Oak Ridge Today

Drivers prohibited from holding wireless telecommunications device

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Under a new state law that went into effect July 1, drivers in Tennessee are now prohibited from holding a wireless telecommunications device such as a cell phone, personal digital assistant, or computer while operating a vehicle.

To comply with the new law, the Oak Ridge city code has to be changed. The Oak Ridge City Council will consider the code change in the first of two readings during a meeting this evening (Monday, July 8).

The proposed city ordinance mirrors the new state law, the city’s legal staff said in a July 1 memo. Most first and second offenses of the new handheld law will be brought to Oak Ridge City Court. Other offenses will result in state charges, which can result in higher fines than those imposed in municipal courts. Those other offenses include third and higher offenses, as well as violations occurring in construction zones, marked school zones where flashers are operating, and offenses that result in a crash.

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City code could require animal shelters to protect against cold, dampness

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

A change to the Oak Ridge city code that will be considered Monday would require doghouses and shelters for outdoor animals to provide insulation and protection against cold and dampness.

Current city code requires access to a barn, doghouse, or other shelter “sufficient to protect the animal from the elements.”

But new language could be added to that section: “Doghouses and similar shelters shall be made of durable materials with a solid, moisture-proof floor, and must contain clean bedding material consisting of hay, straw, cedar shavings, or the equivalent to provide insulation and protection against cold and dampness.”

There have been concerns raised by residents, especially during cold winter weather, about keeping outdoor animals or pets safe and protected from freezing and below-freezing temperatures. It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday night if those concerns led to the proposed code change.

The amended city code would require the approval of the Oak Ridge City Council, which meets at 7 p.m. Monday, March 12, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. The change would be done through an ordinance, which requires City Council to approve it in two separate meetings, usually two monthly meetings. [Read more…]

Applewood Apartments will close Sept. 30, tenants told

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Applewood Apartments Hunter Circle Aug 8 2016 1

Tenants at Applewood Apartments have been told the buildings will be closed Sept. 30, 2016, according to a letter they received this weekend. Pictured above is an Applewood Apartments building on Hunter Circle on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 a.m. Aug. 9.

Tenants at Applewood Apartments have been told the buildings will be closed September 30, according to a letter they received this weekend.

The letter was from Applewood Apartments owner Joseph J. Levitt Jr., a Knoxville attorney.

Levitt was not available to talk to a reporter on Monday.

The letter told tenants that Levitt, who cited health-related reasons for the closing, was providing them a 60-day notice. [Read more…]