Oak Ridge Today

Anderson commissioners approve no-tax-increase budget

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After weeks of wrangling, a budget standoff between Anderson County officials and the sheriff was quickly resolved Monday as county commissioners voted 13-0 to approve a budget that doesn’t include a tax increase but sets aside money for more jailers.

The goal was to give Anderson County Sheriff Paul White a total of 13 jailers so he can open a new 128-bed minimum security dormitory this summer. After a tax hike last year, county officials didn’t want to raise the property tax rate again this year.

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Iwanski proposes solution to budget standoff over jailers, taxes

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Editor’s note: Anderson County Interim Mayor Myron Iwanski has proposed a solution to a budget standoff between county officials who don’t want to raise taxes and Sheriff Paul White, who says he needs at least 13 jailers to open a 128-bed minimum security dormitory. Here’s the proposal that Iwanski sent to county commissioners and staff members on Wednesday.

After last night’s meeting, I had a chance to talk to some of you, Sheriff White, and Avery Johnson about the sheriff’s budget. Based on your, the sheriff’s, and Avery’s input, I would like to offer a no-tax-increase solution for the sheriff’s budget that will allow the jail dormitory to be open and also address the longer term jail expansion staffing needs.

My proposal authorizes the sheriff to hire the 13 jailers he said he needs to open the new dormitory—but has some conditions that County Commission and the sheriff would need to agree to for us to do it in a fiscally responsible way.

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Council approves security upgrades to Police Department

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A quarter-million dollars worth of security upgrades to the Oak Ridge Police Department were approved in a 6-1 vote by City Council members this week.

Council approved a $277,000 contract with Richardson Turner Construction Company of Knoxville and agreed to add $20,000 to a professional services agreement with Bankston Architectural Group of Knoxville.

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Anderson County jail budget standoff continues Monday

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Anderson County Commission Budget Meeting

Anderson County commissioners try to resolve a funding standoff with Sheriff Paul White, right, during a Monday night meeting. Also pictured from left are commissioners Johnny Alley, Jerry White, and Rick Meredith.

CLINTON–The sheriff insisted he needs at least 13 jailers to open a new dormitory this summer but the county commission would not raise property taxes again, so a budget standoff remained unresolved after a special meeting Tuesday night.

The Anderson County Budget Committee will wrestle with the budget again during an afternoon meeting next Monday, and the County Commission will hear any new proposals during its regular meeting that evening.

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Report: Woman takes boyfriend’s medicine, threatens to beat him ‘like a man’

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An Oliver Springs woman has been charged with robbery after she allegedly took her boyfriend’s prescription hydrocodone and threatened to beat him “like a man” if he tried to take it back, Anderson County court records said.

Jayne Marie Davis-Clark, 44, remained in jail Monday afternoon on $50,000 bond.

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One man knocked unconscious with bat, second man arrested for assault

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An Oak Ridge man was charged with aggravated assault after allegedly hitting another man in the head with a baseball bat Thursday, knocking him unconscious, Anderson County court records said.

Bryon John Van Brocklin, 25, also chased another person around a Manchester Avenue home before fleeing, the records said.

An ambulance took the victim, who is not identified in the affidavit, to Methodist Medical Center.

In the affidavit, Oak Ridge Police Officer Matthew Johnston said Van Brocklin went to the house “with the intent of fighting and exited his vehicle with an aluminum baseball bat.”

Van Brocklin remained jailed Monday evening on $100,000 bond, and a court appearance has been scheduled for Thursday.

Arrest warrants list Joseph Eric Kovach and Devon Noel Reed of Oak Ridge as victims or witnesses, but they don’t say which one of the two was knocked unconscious.

Fire Department begins wildfire campaign next week

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As more homes are built in wooded areas, the threat posed by wildfires increases, so the Oak Ridge Fire Department has launched a new fire prevention program called Fire Wise.

Announced by Fire Chief Darryl Kerley on Friday, the new program is an effort to make residents more aware of the potential for a wild land fire.

Starting next week, Oak Ridge Fire Department employees will begin distributing Fire Wise materials via a door-to-door campaign to homes located off of Scenic Drive on the east end of town and Whippoorwill Drive on the west end.

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Four dogs found dead, woman arrested for animal cruelty

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An East Tennessee woman who owned four dogs that were found dead and severely emaciated last year was arrested Sunday, Anderson County court records said.

Sarah Rebecca Roe, 30, has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty.

In an affidavit, Oak Ridge Police Sgt. Shannah Newman said Animal Control Officer Cy Cruttenden found the dogs—three juveniles and one adult—dead at a home on Lynwood Lane on Feb. 23, 2011.

“The physical conditions of all four dogs are best described as severely emaciated,” Newman said.

Roe had left all four at the home for several weeks and did not provide adequate food, water, or medical care, she said. The young dogs were in a sunroom or enclosed porch at the rear of the house, and the adult dog was found under the enclosed porch in the yard.

The Anderson County jail log and arrest warrants give two different addresses for Roe, one in Oak Ridge and one in Clinton.

She has been released from the Anderson County jail in lieu of $20,000 bond, and she has a June 14 court appearance in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

Resident reports black bear caught on East Drive

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Black Bear on East Drive

Wildlife officers and residents gather around a black bear caught on East Drive around 8 p.m. Saturday. (Photo submitted by Kelli Parsons)

An east Oak Ridge resident reported that a black bear was caught at about 8 p.m. Saturday.

The bear was caught at about the 390 block of East Drive, said resident Kelli Parsons, who submitted a photo taken by a neighbor.

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Black bears at grill in north Oak Ridge, trapped at ORNL

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Black Bear at Grill

A black bear climbs onto a backyard grill in north Oak Ridge on Tuesday after looking into a living room window. (Photo by George Ostrouchov)

Residents continued to report that a bear or bears was in the Secret City this week, and one was trapped at Oak Ridge National Laboratory early Friday morning.

George Ostrouchov took pictures of a black bear in his back yard on Orchard Circle at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“The bear first looked into our living room, putting its paws on the window,” Ostrouchov said in an e-mail. “Then he (we assume it was a young male) proceeded to check out our grill. The grill happened to be still on to clean itself after grilling.”

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Marlow Fire Department has rummage sale June 7-9

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The Marlow Volunteer Fire Department is having a Spring Rummage Sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday June 7-9.

Organizers say there will be great bargains on clothing, kitchen ware, and decorative and household items, and all proceeds will be used to buy equipment for firefighters.

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Police: Roane candidate dies after shooting self at incumbent’s home

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A candidate for Roane County property assessor died today after shooting himself in the head, authorities said.

James Thomas Woods Jr., 56, was a former employee of the Roane County Property Assessor’s Office, and he reportedly shot himself at the home of the incumbent assessor, Teresa Kirkham, on Brentwood Way in Kingston.

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