Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats open baseball season at home today

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The 2017 Oak Ridge Wildcats baseball team is pictured above. (Photo courtesy ORHS Baseball)

The 2017 Oak Ridge Wildcats baseball team is pictured above. (Photo courtesy ORHS Baseball)

 

The Oak Ridge Wildcats open the regular baseball season at home today (Monday, March 13) against Gatlinburg Pittman. The game has been moved up one hour to 4:30 p.m. to try to avoid incoming rain.

The Oak Ridge Baseball Complex Fields are off Wilberforce Avenue, which is off East Tulsa Road and behind the Hobby Lobby shopping center in central Oak Ridge.

See the varsity season schedule below: [Read more…]

THP: Man, 25, charged with DUI after pedestrian killed on Clinton Highway

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Isaac Alexander Irwin

Isaac Alexander Irwin

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11 a.m. March 13.

A 25-year-old Clinton man has been charged with driving under the influence, driving while license revoked or suspended, and hit and run of a person after a 35-year-old Jacksboro woman, a pedestrian, was killed on Clinton Highway early Sunday, authorities said.

The car-pedestrian crash was reported at about 12:58 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Clinton Highway and West Wolf Valley Road in Claxton, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a fatal crash report.

Isaac A. Irwin, 25, of Reynolds Avenue in Clinton, was driving south on Clinton Highway in a 2006 Pontiac four-door sedan when he struck a pedestrian, Jade T. Richardson, 35, of Jacksboro, in one of the lanes, the THP report said.

Irwin was not injured and he left the crash, but he was located later, the THP said. [Read more…]

Planning Commission to consider new assisted living facility, medical office building

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A preliminary master plan for the planned unit development known as Azalea Place is shown above. See a larger version of this plan by clicking on the link included in the story below.

A preliminary master plan for the planned unit development known as Azalea Place is shown above. See a larger version of this plan by clicking on the link included in the story below.

 

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider a rezoning and abandoning part of West Madison Lane for a proposed assisted living facility, medical office building, and senior living homes.

The development, called Azalea Place, would be on 5.62 acres north of Methodist Medical Center and west of Michigan Avenue. It’s been proposed by Oak Ridge Senior Living LLC of Oak Ridge.

A preliminary master plan for the planned unit development, or PUD, shows a three-story, 60-bed assisted living facility of 40,000 square feet. The medical office building would be one story and 4,000 square feet. The plan also shows eight attached 1,000-square-feet senior living units with two-car garages. There would be open space, a turnaround, and a parcel that could be used for an office building. [Read more…]

Small quantity of explosives, used for training, reported missing

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A submitted photo of the item reported missing. The cell phone in the photo is for a size reference only; there was no cell phone with the substance In the cotton bag.

A submitted photo of the item reported missing. The cell phone in the photo is for size reference only; there was no cell phone with the substance in the cotton bag.

 

K-9 Search On Site LLP has reported missing a small quantity of explosives within the City of Oak Ridge. The substance, which is used for training purposes, is believed to have been lost during transportation in the vicinity of Scarboro Road between Bethel Valley and Illinois Avenue, a press release said. The substance is contained in a small cotton bag.

The training substance was discovered missing on Friday, March 10. The Oak Ridge Police Department and other federal authorities were notified Friday evening and searches are under way, the press release said.

Members of the public are urged to contact the Oak Ridge Police Department at (865) 425-3605 or 425-4399 if a suspicious object is found in this area. Residents are warned to not handle the training substance, but to promptly report its discovery to the Oak Ridge Police Department, the press release said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Oak Ridge schools advance to state chess team finals

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Several Oak Ridge teams advanced to the state chess team championship this month after a regional tournament in Lenoir City on March 4.

Two teams from Oak Ridge High School qualified, and so did teams from Jefferson Middle School, Woodland Elementary School, and Linden Elementary School, a press release said.

The Tennessee Chess Association regionals held at Lenoir City High School on Saturday, March 4, included 151 students on 32 teams from 18 schools across East Tennessee, the press release said. In each of the four grade divisions, the top four teams qualified to play in the state team championship at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville on March 25.

The K-9 division was won by the ORHS freshman team of Logan Ogle (captain), Justin Blanchard, Edward (“Bear”) Moran, and Minwoo Kim, the press release said. They were tied for first with top-rated Episcopal School of Knoxville at the end of the last round, necessitating a blitz (10 minute) match to determine the winner. This match was tied 2-2 so a second match followed, which ORHS won. This matched the result of the 2016 ORHS freshman team, which also won the team regionals in a playoff. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Philharmonia has open house Sunday; bring your instrument if you’d like to play

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The Oak Ridge Philharmonia performs at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in 2016. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia performs at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in 2016. (Submitted photo)

 

By Dale Gedcke

Would you like to join an ensemble that plays famous Baroque, Classical, and Contemporary music…with strings attached?

The March 12 Open House with the Oak Ridge Philharmonia may be the opportunity you need to explore the benefits of playing with this excellent orchestra. Bring your instrument, and discuss the possibilities with Director/Conductor Marcelo Urias, the board members, and current players in the Philharmonia.

Refreshments will be served, and you may be able to play a few pieces with us, just for fun, while you are there. No auditions are necessary. Within a few rehearsals, you will be able to decide whether you and the orchestra are a fulfilling match.

Aspiring musicians typically encounter little difficulty locating concert bands in which to play. But orchestras, with the full complement of strings added to the woodwinds and brass, are hard to find. Even experienced professionals have to compete intensely for the scant positions open in sparse, professional orchestras.

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia is a community orchestra dedicated to committed volunteers. It presents a rare opportunity for musicians who want to polish their skills, while enjoying playing with the full spectrum of sounds only the combination of woodwinds, brass, and strings can deliver. [Read more…]

Dine & Donate is Monday, March 13

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Cande Seay, left, and Teresa Myrick enjoy a festive lunch at Gallo Loco, located at 21 E. Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Cande Seay, left, and Teresa Myrick enjoy a festive lunch at Gallo Loco, located at 21 E. Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Eleven local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, on Monday, March 13, as part of the monthly Dine & Donate.

In Clinton, the participating restaurants are: [Read more…]

Art Center show to highlight works by instructors, students

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student2

The next installation in the Oak Ridge Art Center’s galleries will be the Instructor/Student Show titled “Movers, Shakers, Mentors, Makers II.”

This will showcase works by the current instructors and their students, a press release said.

“So if you were curious as to what happens in their classes, you will not want to miss this amazing show!” the press release said.

There will be an opening reception for this show from 7-9 p.m. Friday, March 17, with a gallery talk about the newest installation at 6:30 p.m. It’s a free event, and everyone is welcome to attend, the press release said.

Eighth rowing lane complete in time for spring training

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course has been completed on schedule and under budget, just in time to welcome teams for spring training and the season’s first regatta, the City of Oak Ridge said Friday.

“Previously, the course utilized seven rowing lanes, taking Oak Ridge out of the running for any event requiring eight lanes for competition,” a city press release said. “Part of the waterway was widened, and a retaining wall installed in order to create the additional lane.”

Spring training started in late February, and Oak Ridge has already welcomed dozens of teams to town, the press release said. The first regatta on this season’s schedule, the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, kicks off Saturday, March 11. Approximately 12 teams will compete in the event before it wraps up on Sunday, March 12.

First Place Finish Inc. was selected to carry out the project back in September. The $548,350 contract was awarded to the company during a meeting of Oak Ridge City Council. A partial closure of Melton Lake Greenway and a temporary speed limit reduction along part of Melton Lake Drive were both lifted this week. [Read more…]

Warrants: Driver who crashed stolen car into river had slurred speech, trouble staying awake

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Darrell Wayne Bouck

Darrell Wayne Bouck

 

CLAXTON—The Knoxville man who crashed a car reported as stolen into Bull Run Creek on Wednesday, prompting a nighttime search of the water with the help of divers, had slurred speech and trouble staying awake, authorities said.

Darrell Wayne Bouck Jr., 38, of Byington Solway Road, has been charged with driving under the influence; theft of more than $1,000; stolen plate; no driver’s license; and a due care violation, according to traffic citations, arrest warrants, and a preliminary crash report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The license plate and the vehicle, identified as a 2003 Honda Civic in the traffic citations, had been reported stolen in Knox County, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 7:53 p.m. Wednesday on New Henderson Road in Claxton, near Bull Run Park. [Read more…]

See the 2017 Secret City Festival schedule here

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Secret City Festival Flyer 2017

See the Secret City Festival schedule of events above. The events start Friday, June 2, and end June 17.

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available. For more information, contact sponsor@celebrateoakridge.org.

Woodland student Caleb Johnson wins first-place award at Dogwood Arts

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Student art work by Caleb Johnson (Photo submitted by Mary Katherine Chin)

Student art work by Caleb Johnson (Photo submitted by Mary Katherine Chin)

 

Woodland Elementary School art student Caleb Johnson recently won first place in his grade level at the Dogwood Arts Festival.

“This is huge,” said Woodland Elementary School teacher Mary Katherine Chin. Hundreds of works of art are sent in, Chin said.

“But only a select few are chosen,” she said. “Even fewer get awards.”

The Dogwood Arts SYNERGY art exhibition features the work of gifted students from local schools (grades K-12). The exhibit is alongside an exhibit by East Tennessee’s finest K-12 art teachers and current art interns/student-teachers from public and private schools and academies, a press release said. Awards and scholarships are presented to encourage further development of these art students’ artistic aptitude.

Jefferson Middle School art teacher Jim Dodson is a committee chair. (You can see him featured in a video on the site, as well as student work from prior years, at this link.) [Read more…]