Oak Ridge Today

DOE, Interior to sign agreement for Manhattan Project Park on Nov. 10

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K-25 Building Aerial View

Now demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, pictured above, was once used to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Located in west Oak Ridge, the site could become part of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is a separate effort to preserve the site’s history; that work could be incorporated into the new park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Energy will sign an agreement on Tuesday, November 10, that establishes the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The memorandum of agreement, or MOA, will be signed by federal officials that Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park will include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. [Read more…]

ADFAC to honor Cande Seay with Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award

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Cande Seay

Cande Seay

 

ADFAC will honor dedicated volunteer and advocate Cande Seay with its Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award in a celebration and fundraiser on Tuesday.

It’s the Third Annual Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Celebration and Fundraiser. It will be held Tuesday, October 27, from 5:30-8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Life Center in Oak Ridge.

“Our community will come together to honor this very special lady, and we hope family, friends, past coworkers, and the many admirers of Cande Seay will join us!” a press release said.

Seay was unanimously chosen earlier this year as the 2015 winner of ADFAC’s Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award. Previous winners of the prestigious award have been Ray Smith and the late Tim Myrick. [Read more…]

Pumpkin Festival is Saturday in Grove Center

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Pumpkin Fest 2015

By Jim Widener

The 13th Annual Pumpkin Festival in the Historic Grove Center on Halloween will feature live music, family-friendly activities, and food vendors. The Pumpkin Festival is from noon until 6 p.m. Saturday, October 31, at Oak Ridge’s Historic Grove Center. The community is invited to enjoy Halloween with us!

Dress up and get in the spirit. Kids are especially encouraged to enter the costume contest. Our celebrity judges will present prizes for the best costumes. Pets and their people are encouraged to dress in outrageous, fanciful costumes and join in the fun! Pets are allowed to come in on a foot-powered float, like a wagon or decorated bicycle. And don’t forget the pumpkin chunkin’ contest! [Read more…]

Region: Farragut falls to Brentwood 3-0 in state volleyball championship

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Farragut Alexis Parker and Brentwood Volleyball Championship Oct. 23, 2015

Junior Alexis Parker (6), who had 14 kills for Farragut, spikes the ball during a 3-0 loss to Brentwood in the Class AAA state volleyball tournament in Murfreesboro on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

 

They battled to close finishes in two games, but Farragut fell to Brentwood 3-0 in the state volleyball Class AAA championship in Murfreesboro on Friday. It was the second time in two years that the Lady Admirals made it to the state final only to lose to the Lady Bruins.

Brentwood beat Farragut in three straight sets in Murfreesboro on Friday: 25-23, 25-16, and 27-25.

But the Lady Admirals, who are Class AAA runner-ups, fought until the end, pushing the final third set past 25 points. They occasionally took the lead and often kept the games within a few points. Brentwood won by only two points in two of the sets.

“I was proud of our girls,” Farragut Coach Susan Davidson said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge scores on five turnovers by Webb in 62-6 blowout

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Oak Ridge Jordan Dunbar and Webb Oct. 23, 2015

Oak Ridge senior quarterback Jordan Dunbar (14) scored the first touchdown for the Wildcats during a 62-6 blowout win over Webb on Blankenship Field on Friday, Oct. 24, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 a.m.

Oak Ridge scored on five turnovers by Webb in a 62-6 blowout win at Blankenship Field on Friday night. Junior wide receiver Tee Higgins scored three of the nine touchdowns for the Wildcats, all in the second quarter.

Webb fumbled four times in the second quarter on four consecutive possessions. Oak Ridge converted all four Webb turnovers, which were in Spartans territory, into scores. The Wildcats had a fifth touchdown after a turnover, an interception, in the third quarter.

Six different Wildcats scored touchdowns on Friday. Besides Higgins, they were senior quarterback Jordan Dunbar, senior running back Gavin Warrington, freshman running back Jordan Graham, sophomore running back Adarius Simpson, and sophomore quarterback Johnny Stewart.

Oak Ridge (8-1, 3-1 Region 3-5A) dominated in total yardage, picking up 480 yards to Webb’s 197. The Wildcats had 403 yards rushing, compared to 167 for Webb (4-4, 2-1 Class A, East and Middle).

“It was just a good all-around effort,” Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said. [Read more…]

Two goals in two minutes for Hardin Valley in regional championship

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Hardin Valley Paige Hewitt and Maryville Oct. 22, 2015

Paige Hewitt (14) of Hardin Valley controls the ball during a 2-0 Region 2-AAA championship win over Maryville at Hardin Valley on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015. Hewitt scored the second goal for Hardin Valley and led the girls soccer team with four shots. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

HARDIN VALLEY—Hardin Valley scored two goals in less than two minutes to beat Maryville 2-0 at home in the Region 2-AAA championship game on Thursday.

Both teams advance to state Class AAA sectionals on Saturday. Hardin Valley (15-3-2) will play at home against Tennessee of Bristol (14-2-2), the Region 1 runner-up. Maryville (15-6-2), the Region 2 runner-up, will take on Science Hill (13-8-1), the Region 1 champion, in Johnson City.

The Region 2 championship on Thursday was scoreless until the 69th minute. That’s when Kelsey Klett of Hardin Valley lofted a high free kick that went over a wall over Maryville defenders and Lady Rebels goalkeeper Allie Hendrix and into the net with 11:42 left to play.

“She’s phenomenal in that situation,” Hardin Valley Coach Mark Patterson said of the senior defender and her kick from a distance. “She stops the goals, and she scores the goals.” [Read more…]

One legally blind, the other in a wheelchair, racing duo trains for marathon Sunday

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Melissa Peplow and Vicky Wallace at Oak Ridge Marina on Oct. 21, 2015

Melissa Peplow, left, is legally blind, and Vicky Wallace, in wheelchair, has lost use of the left side of her body after four strokes. But together the two compete in running races. Here they train at the Oak Ridge Marina. On Sunday, they’ll compete in the 40th Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One running partner is legally blind. The other has had four strokes and lost control of the left side of her body.

But together, they’ve formed a racing duo that’s competed in 5ks, 10ks, 15ks, and half-marathons.

This weekend, the duo, Melissa Peplow and Vicky Wallace, will compete in the their longest race yet, a full marathon. It’s the 40th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday in Washington, D.C.

Peplow is legally blind. She runs behind Wallace’s wheelchair and helps push it.

Wallace’s left side is paralyzed. She helps navigate and uses her right hand to help push her wheelchair, and her right leg to help pull it.

The two competed in back-to-back half-marathons in East Tennessee last November, racing in Farragut on a Saturday and then in Alcoa on a Sunday.

Wallace, who is co-owner of J&M Butcher Shop in Oak Ridge, keeps a sticker-box checklist of the races they’ve completed (5k, 10k, 15k, 13.1 (half-marathon)) on the back of her SUV. One box remains unchecked: 26.2. That’s short for 26.2 miles, the length of a marathon.

[Read more…]

Clinton man charged with trespassing after crashing car at Y-12, fleeing from officers

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Timothy D. Preston

Timothy D. Preston

A 34-year-old Clinton man was charged with aggravated trespassing after allegedly driving through the east gate at the Y-12 National Security Complex on Thursday, crashing near a parking lot area, and then fleeing on foot into a heavily wooded area inside the nuclear weapons plant, authorities said.

The crash occurred at about 5:52 a.m. Thursday after a person, later identified as Timothy D. Preston, 34, of Clinton, drove through the east gate of Y-12 near Scarboro Road.

Y-12 security and Oak Ridge police officers responded immediately and established a containment area inside and outside the perimeter of the facility, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

Preston was taken into custody at about 7:40 a.m. and transported to the Methodist Medical Center, where he was treated and released for minor injuries, the press release said. He was interviewed at the Oak Ridge Police Department and then transported to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, where he was charged with aggravated trespassing, trespassing by motor vehicle, felony vandalism, and driving on a revoked license (third offense). [Read more…]

Wanted after Oak Ridge shooting, Williams now faces federal gun charge

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Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

The Oak Ridge man wanted after a shooting and crash in north Oak Ridge in September now faces a federal firearms charge after police found a pistol and ammunition manufactured outside Tennessee in his house and car, authorities said.

Larry Dewayne Williams, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury this month on one count of being a convicted felon who possessed a gun and ammunition, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on October 6.

Williams, who was arrested near a South Knoxville club early Sunday, allegedly fled from Oak Ridge police in a silver Infiniti after the September 21 shooting on Wakefield Road. After he allegedly ran from the car following a three-vehicle crash at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer James Elkins found an AR-15 type firearm on the passenger floorboard of Williams’ Infiniti and a semi-automatic pistol lying inside.

During the hunt for Williams, an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department K-9 tracked Williams to a nearby home at 612 West Outer Drive, a house that Williams shares with Chelsea Lively, 22. Inside that house, police found hand gun cases and gun magazines in plain view, according to an affidavit that accompanies a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on October 2.

They also found about two ounces of suspected heroin and roughly 7.72 ounces of suspected marijuana. [Read more…]

Y-12 reopens after man drives through gate, crashes into parking lot

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Y-12 National Security Complex Aerial View

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (File photo)

 

Officials at the Y-12 National Security Complex have reopened the plant to employees following a temporary closure early Thursday morning after a person drove through the east gate of Y-12 at Scarboro Road and crashed his vehicle near a parking lot area.

The crash occurred at about 5:52 a.m. Thursday.

Y-12 security police officers responded and subsequently apprehended the man, who was then arrested by the Oak Ridge Police Department, a press release said. [Read more…]

Updated: Nine students injured when Roane County school bus rolls off road

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Roane County School Bus Crash Workers Oct. 21, 2015

Nine students were injured after a Roane County school bus went off the right side of the road and rolled on its side down a steep embankment on a curvy, country road southwest of Oliver Springs on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4 p.m. Oct. 22.

ROANE COUNTY—Nine students were injured after a Roane County school bus dropped off the right side of Mahoney Road and rolled onto its right side down a steep embankment on a curvy, country road southwest of Oliver Springs on Wednesday afternoon.

Two middle school students were taken to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge by ambulance, and a third student, possibly also a middle school student, was transported by a parent, said Gary Aytes, Roane County Schools superintendent. The injuries were not life-threatening, Aytes said. He said one student might have a broken arm, and the others had cuts and abrasions.

Thursday update: The Tennessee Highway Patrol later reported that nine students were taken to Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge. Two were transported by ambulance, and the other seven were taken in private vehicles.

The crash was reported in the 600 block of Mahoney Road, just west of Johnson Road, at about 3:50 p.m. Wednesday. There were 22 children on the bus from Oliver Springs High School, Oliver Springs Middle School, and Dyllis Springs Elementary School in Roane County. [Read more…]

Hardin Valley eliminates Oak Ridge 2-0 in regional soccer semifinal

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Hardin Valley Gabby Powers and Oak Ridge Defense Oct. 20, 2015

Gabby Powers (17) of Hardin Valley dribbles past Oak Ridge defenders shortly before scoring the first goal of the game for either team in a 2-0 win over Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. Also pictured are Lady Wildcats Leah Scudder (22), Ellie Brown (8), Macy Barclay (4), and Katie Welsh (5). At left is Macey Lindsey (10) of Hardin Valley. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:15 a.m.

HARDIN VALLEY—Hardin Valley eliminated Oak Ridge from this year’s playoffs in a 2-0 win over the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2 semifinal game at Hardin Valley on Tuesday.

Neither team scored in the first half.

Early in the second half, Gabby Powers of Hardin Valley buried a long, high shot from about 27 yards out to give the Lady Hawks a 1-0 lead with about 33 minutes remaining. That shot from near the right sideline sailed over the outstretched hands of Oak Ridge senior goalkeeper Jasmine Rizk at the right side of the net (Rizk’s left).

Paige Hewitt added a second, final goal for Hardin Valley on a penalty kick from 12 yards out with about six minutes left, booting it into the left side of the net past a diving Rizk. [Read more…]