Pictured above during a 54-28 win at Clinton on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, are Oak Ridge junior linemen Tyler Galloway (72) and Issair Franquez (70). (Photo by Barry Houchin)
After a week off earlier this month, the Oak Ridge Wildcats (8-1, 5-0 Region 3-5A) have had two more regional wins in the past two weeks: a 54-28 win at Clinton on Friday, October 12, and a 28-21 win at home against Powell on Friday, October 19.
Here are photos from the Clinton game by Barry Houchin. [Read more…]
File photos of the Magnet Mills in Clinton. Part of the property has already been demolished, and the site looks different now than it does in the photos above. (Image courtesy East Tennessee Preservation Alliance)
Clinton Mayor Scott Burton announced in a special report on Thursday that a Knoxville developer has entered into an agreement to purchase the former Magnet Knitting Mills site in downtown Clinton.
The property is along Charles G. Seivers Boulevard. It has been a contentious topic of conversation and debate in the Clinton area for several years, according to a press release from Burton, the mayor. He described the Knoxville developer as community-conscious.
“While the current owner has obtained a permit for the demolition of the existing two-story brick building, the potential new owner has another multi-use vision for the site,” the press release said. “Upon completion of the sale and the transfer of the property to the new owner, the City of Clinton will work with the Knoxville owner/developer to rehabilitate the site for future live-work, retail, and commercial use. This rehabilitation would include the renovation of the existing building and preservation of Clinton’s downtown.” [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Wildcats walk down the stairs at Jack Armstrong Stadium before a 41-12 win over Dobyns-Bennett on Blankenship Field on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo by Barry Houchin)
The Oak Ridge football team is 6-1 so far this season.
The Wildcats have had three wins and no losses in Region 3-5A. They have defeated Campbell County at home and West and Karns on the road.
Their other three wins were in non-regional games, with victories at Hardin Valley, at home against Dobyns-Bennett, and at Sevier County.
Their one loss, a non-regional game, was to Farragut on Blankenship Field.
All three games remaining in the regular season are regional games: Clinton (1-5, 0-2); Powell (6-1, 3-1); and Fulton (5-1, 2-0).
Oak Ridge is off this week. They play at Clinton on Friday, October 12. Their final two games, against Powell and Fulton, will be at home on October 19 and 25.
Here is a summary of the first seven games. [Read more…]
Visual of the location of the new bridge over the Clinch River connecting downtown Clinton to South Clinton. (Image via Clinton Mayor Scott Burton/Facebook)
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will show a video this month that will include 3D animations of the new bridge over the Clinch River in downtown Clinton and other images highlighting a new downtown vision.
The video, titled “Clinton: The Downtown Vision,” will be shown from 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, September 25, at Faith Promise’s Anderson County campus, which is at 96 Mariner Point Drive, a press release said.
“The Chamber has partnered with QK4 Inc. to create a video that showcases 3D animations of the new ‘green bridge,’ streetscapes, and more of what the vision holds,” the press release said. “This will be the first time that the video has been shown publicly.” [Read more…]
The Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge over the Clinch River in downtown Clinton is pictured above in December 2013. (File photo/Oak Ridge Today)
Information from WYSH Radio
Wednesday afternoon, a pre-construction meeting for the project to replace the Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge over the Clinch River in Clinton was held at the Knoxville regional office of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Contractor Blalock and Sons Construction announced during the meeting that traffic warning signs marking the project will be installed next week, with the project officially getting started on Monday, September 17.
Recently-retired Clinton Public Works Director Lynn Murphy is acting as a consultant for the city and will serve as the liasion between Blalock, the state and the city. On Wednesday, Murphy said that he has requested a seven-day notice for the eventual closing of Riverside Drive between Meadowbrook Street and South Seivers Boulevard, which will also include the boat launch under the current span connecting Clinton and South Clinton on Highway 25W. A natural gas line and a sanitary sewer pipe running underneath Riverside will have to be excavated and relocated as part of the project. [Read more…]
The Hon. William Everette Lewallen Memorial Bridge on Clinch Avenue near downtown Clinton is pictured above in December 2013. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Information from WYSH Radio
WYSH Radio has reported that the contract to replace the Lewallen Bridge on Highway 25W/State Route 9 (Clinton Highway/Clinch Avenue) over the Clinch River near downtown Clinton was awarded on August 17 to Charles Blalock and Sons Incorporated of Sevierville. Their bid for the replacement of the bridge, known to locals as the “green bridge,” came in at $27,735,269.72.
The bridge connects downtown Clinton and north Clinton to south Clinton.
The aging bridge is due for replacement, according to the state, and while it is still considered safe, the replacement will address looming concerns regarding the structure due to its age. [Read more…]
The deadline for candidates to qualify for the November 6 municipal elections was noon Thursday, and four Oak Ridge City Council incumbents have one challenger while there are three candidates for three school board seats.
Besides the four seats now held by incumbents, the November election will include the selection of an additional member of Oak Ridge City Council to fill the rest of the term of Hans Vogel, who was elected to a four-year term in November 2016 but resigned in June to take a new job at Idaho National Laboratory. Only one candidate, Derrick Hammond, has qualified as a candidate in that special election. Hammond was unanimously appointed to the seat by City Council in July to fill the seat through the November election. After his unopposed November election, Hammond will serve the last two years of Vogel’s unexpired term.
Also on the ballot in November are city council and school board seats in Clinton, Norris, Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top. That’s in addition to the state and federal elections for Tennessee governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, and Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House of Representatives.
The four incumbents on the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council who are up for election in November all qualified as candidates by Thursday’s deadline. They are Kelly Callison, R.G. “Rick” Chinn Jr., Warren Gooch, and Ellen D. Smith. The four incumbents last had an election in November 2014. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The city of Clinton has released its plans for its annual Independence Day celebration at Lakefront Park.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. July 4 and end with fireworks at 10 p.m. at Lakefront Park in Clinton.
There will be bounce houses, bungee run, basketball game, rock climbing wall, obstacle course, water slide, human hamster balls, and trackless train that are available to the public at no charge, although kids must have a free wrist band to ride. Also available will be laser tag for children and a game truck for children craving video game excitement at no charge.
There will also be food vendors, antique cars on display, and music from 5-9:45 p.m. Performers will include John Fee & The Honky Tonk Playboys, and possibly some other special guests who will likely be announced in the next few days.
An archived file photo of a black bear at Anderson County High School on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Archived file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today
A black bear was spotted wandering through Clinton on Friday.
The city sent out a Code Red Alert to part of the city on Friday morning indicating that the bear had been spotted in the vicinity of JD Yarnell Industrial Parkway and the 1200 block of Seivers Boulevard, heading in the general direction of the Clinton Home Center.
Authorities say that if you see the bear, you should give it a wide berth and notify the Clinton Police Department at (865) 457-3112.
It’s not unusual to occasionally see black bears in East Tennessee in the summer, including in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and the Great Smoky Mountains. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has previously said that Oak Ridge and Knoxville are surrounded by very good bear habitats—including the largest black bear preserve in the world—and it’s not unusual to see up to a half-dozen bears come through the Oak Ridge area each year and at least that many in the Knoxville area. [Read more…]
Richard Dawson
Richard Dawson, a retired pilot who flew helicopters in Vietnam and is a former Democratic Party chair, is running for Tennessee House of Representatives in Anderson County.
Dawson is running in Tennessee’s 33rd District, which includes most of Anderson County, including Clinton and the Anderson County portion of Oak Ridge. Dawson lives in Clinton, and he is a native Oak Ridger, a press release said.
“My dad was an electrical maintenance supervisor at K-25 for 20 years and was able to provide enough for my mom, sister, and me to live comfortably,” Dawson said in the press release. “Republicans have been in power in Tennessee for years, but their policies have only made it more difficult for people who work hard, like my dad, to take care of their families. I am running because Anderson County and Tennessee deserve better.”
The press release said Dawson was raised in Oak Ridge, and he and his family lived and experienced the “American Dream.” He benefitted from the top-notch public education in Oak Ridge and when he graduated, Dawson felt called to serve, the press release said. He voluntarily enlisted in the Army, flying helicopters in Vietnam. Returning home, he used the GI Bill to earn a degree in labor and industrial relations from East Tennessee State University, the press release said. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host the final presentation for the revitalization of downtown Clinton on Thursday.
This event will feature a presentation by Gianni Longo, president of Gianni Longo and Associates. Longo has conducted visions, many in Tennessee that have led to the redesign of Chattanooga’s riverfront, downtown Franklin, and even Knoxville’s Market Square, a press release said.
The closing presentation given on February 22 at the end of the four-day Clinton charrette focused on unveiling the results of the effort. The ideas presented have since been expanded to include specific implementation steps on how to turn the community vision into reality. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 3-AAA basketball tournament championship for the third year in a row with a 60-38 victory over Campbell County at Halls on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. Feb. 25.
HALLS—Oak Ridge pulled away from Campbell County in the second half to win its third straight district championship in the girls’ basketball tournament at Halls on Saturday.
The Lady Wildcats led by just six points, 25-19, at halftime in the District 3-AAA tournament championship. But they outscored the Lady Cougars 35-19 in the second half to beat Campbell County 60-38.
Oak Ridge junior Jada Guinn, who was named most valuable player of the tournament, led in scoring with 23 points. Twelve of those were in the fourth quarter.
Oak Ridge senior Mykia Dowdell added 17.
Campbell County junior Skylar Boshears, who scored 11 points for the Lady Cougars, was hurt less than a minute into the second half and had to be helped off the floor and into the locker room. But she was back in the game a few minutes later. [Read more…]
