Oak Ridge Today

See a map of Christmas lights in Oak Ridge

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Christmas lights on Quincy Avenue are pictured above in December 2015. (Photo by Ken Mayes)

 

Ken Mayes, deputy director of the American Museum of Science and Energy, has put together a map of Christmas lights in Oak Ridge.

You can see the map here: http://miscken.com/2015-oak-ridge-christmas-lights/.

You can send your recommendations for addresses to include to Ken Mayes on Facebook.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Photo: Jackson Square fountain in cold weather

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The Jackson Square fountain is pictured above on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Remaining middle school students to get convertible laptops in January

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More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, and roughly 130 were distributed at Jefferson Middle School. The remaining laptops will be distributed to the other middle schools students in January. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

They’ve tried a pilot program at the city’s two middle schools, and in January, school officials will distribute convertible laptops to the rest of the students at Jefferson and Robertsville middle schools.

The pilot program was considered successful. It distributed more than 300 convertible laptops to about 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

The students, grades 5 through 8, are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects. [Read more…]

Dowdell leads Lady Wildcats with 18 in win over Science Hill

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Oak Ridge sophomore post Mykia Dowdell (34) led the Lady Wildcats with 18 points during a 49-32 win over Science Hill at home on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:17 a.m.

Oak Ridge sophomore post Mykia Dowdell led the Lady Wildcats with 18 points during a 49-32 win over Science Hill at home on Saturday.

The Oak Ridge defense held the Lady Hilltoppers to eight points in the first half, although the Lady Wildcats only managed to score 14 points of their own in the first two quarters.

But Oak Ridge (9-2, 5-0 District 3-AAA) scored twice as many points in the third quarter as Science Hill, 22-11, to take the win.

Lady Wildcats Coach Paige Green said she was a little frustrated at halftime with the low-scoring game. But on the other hand, the Oak Ridge defense had held the Lady Hilltoppers to just eight points, Green said.

“Our defense will be what will help us win games,” she said. [Read more…]

UCOR repairs water leak at Oak Ridge Research Reactor at ORNL

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Workers turn off the valves after draining of the pool was completed at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor at ORNL. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Workers have repaired a water leak at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, officials said this week.

The completion of the work was announced by UCOR, a federal cleanup contractor and partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

The seep was detected in the reactor’s pool in September 2014. While it did not pose any immediate dangers to workers or the environment, it prompted quick action by the U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees ORNL. DOE asked UCOR, its prime cleanup contractor, to develop and implement a solution to remedy the seep, a press release said. [Read more…]

County Commission approves 18-month lease for General Sessions Court

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The seven-year lease on the Anderson County General Sessions Court, Division II, on Bus Terminal Road in Oak Ridge expires Dec. 31, 2015, but the Anderson County Commission on Thursday agreed to an 18-month lease to keep the courthouse where it is now. That will give county officials time to consider options for where to locate the courthouse. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:50 p.m. Dec. 18.

CLINTON—With no other alternative lined up yet, the Anderson County Commission on Thursday agreed to an 18-month lease for the Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge. That will keep the courthouse at its current home until mid-2017, giving county officials time to consider where to locate the General Sessions Court, Division II.

The courthouse is used by police officers in Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top, among other agencies and businesses.

The current seven-year lease expires at the end of the year, and officials have been trying to determine since October whether to keep the courthouse where it is now, find a new location in Oak Ridge, or move the Division II court to Clinton, where Division I is located.

County commissioners approved the 18-month lease at a rate of $5,500 per month during a Thursday evening meeting. The lease, which was approved 12-2, will not include a warehouse building used by the county at the courthouse site on Bus Terminal Road. [Read more…]

Signs of progress: Workers remove old Oak Ridge Mall sign

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Workers from Masstar Signs remove the old Oak Ridge Mall sign on South Illinois Avenue on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. The mall redeveloper, RealtyLink, could close on the 60-acre property in January. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:47 p.m.

In one sign of progress, workers removed the old Oak Ridge Mall sign on South Illinois Avenue on Wednesday as the company that wants to redevelop the property prepares to close in January.

The redeveloped 60-acre site would be a mixed-use development featuring retailers, restaurants, residential units, and possibly a hotel. It would be called Main Street Oak Ridge.

RealtyLink, the company leading the proposed $80 million redevelopment, had hoped to close on Tuesday, December 15, but the expected closing date has been pushed into January. RealtyLink only became involved about three months ago, taking over from the previous developer, Crosland Southeast, in mid-September. [Read more…]

Two men indicted in robbery, kidnappings at Y-12 Credit Union, SmartBank

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Michael Benanti

Michael Benanti (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)

Brian Witham

Brian Witham (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)


Note: This story was last updated at 10:37 p.m.

Two men were indicted Tuesday for plots that involved kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton, Tennessee.

The two men are Michael Benanti and Brian Witham. One is from Pennsylvania, and the other is from Maine.

The three financial institutions they targeted were Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge, SmartBank on Advantage Place in Knoxville, and Northeast Community Credit Union on Jason Witten Way in Elizabethton.

The indictment of Benanti and Witham by a federal grand jury for the armed bank extortions was filed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. You can read the 15-count indictment, which also includes charges of carjacking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, here. [Read more…]

Officers investigating stolen car catch suspect after foot chase, helicopter search

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The Knox County Sheriff’s Office used a helicopter to help the Oak Ridge Police Department and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department search for a suspect in the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge on the north side of Oak Ridge on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect was captured just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, at Cedar Hill Park in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:30 p.m.

A 19-year-old man being questioned about a car stolen from Nashville fled from police as they tried to arrest him in Oak Ridge late Tuesday morning, and more than 30 officers and deputies spent more than two hours searching for him by foot, car, and helicopter. The Oak Ridge Preschool was briefly locked down during the search, and the suspect, Elijah McDowell, 19, was tracked for more than four miles on foot before being captured at Cedar Hill Park near Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive in north-central Oak Ridge.

One Oak Ridge Police Department officer sustained non-life threatening injuries while chasing McDowell into the park.

Elijah Malik McDowell

Elijah Malik McDowell

McDowell’s charges include three counts of property theft, with one between $10,000 and $59,999; assault; resisting arrest; evading arrest; and probation violation, according to Anderson County Sheriff’s Department jail records. His address lists him as a resident of Dandridge.

Before McDowell was caught, Oak Ridge Police Department officers and Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies swarmed roads on the north side of Oak Ridge and down into Marlow while searching for the suspect. They combed the roads and woods along Outer Drive, Key Springs Road, Bacon Springs Road, and Oliver Springs Highway, among other streets. A Knox County Sheriff’s Office Airwatch helicopter flew low circles over the woods on the north side of Black Oak Ridge, which is on the north side of Oak Ridge.

The pursuit started after Oak Ridge officers were dispatched to a home at 102 Marion Road at 11:47 a.m. Tuesday. They were trying to locate a black 2008 Dodge Charger reported stolen from Nashville, a press release said. The vehicle was being tracked remotely by the Metropolitan Nashville Metropolitan Police Department. [Read more…]

Main Street project won’t close Tuesday; closing could be in January

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Neil Wilson of RealtyLink at Rise and Shine on Nov. 3, 2015

Neil Wilson, left, principal of RealtyLink, gives an update on the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall at an Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Rise and Shine at TNBank on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 15.

The new company leading the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall won’t close on the property on Tuesday, and the closing could be pushed into January, officials said this month.

But it’s nothing to be concerned about, one official said Monday, adding that there are many pre-closing activities to accomplish in a short period of time, some in series.

“There have been no holdups, just a lot to do,” said Ray Evans, retail consultant for the City of Oak Ridge. “As an example, a subdivision plat has to be approved by the Planning Commission prior to closing. In order for the plat to be prepared, the property had to be re-surveyed. The new survey stakes are very apparent around the property. The plat was submitted yesterday (Monday). It will likely go before the Planning Commission at its meeting on January 7.”

Evans said RealtyLink has had geotechnical staff on site doing core borings during the past few weeks.

“In addition, they have been working on completing the environmental work,” he said.

Officials said RealtyLink and its contractor remain committed to having stores open for seven of the new tenants for the 2016 Christmas season. [Read more…]

Reminder: Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is today

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Oak Ridge Christmas Parade Train

A float at the Oak Ridge Christmas Parade is pictured above. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

Reminder: The annual Christmas Parade organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is today (Saturday, December 12). This year’s theme is “Winter Wonderland,” and it promises to provide spectators with plenty of music, lights, and beautiful floats, a press release said.

The parade will start at 6 p.m. December 12, and it will begin at Corporate Center, on the corner of Lafayette and Laboratory Road. From there, the parade will travel down Lafayette to the Oak Ridge Turnpike. It will continue west on the Turnpike to Oak Ridge High School. The judge’s stand will be located in front of the Chamber.

See previous story here.

City receives $433K grant for traffic signal, pedestrian improvements at two intersections

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A $433,000 grant awarded to the City of Oak Ridge would be used to make traffic signal and pedestrian improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, including at South Tulane Avenue. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge has received a $433,000 grant for improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, one at South Tulane Avenue and the other at East Division Road/Tennyson Road. The improvements, which require a 20 percent local match of roughly $108,000, will include marked crosswalks, ramps, and upgrades to help pedestrians.

The project will include traffic signal and pedestrian feature upgrades at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Tulane Avenue, between the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and Oak Ridge Municipal Building. The upgrades will include the addition of handicap ramps, crosswalks, countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons, and radar vehicle detection, Oak Ridge Community Development Director Kathryn Baldwin said in a December 1 memo to City Manager Mark Watson. A traffic signal pole will be relocated to avoid conflicts with overhead utilities.

Improvements at East Division Road/Tennyson Road, near Methodist Medical Center, will include the addition of handicap ramps, crosswalks, and countdown pedestrian signals with push buttons and radar vehicle detection. Sidewalks could be added where there are gaps or where new handicap ramps are disconnected from existing sidewalks, Baldwin said. [Read more…]