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Police: Remains of suspected meth lab found during search of home

Posted at 7:54 pm July 10, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Arthur Wilson Jr.

Arthur Wilson Jr.

Julia Wilson

Julia Wilson

The remains of a suspected methamphetamine laboratory were found during a search of a home on West Wadsworth Circle on Wednesday, authorities said.

Items found in a trash can in the basement of the home included coffee filters, a Coleman brand camp fuel can, lithium batteries that had been cut open, and lithium strips that appeared to have been chemically reacted, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas said in arrest warrants. He said other items included a sports drink bottle with a two-part liquid, a soda bottle with a white powdery substance and holes that appeared to have been burned through the bottle from a chemical reaction inside, and two empty boxes of Claritin-D medicine that originally each contained 2.4 grams of pseudoephedrine.

The two defendants, Arthur Wilson Jr., 50, and Julia Wilson, 49, are on probation for convictions for manufacturing methamphetamine in Morgan County, the warrants said. The two are under the supervision of the Tennessee Department of Correction, and one of the conditions of probation is that the home can be searched, Thomas said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, Anderson County General Sessions Court, Arthur Wilson Jr., John Thomas, Julia Wilson, manufacture of a Schedule II drug, manufacturing methamphetamine, meth, meth lab, methamphetamine, methamphetamine laboratory, Morgan County, Oak Ridge Police Department, possession of drug paraphernalia, probation, pseudoephedrine, Schedule II drug, Tennessee Department of Correction, Walter Cum

TBI: Morgan Co. woman charged with attempted murder in husband’s shooting

Posted at 11:31 am July 4, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Jennifer Darlene Smith

Jennifer Darlene Smith

A Morgan County woman has been charged with attempted murder in the alleged shooting of her husband on Friday, authorities said.

Jennifer Darlene Smith, 39, faces one count of attempted second-degree murder, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. She was being held in the Morgan County Jail on Saturday morning, and her bond has been set at $100,000, the TBI said.

The alleged shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Friday at the family’s home on Morgan County Highway in Sunbright, the TBI said. When authorities responded, they found 61-year-old Leroy James Smith Jr. suffering from a gunshot wound, the TBI said in a press release. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Morgan County, Police and Fire, Tennessee Tagged With: attempted second-degree murder, Jennifer Darlene Smith, Leroy James Smith Jr., Morgan County, Morgan County Sheriff's Office, Russell Johnson, shooting, Sunbright, TBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

ORPD: Charges pending against hit-and-run suspect

Posted at 12:09 pm January 26, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

A suspect in a Friday night hit-and-run in Oak Ridge is in custody in Morgan County, and more charges are pending in Oak Ridge, authorities said.

The hit-and-run involving a pedestrian was reported at about 8:34 p.m. Friday at West Outer Drive and North Illinois Avenue, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: hit-and-run, Morgan County, North Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Tennessee Highway Patrol, West Outer Drive

Morgan crematory owner facing charges

Posted at 2:53 pm June 3, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Elliott Pet Service Excavation

Dump trucks remove pet remains excavated in December from Elliott Pet Services in Morgan County. (Photo courtesy WATE-TV)

Information from WYSH Radio

The owner of a pet crematory where investigators found dozens of dead dogs and cats in mass graves is now facing criminal charges.

A Morgan County grand jury indicted Cameo Farr on three counts of violating the state’s hazardous waste management act. Under that act, people can’t dump solid waste in a landfill that doesn’t have the proper permits. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Morgan County, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: air pollution control, Cameo Farr, cats, dogs, Elliott Pet Services, hazardous waste management, landfill, mass graves, Morgan County, pet cremation, pet crematory, solid waste

Since Saturday, three crashes in Oliver Springs area required Lifestar response

Posted at 5:28 pm June 2, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oliver Springs Crash Tri County Boulevard

An Oneida woman driving the car above was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville after a collision with a truck on Tri County Boulevard in Oliver Springs on Monday afternoon. (Photo by Oliver Springs Police Department/Kenneth Morgan)

For the third time since about noon Saturday, a Lifestar medical helicopter on Monday afternoon picked up a patient injured in a car crash in Oliver Springs.

The 1 p.m. Monday crash involved an Old Dominion truck driven by Steven Mayfield and a car driven by Lyndsay Phillips of Oneida. The truck was turning from eastbound Tri County Boulevard onto Knoxville Highway, or State Highway 62, headed toward Morgan County, Oliver Springs Police Chief Kenneth Morgan said. He said the car was traveling west toward Harriman on the Boulevard.

Phillips was flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by Lifestar, Morgan said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Roane County, Slider, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Emergency Medical Services, Anderson County EMS, Blair Fire Department, crash, John E. Manis Jr., Kelleytown Baptist Church, Kenneth Morgan, Knoxville Highway, Lifestar, Lookout Avenue, Lyndsay Phillips, Morgan County, Morgan County Rescue Squad, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oliver Springs, Oliver Springs Fire Department, Oliver Springs Police Department, ORFD, Roane County, Roane County Sheriff's Department, State Highway 61, State Highway 62, Steven Mayfield, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tom Scott, Travis Swint, Tri-County Boulevard, University of Tennessee Medical Center, UT Hospital

Weather: Schools, courts, offices closed; Wildcats sectional game now on Tuesday

Posted at 10:42 am March 3, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was last updated at 1:20 p.m.

Schools in Anderson County, Clinton, and Knox and Morgan counties are closed today (Monday) because of weather conditions and possible icing. And the Wildcats boys’ basketball sectional game in Kingsport, featuring Oak Ridge and Dobyns-Bennett, has been postponed to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Roane State Community College is closing its Campbell, Cumberland, Morgan, Scott, and Fentress county campuses due to icy roads. The campuses in Oak Ridge and Loudon, Knox, and Roane counties are open, but classes at the Clinton facility have been canceled.

The afternoon docket for the Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton has been canceled starting at 1 p.m. The afternoon docket for Anderson County Juvenile Court has also been canceled. And the Anderson County Courthouse closed at 1 p.m.

Tennessee officials said state offices will be closed the remainder of the day statewide, but mission-critical state employees will report to work as usual. [Read more…]

Filed Under: College, Education, High School, K-12, Sports, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Schools, basketball, Clinton, Dobyns-Bennett, ice, icing, Kingsport, Morgan County, National Weather Service, Oak Ridge, Roane State Community College, snow, Wildcats

Schools, govt. offices, businesses, DOE offices, Y-12 closed Thursday

Posted at 2:43 am February 13, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Snowman at Blankenship Field

Children build a snowman at Blankenship Field on Thursday morning. From left are Killian Fillmore, Andrew Bivens, Gavin Hensley, and Liam Hensley.

Note: This story was last updated at 10:29 a.m.

Oak Ridge Schools are closed Thursday, and so is the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office is also closed as are the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Site Office, Nuclear Energy Site Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Oak Ridge DOE Inspector General offices. Decisions about reporting instructions for Friday will be made later Thursday or early Friday morning. Employees should check the weather hotline and Facebook later for updates for Friday.

Schools in Clinton and Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, and Roane counties are also closed. So are Anderson County government offices and courts. And so are many businesses.

City of Oak Ridge offices will open at noon Thursday.

Waste Connections, Inc. will not be picking up refuse or recyclables on Thursday because of the weather conditions.  Thursday’s routes will be picked up on Friday, Feb. 14, and Fridays on Saturday, Feb. 15.  Please have all refuse and recyclables out by 7 a.m. For additional information you can contact Waste Connections Inc. at (865) 482-3656 or visit www.WasteConnectionsTn.com. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Education, Government, K-12, Top Stories, Weather, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Clinton, closed, Knox County, Loudon County, Morgan County, Oak Ridge, Roane County, schools, snow, Tennessee Department of Transportation, winter storm, Y-12 National Security Complex

TDEC provides violation notices, timeline on pet crematory where remains excavated

Posted at 2:46 pm December 8, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Elliott Pet Service Excavation

Dump trucks remove pet remains on Wednesday that had been excavated from Elliott Pet Services in Morgan County. (Photo courtesy WATE-TV)

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on Wednesday provided copies of the violation notices sent to the Morgan County crematory where animal remains were excavated last week after a state investigation.

TDEC also provided the media with an event timeline for September and October at Elliott Pet Services on Grouse Ridge Road, copies of annual inspection reports, and a state response to complainants Dana and Fegan Kenny.

You can read the documents here: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Morgan County, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Alyson Kennedy, Cameo Farr, crematory, Dana Kenny, Division of Solid Waste Management, Elliott Pet Services, Fegan Kenny, Grouse Ridge Road, investigation, Kevin Angel, Morgan County, pet owner, TDEC, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, violation notices

Impossible to identify animal remains excavated at pet crematory, state says

Posted at 12:09 pm December 6, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Elliott Pet Service Excavation

Dump trucks remove pet remains on Wednesday that had been excavated from Elliott Pet Services in Morgan County. (Photo courtesy WATE-TV)

It will not be possible to identify animals buried at a pet crematory in Morgan County where remains were excavated this week after a state investigation, officials said Wednesday.

News of the investigation and excavations this week has left many pet owners, including in Anderson County, wondering whether animals they paid to have cremated might be among those buried at the rural wooded site near the Roane County line.

The crematory site on Grouse Ridge Road is operated by Elliott Pet Services. It was the subject of a citizen’s complaint in September that alleged animals were being dumped on the site.

In September, the business also received an open dumping violation notice from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. And in October, the company was cited for not maintaining logs.

Business owner Cameo Farr and her attorney, Kevin Angel of Oak Ridge, told several Knoxville television stations that burying animals is part of her business, and she has always cremated animals that were supposed to be cremated. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Morgan County, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Alyson Kennedy, Anderson County, animal remains, animals, buried animals, Cameo Farr, Dames for Danes, dead animals, Division of Solid Waste Management, Elliott Pet Services, Great Danes, Grouse Ridge Road, incinerator, Jake, Karen Dypolt, Kevin Angel, Morgan County, Ninth Judicial District, pet crematory, Roane County, Scooby, Shannon Ashford, solid waste, TDEC, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, violation notice, WATE, WBIR, WVLT

Morgan voters OK distillery at former Brushy Mountain prison

Posted at 12:34 pm November 6, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex

On Tuesday, Morgan County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of turning the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary in Petros, pictured above, into a moonshine distillery and tourist attraction. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Department of Correction)

Information from WYSH Radio

On Tuesday, Morgan County voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of turning the former Brushy Mountain Penitentiary into a moonshine distillery and tourist attraction. The measure passed with 2,431 votes to 1,150 votes against.

Chattanooga-based Brushy Mountain Group is leading the effort to build the distillery, which could bring more than 100 new jobs to Morgan County. In addition to producing moonshine at the former prison, the company also intends to open a gift shop, a museum, and horse trails on the property, and would also like to offer tours of the historic prison to the public.

The former Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex is located about 18 northwest of Oak Ridge in Petros. The maximum-security prison first opened in 1896 and closed in June 2009. At 113 years old, it was the oldest operating prison in Tennessee. Its most infamous inmate was James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Morgan County, Morgan County, Top Stories Tagged With: Brushy Mountain, Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex, Brushy Mountain Group, Brushy Mountain Penitentiary, distillery, James Earl Ray, liquor, moonshine, Morgan County, Petros, prison, tourist attraction

Two schools each win $5,000 in ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover

Posted at 11:59 pm March 27, 2013
By Oak Ridge Associated Universities Leave a Comment

ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover Contest

Students at two local schools spent the past month patiently awaiting a potential classroom-altering announcement, and last week their patience was rewarded.

ORAU made surprise classroom announcements and presented each a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2013 Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. Courtney Batchelor, an eighth-grade teacher at Lake City Middle School in Anderson County, and Kristan Headrick, a sixth-grade teacher at Coalfield School in Morgan County, will use the grants to purchase technology to outfit their classrooms. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, K-12, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Top Stories Tagged With: A.L. Lotts Elementary School, Anderson County, Coalfield School, Courtney Batchelor, Extreme Classroom Makeover, Karla Fultz, Kristan Headrick, Lake City Middle School, Morgan County, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, ORAU

Three found after unexpected camping trip

Posted at 1:01 pm February 18, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

Rescue crews located three people reported missing after not returning from an ATV ride uninjured Saturday morning.

Crews from the Anderson and Morgan County rescue squads as well as crews from the Marlow and Briceville volunteer fire departments and others assisted in the search for a grandfather, father, and son who went riding Friday on Windrock Mountain, got lost, and had to camp out in the elements overnight. The trio was located Saturday morning and, aside from one mild case of hypothermia, was safe and sound.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Police and Fire, Recreation, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, ATV ride, Briceville, camping, lost, Marlow, Morgan County, rescue squads, volunteer fire departments

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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