Oak Ridge Today

Driver taken to hospital after van crashes into house

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Providence Road Van Crash

The driver of this GMC van was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the vehicle crashed into a home on Providence Road early Sunday. At left is Oak Ridge Department Officer John Thomas. At right is an unidentified person who helped report the crash to the home owners. 

 

The driver of a van that crashed into a house on Providence Road early Sunday was taken by ambulance to a hospital, authorities said.

The name and condition of the driver weren’t immediately available.

It also wasn’t clear what caused the crash, which was reported at about 1:07 a.m. Sunday. Providence Road, a short road on the north side of Oak Ridge High School, is a relatively straight road with a few curves. The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating the crash. [Read more…]

Auction company to sell waterfront properties bought by TVA after Kingston ash spill

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Emory River Three Homes for Auction

Three of the Emory River homes up for auction are, from left, 504 Gunters Way, 502 Gunters Way, and 514 Emory River Road, all with direct access to Emory River. (Submitted photo)

 

KINGSTON—The Tennessee Valley Authority has retained J.P. King Auction Company to sell waterfront properties that the public utility bought during the cleanup after the December 2008 ash spill in Kingston.

The properties will be sold at a public auction at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 25, on site rain or shine.

The TVA Board approved the auction company’s proposal to conduct a portfolio auction of 62 properties, up to 19 waterfront properties, four water view homes, and 39 waterfront lots, a press release said. The properties will be sold without reserve at absolute auction, meaning all properties will be sold to the highest bidders, regardless of price, the release said.

Following the 2008 Kingston ash spill, TVA committed to restoring the area to as good as or better than it was before the spill. The first two years of the recovery project required 24/7 operation of heavy equipment on land and in the Emory River. The sounds of the heavy equipment and the lights needed to support night time activities were audible and visible to nearby property owners. Therefore, TVA purchased these properties along Emory River Road, the press release said. [Read more…]

Drug Awareness Day at Oak Ridge Pool on Saturday, June 6

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Drug Awareness Day at the Oak Ridge Pool

The Third Annual Drug Awareness Day is at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool on Saturday, June 6.

It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. The pool is located at 172 Providence Road, near Oak Ridge High School.

Drug Awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. June 6 inside the pool area. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity, a press release said. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, and Frisbees.

This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge City Recreation and Parks Department, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, and the Tennessee Meth and Pharmaceutical Task Force. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge High School graduation—Class of 2015

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Oak Ridge High School Graduation Class of 2015

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 had its commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 had its commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28, on Blankenship Field. Here are pictures by Julio Culiat, a contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Oak Ridge High School Graduation Class of 2015

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 had its commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

[Read more…]

Electrical problem blamed for Andersonville house fire

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Tuesday morning fire destroyed a house in Andersonville but injured no one, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies were among those who responded to a fire at 334 Brooks Gap Road shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday.  When deputies arrived, they found crews from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department battling the blaze, which had completely engulfed the structure.

The home’s owner, Darryl Webber, told officials that his father had passed away last year and left him the house, which he said he checked on every day to make sure it was okay, adding that three lights were continuously left on inside the home. [Read more…]

Scott resigns as Lady Wildcats basketball coach

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David Scott

David Scott

Note: This story was last updated at 11:42 a.m.

Citing family reasons, David Scott has resigned as the Lady Wildcats basketball coach, according to Oak Ridge High School Athletic Director Mike Mullins.

Scott announced the decision to the team on Thursday morning, Mullins said. Scott also resigned once before for family reasons.

Scott’s son Daniel was diagnosed with autism at an early age, and Mullins said the parents of special needs children have a lot of needs that “other parents can’t imagine.” Scott and his wife Michelle also have a daughter, Elizabeth Grace.

Recognizing that the cause hit home with Scott, the ORHS basketball teams and their supporters worked to raise awareness of autism this past season, including when the Wildcat Pride Club promoted “Hoops for Autism.”

Scott is also a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Robertsville Middle School, where he teaches geography. He has taught there since 1989. Michelle Scott also teaches at RMS. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival outlines security procedures for concert attendees

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Visitors to the Secret City Festival can expect tighter security measures and maybe a few delays when entering the concerts this year, all in the name of safety, organizers said.

No backpacks or coolers will be allowed into the concert site, and all bags will be subject to search, organizers said in a press release. This includes bags used to store chairs. Visitors should expect delays if carrying in anything that needs to be searched.

Organizers suggest festival attendees only bring their concert tickets, money for food, an ID to buy or consume beer, and a chair for the concerts. Once inside the concert site, festival seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The concert site opens at 5:30 p.m.

[Read more…]

Dragon Boat Festival includes races, music, beer garden, kids area

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Four Dragon Boats

Dragon boats are pictured above at the Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival at Melton Lake Park on May 31, 2014. (Submitted photo) 

 

The second annual Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival this weekend will include dragon boat races, music, vendors, a youth area for kids, and a beer garden.

The Oak Ridge Marina boat ramp will be closed on Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 30, for the festival, organizers said. They expect increased traffic congestion on Melton Lake Drive this weekend. Organizers are encouraging those who attend to park at Roane State Community College on Briarcliff Avenue and catch a ride in a bus or van to the waterfront.

Thirty or or more teams of 20 paddlers each are expected in Oak Ridge for the 2015 Dragon Boat Festival.

The festival, which will raise money for local charities, will start on Friday evening, May 29, with a “Lanterns on the Lake” ceremony, music, beer garden, and other festivities. [Read more…]

Photos, remarks: Memorial Day in Anderson County

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Anderson County Memorial Day at Courthouse

Pictured from left near the Veterans Memorial are Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet, Tennessee Representative John Ragan, Clinton American Legion Post 172 Vice Commander Zach Farrar, and Pastor Tim Shelton, who is also Anderson County register of deeds. (Photo by John Huotari)

 

CLINTON—Anderson County honored the men and women “who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms so many take for granted” on Memorial Day on Monday.

It was the seventh annual Memorial Day Ceremony. They are held at the Veterans Memorial next to the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. They include a wreath-laying ceremony.

The ceremony this year also included the presentation of the colors by the Navy JROTC Maverick Unit from Anderson County High School and a few songs, including the national anthem by the Oak Ridge High School Choir.

Here a few pictures and remarks by the guest speakers on Monday:

Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet [Read more…]

ORHS graduation is Thursday

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Commencement for the Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 will be held at Blankenship Field on Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m.

In the event of rain, the graduation ceremony will be moved to Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m.

If it is raining on Friday evening, the ceremony will be moved into the Wildcat Arena.

Updated: Two found after going missing on off-road ride near Windrock

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Note: This story was updated at 1:15 a.m. May 27.

WINDROCK PARK—The two off-road riders who went missing Saturday evening were found at about noon Sunday. Their sister, Kara Ferguson, said the riders were her brothers, Travis Lampkin, 27, of Knoxville, and Austin Turner, 11, of Andersonville.

Ferguson said the two left her home near Windrock Park north of Oliver Springs at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. She started to worry at about 8 p.m. because the Polaris RZR side-by-side vehicle the two were riding had a half-tank of gas.

Unable to get help from authorities, Ferguson said, she and others spent Saturday night looking for her brothers.

They later learned that the Polaris RZR had flipped on a trail known as Trail 9. Ferguson’s brother Travis Lampkin managed to get it upright again, but then a tire went flat and it ran out of gas. It also got dark, and Lampkin and Austin Turner weren’t sure where they were, Kara said. [Read more…]

School budget would ask city for $650K, use $1.75M from fund balance

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Oak Ridge Board of Education May 26, 2015

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a budget that would use $1.75 million from the school system’s fund balance and ask the city for about $650,000. The request for more money still has to be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:12 a.m. May 27.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Tuesday approved a budget that would use $1.75 million from the school system’s fund balance and ask the city for about $650,000.

Those two actions would help Oak Ridge Schools cover a deficit of roughly $638,000 and meet a total of $1.75 million in other desired expenses, or “additional investment,” including:

  • about $1.1 million for 3 percent pay raises with benefits,
  • $484,000 for step increases based on experience, and
  • approximately $211,000 for staff, including a communications director, four technology-related positions, and a teacher’s assistant for an elementary behavioral class. The four technology-related jobs include an instructional technology coach, an applications administrator, and two technology technicians.

[Read more…]