Oak Ridge Today

Clinton man charged after teen pierces tongue

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Clinton man was arrested Wednesday morning on charges of aggravated child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in connection to an incident that allegedly happened last fall.

Jeremy Vandinter, 36, is accused of posing as a 13-year-old girl’s father and signing a parental consent form that allowed the girl to get her tongue pierced at an Oliver Springs tattoo parlor, against her actual father’s wishes. The teen had apparently babysat for Vandinter in the past and approached him to sign the form so she could have the procedure done at Uptown Ink in Oliver Springs.

The incident allegedly occurred on Sept. 28 of last year but the girl’s father did not discover the tongue-piercing until late last month, when he called police. Vandinter will appear in court in Roane County on June 6.

Roane Chamber has human resources legal seminar on May 13

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The Roane Chamber of Commerce is providing a special half-day seminar, “Stay out of court: Human Resource Legal Matters Update,” on Tuesday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Roane State Community College.

This is the third year the chamber has teamed with the attorneys at the Wimberly-Lawson law firm to provide this critical human resource learning opportunity for Roane County area businesses.

The seminar will include lunch and provide 4.0 Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits to qualified attendees towards PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification. The seminar will also earn Continuing Education Units (CEU) from Roane State Community College. CEUs are important to many individuals to keep their membership or certification current within their profession. Additionally, for someone wanting to earn a degree or certificate, a review of their CEU’s can be evaluated by Roane State Community College to determine if the CEU’s meet the criteria for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). [Read more…]

Roane Chamber seeks nominations for April 25 awards banquet

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Chris Ahler Roane Chamber Award

Roane Chamber Board Chair Chris Ahler won the 2011 Paul Goldberg Young Professional Award. (Submitted photo)

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KINGSTON—The 68th annual Roane Chamber Awards Banquet—the spring social event of the year—will be held on Friday, April 25, to present this year’s coveted business awards: the Distinguished Service, Business of the Year, Woman of the Year, and Young Professional awards.

The awards have been an integral part of the Chamber for decades, with the Distinguished Service Award dating back to 1970. Some of the previous award-winners include such renown community names as Jim Henry, Ken Yager, David Webb, Rocky Top General Store, Patterson’s Home Appliances, Junior’s Restaurant, Dr. Sherry Hill, Live and Let Live Drug Store, Harriman Mayor Chris Mason, and Dr. Paul Goldberg, who was also additionally honored in 2010 with becoming the namesake of the Chamber’s newest award, the Paul E. Goldberg Young Professional Award. For a list of all the past winners visit www.RoaneChamber.com/Awards. [Read more…]

Roane County hires veteran service officer

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Roane County Executive Ron Woody announced Wednesday that Brian Dunn has been hired as veteran service officer, a new position in the county.

“The veteran service officer will serve all veterans, dependents, and survivors in Roane County,” Woody said. “The officer will have an office on the third floor of the courthouse in Kingston and will be available for home visits.”

Woody said highly qualified candidates applied for the job. [Read more…]

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

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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…]

Weather Service warns of dangerous driving conditions as second round of snow starts

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Snowfall at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Rutgers Avenue

Heavy snow falls in Oak Ridge at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, and weather officials are warning of extremely dangerous driving conditions across the region.

The National Weather Service in Morristown warned of extremely dangerous driving conditions across the region on Wednesday night as a second round of snow started in Oak Ridge.

The 7 p.m. evening snow followed an earlier round of snow at about 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The Weather Service said the snow and subfreezing temperatures in the region will create slick roads and travel concerns across the region.

“Roads will become extremely treacherous overnight as snow and ice continues to accumulate and build up,” forecasters said. [Read more…]

Significant snowfall possible, forecasters say; one to five inches locally

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A major winter storm hitting the Southeast on Tuesday and Wednesday could dump three to five inches in the Tennessee Valley and southern Cumberland Plateau, and six to nine inches in the mountains, the National Weather Service in Morristown said.

Accumulations in Anderson and Roane counties could range between one and five inches from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning. Knoxville and Knox County are expected to get between three and five inches.

The forecast near Oak Ridge calls for a 20 percent chance of snow as early as Tuesday night, with a low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wednesday’s forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of snow all day, with a high of 36 and a low of 27. The chance of snow falls to 20 percent on Thursday, with a high of 43.

A local winter storm watch is in effect from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday. [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…]

Honor: Roane property assessor receives outstanding new member award

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David Morgan Receives TNAAO Outstanding New Member Award

Roane County Property Assessor David Morgan, left, receives the Outstanding New Member Award from the Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers. (Submitted photo)

Roane County Property Assessor David Morgan recently received an outstanding new member award from the Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers.

Morgan received the award during the TNAAO Regional Educational Seminars on Jan. 23. It was presented on behalf of the TNAAO by Executive Director Will Denami.

“The Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers proudly recognizes David Morgan for joining in the leadership of this organization in the service of Roane County and the assessment profession in Tennessee and names him Outstanding New Member 2013,” said 2013 Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers President Betty Burchett. [Read more…]

Oliver Springs Town Council appoints new member

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Information from Dudley Evans/BBB-TV

The Oliver Springs Town Council on Thursday night voted 5-0 to appoint Don Shillings to serve out the remaining two-plus years of former Alderman James Brummitt’s term.

Brummitt resigned two weeks ago from the alderman’s position, saying he wanted to devote more time to family and his other political seat as as Roane County commissioner, where he also serves as chairman. Shillings was one of two names brought before the Council during the meeting. He was present and, immediately after the vote, was sworn in and took his seat.

No stranger to politics, Shillings served two terms on the Oliver Springs Town Council in the past, one a four-year term and the other a two-year term. He thanked his fellow council members and the mayor for their support, and he said he looks forward to serving the citizens again in Ward 6.

Oak Ridge Today adds 2014 Election section

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It’s shaping up to be a big election year, and Oak Ridge Today has added a special 2014 Election section to help you keep up with the candidates and issues. You can access that section by clicking on the 2014 Election button in the navigation bar near the top of the website.

As of Friday, there were already more than three dozen candidates for various state and county offices in Anderson County. [Read more…]

Snow, bitter cold from Sunday night through Tuesday; some schools closed

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Weather forecasters are calling for snow and bitterly cold conditions across the region from Sunday night through Tuesday, and they said Monday night could be the coldest night in more than 10 years.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said a cold front will approach the area Sunday night, and rain will transition to snow in the late evening, with arctic air moving in behind the front.

Low temperatures from Monday night into Tuesday will range from -6 degrees Fahrenheit to around 5 degrees across the region. Dangerously cold wind chills are expected Monday through Tuesday morning. Wind chills will drop to 15 to 25 degrees below zero across the plateau and mountains, and between 5 and 15 degrees below zero over the valley. [Read more…]