Oak Ridge Today

Home damaged by fire Monday, cause under investigation

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A fire damaged a home on Gorgas Lane in north Oak Ridge on Monday evening, Aug. 6, 2018. No injuries were reported. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A fire damaged a home on Gorgas Lane in north Oak Ridge on Monday evening, Aug. 6, 2018. No injuries were reported. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A fire damaged a home in north Oak Ridge on Monday evening. No injuries were reported.

The house fire was reported at about 8:22 p.m. Monday in the 100 block of Gorgas Lane.

When firefighters arrived, they could see flames coming from the rear of the home and the attic, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said in a press release. Firefighters from Engine 2 laid a supply line from the fire hydrant and used two hand lines to quickly extinguish the fire, along with crews from Engines 1 and 3, Tower 10, and Rescue 30, the press release said. [Read more…]

Clinton Fire Department gets new ladder truck on Friday

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Clinton Fire Department Tower Truck (Picture via WYSH Radio)

Clinton Fire Department Tower Truck (Picture via WYSH Radio)

 

Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

The Clinton Fire Department will possess the largest fire truck in Anderson County on Friday.

Officials recently agreed to purchase a new truck with a ladder capable of reaching heights of 110 feet and will take possession of it on Friday, according to Clinton Fire Chief Archie Brummitt and Assistant Chief Jeff Little.

The new apparatus is thought to be the largest single purchase in the history of the city at $991,000. The funding came from the city’s capital project fund, as well as a $200,000 donation from Clinton manufacturing company SL Tennessee.

The ladder truck has an expected lifespan of 25-30 years, according to Brummitt, who said the tower truck has been on the department’s wish list for some time. [Read more…]

Free child car seat checkpoint scheduled for July 14

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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, July 14, 2018. (File photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital are hosting a child passenger seat checkpoint on Saturday, July 14. It’s free and open to the public.

The checkpoint will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Department Station #2, located at 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike (near Home Depot). Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with no need to pre-register, a press release said.

During the event, child car seats will be checked for any manufacturer recalls and examined for proper installation by certified technicians, the press release said. Crews will also distribute educational materials about car seats. [Read more…]

Reminder: Fireworks are Wednesday at A.K. Bissell Park

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Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (File photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

A reminder: The City of Oak Ridge is again sponsoring a fireworks show to celebrate Independence Day. The display will be held in A.K. Bissell Park on Wednesday, July 4, and is scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 74th year, will perform prior to the fireworks, a press release said. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating, the press release said. A safety zone will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. Please sit only in the designated areas, the press release said. [Read more…]

First Water Safety Day will have demonstrations on life jackets, water rescues

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Oak Ridge Water Safety Day 2018

A first-ever Water Safety Day in Oak Ridge will feature demonstrations on boating and life jacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more, a press release said.

The Water Safety Day was announced by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool.

Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the press release said. [Read more…]

Independence Day fireworks show is July 4 at A.K. Bissell Park

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Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

Fireworks at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on July 4, 2017. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

The annual Oak Ridge fireworks show is Independence Day, July 4, at Alvin K. Bissell Park. The fireworks are sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge.

The show is scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Community Band, now in its 74th year, will perform prior to the fireworks, a press release said. The concert is free, but donations are accepted by the band to help cover the cost of equipment and other expenses. The music is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Anyone planning to attend is advised to bring a lawn chair or blanket for outdoor seating. A safety zone will be established by the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]

Council to consider budget with two-cent tax rate increase

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The Oak Ridge City Council is pictured above in December 2016. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a budget with a proposed two-cent increase in the property tax rate and what would generally be a 2 percent pay increase for employees.

If approved by Council, the tax rate change would be the first increase in years. Oak Ridge Today reported that the budget approved last year was the 10th one in a row without a tax rate increase.

The two-cent increase in the property tax rate, which would raise it to $2.54 per $100 of assessed value, would help fund the bond repayments for the new Oak Ridge Senior Center, Scarboro Park renovation, and Oak Ridge Preschool, and also provide the city some “breathing room,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. The Senior Center, Scarboro Park, and Preschool projects are expected to cost about $13 million total.

Municipal officials said there has been a $750,000 shortfall in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, in revenues from Roane County. That shortfall is attributed to some sales tax exemptions, and it is believed to mostly be from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the major taxpayer in the Roane County portion of the city. The shortfall affected Oak Ridge this year and has been resolved this year, but the city had to use reserves, which affected money that could be used for capital projects in the next fiscal year, fiscal year 2019, which starts July 1, Watson said. [Read more…]

Victim identified in fatal crash

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One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive near the rowing course finish line on Sunday, May 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive near the rowing course finish line on Sunday, May 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Authorities have identified the female driver who died in a head-on two-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive on Sunday night as Jessica Hotchkiss, 37, of Clinton.

No other details had been released as of Tuesday, and the Oak Ridge Police Department said the investigation was ongoing.

The fatal crash was reported at about 11:23 p.m. Sunday just south of the tower at the Oak Ridge rowing course finish line. It involved a sport utility vehicle and a Comcast utility bucket truck.

The ORPD said then that it appeared the SUV had crossed the center line, striking the Comcast truck head-on. [Read more…]

One person dies in crash on Melton Lake Drive

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One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive near the rowing course finish line on Sunday, May 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

One person died in a two-vehicle crash on Melton Lake Drive near the rowing course finish line on Sunday night, May 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

One person died in a head-on collision on Melton Lake Drive on Sunday night, authorities said.

The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 11:23 p.m. Sunday just south of the tower at the Oak Ridge rowing course finish line. It involved a sport utility vehicle and a Comcast utility bucket truck.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but it appears that the SUV crossed the center line, striking the Comcast truck head-on, according to Oak Ridge Police Department Sergeant Jeremy Huddleston.

Authorities reported that a female driver died in the crash. Huddleston said the other driver was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and released. [Read more…]

Free child car seat checkpoint is Saturday

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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The checkpoint will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Department Station Number 2, located at 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near Home Depot. Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with no need to pre-register, a press release said.

The public checkpoint is hosted by the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Celebration of the Young Child on Friday

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Children enjoy making crafts to take home at the Celebration of the Young Child at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Children enjoy making crafts to take home at the Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Crafts, storytelling, and fitness challenges will be among activities planned for the Celebration of the Young Child from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 27, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Children’s author Adele Roberts will tell stories from her “Sammy the Skunk” series of books, accompanied by her Sammy puppets. Her stories are designed to stimulate children’s imaginations and to teach character values based on the situations the animals encounter, a press release said.

Physical Education teacher Josh Johnson from Linden Elementary School will kick off the morning with gym activities. Children will be “kids in motion” with the National Fitness Center’s obstacle course. And children will learn about fire safety from firefighters with the Oak Ridge Fire Department.

Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee will invite the museum’s young gardeners to “plant” a garden of pinwheels for prevention, a symbol of child abuse prevention, in the Environmental Learning Center and Gardens, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORFD swimmers rescue stranded canoeist

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Two Oak Ridge Fire Department swimmers rescued a man who had fallen out of a canoe near Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, April 12, 2018, authorities said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

Two Oak Ridge Fire Department swimmers rescued a man who had fallen out of a canoe near Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, April 12, 2018, authorities said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Fire Department)

 

Two Oak Ridge Fire Department swimmers rescued a man who had fallen out of a canoe near Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The man, who was not identified, cannot swim, but he was wearing a life jacket, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release Friday. He was hanging onto a fence post in the water after falling out of his canoe, but he was cold and could not get himself back into the overturned canoe or to the shore, the press release said.

The Oak Ridge 911 dispatch center had received a call that a canoe had overturned in the cove at the entrance to Clark Center Park at about 3:35 p.m. Thursday.

Oak Ridge Fire Department Captain Jason Benjamin has been training a crew of firefighters to become rescue swimmers during the past 24 months, and their training was put to the test on Thursday, the press release said. [Read more…]