Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will discuss the future of the outdoor pool on a local television show this evening.
The “Between The Lines” talk show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 29, on BBB-TV, Comcast Channel 12. It will be online at bbbtv12.com and broadcast in Campbell County on Comcast Channel 230.
[Read more…]Information from WYSH Radio
According to our partners at BBB-TV, the Roane County Board of Education met Thursday night and after several people in the near-capacity crowd addressed the panel, voted to revisit its previously announced decision to consolidate all five of the county’s high schools into one large school.
Last month, the Board had voted 7-3 to move forward on consolidating the schools, but following last week’s meeting where several people voiced opposition to the plan, including many from the Oliver Springs area, the Board decided to review its decision.
The Board now says it will meet in a work session on April 6 at 6:30 pm at the Central Municipal Building in Kingston to further discuss the school consolidation plan and see if any changes can be made. [Read more…]
Garry Kreis
Information from WYSH Radio
Former Coalfield Head Football Coach Garry Kreis passed away Monday morning after battling brain cancer.
Kreis played wide receiver for the University of Tennessee in the late 1960s after playing high school football at Oliver Springs. He landed at Coalfield as an assistant coach in 1979 as a teacher, head basketball coach, and assistant football coach. In 1987, he was promoted to head coach of the Coalfield football team and held that post until his retirement in 2008. [Read more…]
BBB-TV, Channel 12 in Oak Ridge, has posted video from a candidate forum for Oak Ridge Board of Education.
The candidate forum was Thursday, September 29, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
There are three candidates for two school board seats in the November 8 election. The candidates are the two incumbents, Keys Fillauer and Angi Agle, and challenger Myra Mansfield.
See the forum in the video below. [Read more…]
BBB-TV, Channel 12 in Oak Ridge, has posted video from the candidate forum for Anderson County Charter Commission candidates in districts six through eight. Those three districts are primarily in Oak Ridge.
The candidate forum was September 20 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
See the forum in the video below. [Read more…]
The site of the former Sears store is pictured above at the former Oak Ridge Mall, most of which is being demolished to prepare for Main Street Oak Ridge, on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. The side of Walmart is just visible at upper right. (Photo courtesy Brad Jones/BBB-TV, Channel 12)
Here are aerial photos from Wednesday of the demolition work at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The photos were shared by Brad Jones of BBB-TV, Channel 12, and they are used here with his permission.
See more information about the 58-acre redevelopment, called Main Street Oak Ridge, along with a video, in this story. Main Street Oak Ridge is expected to include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and a hotel. Belk and JCPenney will be part of the project. Eight other new stores have been announced.
RealtyLink, the Greenville, South Carolina, developer, has said demolition of the enclosed mall spaces between Belk and JCPenney could take three months, and new stores could open at the mixed-use, open-air development in the spring of 2017.
The site of the former Sears store is pictured above at the former Oak Ridge Mall, most of which is being demolished to prepare for Main Street Oak Ridge, on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (Photo courtesy Brad Jones/BBB-TV, Channel 12)
An aerial view on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, of the demolition of the former Oak Ridge Mall starting at the former Sears store at bottom center and extending into the interior enclosed spaces at the mall. Belk is to the left of this picture, and JCPenney and the former Goody’s store are at upper right. (Photo courtesy Brad Jones/BBB-TV, Channel 12)
Here is an aerial video from Wednesday of the demolition work at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The video was produced by Brad Jones of BBB-TV, Channel 12, and it is used here with his permission.
The three-minute video starts at the area of the former Sears store, which is now demolished and is pictured above at bottom center. Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx will be built in that area, possibly starting in October.
The parking lot at the top of the photo above is the parking lot between JCPenney, at top right, and the Cinemark Tinseltown theater, which is to the left of this picture. The road curving across the top right of the picture is Rutgers Avenue, and the road angling across the top left is Wilson Street. Walmart is off to the bottom right.
The mall is being redeveloped as Main Street Oak Ridge, a 58-acre mixed-use project that could cost about $75 million total and include retailers, restaurants, residential units, and a hotel. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
It looks like sweeping changes will be coming to the Oliver Springs city government. As our partners at BBB-TV have previously reported, City Manager Becky Campbell is stepping down, and her last day on the job will be today (June 30).
Earlier this week, Billing and Accounts Director Susan Tyler also announced that she will be retiring, effective today as well. Longtime Fire Chief Terry Phillips has also announced his retirement, which also goes into effect today. [Read more…]
Some of the winners of the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football awards for 16 backs and linemen in eight classifications of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association are pictured above at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday, Nov. 30, 2015. Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins is wearing a Tennessee Titans jersey with the number 5 on it. (Photo by Martin McDonald)
Note: This story was updated at 8:25 p.m.
Tee Higgins, who is only the second Mr. Football from Oak Ridge, will be on The Locker Room Chat on BBB-TV, Comcast Channel 12, at 7 p.m. today (Wednesday, December 2).
Higgins, a 6-foot-5 junior at Oak Ridge High School who plays football and basketball, won a Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award during a luncheon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on Monday. He was named Back of the Year in Class 5A.
There have been other Mr. Football finalists from Oak Ridge, but only won other player has won the award. Greg Woofter won the Lineman award in 1998, according to broadcaster David Clary of Prepradio.com.
The last finalist that didn’t win was Spencer Gulmire in 2005, Clary said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio/BBB-TV
On Tuesday, the Kingston City Council voted 5-2 on first reading to increase the city’s property tax rate by 23 cents per $100 of assessed value.
BBB-TV reported that supporters of the increase said it is necessary to avoid laying off five workers and because of flat sales tax revenues.
The Council also voted Tuesday to raise water rates by 5 percent. [Read more…]
One of two trees that fell on a home on West Wadsworth Circle. The second tree, visible on the ground in the background, punched a hole in the roof and displaced a mother, grandmother, and two children.
Note: This story was last updated at 2:40 p.m.
Roughly 4,000 customers lost power in the Tuesday evening storm, and about 70 damaged homes will require repairs by an electrician before power can be restored, an Oak Ridge official said Wednesday morning.
Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs said he doesn’t recall ever having 70 homes damaged in one storm, although the Electric Department has experienced worse storms when many utility poles were broken. But the brief, fierce Tuesday storm, which brought severe winds and driving rain, was significant in terms of its damage to homes and its far-reaching nature, from Blair Road on the west end of town to east Oak Ridge and beyond—into Clinton and Anderson County, Suggs said.
“It was pretty widespread,” Suggs said.
Janet Bowker, left, walks through debris on Plymouth Circle in front of her home, where a tree fell into her bedroom during the Tuesday evening storm. Her home is at right but not visible in this picture. There were no injuries, but Bowker does not have power now.
The storm, which ripped through Oak Ridge at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, left a trail of debris:Â scattered branches and limbs, broken trees, fallen power lines, and damaged buildings and homes. It also triggered a flood of calls to the city’s 911 call dispatch center.
About 500 customers remained without power around noon Wednesday, including the 70 damaged homes. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
On Thursday, the Oliver Springs Budget Committee recommended a tax rate increase and across-the-board water and sewer rate increases as they prepare to adopt a budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
BBB-TV reported that the committee recommended water and sewer rate increases for both residential and commercial customers as the city prepares to apply for a loan to make improvements to its aging wastewater plant. [Read more…]
