Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats need to play tougher, more aggressively, Gaddis says

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Oak Ridge and South-Doyle Scrimmage

Sophomore Damarea Whitt of the Oak Ridge Wildcats, right, breaks up a pass intended for senior Chad Barksdale of the South-Doyle Cherokees during a pre-season scrimmage at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday.

The regular season starts in two weeks, and the Oak Ridge Wildcats need to play tougher and more aggressively, Coach Joe Gaddis said after the team’s second pre-season scrimmage on Thursday.

The Wildcats played the South-Doyle Cherokees at Ben Martin Track at Oak Ridge High School. It was also the second scrimmage for the Cherokees.

The South-Doyle varsity team scored three times to Oak Ridge’s two. The Wildcats played better as the scrimmage progressed and the team made adjustments, but the Cherokees “drove down the throat” on their first two possessions, Gaddis said.

“That’s not good,” he said. “We’ve got to play tougher, more aggressively, more physical.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge: 4,000 lose power, 70 homes damaged

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Wadsworth Circle Home Tree

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 on Plymouth Circle and Storm Debris

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: 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…]