Oak Ridge Today

New details revealed in search warrants in missing woman case

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Nichole Burgess

Nichole Burgess

Information from WYSH Radio

Search warrants released last week have provided new information about what led investigators from Nashville to search the Anderson County home of a man who is now a person of interest in the disappearance and possible death of a Hermitage woman.

The documents indicate that a friend reported Nichole Burgess missing from her home in Hermitage on May 25 after she was unable to reach Burgess by phone or text message. The friend said Burgess’s last text message, sent on May 23, indicated she had been in an altercation with the father of Burgess’s child, 32-year-old Andersonville resident Caleb Cannon.

The friend told detectives that they had gone to Burgess’ home in Hermitage and noticed her car was parked out front and her dogs were walking around freely instead of in their crates. A neighbor said he/she saw two people carrying something out of the home’s back door on May 24.

Cannon, who has custody of his and Burgess’s 10-year-old son every other weekend, picked the boy up from school on May 23. The warrants say a friend of the boy’s said that Cannon had been at Burgess’s home earlier in the afternoon, loading two black bags into a car parked in the driveway. The friend said he asked the 10-year-old where his mom (Burgess) was, and the boy said he was pretty sure his mom was dead and that his dad had killed him. [Read more…]

Several mailboxes vandalized, suspects facing charges

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Information from WYSH Radio

Charges are pending against two juveniles and an adult for vandalizing mailboxes in Anderson County.

Over several days last week, a number of mailboxes were vandalized on East Wolf Valley Road, Davidson Hollow Road, Chestnut Ridge Road, and Heiskell Road.

Residents on Thursday were able to provide deputies with a description of the suspect vehicle, which was pulled over later that night. Two juveniles and an adult were identified as the suspects in the vandalism, and charges against all three are pending. [Read more…]

Red Sox draft Oak Ridge pitcher Kevin Steen

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Dobyns-Bennett

Kevin Steen, right, played for the Oak Ridge Wildcats basketball and baseball teams, and the right-handed pitcher was drafted by the Boston Red Sox on Friday. He is pictured above with Jaylin Henderson, left, during a March basketball game in Kingsport defending Tyleke Love of Dobyns-Bennett. (Photo by Ned Jilton II/Kingsport Times News)

The Boston Red Sox picked Kevin Steen, a right-handed pitcher from Oak Ridge High School, in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Friday.

Steen, who has committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee, was the 284th pick in the three-day, 40-round First-Year Player Draft, which had more than 1,200 selections.

He was one of of four right-handers picked by the Red Sox on Day 2 of the draft, with only one selection coming straight from high school, the team said in a press release.

Steen also played basketball for the Oak Ridge Wildcats and helped lead the team to a state championship game in March for the first time since 1963. Oak Ridge finished as state Class AAA runner-up. [Read more…]

Secret City Festival features something for everyone

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Secret City Festival Crowd June 2012

A large crowd waits to hear music during the June 2012 festival.

 

Make plans to attend the 12th Annual Secret City Festival on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14, in historic Oak Ridge. Join more than 20,000 visitors and residents to celebrate the end of World War II and the heritage of Oak Ridge from 1945 to the present.

Here’s an overview of some of the many activities and events taking place at this year’s festival: [Read more…]

Secret City Festival reminds concert attendees of security procedures

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Secret City Festival Logo

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

“In light of recent events, we’re being extra vigilant in our protection of our attendees, staff, and the community during the festival concerts,” said Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi.

No backpacks or coolers will be allowed into the concert site and all bags will be subject to search.  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…]

Kroger Marketplace to open June 29

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Kroger Marketplace Storefront

The storefront of the Kroger Marketplace, which is under construction at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. The new store is expected to open June 29.

 

The Kroger Marketplace is expected to open June 29.

The new, larger Kroger store is under construction at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. Among other things, it will include a pharmacy, Little Clinic, Starbucks Coffee, Fred Meyer Jewelry, Sun Trust Bank, and fuel center.

The older, smaller Kroger store a few miles away on South Illinois Avenue will shut down after the Kroger Marketplace opens. The new 123,000-square-foot store is in a $33 million shopping center that is still under construction. The 25-acre site has been named the Westcott Center in honor of Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II. [Read more…]

Kevin Rice running for Anderson County Commission in District 7

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Kevin Rice

Kevin Rice

Kevin Rice, an Oak Ridge High School graduate, is running for Anderson County Commission in District 7, which includes the Highland View, Glenwood, and Pine Valley precincts, a press release said.

Rice has served on the Anderson County Jail Committee and now serves on the Anderson County Beer Board, the press release said. He also volunteers as a Neighborhood Watch block captain and as a district leader for the Watch Group in the Jackson Square area.

Rice is a member of the Oak Ridge Quarterback Club, Football Boosters, and Oak Ridge Boys and Girls Club Alumni. He is also a member of the Anderson County Underage Drinking Task Force.

Rice said his goal as a commissioner is to cut taxes by recruiting high-tech jobs, small businesses, hotels, and tourism.

“The potential for increased tourism in the county is abundant,” Rice said. “However, added attractions would be beneficial to the city and county in many ways. Our young people, as well as our treasured senior citizens, need a variety of activities to keep Anderson County the best choice to work and live, now and in the future.” [Read more…]

Top 12 ways to have fun at the 12th Annual Secret City Festival

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Secret City Festival Logo

Submitted

  1. Start planning now for two days of activities to celebrate more than 70 years of Oak Ridge’s history. From 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 13, until the concerts are over, there is something for everyone.
  2. Remember there is no parking onsite at the festival! Plan to park at the City Center and take a free shuttle over to the festival. For a map of available parking near the Secret City Festival, visit http://www.secretcityfestival.com/festival-411/parking/.
  3. Be sure to visit the Secret City Festival website (www.secretcityfestival.com) to plan your weekend. You will find all event information, tour schedules, and concert information here.
  4. Concerts are festival seating—don’t forget your lawn chairs for the best views and most comfortable seating. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. each evening to claim your seat. [Read more…]

Perma-Fix awards 2014 Career Day scholarships

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Kaylee Burton

Kaylee Burton (Photos courtesy Roane County Schools/The Roane County News)

Submitted by The Roane Alliance

KINGSTON—The fourth annual Perma-Fix Career Day Scholarships have been awarded to a graduate from each of the five Roane County high schools. The students receiving the $250 scholarships applied for them during their junior year while participating in the Roane County Chamber’s High School Career Day.

The five graduating seniors awarded this year’s Perma-Fix Scholarships are Matt Snow, Harriman High; Ryan Hamby, Rockwood High; Austin Strange, Roane County High; Kaylee Burton, Midway High; and Amber Eddy, Oliver Springs High.

Each of these seniors are seeking postsecondary education by attending college, a technical center, or taking workforce training courses, a press release said.

“We want to encourage and help students continue their education after high school,” said Kenyon Mee, facility manager for Diversified Scientific Services Inc., a subsidiary of Perma-Fix Environmental Services in Kingston. “This is our fourth year of sponsoring scholarships for graduates of Roane County high schools. Next year, we will announce five more scholarships for the Class of 2015.” [Read more…]

City, state work to reduce infant deaths through safe sleep program

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Oak Ridge Police Department partners with Tennessee Department of Health to reduce infant deaths

One of the top priorities of the Tennessee Department of Health is to reduce the state’s infant mortality rate (a measure of how many babies die before reaching their first birthday). TDH has discovered that 20 percent of all infant deaths in Tennessee are due to unsafe sleep practices. As part of this effort to save babies’ lives, Oak Ridge Police Department is partnering with the Tennessee Department of Health in the effort to reduce infant mortality by participating in the Direct On Scene Education, or DOSE, program.

DOSE is an innovative program using first responders to educate families about safe sleep for all infants. First responders at the Oak Ridge Police Department will be educating all households with pregnant women or infants after they respond to the immediate emergency. Our police officers will be equipped with safe sleep kits to provide to families. These kits contain educational materials to teach the caregivers about safe sleep environments for infants. [Read more…]

Food Lion in Oak Ridge could close by June 20

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Food Lion

The Food Lion grocery store on Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge could close by June 20, a spokesperson said Thursday.

 

The Food Lion grocery store on Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge could close by June 20 because the company is not renewing its lease on the property, a spokesperson said.

Store employees were notified of the decision on Thursday, said Christy Phillips-Brown, a corporate spokesperson for Food Lion.

She did not know the precise number of employees at the Oak Ridge store, but she said there are, on average, about 40 associates at each store. [Read more…]

Nashville police search Andersonville home in case of missing mother

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Nashville Police on Anderson County Search Warrant

 

Nichole Burgess

Nichole Burgess

Nashville detectives investigating the disappearance of Nichole Burgess were in Andersonville on Thursday to execute a search warrant at the home of Caleb J. Cannon, the father of Burgess’ 10-year-old son, authorities said.

Crime scene specialists from the Nashville Police Department’s Identification Unit were also at the home at 306 Lambdin Road assisting in the search warrant process, a press release said.

Detectives have traveled to Anderson County several times over the past week as part of the investigation. On Tuesday, a search warrant was served on Cannon for a DNA sample, the release said.

In seeking the search warrants, lead Detective Steve Jolley from the police department’s Homicide-Cold Case Unit told an Anderson County judge that based on the investigation thus far, Burgess is likely dead and that Cannon is considered a person of interest, the Nashville Police Department said in the release. [Read more…]