East on Dec. 5 in Bahrain, where he continued to assess U.S. diplomatic and security relations in the Gulf region, a press release said.

After a visit with U.S. Ambassador Thomas C. Krajeski, he met with Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa to discuss the state of U.S.-Bahrain relations and the Crown Prince’s ongoing efforts for political reform and stability amidst continued unrest.

“Bahrain is an important and longstanding U.S. ally, hosting the U.S. Fifth Fleet, which plays a significant role in regional stability and protecting the global flow of energy,” Corker said in a press release. “It is in our national interest to continue our strong military partnership, ensure the country remains stable, and encourage nonviolent reformers on both sides to continue to work together to achieve a political solution to Bahrain’s own internal problems.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge native serving overseas: Soldiers compete in soccer exhibition

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U.S. Army Spc. Devin Chae Soccer Goalie

U.S. Army Spc. Devin Chae, an Oak Ridge native, makes a save during an exhibition soccer match between Multinational Battle Group-East soldiers and the Kosovo Security Force at the Training and Doctrine compound in Ferizaj, Dec. 20. (Credit for all photos: U.S. Army photos by Sgt. Joshua Stoffregen, 4th Public Affairs Detachment)

Kosovo Force (KFOR)

By Sgt. Joshua Stoffregen

FERIZAJ, Kosovo—Soldiers from Multinational Battle Group-East participated in an exhibition soccer match against members from the Kosovo Security Forces in Ferizaj, Dec. 20.

“We just had a friendly soccer match with the KSF at the Training and Doctrine Compound,” said U.S. Army Capt. Robert Schaffling, a staff officer with MNBG-E and a native of Philadelphia. “It was a (sociable) game of soccer, us versus them.”

Schaffling said that it was a good way to collaborate with the KSF and have a little fun instead of working all the time. [Read more…]

Report: Woman who fell into fountain and died had been ‘huffing,’ witness says

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Oak Ridge Civic Center Fountain

The Oak Ridge woman who fell into this fountain at the Civic Center on June 3 and died in a hospital 13 days later had been spotted “huffing” a can of keyboard cleaner next to a tree in the park, possibly just minutes before she was found floating face down in the water, authorities said.

The 26-year-old woman who fell into a fountain at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on June 3 and died in a hospital 13 days later had been spotted “huffing” a can of keyboard cleaner next to a tree in the park, possibly just minutes before she was found floating face down in the water, authorities said.

After she was pulled from the fountain, rescuers tried CPR on Sarah Christine McAdams, but she was unresponsive and given only a 10 percent chance of surviving the first night at Methodist Medical Center, hospital staff told Oak Ridge Police Department Detective Kevin Craig.

On June 6, ORPD Detective David Stephens reported that McAdams, who had lived on Manhattan Avenue in Woodland, had been placed in an induced coma and had not been able to communicate. She died at the hospital on June 16, according to a copy of the death certificate provided by her mother, Lori Holt, of Murrell’s Inlet, S.C. [Read more…]

Leslie England joins TNBank as assistant VP

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Leslie England

Leslie England

Leslie England has joined TNBank as assistant vice president. Her responsibilities will include current customer development, new business initiatives, and marketing responsibilities, a press release said.

England has 15 years banking experience and a bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College, the release said.

She previously worked for more than a decade for Oak Ridge Utility District, where she was director of customer service and marketing and business development, and she has served on several local association boards.

“I am fortunate to be joining such a respected company that is community-oriented and offers top-quality banking products and services,” England said in the Thursday afternoon press release. [Read more…]

Andersonville fire displaces family on Christmas Eve

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Tuesday morning fire badly damaged an Andersonville family’s home.

The fire started around 5:30 a.m. off Hinds Creek Road near Norris Freeway. According to the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department, no one was hurt in the fire that destroyed about half of the home.

Firefighters say the blaze started near the dryer in the utility room and that it was an electrical fire, but it is unclear exactly what started it. There were space heaters connected to an extension cord near where the fire started. [Read more…]

Suspects used stolen pickup truck, Bobcat in attempted theft of ATM safe

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Bobcat and ATM Safe from Y-12 Federal Credit Union

Authorities said unknown suspects used this stolen Bobcat in a Christmas morning plot to steal a safe from a standalone ATM in east Oak Ridge. The attempted heist appears to have gone awry after the Bobcat tipped over on its side in a small culvert next to Bogola Road.

Note: This story was last updated at 12:45 p.m.

A stolen pickup truck and Bobcat were used in the unsuccessful Christmas morning plot to steal the safe from a standalone ATM in east Oak Ridge, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said the unknown suspects used the truck, stolen from the nearby Waste Connections convenience center, to try to knock the automated teller machine off the concrete pad. When that didn’t work, they allegedly used the Bobcat, which was also stolen from Waste Connections.

The Bobcat demolished the ATM and hauled the ATM several hundred feet away before flipping over in a small culvert next to Bogola Road, which is the Oak Ridge Turnpike entrance to the convenience center. [Read more…]

Christmas Day heist: Thieves try to steal ATM safe with Bobcat

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Bobcat and ATM Safe from Y-12 Federal Credit Union

A Bobcat that appears to have been involved in a Christmas morning plot to steal money from an ATM in east Oak Ridge is tipped over on its side in a small ditch next to the safe, which had apparently not been opened.

A brazen attempt to steal money from an ATM in east Oak Ridge appears to have gone awry early Christmas morning and ended with a Bobcat tipped over on its side next to a safe that had apparently not been opened.

Many of the details are preliminary, and the Oak Ridge Police Department was investigating Wednesday morning.

The attempted theft caused extensive damage to a Y-12 Federal Credit Union automated teller machine at a small shopping center that includes the KARM Thrift Store and Tractor Supply Co. Crumpled ATM debris was scattered in a grassy field behind the drive-through credit union machine, and brown tracks led a few hundred feet away to the tipped-over Bobcat and the square safe, which appeared to have a chain wrapped around it. [Read more…]

Pictures: Oak Ridge Christmas Parade

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santa-oak-ridge-christmas-parade

Here are a few pictures of the Dec. 14 Christmas parade, courtesy of Ray Smith. To see more photos, visit Smith’s album on Google Plus.

 

oak-ridge-christmas-parade-float oak-ridge-christmas-parade-float-2

Clinton Christmas Parade winners announced

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Second Baptist Church Clinton Christmas Parade

The Clinton Christmas Parade, “A Christmas to Remember,” highlighted 92 entries on Saturday, Dec. 7, the largest to ever enter the parade.

Even though it was a cold and windy evening, a large crowd lined Market and Main streets to enjoy the hours of work on display in the floats, cars, trucks, and motorcycles, a press release said.

“Judges had their work cut out for them,” the release said. [Read more…]

ORNL Federal Credit Union employees, members sponsor 55 Angel Tree children

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ORNL Federal Credit Union and Angel Tree

Pictured above from left to right are Robert Langford, Silas Reynolds, and
Brian Cox of ORNL Federal Credit Union’s Facilities Department, and Jason Long, Oak Ridge branch manager. (Submitted photo)

Each year, employees and members of ORNL Federal Credit Union support the Family Resource Center’s Angel Tree program as one way to give back to the Oak Ridge community, and 2013 was no exception, a press release said.

“Our involvement in the Angel Tree program is truly one of the highlights of each year for many of our employees,” said Jason Long, Oak Ridge branch manager. “This year, we committed to sponsoring 55 children, and we were fortunate to have gifts donated for each and every one.” [Read more…]

Hospitality houses get decked in Christmas cheer by cheerleaders

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ORHS Cheerleaders Decorate Hospitality House

Cheerleaders from Oak Ridge High School helped to decorate the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center for Christmas. The houses offer temporary lodging to patients and families who must travel for extended care at Methodist, even during the holidays. (Submitted photo)

Cheerleaders from Oak Ridge High School decorated hospitality houses at Methodist Medical Center for Christmas.

The Hospitality Houses provide a home away from home for cancer patients and families who must travel for extended medical care at Methodist Medical Center.

“But just because some guests can’t be home during the holiday season doesn’t mean they have to miss the festive feel of garland-draped porches and trees glittering with lights,” a press release said. “Thanks to the Oak Ridge High School cheerleaders, the Hospitality Houses at Methodist Medical Center will be a welcoming Christmas site for all the guests who stay there.” [Read more…]

ACSD investigates home invasion report

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a home invasion robbery reported to them Thursday at a home on Queen Street in Powell.

The incident occurred at around 4 a.m. The suspects were reported to be wearing ski masks, and they allegedly demanded pain medication and money at gunpoint. The victim said that one of the culprits fired a weapon inside her the home before the suspects left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

No one was hurt in the incident.