Oak Ridge Today

Third Annual First Responders Appreciation Day is Saturday

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Flags are pictured above at the First Responders Appreciation Day in 2016. (Submitted photo)

Flags are pictured above at the First Responders Appreciation Day in 2016. (Submitted photo)

 

The First Responders Appreciation Committee of Oak Ridge will present the Third Annual First Responders Appreciation Day on Saturday, October 7, in the parking lot of Swifty’s Atomic Bar and Grill in Oak Ridge. The event begins at 2 p.m., a press release said.

“This year’s event will be much larger than last year!” the press release said. “We will have a waterslide for the kids, free food provided by Sysco Foods, and music. We’ll also have booths featuring DotDotSmile; Handmade Wreaths; Honey Pots; The Mystic Orb jewelry; National Martial Arts; Outta the Attic; Paparazzi Jewelry; Plum Crazy Boutique; and SET Guns and Range.

“Most importantly, we will be honoring all local area first responders to include law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and emergency medical services personnel. We will read a roll call of the fallen police, firefighters, and EMS in 2017 and have a candlelight vigil to honor their memory.” [Read more…]

Resident escapes when fire destroys outbuilding, damages home

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The resident escaped when an outbuilding and part of a home burned on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A resident escaped when an outbuilding and part of a home burned on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—A resident escaped when a fire destroyed a storage building and damaged a home on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton late Sunday morning.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department reported that the fire call came in to the 911 center a little before 11:30 a.m. Sunday. When deputies arrived, they found the storage building engulfed in flames, along with the portion of the home closest to the outbuilding, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Deputies reported that the homeowner, Kathrine Lively, told them she had just finished using her lawn mower and put it back in the shed when she went inside to take a shower. A few minutes later, she heard someone at her door yelling at her that she needed to come outside. [Read more…]

THP: Charges pending in fatal motorcycle-pickup crash in Claxton

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Charges are pending in a fatal collision between a motorcycle and pickup truck on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton on Tuesday, authorities said.

The crash, which killed a motorcyclist, was reported at about 7 a.m. Tuesday, September 26, at the intersection of Blockhouse Valley Road and Lost Ridge Road, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a fatality report.

The report said Joshua Williams, 29, of Clinton, was riding a 2015 Suzuki GXS motorcycle west on Blockhouse Valley Road when a 2004 Nissan Titan pickup truck driven east by Travis Darwin, 35, of Oak Ridge, turned left onto Lost Ridge Road in front of the motorcycle. The motorcycle ridden by Williams hit the front right side of the truck driven by Darwin, and Williams was thrown off the motorcycle, the THP said.

Williams was wearing a helmet, but he was killed, the report said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police warn of scam phone calls

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has warned area residents to be on the lookout for “spoofed” phone calls that appear to come from the police department, but are actually from scammers.

Local residents have notified officers that they are receiving calls that appear to originate from the police department’s non-emergency line at (865) 425-4399. These calls are not legitimate. The department will never contact you by phone in an attempt to collect money or financial information.

Residents have also advised officers that the scam calls sometimes threaten arrest, jail time, and other legal action if payment is not made, a press release said. [Read more…]

Man charged with attempted murder in Walsh Lane shooting

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William Molette

William Molette

 

An Oak Ridge man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in a shooting on Walsh Lane that sent a woman to a hospital with life-threatening injuries on Friday night, authorities said.

William Molette, 43, has been charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of possessing a firearm while committing a dangerous felony.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It was reported that a female had been shot, and the male suspect was still at the scene,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement earlier Saturday. “When officers arrived minutes later, they saw the suspect leaving the scene in a vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect and detained him a short distance away from the scene.” [Read more…]

Woman has life-threatening injuries after being shot on Walsh Lane

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A woman has life-threatening injuries after reportedly being shot at a home on Walsh Lane on Friday night, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It was reported that a female had been shot, and the male suspect was still at the scene,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a statement. “When officers arrived minutes later, they saw the suspect leaving the scene in a vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect and detained him a short distance away from the scene.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Police Department will host National Night Out on Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Police Department K9 Officer Ray Steakley is pictured above at a K9 demonstration at the 2016 National Night Out at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge Police Department K9 Officer Ray Steakley is pictured above at a K9 demonstration at the 2016 National Night Out at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department is teaming up with the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program to host a National Night Out celebration on Tuesday, October 3.

The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Alvin K. Bissell Park behind the Oak Ridge Civic Center. National Night Out is a free community gathering that heightens awareness of local efforts to prevent crime, violence, and drug use while generating support for and participation in anti-crime programs, a press release said. [Read more…]

Mental evaluation ordered in alleged dog stabbing, arson

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Sklyer Christian Griffin

Sklyer Christian Griffin

 

An evaluation of competency and mental capacity has been ordered in the case in which police say a 19-year-old man fatally stabbed a 10-year-old dog and then started a fire in the living room of an apartment on Villanova Road in Oak Ridge.

The evaluation at Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital was ordered Tuesday by Judge Roger Miller of Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, in Oak Ridge.

The evaluation should include a determination of the mental capacity of the defendant, Skyler C. Griffin, at the time of the alleged crime, his competency to stand trial, and his ability to assess the nature of his conduct, according to the order.

Griffin had a court hearing on Tuesday afternoon in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. He now has a status hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. November 7. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department’s Then & Now Parade part of 75th anniversary celebration

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Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott

Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will be hosting a fire prevention celebration on Saturday, October 7, as part of the city’s 75th anniversary.

In the 1940s, Oak Ridge hosted a parade during Fire Prevention Week every October to help spread the word about fire safety. ORFD hopes to rekindle this tradition in honor of the City’s milestone anniversary, a press release said.

The celebration will kick off with a Then and Now-themed parade at ORFD Fire Station Number 3 on Tuskegee Drive and end at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Lineup for participants will begin at 9 a.m., with the parade getting underway at 10 a.m., the press release said.

Following the parade, everyone is invited to gather in A.K. Bissell Park at 11 a.m. for opening ceremonies that will include static displays of emergency services equipment, bounce houses, safety information booths, and emergency services demonstrations. [Read more…]

Oliver Springs fire chief provides more information on Sunday explosion

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Justin Bailey

Justin Bailey (File photo courtesy Oliver Springs Fire Department)

The explosion in Oliver Springs on Sunday that rattled windows and shook homes as far away as Oak Ridge was caused by gasoline poured on what was left of a barn that had been leveled and then ignited, the fire chief said Friday.

Oliver Springs Fire Chief Justin Bailey said firefighters don’t know for sure how much gasoline was used, but the property owner had at least a five-gallon gas can.

There was still a strong odor of gasoline when emergency responders arrived, Bailey said.

The explosion was reported on Tri County Boulevard at Mahoney Road on Sunday evening, just before it got dark, in a field across from Lee’s Market in south Oliver Springs, just down the hill from Oak Ridge.

The property owner had leveled the barn, and only natural wood remained, Bailey said. The property owner was allowed to burn the untreated wood with a permit, and he had received a burn permit from City Hall over the phone. [Read more…]

Lunch with the League features police chief on Tuesday

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Lunch with the League on Tuesday at 11:45 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The speaker will be Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.

The public is invited, and there is no cost to attend.

The lunch, which will last until about 1 p.m. Tuesday, will be in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Akagi will talk about current issues in the City of Oak Ridge and surrounding areas that are affecting police activities—including opioid usage, immigration, and school safety, a press release said. [Read more…]

Y-12 has emergency management exercise on Wednesday

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Emergency response personnel from the National Nuclear Security Administration and Consolidated Nuclear Security—along with federal, state, and local emergency management personnel—will conduct an emergency management exercise Wednesday, September 20, in and around the Y‑12 National Security Complex.

During this exercise, people near Y-12 may observe police and other emergency response vehicles, as well as responders simulating activities, a press release said. These activities are part of the exercise, the release said.

This event is one of several emergency management exercises conducted on a regular basis at the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration facilities in Oak Ridge. These exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations and ensure that the public, Y-12 employees, and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency occurring on the Oak Ridge Reservation, the press release said.

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration.