Oak Ridge Today

City manager to discuss pending Senior Center move to Civic Center on Nov. 21

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will discuss the pending move of the Senior Center to the Civic Center during a November 21 meeting.

It’s a special work session of the Oak Ridge Senior Advisory Board, and it’s scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday, November 21, in Room 54 of the Senior Center on Emory Valley Road.

The Senior Advisory Board recommended earlier this year that the Oak Ridge Senior Center be located at the Civic Center and Alvin K. Bissell Park.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is currently located in a county-owned building on Emory Valley Road. It’s been there since 1999. [Read more…]

Dodson, Hope, Vogel win City Council seats

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Jim Dodson

Jim Dodson

Jim Dodson, Chuck Hope, and Hans Vogel won the three open seats on Oak Ridge City Council, according to unofficial results in Anderson and Roane counties.

Dodson, a Jefferson Middle School art teacher who has been heavily involved in community and volunteer activities, received a total of 6,902 votes, including 5,957 in Anderson County and 945 in Roane County. He collected the most votes in Anderson County.

Hope, the only incumbent in the race, received 6,040 votes, with 5,016 in Anderson County and 1,024 in Roane County. He was the top vote-getter in Roane County.

Vogel, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory employee who, like Dodson, was making his first run for a City Council seat, earned 4,439 votes, with 3,568 in Anderson County and 871 in Roane County. [Read more…]

Agle, Fillauer lead in early voting for school board

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Angi Agle

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 p.m.

Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, the two incumbents for Oak Ridge Board of Education, lead in early voting in Anderson County, according to unofficial results posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website on Tuesday evening.

Agle had 4,591 early votes, and Fillauer, the current board chair, had 4,195.

A third candidate, challenger Myra Mansfield, had 2,992.

Agle and Fillauer also have leads in early voting in Roane County, according to unofficial results posted at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday. Agle leads with 973 early votes, and Fillauer had 960.

[Read more…]

Dodson, Hope, Vogel lead in early voting for City Council

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Jim Dodson Cropped

Jim Dodson

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:15 p.m.

Jim Dodson, Chuck Hope, and Hans Vogel lead in early voting in Anderson County for Oak Ridge City Council, according to unofficial results posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website on Tuesday evening.

Dodson, running for City Council for the first time, had 4,088 early votes. Hope, the only incumbent, had 3,398. Vogel, who is also making his first run, received 2,544.

There are three open seats on the seven-member City Council. Two incumbents, Trina Baughn and Charlie Hensley, did not seek re-election.

Dodson, Hope, and Vogel also have a lead in early voting in Roane County, according to unofficial results posted at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday. Hope led with 853 early votes, Dodson had 786, and Vogel had 762. [Read more…]

ORPD: Missing boy has been located

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Note: This story was updated at 7:10 p.m.

The 11-year-old boy reported missing Tuesday evening has been located, authorities said.

The boy had last been seen in the area of West Outer Drive near Whippoorwill.

The Oak Ridge Police Department sent out an alert just after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday that the juvenile has been located. [Read more…]

ORNL awarded $3.36 million for automated, connected vehicle research

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Connected, automated vehicles will be part of an integrated control technologies-based system that could increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Image by ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been awarded $3.36 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E, to develop novel control technologies for connected and automated vehicles with the goal of achieving a 20 percent improvement in vehicle energy efficiency, a press release said.

The project will focus on developing and implementing control technologies in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or PHEV, to achieve the following: compute optimal routing to bypass bottlenecks, accidents, special events, and other conditions that affect traffic flow; accelerate and decelerate optimally based on traffic conditions and the state of the surrounding roads; and optimize onboard powertrain efficiency.

“This approach changes the mathematical framework of how the vehicle is controlled and optimized today,” said ORNL’s Andreas Malikopoulos, the project’s principal investigator. “With our proposed concept, the vehicle will no longer operate in isolation but will be considered as part of an integrated system, which ultimately could help increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” [Read more…]

ORHS Masquers present a comedy, ‘Dearly Beloved,’ this week

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Dearly Beloved

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Jones, Hope, and Wooten’s Texas-sized comedy “Dearly Beloved” for three performances in November. Pictured above are the Futrelle Sisters, from left to right, Twink (Sarah Hepler), Frankie (Mary Kemp), and Honey Raye (Arianna Walker). (Submitted photo)

 

By Ben Fowler

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Jones, Hope, and Wooten’s Texas-sized comedy “Dearly Beloved” for three performances in November.

The performances are scheduled for Thursday, November 10, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 12 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, November 13, at 2 p.m., at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center, or ORPAC, at Oak Ridge High School.

“Dearly Beloved” is the story of the Frankie, Honey Rae, and Twink as they prepare to throw a wedding for Frankie’s daughter. The Futrelle Sisters try to stay ahead of the Fayro, Texas, rumor mill, but with Frankie’s repeated conversations with her dead mother, Honey Rae’s many trips to the marriage chapel, and Twink’s desperate attempts to get her long-time boyfriend down the aisle for the first time, the odds are against them. Add in their personal tensions of who broke up the Futrelle Sisters’ gospel group, The Sermonettes, and laughter ensues. This southern comedy, filled with crazy family, odd ball love interests, and a nosy neighbor or two, is sure to delight. [Read more…]

Led by Etheridge, Wildcats finish third in state cross country meet

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oak-ridge-at-class-aaa-boys-cross-country-meet-nov-5-2016

Led by senior Jake Etheridge, third from right, the 11th-place individual runner, the Oak Ridge Wildcats finished third in the state boys’ cross country meet in Nashville on Saturday. Pictured from left are Christian Borden, Reid Dukes, Jose Villegas, Will Jeter, Etheridge, Daeton Byars, and Dalton Morgan. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

NASHVILLE—Led by senior Jake Etheridge, the Oak Ridge Wildcats finished third in the state boys’ cross country meet on Saturday.

Etheridge finished 11th among the 181 top male runners from across Tennessee in the large Class AAA high schools. His time was 16:18.72.

The other top four runners among the seven Wildcats who competed were:

  • sophomore Dalton Morgan at 26th with a time of 16:50.17,
  • junior Jose Villegas at 34th with a time of 17:00.59,
  • junior Reid Dukes at 38th at 17:02.56, and
  • senior Will Jeter at 59th at 17:13.72.

The scores of the top five runners on each team are included in the team score. [Read more…]

Higgins again a Mr. Football semifinalist

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Oak-Ridge-Higgins-TD-Catch-Clinton-Thomas-Aug-18-2016-Web-Cropped

Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a 17-yard pass from junior quarterback Johnny Stewart before falling backward into the end zone for a touchdown near the left pylon, putting the Wildcats ahead of the Clinton Dragons 42-7 with 2:57 left in the first half at Clinton on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Higgins is defended here on his second TD catch by Clinton senior J’Quan Thomas (5). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m.

He won the Mr. Football award last year, and Oak Ridge High School senior Tee Higgins is a semifinalist again this year.

The semifinalists were announced by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, or TSSAA, on Friday.

Higgins is one of four semifinalists for Division I Class 5A Back of the Year. The other three semifinalists are Caden Harbin of Halls High School in Knoxville, Jordan Mason of Gallatin High School, and Jacob Murprhee of Dickson County High School.

Higgins, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver who has committed to Clemson, had 59 catches for 901 yards and 17 touchdowns during the regular season. A wide receiver who also plays cornerback and punt returner, he’s also returned at least one interception—he had a 90-yard return against Webb—and at least two punts for touchdowns this season.

Higgins had two interceptions that led to Oak Ridge touchdowns in the season-opener against Clinton, and he became the all-time leader in career receiving yards for the Wildcats during that game.

[Read more…]

Diggs family home in Oliver Springs receives 2016 East Tennessee Preservation Award

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The Diggs family home in Oliver Springs is one of 10 recipients of the 2016 East Tennessee Preservation Awards given out by East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, which covers 16 counties in middle East Tennessee. (Photo by East Tennessee Preservation Alliance)

 

The Diggs family home in Oliver Springs is one of 10 recipients of the 2016 East Tennessee Preservation Awards given out by East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, which covers 16 counties in middle East Tennessee.

The awards will be presented during a special reception at historic Arrow Hill in Talbott near Morristown, a press release said. The 10 award winners will be celebrated for their contributions to historic preservation.

“East Tennessee is a beautiful region that is rich with history and interesting places,” the press release said. “Each year, the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance recognizes outstanding persons, projects, and organizations working to preserve our heritage for future generations.

The release said the Diggs family home in Oliver Springs has seen some changes. Built in 1905 by Alfred H. and Scotland Diggs, the house had to be moved away from the path of a new four-lane highway. It remains in the family, and Bettina Diggs Cox recently embarked on a full renovation. The once missing porch was rebuilt, and rooms throughout have been beautifully renovated, the release said. A unique feature of the home are the four fireplace mantels salvaged from the once popular Oliver Springs Hotel. [Read more…]

Tree workshop dedicated to Pat Imperato to be held at UT Arboretum

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University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Pat Imperato

Pat Imperato

A tree workshop at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Saturday, November 12, will be dedicated to Pat Imperato, a tireless champion of environmental issues, a press release said. Her advocacy was evident in her long history of contributions to the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board and Keep Anderson County Beautiful, the release said.

The workshop will be presented by the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board in partnership with the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 12, at the UT Arboretum Auditorium, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Imperato, 69, died in October, but she spent the last several years spearheading work on a “Tree Plan” for Oak Ridge. Imperato was also an outspoken proponent for proper stewardship of city and private lands, and she was interested in community education and outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

Man convicted in Corwin’s death in California, LA Times reports

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Erin Corwin with Horse

Erin Corwin, who was from Oak Ridge, was an animal lover who volunteered at a horse rescue near Twentynine Palms, California.

 

A man was convicted Thursday of killing Erin Corwin, 19, a former Oak Ridger, and dumping her body down a 140-foot mine shaft, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The conviction came just days after Christopher Brandon Lee, 27, confessed to the slaying on the witness stand, the newspaper said.

A San Bernardino County jury in California found Lee guilty of murder. Jurors also found true a special sentencing enhancement that Lee was lying in wait for Corwin, his married lover, in June 2014, the Los Angeles Times said, citing the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office.

Lee’s sentencing was set for November 29. He faces life without the possibility of parole.

See the LA Times story here. [Read more…]