Oak Ridge Today

After police standoff, woman charged with going armed while intoxicated

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Patsy Lee Oliver

Patsy Lee Oliver

Note: This story was updated at 1:40 p.m.

The 62-year-old woman arrested after a four-hour police standoff on Jellico Lane on Monday morning has been charged with possession of a handgun while intoxicated.

Patsy Lee Oliver, of 123 Jellico Lane, had allegedly approached a neighbor carrying a “small frame small caliber handgun” on Monday morning, according to an affidavit filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court. The victim and a witness who lives at the same address as the victim said Oliver appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicant.

Jellico Lane Standoff Police

The Oak Ridge Police Department responds to a Monday morning standoff on Jellico Lane that started after a report of a disturbance involving a gun.

The victim had a cell phone video of Oliver standing at the end of Jellico Lane concealing something behind her back that appeared to be a small black handgun, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas said in the affidavit.

“Also in the video, defendant’s actions are as that of an intoxicated person,” Thomas said.

ORPD officers responded to the reported disturbance at about 6:48 a.m. Monday. They eventually made contact with Oliver on her porch and “observed that her speech was slurred and slow,” Thomas said in the affidavit. “Her demeanor was at times erratic, and she was slow and shuffling in her movements.” [Read more…]

Cash, computer, TV reported stolen during home invasion robbery

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

Two men who live on Devon Lane in Oak Ridge reported cash and a computer, television, video game system, and other items were stolen during a home invasion robbery early Tuesday morning.

The victims reported the robbery on Devon Lane at about 2:24 a.m. Tuesday.

The list of stolen items included $900 in cash, a gold watch valued at $500, a laptop computer valued at $300, a 35″ flatscreen television valued at $275, a cellphone valued at $200, a video game system valued at $150, drug paraphernalia, and bags that contained $50 in coins. [Read more…]

Simple driving tips can save gas, money, ORNL study says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

People who pack their cars and drive like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s “Vacation” pay a steep penalty when it comes to fuel economy, according to a report by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

For the study, researchers tested a sport utility vehicle and a compact sedan with various configurations, including underinflated tires, open windows, and rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo. The SUV, a 2009 Ford Explorer with a 4-liter V6 engine, was also tested while towing an enclosed trailer. The researchers tested the vehicles at a variety of speeds with the different configurations. While the findings were not unexpected, they serve as a reminder of how drivers can save money by taking simple measures.

“There is fuel economy information and advice available for vehicle maintenance and carrying loads that is quite good, but very little published data to back it up,” said John Thomas, a co-author of the study and member of ORNL’s Energy and Transportation Science Division. “Certainly, suitcases strapped to your car’s roof and trying to keep up with a speeding Ferrari will adversely affect your gas mileage.”

Among the more notable findings was that using a rooftop cargo box with the SUV decreased fuel economy from 24.9 mpg at 60 mph to 22.9 mpg—a drop of 9 percent. The compact sedan, a 2009 Toyota Corolla with a 1.8 liter four-cylinder engine, also suffered as its fuel economy dipped from 42.5 mpg at 60 mph to 33 mpg, or 22 percent, when hauling the rooftop cargo box. [Read more…]

Traffic stop leads to $8,000 in cash, suspected painkillers, police say

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jennifer Leean Marlowe

Jennifer Leean Marlowe

James Phillip Chase

James Phillip Chase

Oak Ridge police allegedly found $8,000 in cash and an estimated $4,000 worth of suspected Roxicodone during a traffic stop last week for possible license plate and window tint violations.

A Wartburg couple, James P. Chase, 51, and Jennifer L. Marlowe, 26, were arrested and charged with possession for sale of a controlled substance.

Police said they pulled over a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven by Chase on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Fairbanks Road on Friday afternoon because its tinted license plate cover violated state law and city ordinances, and the window tint appeared darker than allowed. [Read more…]

Man found with gunshot wounds in Ridgeview parking lot taken to hospital but dies

Posted at
By 6 Comments

Emergency workers were unable to save a man found with two apparent gunshot wounds in his chest on Tuesday in the rear parking lot of a mental health center in Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has not released the man’s name or age, and a report said the shooting remains under investigation. [Read more…]

Electricity sales down with mild temperatures; heavy rainfall boosted low-cost power, TVA says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Norris Dam

The Norris Dam in Anderson County can produce electricity for the Tennessee Valley Authority. (Photo courtesy TVA)

KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority reported Monday that electricity sales were lower in the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 than for the prior period due largely to mild temperatures, while heavy rainfall boosted low-cost hydroelectric generation.

“Both sales and revenues were down in the third quarter. This was offset largely by our efforts to reduce operating costs,” TVA President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson said. “We are focused on making sure TVA lives within our means to continue to keep rates low for our customers and the people of the Tennessee Valley.” [Read more…]

Former officer drops lawsuit that alleged hostile workplace, sexual rumors

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 3:51 a.m. Feb. 21.

A former Oak Ridge police officer who had alleged she was the subject of sexual rumors that had created a hostile work environment has withdrawn a $1.25 million federal lawsuit against the city.

Former Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Christina Targonski had alleged that another officer had spread sexual rumors about her—allegedly telling other officers that she had invited him to an orgy and was distributing nude photos of herself to “whoever wanted them,” federal court records said.

[Read more…]

Teen accused of beating girlfriend’s dad, who was found unconscious

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge teenager is accused of repeatedly hitting his girlfriend’s father in the face early Saturday morning, and the man was lying unconscious in a Robertsville Road yard when officers arrived, authorities said.

The man had severe injuries to his face, and his facial bones were probably fractured, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas said in affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court.

[Read more…]

TVA sales flat in first quarter 2013, revenues consistent with prior year

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority reported Tuesday that electricity sales were relatively flat in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, total revenues were consistent with the prior year, and net income was down.

“TVA’s total operating revenues remain on plan,” new President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson said. “We continue to drive performance and process improvements in order to provide cleaner and low-cost energy to our customers.”

Higher off-system sales as a result of excess generation and closer-to-normal temperatures for the period, compared with even warmer weather a year ago, contributed to a slight 0.2 percent increase in total electricity sales, TVA said in its quarterly filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2012.

[Read more…]