Oak Ridge Today

Suspect in alleged assault over pregnancy check turns himself in

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Aaron Eugene Seiber

Aaron Eugene Seiber

Information from WYSH Radio/Anderson County Sheriff’s Department

The Briceville man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, who wanted to go to the doctor to see if she is pregnant, turned himself in at the jail on Tuesday, authorities said.

Aaron Eugene Seiber, 25, remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday afternoon. He has been charged with aggravated assault, and his bond has been set at $50,000.

Seiber is accused of hitting his 21-year-old girlfriend in the stomach and choking her after she asked if she should go to the doctor to see if she was pregnant. The Clinton woman reported that Seiber allegedly swung a hammer at her, choked her, and struck her in the stomach.

The woman told deputies that the attack happened at Seiber’s home near Rocky Top early Saturday morning, November 1, and that she intended to seek an order of protection against him.

Sheriff: Arrest made after indoor marijuana grow, other drugs found

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Nathan Allen Underwood

Nathan Allen Underwood

A Rocky Top man was arrested Tuesday when officers serving a search warrant found marijuana plants in various stages of a grow operation, along with indoor grow equipment such as lights, as well as other drug paraphernalia, authorities said. In addition, mushrooms and suspected prescription narcotics were also found, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said.

White said investigators with the Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit, along with officers from the Rocky Top Police Department, and the 7th Judicial District Crime Task Force, served a search warrant at a home on Industrial Park Road in Rocky Top on Tuesday afternoon. The search warrant was the result of a joint drug investigation with these agencies.

Authorities arrested Nathan Allen Underwood, 32, of Rocky Top, and he was charged with several drug and weapons offenses, White said. The charges include manufacturing, delivering, selling, or possessing a controlled substance; possession of Schedule I drugs; possession of Schedule II drugs; possession of drug paraphernalia; and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The sheriff said charges on two other people are expected, pending more investigation into the case.

Underwood remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Sunday afternoon, and his bond has been set at $35,000.

State officials, local agencies to crack down on seat belt use, impaired driving

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Kendell Poole

Kendell Poole

Traffic fatalities in Anderson County are up significantly this year, and Tennessee officials and local law enforcement agencies will announce a campaign on Monday to crack down on drivers not using seat belts or driving while impaired during the holidays.

The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, November 10, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Among those participating will be Kendell Poole, director of the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office, and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, as well as representatives of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, and Rocky Top police departments.

“There have been 16 traffic fatalities in Anderson County in 2014, which represents a 77 percent increase compared to 2013,” a press release said. “This is the third highest year-to-date difference in fatalities that an individual county has seen in Tennessee. Seventy-five percent of the fatalities were unrestrained. In an effort to prevent additional fatalities and injuries, Anderson County agencies will be increasing enforcement and conducting sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.” [Read more…]

‘Dine and Donate’ to support ADFAC on Monday

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Popeyes Sign

Popeye’s is a first-time Dine and Donate participating restaurant. Dedicated to providing “Louisiana Fast” food, Popeye’s menu takes a step outside the box, offering chicken and seafood prepared spicy or blackened. Side items range from freshly made biscuits and Cajun fries to red beans and rice and jambalaya. (Photo and caption by ADFAC)

“Dine and Donate,” a monthly fundraiser for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, is back for November—and it features 11 restaurants throughout Anderson County.

“We are very fortunate to have wonderful representation in Oak Ridge, and are very pleased that November offers a broad range of restaurants that reach all corners of the county,” said ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay, who also chairs the Dine and Donate committee. “Over half of all ADFAC clients served live in these rural areas, and we hope residents will dine out to help their less fortunate neighbors.”

On Dine and Donate Mondays (the second Monday of each month), local restaurants donate a significant portion of their daily sales to ADFAC.

Restaurants participating on Monday, November 10, are: [Read more…]

City board to reconsider repair, demolition orders for Tyrone Road building

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Wender Building

The deadline for the demolition of a commercial building that once housed The Oak Ridger newspaper on Tyrone Road near Jackson Square expires Thursday, and after a five-month postponement, a city board will reconsider a repair or demolition order for the building that day. Under plans announced in May, the Magic Wok restaurant, which is separate from the building, would remain, as would a small northwestern portion of the building.

 

The deadline for the demolition of a commercial building that was once home to The Oak Ridger newspaper and other businesses on Tyler and East Tyrone roads expires Thursday, November 13, and a city board could reconsider a repair or demolition order that day.

The partially occupied commercial structure has been declared unfit for human occupation or use because of code violations, the city staff said.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals previously tabled the repair or demolition order for five months to allow for partial demolition in preparation for the construction of the remaining building. The demolition deadline expires Thursday, and permit applications are to be submitted to the city by December.

The potential demolition and repair orders to be considered Thursday would not apply to the separate manufactured structure that now houses the popular Magic Wok restaurant. [Read more…]

ORHS Math Bowl team finishes second in large school competition

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Oak Ridge Schools Logo

Thirty students from Oak Ridge High School competed in the annual Pro2Serv Fermat Competition and Math Bowl on Thursday, and the school’s Math Bowl A team finished second in the large school competition, a press release said.

“Our Math Bowl teams were very competitive, with our A team narrowly losing by one point,” the release said. The A team was comprised of Albert Xue, Tina Wang, and Katherine Zhang, along with alternate Sheichen Zhang.

The B team of Vincent Jodoin, Gabe Vacaliuc, and Joe Andress, with alternate Adi Sujithkumar, also had an amazing run, but came up a match short of placing, the release said. [Read more…]

Today: ‘Say No to Drugs’ balloon release in Oak Ridge

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Say No to Drugs Balloon Release

Have you or someone you love ever suffered from drug abuse? Have you ever given thanks that the negative effects of drug abuse haven’t entered into your life?

If so, you are invited to join the family and friends of Clayton Smith along with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition for a special prayer and balloon release at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 9, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The event is being held to honor the recovery efforts of anyone who has suffered from drug addiction and to remember the lives of loved ones lost due to drug abuse. [Read more…]

Wildcats use playoff ‘fury,’ determination to eliminate Soddy-Daisy

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins and Soddy-Daisy Trojans

Sophomore wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats catches a 30-yard touchdown pass over defender Christian Bell (26) of the Soddy-Daisy Trojans, giving Oak Ridge a 23-14 lead midway through the third quarter in a first-round playoff game on Friday. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:15 a.m.

Ahead by 17-14 at halftime, the Oak Ridge Wildcats played with fury and determination in the second half of their first-round playoff game on Friday and opened up a large lead against Soddy-Daisy, winning 53-28—despite an impressive offensive performance by the Trojans.

The undefeated Wildcats were not happy with the three-point margin at halftime.

“For it to be that close was just unacceptable,” junior running back Jaylen Nickerson said.

The 11-0 team was determined to play better in the second half against the best offense they had played all year, Coach Joe Gaddis said.

“We just came out and played with a fury,” he said.

While the Trojans had held Oak Ridge to two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, they allowed four in the second—including two by Nickerson—and gave up a safety and an interception returned for a touchdown, or 36 points total. [Read more…]

WYSH: County officials request records from Clinton as Courthouse case crosses street

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Clinton City Hall

Clinton City Hall (Photo courtesy City of Clinton)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The controversy and conflict regarding the copying of hard drives from computers in the Anderson County Human Resources Department has spilled across the street from the County Courthouse to Clinton City Hall.

As we have reported, County Human Resources Director Cathy Best announced her resignation Monday after almost 10 years on the job and her looming departure, along with that of her second-in-command Kerri Ashley, prompted County Mayor Terry Frank to try to have their hard drives copied. Her request was made after she was informed last month that former building inspector Lisa Crumpley was planning on filing a wrongful termination lawsuit against the county, alleging that she was fired for cooperating in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe that led to the indictment of her boss, David Crowley, on charges of inspecting buildings without the necessary certifications.

Frank wanted to copy all forensic evidence on the computers used by Best and Ashley, as they may contain information regarding Crumpley’s termination and what became of her personnel file, which went missing days after she was fired. [Read more…]

Former AC court official has new job in Rocky Top

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Tyler Mayes

Tyler Mayes

Information from WYSH Radio

Former Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk Tyler Mayes has been named the acting city recorder in Rocky Top.

Mayes was appointed by the Anderson County Commission to serve the remainder of longtime Clerk Barry Pelizarri’s term following his retirement in 2012, but he did not win the election to retain that seat in August, losing to William Jones.

Mayes will succeed Chris Phillips, who served briefly as Rocky Top city recorder before returning to his former job as the Anderson County budget and accounts director last month. The Rocky Top City Council will vote on whether to confirm him in the job on November 20.

BBB: City Manager Treece resigns in OS

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Tina Treece

Tina Treece (Photo by BBB-TV)

Information from WYSH Radio

According to our partners at BBB-TV, Oliver Springs City Manager Tina Treece has announced that she is resigning after more than two years on the job.

Treece notified city leaders of her intention to step down on Wednesday, the day after the Tuesday, November 4, election. But BBB said it wasn’t clear if the resignation was because of the election.

Treece has been in her position since early 2012, when she replaced David Bolling, who left the city for a similar job in Maine. Bolling, who is also a former Anderson County commissioner, has since returned to Tennessee as city manager in Kingston.

Wildcats open playoffs at home tonight; coach asks for huge, loud crowd

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Football Helmet

The undefeated Oak Ridge Wildcats play in the first round of the Class 5A football playoffs at home tonight against the Soddy-Daisy Trojans. The game starts at 7 p.m. today (Friday, November 7) at Blankenship Field in Oak Ridge.

Coach Joe Gaddis is asking for a huge, loud crowd.

“As we all know, playoff games are ‘winner take all’ in nature,” Gaddis said in a note to fans.”The winner advances, and the loser is finished for the season. It’s hard to believe but we have only had one home playoff game since 2005, and with that in mind, let’s have a HUGE and LOUD crowd Friday night! The weather is going to be cool, crisp, and beautiful…real football weather!”

The Oak Ridge Wildcats Football Boosters will have a tailgate party starting at 4:30 p.m. [Read more…]