Oak Ridge Today

Kroger Marketplace will be company’s fifth Oak Ridge store, could add 165 jobs

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Kroger Marketplace Groundbreaking Ceremony

The new Kroger Marketplace will be the company’s fifth store in Oak Ridge, and it could add more than 165 jobs, executives said during a Thursday morning groundbreaking ceremony.

The new Kroger Marketplace shopping center scheduled to open next summer will be the company’s fifth store in Oak Ridge, and it could add more than 165 jobs, providing a “tipping point” for economic development, officials said Thursday.

It’s the largest in a series of retail construction projects now under way, including on Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. It could be joined soon by the redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall.

“We are putting together the future attributes of growth,” Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan said during a Thursday morning groundbreaking ceremony near the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. [Read more…]

TVA board approves smaller budget, 1.5 percent rate increase

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KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors approved a $10.5 billion fiscal year 2014 budget at its meeting Thursday and a 1.5 percent retail rate increase—TVA’s first increase in two years.

The public utility said the rate increase is less than the economy’s modest growth in inflation since the last increase in 2011, and it will add about $1.50 to the monthly power bill of a residential consumer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. [Read more…]

Lightning strike causes house fire, damage estimated at $10,000

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Royal Troon House Fire Lightning Strike

A lightning strike started a fire at a home on Royal Troon in east Oak Ridge on Wednesday afternoon, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage, authorities said. (Photos courtesy Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A lighting strike appears to have started a fire at a home on Royal Troon in east Oak Ridge during an intense storm Wednesday afternoon, causing an estimated $10,000 in damage, authorities said.

There were no injuries, but the homeowners will be relocated while repairs are made, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The lightning strike occurred at about 2:24 p.m. Wednesday. It appears to have traveled into the home by either the electrical system or natural gas pipes, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Green ruled competent to stand trial in 2011 shooting

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Information from WYSH Radio

The man accused in the fatal shooting of a Clinton pawn shop employee in November of 2011 has been ruled competent to stand trial.

James Allen Green, 65, is accused of shooting 59-year-old Larry Snellings after asking to see a gun at the South Clinton Pawn Shop. When Snellings handed him the gun, Green allegedly loaded it and shot him. [Read more…]

Suspicious barn fire probed

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Tuesday night fire that destroyed a barn in Anderson County is being investigated as suspicious. The fire occurred at a barn on Miller Hollow Lane shortly after 11 p.m., according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, which said the property owner heard a loud noise outside his house, and when he went to investigate saw the barn engulfed by flames.

The property owner told deputies he had recently been involved with a legal dispute and that he believed that the fire had been deliberately set. The investigation is ongoing. No injuries were reported.

Anderson commissioners approve new jail fees for inmates, new costs covered by Time magazine

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Anderson County Detention Facility

The Anderson County Commission on Monday approved three new sets of fees for inmates, including charges for supplies ranging for pants and shirts to toothpaste and toilet paper. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

CLINTON—Anderson County inmates could soon pay for items such as pants and shirts, bras and underwear, and toothpaste and toilet paper, with costs ranging from three cents for soap to $24.65 for a coat.

The new fees were approved with no opposition by the Anderson County Commission on Monday. The money would be deducted from the inmate’s jail trust account or any other account or fund set up for the prisoner. The fees would not be added to court costs.

The supply fees were one of three new sets of inmate fees approved by commissioners on Monday. [Read more…]

Anderson County cash mob Friday at Clinch River Yarn

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The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host its “Buy Local Cash Mob” on Friday at Clinch River Yarn Co. in Clinton.

Refreshments will be served, and there will be a 20 percent discount on everything in the shop, excluding looms, wheels, and equipment accessories. “Buy Local” Cards are available at the Chamber office and at the cash mob, which is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Clinch River Yarn Co. at 725 N. Charles Seivers Blvd. in Clinton.

[Read more…]

Legal fees add up as officials try to ‘stop the bleeding’ in dispute between mayor, sheriff

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Anderson County Detention Facility

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Sheriff Paul White are engaged in a legal fight over a two-page salary agreement that includes, among other things, six months’ worth of funding for 36 new employees at a new jail pod at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

CLINTON—The legal fees might already exceed $20,000, and they could continue to mount in a bitter dispute between the mayor and sheriff over a $7.7 million salary agreement for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Efforts to “stop the bleeding”—and avoid extra expenses for Anderson County residents—were unsuccessful after a lengthy, heated debate on Monday night. During that debate, Anderson County commissioners rejected several proposals to cover some legal fees of Mayor Terry Frank in her response to a salary suit filed in July by Sheriff Paul White. Among the rejected options were proposals to pay Frank’s fees so far but no more, capping them at $40,000, or covering all expenses until the matter is resolved.

Frank has refused to sign the salary agreement, saying it includes about $1 million more for salaries and overtime than was approved by commission in June. But the Sheriff’s Department has said the salary agreement is routine and was drafted according to state law, and actual spending will be closer to the $6.6 million approved by the commission as part of this year’s budget. [Read more…]

Two more police officers, sergeant stationed at ORHS, Alternative School

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Oak Ridge High School

Three more Oak Ridge Police Department officers are stationed at Oak Ridge High School and Alternative School this year. The ORPD now has a school resource officer, a sergeant, and two non-patrol officers at the two schools.

Three more Oak Ridge Police Department officers are stationed at Oak Ridge High School and Alternative School this year. However, they are not school resource officers, or SROs.

For the past few years, the ORPD has had an SRO who works mostly at the high school. This year, though, a sergeant and two non-patrol officers are also stationed there and at the Alternative School next door, ORPD Chief Jim Akagi said Monday.

School officials had requested more SROs this year, following the December massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but funding has been an obstacle. While the new arrangement doesn’t add SROs, it will increase the police presence and visibility, Akagi said.

[Read more…]

Advanced Composites program ‘perfect fit’ for Roane State teacher

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Andy Pokelwaldt

Roane State’s Andy Pokelwaldt, right, works with instructor Josh Martin to set up a filament-winding machine used by students in the college’s composite materials courses. (Submitted photo)

As the leader of Roane State Community College’s Advanced Composites Employment accelerator, Andy Pokelwaldt can blend his experience as a military trainer, an educator, and a mentor.

“I enjoy teaching, and I understand what having skills in composite materials will mean in the marketplace,” Pokelwaldt said. “Learning about composite materials will make people more employable, and that’s what this job is all about.”

The ACE program, based at the Halcyon Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, provides three introductory courses in composite materials. People with two- or four-year degrees can take the courses at no cost because ACE is grant-funded. [Read more…]

Picture: Rep. Fleischmann visits Tech 20/20 to recognize global ranking

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Chuck Fleischmann Visits Tech 20/20

Chairman-Elect Tom Rogers, President and CEO John Morris, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, and Chairman of the Board David Bradshaw discuss Tech 20/20’s recent ranking as one of the top university business incubators in the world. (Submitted photo)

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann visited Tech 20/20 to congratulate the Oak Ridge venture development organization for its global ranking in managing new business incubators.

Sweden’s University Business Incubator (UBI) Index listed Tech 20/20 the fourth-best in the U.S. and in the top six worldwide in managing business incubators for value contributed to their clients and community, and overall performance. [Read more…]

Memory Magic Scrapbook event Sept. 27 and 28

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is sponsoring a Memory Magic Scrapbook event, Scrapping on the WILD Side, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Sept. 27 and 28. The event will include vendors, classes, and a large crop area.

Online registration started Aug. 19 and will continue until Sept. 22. Walk-in registration will open on Sept. 27 at 8 a.m. There is limited seating in the crop area and in each class. For a listing of classes check the website listed below. [Read more…]