An Oak Ridge man allegedly lost his temper while helping his young daughter with her homework on Wednesday and hit her with his fist and a belt, authorities said.
David Lemus Mandujano, 29, of Wadsworth Circle, has been charged with aggravated child abuse. He remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday evening. [Read more…]
Protesters say “no” to the proposed Uranium Processing Facility in a demonstration across from the Y-12 National Security Complex on Saturday. The area traditionally used by the protesters has been blocked by a fence erected this week. Pictured above at left are Greg Boertje-Obed and Michael Walli, two of the anti-nuclear weapons activists who penetrated the high-security Protected Area at Y-12 on July 28.
Forced to move to a new spot, protesters said three people were arrested on Saturday during an annual spring demonstration opposing the proposed Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
An area that has traditionally been used by the protesters near Y-12’s main entrance at Bear Creek and Scarboro roads was enclosed by a fence this week. So the protesters, who oppose Y-12’s nuclear weapons work, demonstrated across the street from the 811-acre plant.
Three of them were arrested during a mile-long march from the Oak Ridge Civic Center, where the demonstration started, and Y-12. They were Larry Coleman, 71, of Knoxville; Buddhist monk Gyoshu Utsumi, 60, of Newport; and Bill Ramsey, 65, of Asheville, N.C. All three were charged with impeding the flow of traffic, and they have been released from the Anderson County Detention Facility on $100-$200 bonds. [Read more…]
Workers and volunteers celebrate renovations at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter during an open house Monday.
The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter has a new exam room and a renovated surgery room.
It also has new paint, hospital-grade flooring, and a more inviting lobby area with a lower front desk and an animal adoption room.
The renovations, which included cleaning and electrical work, started in January. Except for the flooring, the work was done by the Oak Ridge municipal staff.
City workers and animal rescue volunteers celebrated with an open house Monday. They said the shelter seems more pleasant and inviting now, and the animals seem less stressed. [Read more…]
Recent reports by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth highlight Tennessee’s success as the best in the nation in reducing reliance on confinement as a response to juvenile crime, a press release said.
Community Mediation Centers throughout Tennessee have been a quiet part of this, the release said. The first program in the state, Community Mediation Services of Anderson County, has for 27 years been working with juveniles and families to help them find their own solutions to their issues through mediation. [Read more…]
A fire apparently caused by cigarette smoking caused minimal damage to a second-floor Tara Hills apartment on Wednesday afternoon.
A fire apparently caused by cigarette smoking caused minimal damage to a second-floor Tara Hills apartment on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
No one was home when firefighters arrived at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, said Josh Waldo, Oak Ridge Fire Department assistant fire chief.
The fire caused an estimated $1,000 in damages, mostly to the building’s exterior, Waldo said.
Firefighters found an ashtray on the porch. They removed exterior paneling after they spotted smoke behind it.
A car caught fire on Hillside Road near Hunter Circle on Saturday morning. (Photos by Tom Scott)
A car caught fire on Hillside Road at about 11:43 a.m. Saturday.
The car’s owner was driving west on Hillside Road near Hunter Circle when smoke started coming out from under the dash after she turned off her heater, an Oak Ridge Fire Department report said. She unlatched the hood and her passenger disconnected the battery, but the car, owned by Louise Long of Oliver Springs, had already started to burn.
By the time firefighters arrived, the passenger compartment was on fire, the report said. They were able to extinguish it with a water hose. [Read more…]
James T. Akagi
The Oak Ridge Police Department will host a mid-April seminar on preventing tragedies. The seminar is scheduled four months after the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
“The recent tragedy in Newtown, Conn., has stimulated a broad nationwide discussion aimed at preventing future such events,” a city press release said. “This seminar is designed to make citizens aware of possible warning signs of violent behavior and a plan for how to alert the proper agency. Topics of discussion will be mental and emotional health, precautions, and solutions.”
The release said residents, employers, and employees are encouraged to attend. The seminar is titled “Preventing Tragedy: A Community United.” It’s scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 15, at New Hope Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
A Clinton man was convicted by an Anderson County jury on Wednesday on one of the three counts of child rape against him.
Michael David Hernandez, 44, was taken into custody, where he will remain until his sentencing on June 10 in Anderson County Criminal Court. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The Knoxville Police Department said one of the drivers involved in a crash that killed a Clinton woman last week could face charges in connection with that accident.
The wreck occurred on Wednesday, March 20, at about 8:30 a.m. on Clinton Highway. [Read more…]
Mike Baker (Photo by D. Ray Smith)
Note: This story was updated March 31 to add a link to the judge’s letter.
Mike Baker, the director of Anderson County’s alternatives to jail program, was critical of the judiciary and the county mayor when he announced his resignation last week, saying he didn’t have their support.
This week, though, three Anderson County judges said Baker, whose last day is April 4, had made “no real attempt” to work with them. When Baker started his job about a year ago, they said, he lacked knowledge of Tennessee laws related to prisoner release programs, and he had no relevant experience in the state or Anderson County. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Fire Department responds to many calls each day and provides a variety of services to residents throughout the city. One of the keys to providing successful services to citizens is having the best plan possible ahead of time, a press release said.
In addition, one of the most important pieces of home fire safety is having a home escape plan, and the Fire Department said it would like to work out a plan ahead of time for residents who have special needs and would need additional assistance evacuating their house in the event of an emergency. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department and local law enforcement agencies have announced a partnership designed to reduce traffic fatalities in East Tennessee.
In a Friday press conference at the Knoxville office of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Steve Dillard, East Tennessee Law Enforcement Liaison Officer for the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, reported an increase in fatalities last year in four East Tennessee counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, and Sevier. During the last five years, Anderson County alone has averaged 11 fatal crashes per year, with 13 fatal crashes in 2012, a press release said.
In response, Dillard and GHSO Director Kendall Poole outlined traffic safety activities for the next six months in the four counties. Authorities will focus on impaired and distracted drivers, and those violating speed limit and seatbelt laws. [Read more…]
