Oak Ridge Today

Presentation on opioid drug epidemic Wednesday evening at RMS

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Chasing the Dragon Flyer Nov 29 2017

There will be a presentation on the opioid drug epidemic this evening at Robertsville Middle School.

The presentation is hosted by the offices of Safe Schools and Coordinated School Health. They are inviting the Oak Ridge community and friends of Oak Ridge Schools to the presentation, which is this evening (Wednesday, November 29) in the Robertsville Middle School Auditorium.

The evening will include a screening of the film “Chasing the Dragon,” a press release said. Following the film, the group will engage in a panel discussion with former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Neil Morgenstern as well as representatives from Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Ridgeview Behavioral Health, and ASAP of Anderson County.

The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday to provide those who attend an opportunity to visit with area mental health, drug prevention, treatment, and recovery agencies. The program will start promptly at 6 p.m. [Read more…]

Three people escape house fire on Northwestern

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Three people escaped with no injuries from a house fire on Northwestern Avenue early Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Three people escaped with no injuries from a house fire on Northwestern Avenue early Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, authorities said. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Three people escaped with no injuries from a house fire on Northwestern Avenue in the Woodland neighborhood early Sunday, authorities said.

An adult male and two juveniles were home at the time of the fire, and all three escaped, said Eric Rackard, Oak Ridge Fire Department battalion chief.

The fire was reported near the intersection with Nasson Lane just after midnight Sunday.

The cause is under investigation, Rackard said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge donates fire engine to Briceville

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The City of Oak Ridge donated a fire engine to the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department on Nov. 6, 2017, as they awaited delivery of a new fire truck. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge donated a fire engine to the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department on Nov. 6, 2017, as they awaited delivery of a new fire truck. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

This story and photos are from the City of Oak Ridge newsletter in November 2017.

The City of Oak Ridge donated a fire engine to the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department earlier this month as they awaited delivery of a new fire truck.

Oak Ridge Fire Department’s new engine was purchased using a stipend from Anderson County as part of a mutual aid program.

ORFD Chief Darryl Kerley and some of his firefighters walked Briceville VFD Chief Jamie Brewster through important details about the truck before they turned it over to the new owner. [Read more…]

No injuries reported when fire destroys vacant home

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A fire destroyed a vacant home on South Walker Lane on Thursday night, Oct. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A fire destroyed a vacant home on South Walker Lane on Thursday night, Oct. 19, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

No injuries were reported when a fire destroyed a vacant home on Thursday night, authorities said.

The fire was reported at 112 South Walker Lane at about 11:40 p.m. Thursday.

More than a dozen personnel from the Oak Ridge Fire Department responded, and they were able to get the fire under control within about 10 minutes, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. No injuries were reported. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary: Fire prevention celebration includes parade Saturday

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Map courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Map courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

A fire prevention celebration on Saturday will include a parade as part of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary celebration.

The celebration will kick off with a “Then and Now”-themed parade that will start at Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Station Number 3 on Tuskegee Drive and end at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Lineup for participants begins at 9 a.m., with the parade getting underway at 10 a.m.

The city that is now Oak Ridge was built as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Among other things, uranium enriched at Y-12 fueled the first atomic bomb used in wartime. Code-named “Little Boy,” it was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the end of the war. [Read more…]

Resident escapes when fire destroys outbuilding, damages home

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The resident escaped when an outbuilding and part of a home burned on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A resident escaped when an outbuilding and part of a home burned on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—A resident escaped when a fire destroyed a storage building and damaged a home on Old Edgemoor Lane in Claxton late Sunday morning.

The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department reported that the fire call came in to the 911 center a little before 11:30 a.m. Sunday. When deputies arrived, they found the storage building engulfed in flames, along with the portion of the home closest to the outbuilding, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Deputies reported that the homeowner, Kathrine Lively, told them she had just finished using her lawn mower and put it back in the shed when she went inside to take a shower. A few minutes later, she heard someone at her door yelling at her that she needed to come outside. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department’s Then & Now Parade part of 75th anniversary celebration

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Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott

Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will be hosting a fire prevention celebration on Saturday, October 7, as part of the city’s 75th anniversary.

In the 1940s, Oak Ridge hosted a parade during Fire Prevention Week every October to help spread the word about fire safety. ORFD hopes to rekindle this tradition in honor of the City’s milestone anniversary, a press release said.

The celebration will kick off with a Then and Now-themed parade at ORFD Fire Station Number 3 on Tuskegee Drive and end at Alvin K. Bissell Park. Lineup for participants will begin at 9 a.m., with the parade getting underway at 10 a.m., the press release said.

Following the parade, everyone is invited to gather in A.K. Bissell Park at 11 a.m. for opening ceremonies that will include static displays of emergency services equipment, bounce houses, safety information booths, and emergency services demonstrations. [Read more…]

Celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary started Friday

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ORHPA city 75th Birthday Celeb Flyer 2

A reminder: The 14-month celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary starts today (Friday, September 15).

Today’s celebration will feature guest speaker Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City” and “The Last Castle,” at 6 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater. There will be a book signing, and Kiernan’s book will be available for sale.

Ed Westcott, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II, will be the honored guest from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Family members Don and Emily Hunnicutt will present a slide show of Westcott photos with a question-and-answer session.

“You will never grow tired of Ed’s photographs, which tell the enormous Oak Ridge Manhattan Project story,” according to the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, which is presenting the celebration.

The celebration starts with historical displays at 2 p.m. There will be a wide variety of artifacts, posters, and displays for you to enjoy, the ORHPA said. [Read more…]

Woman escapes, pets evacuated after lightning strikes home, sparking fire

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A woman escaped and pets were evacuated after lightning struck a home on Albion Road in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5, 2017, likely destroying the residence, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A woman escaped and pets were evacuated after lightning struck a home on Albion Road in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5, 2017, likely destroying the residence, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A woman escaped and pets were evacuated after lightning struck a home in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, sparking a fire and likely destroying the residence, authorities said.

The lightning strike was reported at 105 Albion Road at 9:39 a.m. Tuesday. The home is just north of Emory Valley Road and just west of Melton Lake Drive.

The lighting strike occurred roughly in the center of the home, and it started an attic fire that spread across the house.

The female resident was watching television and she felt it, said Gary Williamson, Oak Ridge Fire Department engineer and investigator. She got out of her chair to investigate and saw smoke coming out of outlets and vents. The woman, who was reported to be okay, went to a neighbor’s house.

Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley arrived quickly and reported that the fire was already through the roof, Williamson said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge to announce plans for 75th anniversary celebration on Thursday

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Pictured above is early construction in 1942 on the K-25 plant with one of the original homes in the city that became Oak Ridge. (Photo by Ed Westcott courtesy U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office)

Pictured above is early construction in 1942 on the K-25 plant in the left background with one of the original homes in the city that became Oak Ridge in the right foreground. (Photo by Ed Westcott courtesy U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has formed a committee to help coordinate and circulate information about the city’s 75th Anniversary, which begins in September. Mayor Warren Gooch will lead a news conference on Thursday, August 31, where the city will announce plans for a year-long celebration of this milestone anniversary.

Several events are already on the calendar to help kick off the City’s 75th year. The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association will present a lecture on September 15 titled “The Legacy of Place” by guest speaker Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City” and “The Last Castle.” The Oak Ridge Fire Department plans to host “Then and Now,” a 1940s-era Fire Prevention Parade along Oak Ridge Turnpike on October 7.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex will celebrate the anniversaries of their respective beginnings as well. The festivities will continue through the end of 2018. Additional events will be announced as they are confirmed, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge to begin 75th Anniversary Celebration in September

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge will begin its 75th Anniversary Celebration in September, a press release said.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren L. Gooch announced Thursday that the city will form a committee to help coordinate and circulate information about the 75th anniversary, the press release said.

The 75th anniversary festivities will begin in September and continue through the end of 2018, the release said.

Among the planned events are a lecture presented by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association on September 15, 2017, titled “The Legacy of Place” by guest speaker Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City” and “The Last Castle.”

The Oak Ridge Fire Department plans to host “Then and Now,” a 1940s-era Fire Prevention Parade along Oak Ridge Turnpike on October 7, 2017.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex will celebrate the anniversaries of their respective beginnings as well, the press release said. [Read more…]

Man dies after fire at Manhattan Apartments

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A 61-year-old man died after a fire was reported at the Manhattan Apartments on Saturday morning, authorities said.

An alarm sounded in one of the apartments at about 7:50 a.m. Saturday, according to information from the Oak Ridge Fire Department that was provided by City of Oak Ridge spokesperson Sarah Self.

Oak Ridge Police Department officers found heavy smoke inside the apartment when they arrived Saturday morning, and the Oak Ridge Fire Department was dispatched.

Nearby residents were evacuated while firefighters made entry to the apartment and extinguished the fire. A man was found inside, the city said. [Read more…]