Oak Ridge Today

Firefighters extinguish Palmer Road chimney fire

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Palmer Road Chimney Fire

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responds to a chimney fire on Palmer Road on Sunday afternoon. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Firefighters used pressurized water cans and ladders to extinguish a chimney fire on Palmer Road on Sunday afternoon.

Firefighters also used a pole to remove creosote in the chimney during the 2:30 p.m. fire, an Oak Ridge Fire Department report said.

Firefighters put out a fire in the fireplace and carried the contents outside, where they extinguished them, the report said. [Read more…]

Forty-two face federal charges for allegedly conspiring to make 50+ grams of meth

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Federal Meth Prosecution

Flanked by local, state, and federal law enforcement officers, U.S. Attorney William C. Killian, center, announces that 42 people, including many Anderson County residents, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine.

CLINTON—In an unprecedented case, 42 people, including many Anderson County residents, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges they conspired to make 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney William C. Killian announced the charges during a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton.

Other charges listed in a 17-count indictment filed March 19 in U.S. District Court in Knoxville include possessing the equipment, chemicals, products, and materials used to make meth; maintaining homes used to manufacture the illegal stimulant, including one residence within 1,000 feet of Claxton Elementary School; and federal firearms violations. [Read more…]

THP: Anderson County man dies in Sunday motorcycle crash

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Information from WYSH Radio

An Andersonville man died early Sunday morning when his motorcycle ran off the side of a wet roadway near Lake City.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the accident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday on Offutt Spur Road when 43-year-old Harold B. Hensley Jr. had been headed west on Offutt Spur. [Read more…]

Clinton Fire Department receives $389,000 grant

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton officials announced Friday morning that the Clinton Fire Department has received a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response—or SAFER—grant that will pay the salaries and benefits for four more firefighters for the next two years.

The city was notified Friday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security that the grant award totals $388,944. City leaders thanked the area’s congressional delegation for their assistance in obtaining the funding. There is no local match for the grant.

Three men allegedly invade home; steal shotgun, watches

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Note: This story was updated at 4:13 p.m.

Three men pushed their way into the home of a 78-year-old man on Ulysses Lane on Wednesday night and allegedly stole a 12-gauge shotgun, a wallet, and three watches, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department said the home invasion happened at about 9:40 p.m. Wednesday. The victim answered a knock at the door, and three men wearing dark clothes, blue jeans, and masks allegedly pushed their way into the home, demanding jewelry, pills, and guns, according to a report by ORPD Officer Michael E. Swigert. [Read more…]

Director resigns from Anderson County alternatives to jail program

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Note: This story was updated at 6:39 p.m.

The director of an Anderson County program meant to save money and reduce crime and the jail population has resigned.

Mike Baker, director of the county’s alternatives to incarceration program, announced his resignation Thursday in a letter to Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Anderson County commissioners, and members of an advisory board. His last day will be April 4. [Read more…]

Oliver Springs school administrator arrested for DUI, placed on leave

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Information from WYSH Radio

An Oliver Springs High School administrator was arrested last week outside the roller skating rink on East Tri-County Boulevard after the Oliver Springs Police Department was called and told that a parent had arrived to pick up their child and appeared to be intoxicated.

Donna Renee Moore, 46, of Harriman, was arrested late Friday night, and the responding officer noted that she was unsteady on her feet; had red, glassy eyes; and smelled of alcohol. He also reported finding two, partially empty airplane-sized vodka bottles in her purse. [Read more…]

Driver ejected, dies in single-vehicle rollover near Horizon

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Horizon Center Fatal Crash

A driver died Tuesday night after being ejected from this vehicle, which left Oak Ridge Turnpike and rolled several times at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near Horizon Center. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A Cleveland, Tenn., man died after he was ejected from an eastbound minivan that left Oak Ridge Turnpike and rolled several times at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near Horizon Center, authorities said.

Benjamin Park Birdwell, 33, was driving the 2004 Toyota Sienna near Imperium Drive, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. [Read more…]

Car crashes into utility pole, knocks out power to few stores

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Lafayette Drive Utility Pole Crash

A car driven by an Oak Ridge man crashed into a utility pole near Lafayette Drive on Saturday, knocking out power to about 10 customers, including Walmart and Chick-fil-A. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A car crashed into a utility pole along Lafayette Drive on Saturday afternoon, knocking out power to a few large customers, including Walmart and Chick-fil-A.

Jeffrey Wells Wallace, 60, of Oak Ridge, was eastbound in a 2010 Toyota Prius four-door sedan on Lafayette Drive near Midway Lane when his vehicle went off the roadway and struck a utility pole about six feet off the road at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.

Wallace was conscious was police arrived, but he said he didn’t remember the collision, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Brandan L. Sharp said in a crash report. [Read more…]

Alternatives to jail featured at ‘Lunch with the League’

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The director of Anderson County’s alternatives to jail program will be the featured speaker during “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday.

The presentation by Mike Baker will focus on alternatives to incarceration and the benefits to those affected, including their families and the community. The program starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

[Read more…]

After large disturbance, ORPD warns restaurant to avoid over-serving alcohol

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One month after a large reported disturbance, the city’s deputy police chief told the owners of a popular restaurant and bar in central Oak Ridge that they need to monitor customers who are drinking and not serve people who have consumed too much alcohol.

The warning to the owners of Lincoln’s Sports Grille came during a Monday meeting of the Oak Ridge Beer Permit Board.

That board had called a show cause hearing for Lincoln’s, which is on South Illinois Avenue, after a Feb. 10 fight that reportedly started as an argument between two men over a woman and escalated into a large disturbance that required an entire shift of police officers to respond.

[Read more…]

Police: KKK-related fliers found in west Oak Ridge

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Fliers with a letterhead from the United Klans of America were left in driveways in a small west Oak Ridge neighborhood this week in zip-locked baggies anchored with rocks, authorities said.

“You can sleep well tonight knowing the UKA is awake,” said the fliers, which announced a neighborhood watch and provided a phone number and website address. The website consists of white supremacist propaganda related to the Ku Klux Klan, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Garrett L. Robbins wrote in a report Wednesday morning.

[Read more…]