Oak Ridge Today

Democrats host picnic at Gibbs Ferry Park on Saturday

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Anderson County Democrats

Anderson County Democrats are pictured at a picnic in June 2012. (Submitted photo)

The Anderson County Democratic Party and Democratic Women’s Club will host an annual picnic from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at Gibbs Ferry Park.

All who are interested are invited to bring family an friends, join the festivities, and meet Democratic candidates seeking office in upcoming elections, a press release said. Hot dogs with condiments and cold drinks will be provided.

“Please bring a side dish, chips, or dessert to share,” the release said.

Gibbs Ferry Park is on Highway 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton, along the river. The park has a covered pavilion with picnic tables, a boat ramp, and fishing pier.

Harriman man dies in head-on crash in Oliver Springs on Saturday

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Oliver Springs Fatal Crash

A Harriman man died in a head-on two-car crash on State Highway 61 in Oliver Springs on Saturday night. (Photo by Tom Scott)

A Harriman man died in a head-on two-car crash on State Highway 61 on Saturday night, authorities said.

John E. Manis Jr., 57, was driving a 2000 Subaru Outback station wagon westbound on Highway 61 near Cemetery Road in Roane County, just outside Oliver Springs, when an eastbound Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck driven by a teenager crossed the center line and hit his vehicle head-on, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a preliminary crash report. The collision resulted in fatal injuries to Manis.

The crash occurred at about 9:57 p.m. Saturday. The 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck was injured, but she was not identified because she is a juvenile. Charges are pending, according to the THP report. The accident was investigated by Trooper Matthew Armes.

The THP said the teenager was not wearing a seat belt, and that would have made a difference. Manis was wearing a seat belt, the report said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

AC man indicted on DUI charges…again

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Information from WYSH Radio

An Anderson County grand jury has indicted a man already facing charges of vehicular homicide by intoxication on another charge of DUI.

Danny Bean, 56, is facing charges in a November 2012 wreck on Highway 61 that killed two women—Alberta Farrer and Patricia Smith—and earlier this month, was indicted on a DUI charge stemming from a single-vehicle accident last year.

On April 7, 2013, Bean crashed his car into a ditch and when emergency crews arrived, he told them that he had taken prescription medication earlier in the day to explain his very slow and slurred speech. [Read more…]

Fire destroys two-story home in Blair

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Keys Drive Fire

A fire on Keys Drive early Friday morning destroyed a home in Blair in Roane County. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Information from photographer Tom Scott

A fire on Keys Drive early Friday morning destroyed a home in Blair in Roane County.

The fire was reported at 160 Keys Drive  in the Blair community at about 1:15 a.m. Friday.

The two-story wooden frame house was heavily involved in fire upon the arrival of the first Blair Fire Department units. The Oliver Springs and Midtown fire departments responded on a request for mutual aid. [Read more…]

Follow-up: New details of fatal Clinton wreck

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Information from WYSH Radio

More information is now available about Friday’s fatal accident on Highway 61 at the on-ramp to I-75 North in Clinton.

The wreck occurred at about 7:06 a.m. Friday, and it killed Christopher Strunk, 32, of Oneida. The Clinton Police Department reported that Strunk was a passenger in a Honda Civic driven by Shawn Wright, 26, of Pioneer.

The accident happened when a car driven by David Kittrell of Mississippi was in the left lane near the on-ramp and Wright’s car pulled into his path while trying to get on to the interstate. Kittrell’s car “T-boned” Wright’s car and both vehicles spun around before coming to rest against a guard rail. Strunk, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was declared dead at the scene by Emergency Medical Services personnel, and Wright suffered injuries that sent him to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by ambulance. [Read more…]

Teen indicted in crash that killed classmate has Sept. 9 court hearing

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Evan Nathaniel Weaver

Evan Nathaniel Weaver

The Andersonville teen indicted on charges connected to a fatal accident in January that killed a passenger in the car he was driving will be arraigned on Sept. 9.

Evan Nathaniel Weaver, 18, was indicted by an Anderson County grand jury on Aug. 13 and arrested last week. He faces four felony charges: vehicular homicide by intoxication, vehicular homicide by recklessness, and two counts of reckless endangerment when a deadly weapon was involved. He also faces misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and possession of drug paraphernalia. [Read more…]

Norris annexation issues to be heard this summer

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Information from WYSH Radio

A hearing was held Monday in Anderson County Chancery Court regarding the annexations by the city of Norris of several properties along Highway 61. Some property owners objected, claiming that the proper policies and procedures had not been followed, but Chancellor William Lantrip ruled that all but one of the pieces of property had been properly annexed by the city.

He initially ruled that one parcel was not adjacent to the city’s Urban Growth Boundary at the time it was annexed, which is one of the requirements for cities to take in new land under state law. [Read more…]

Motel 6 fire in Clinton causes estimated $550,000 in damages

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Clinton Motel 6 Fire

A fire at the Motel 6 in Clinton on Thursday afternoon caused an estimated $550,000 in damages, authorities said. (Photos by Tom Scott)

A Thursday afternoon fire at the Motel 6 in Clinton that apparently spread from a mulch bed outside the building to the roof and attic damaged at least 20 rooms and caused an estimated $550,000 damage, authorities said.

The two-story hotel is off state Highway 61 near Interstate 75. The fire was reported at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured.

The flames went up the side of the building and, driven by high winds, made it to the attic, where the fire burned through the roof, WYSH Radio in Clinton reported. Officials said at least 20 rooms were damaged by fire, and a large part of the rest of the building received smoke and water damage. [Read more…]

Clinton motorcyclist in stable condition after Wednesday wreck

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UT Lifestar Helicopter

A University of Tennessee Lifestar helicopter flies Clinton motorcyclist Kevin Eric Gross to UT Medical Center in Knoxville after a Wednesday morning accident on Highway 61.

A Clinton man flown to a Knoxville hospital by a medical helicopter after a Wednesday morning motorcycle accident was listed in stable condition Thursday afternoon, a spokeswoman said.

Kevin Eric Gross, 18, was riding east on a Yamaha XV5 motorcycle on Highway 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton when he struck a Chrysler PT Cruiser pulling out of the Rocky Top gas station at Mariner Point at about 10:50 a.m., an accident report said.

The car was driven by Carl David O’Neal, 56, of Oak Ridge. He said he was turning left onto Highway 61 to head west as an eastbound vehicle pulling a trailer was turning into the Rocky Top parking lot, according to the report. O’Neal told Clinton police his vision was blocked, and he pulled into traffic to start traveling west when Gross hit his driver’s side door.

[Read more…]

Medical helicopter picks up motorcyclist after Clinton accident

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Clinton Motorcycle Accident

An unidentified motorcyclist was picked up by a University of Tennessee medical helicopter after an accident in front of a gas station near Mariner Point on Highway 61 in Clinton.

CLINTON—A medical helicopter picked up a motorcyclist Wednesday morning after an accident in front of a gas station on Highway 61 in Clinton.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the motorcyclist, who was flown away in a University of Tennessee Lifestar helicopter at about 11:30 a.m.

[Read more…]