• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Investigation under way in West Outer Drive house fire

Posted at 4:29 am July 18, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Three people are safe after a house fire on West Outer Drive on Friday morning, July 15, 2022. (Photo from City of Oak Ridge)

Three people are safe after a house fire on West Outer Drive on Friday morning.

Fire crews arrived on scene of the home, located at 687 West Outer Drive, within three minutes of the call, a press release said. They arrived at 10:06 a.m. to find the home on fire with heavy smoke coming from the roof.

One man suffered injuries that weren’t life-threatening after escaping through a window, the press release said. He was treated on scene and did not need to be taken to the hospital.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Fire, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: fire, house fire, Oak Ridge Fire Department, West Outer Drive

City wants to replace 74-year-old water line that failed nine times

Posted at 4:51 pm August 9, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

West Outer Drive Water Main Break
A water main break along West Outer Drive is pictured above in August 2015.

The Oak Ridge Public Works Department wants to replace a critical 74-year-old water line along West Outer Drive that has failed nine times since 2014.

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a contract this evening for engineering services to replace the 14-inch cast iron water line between North Illinois Avenue and Wellington Circle. The contract for engineering services with LDA Engineering would be worth up to $120,000.

The city said the water line was installed around 1947. It is about 2,800 feet long and about three feet behind the curb on the north side of West Outer Drive.

“This section of waterline that Public Works proposes to replace has proven to be very unreliable,” Oak Ridge City Engineer Roger Flynn told City Manager Mark Watson in a memo on Monday.

The city staff found one failure in 2014 and eight more since 2018. The failures have been between 648 and 740 West Outer Drive.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: LDA Engineernig, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Public Works Department, Roger Flynn, water line, West Outer Drive

Motorcyclist in stable condition after crashing into power pole

Posted at 9:52 am August 10, 2018
By John Huotari 1 Comment

A motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018. authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018, authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The 20-year-old motorcyclist injured in a crash with a power pole in north Oak Ridge on Wednesday was listed in stable condition at a hospital on Thursday, officials said.

Matthew McKamey was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville from Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge after the crash on West Outer Drive at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday.

He remained at the UT Medical Center on Thursday. McKamey’s injuries were described as serious after Wednesday’s single-vehicle crash a few blocks east of North Illinois Avenue. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: crash, Matthew McKamey, Oak Ridge Police Department, University of Tennessee Medical Center, UT Medical Center, West Outer Drive

Motorcyclist airlifted to UT after crashing into power pole

Posted at 9:54 am August 8, 2018
By John Huotari 3 Comments

A motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018. authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, Aug. 8, 2018. authorities said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 2:50 p.m.

A 20-year-old motorcyclist was flown to a Knoxville hospital in a medical helicopter with what were described as serious injuries after crashing into a power pole on West Outer Drive on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash, which was a few blocks east of North Illinois Avenue in an area with a curve and a hill, was reported at about 7:10 a.m. Wednesday. The motorcycle was heading west when it left the roadway and struck a utility pole, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

After the crash, the male motorcyclist was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville from Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, said Eric Rackard, battalion chief for the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: crash, Eric Rackard, North Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Public Works Department, University of Tennessee Medical Center, West Outer Drive

One lane of Pennsylvania to be closed Aug. 15, 16

Posted at 8:18 pm August 10, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

One lane of Pennsylvania Avenue will close on Monday and Tuesday morning next week for street repairs.

The road is scheduled to be closed between West Outer Drive and Hillside Road at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, August 15, and Tuesday, August 16. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge Tagged With: Hillside Road, Oak Ridge Public Works Department, Pennsylvania Avenue, street repairs, West Outer Drive

Water main break damages West Outer Drive

Posted at 1:18 pm July 6, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Water Main Break at West Outer and Mississippi July 5 2016

A water main break damaged West Outer Drive near Mississippi Avenue on Tuesday, July 5, 2016, officials said. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A water main break damaged West Outer Drive near Mississippi Avenue on Tuesday, officials said.

On Wednesday, the Oak Ridge Public Works Department urged residents and visitors to use “extreme care and caution” while driving in that area.

In order to repair the water main break on Tuesday night, extensive damage was caused to the roadway, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Mississippi Avenue, Oak Ridge Public Works Department, water main break, West Outer Drive

Updated: Missing child located, safe

Posted at 1:11 pm June 29, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 1:48 p.m.

The child reported missing from West Outer Drive on Wednesday afternoon has been located, and he is safe, authorities said.

The three-year-old was reported missing at about 1 p.m. Wednesday. The Oak Ridge Police Department confirmed that he had been located at about 1:44 p.m.

To contact the ORPD, you may call them at 911 for emergencies and (865) 425-4399 for non-emergencies.

To sign up for text alerts from the ORPD, text your zip code to 888777. You can also see a sign-up form on the Nixle website at http://local.nixle.com/alert/5671353/.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: missing child, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, West Outer Drive

Two Knoxville men arrested after two alleged drive-by shootings

Posted at 2:36 pm June 8, 2016
By John Huotari 12 Comments

Alexander Ryan Tirado

Alexander Ryan Tirado

Joshua Chase Payne

Joshua Chase Payne

Two Knoxville men were arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after drive-by shootings were reported on Pennsylvania Avenue and West Outer Drive on Tuesday, authorities said.

Arrested were Alexander Tirado, 25, of Oak Park Drive in Knoxville, and Joshua Chase Payne, 23, of Wallace Road in Knoxville.

In arrest warrants, Oak Ridge Police Department officers reported two calls of shots fired on West Outer Drive and Pennsylvania Avenue near Pine Lane on Tuesday night.

There were at least three adults and two juveniles in the 300 block of West Outer Drive, in the “immediate vicinity and the general direction of the gunfire” there, the arrest warrants said. Five spent 9mm casings were recovered from the street, authorities said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire Tagged With: Alexander Tirado, Anderson County Detention Facility, drive-by shootings, Joshua Chase Payne, Karen Jenkins, Matthew Johnston, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, Pennsylvania Avenue, reckless endangerment, shots fired, West Outer Drive

Two cars crash into homes, one into brick landscaping wall

Posted at 1:32 pm April 26, 2016
By John Huotari 5 Comments

Car-Crash-Everest-Circle-Home-5-April-26-2016

No one was injured when a Buick LeSabre crashed into the laundry room of a home at 104 Everest Circle at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Two vehicles hit two homes in Oak Ridge in the past week, and one car crashed into a brick landscaping wall at the new drive-through at ORNL Federal Credit Union.

In the most recent crash, a four-door Buick LeSabre crashed into the laundry room of a home at 104 Everest Circle at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

No one was in the laundry room at the time, and no one was injured, authorities said. A dog and cat in the house were also reported to be okay, according to a neighbor.

The cause of the single-vehicle crash had not been determined. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Police and Fire, Slider Tagged With: Austin Keathley, crash, Darrell Mull, Duane Craig, Everest Circle, Jordan Alcorn, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORNL FCU, ORNL Federal Credit Union, ORPD, Ray Burney, West Outer Drive

Fire destroys home on West Outer Drive

Posted at 10:20 am November 2, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

West Outer Drive Fire Oct. 31, 2015

A fire destroyed an unoccupied rental home on West Outer Drive early Saturday morning, authorities said. (Submitted photo)

 

A fire destroyed an unoccupied rental home on West Outer Drive early Saturday morning, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 4:25 a.m. Saturday, October 31, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

Flames were coming through the roof of the house when the Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived, the press release said.

The city said the home was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and the cause is still under investigation. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: fire, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, West Outer Drive

Wanted after Oak Ridge shooting, Williams now faces federal gun charge

Posted at 12:48 pm October 22, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

The Oak Ridge man wanted after a shooting and crash in north Oak Ridge in September now faces a federal firearms charge after police found a pistol and ammunition manufactured outside Tennessee in his house and car, authorities said.

Larry Dewayne Williams, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury this month on one count of being a convicted felon who possessed a gun and ammunition, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on October 6.

Williams, who was arrested near a South Knoxville club early Sunday, allegedly fled from Oak Ridge police in a silver Infiniti after the September 21 shooting on Wakefield Road. After he allegedly ran from the car following a three-vehicle crash at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer James Elkins found an AR-15 type firearm on the passenger floorboard of Williams’ Infiniti and a semi-automatic pistol lying inside.

During the hunt for Williams, an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department K-9 tracked Williams to a nearby home at 612 West Outer Drive, a house that Williams shares with Chelsea Lively, 22. Inside that house, police found hand gun cases and gun magazines in plain view, according to an affidavit that accompanies a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court on October 2.

They also found about two ounces of suspected heroin and roughly 7.72 ounces of suspected marijuana. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police, Police and Fire, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Tagged With: Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Chelsea Lively, crash, indictment, James Elkins, John Acker, Larry Dewayne Williams, ORPD, Rebecca Bobich, shooting, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, U.S. District Court, Wakefield Road, West Outer Drive

Man wanted in Oak Ridge after shooting, crash arrested in Knox

Posted at 12:54 pm October 20, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Larry Dewayne Williams

Larry Dewayne Williams

Note: This story was last updated at 1:21 p.m.

A 28-year-old Oak Ridge man wanted after a September shooting and three-car crash was arrested in Knox County on Sunday, authorities said.

Authorities are waiting for Larry Dewayne Williams, 28, to be transported to Anderson County.

“We’re very, very pleased with that,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said of the arrest, “and we eagerly await his transfer to Anderson County to answer the charges.”

The specific charges haven’t been released yet.

In September, the Oak Ridge Police Department said it seized 49.2 grams of suspected heroin in a West Outer Drive house that is the home of Williams and Chelsea Reign Lively, 22.

The ORPD said it found the drugs, which also included about 7.72 ounces of suspected marijuana, during a search after the September 21 shooting, which was on Wakefield Road, and three-car crash about two hours later at North Illinois Avenue and West Outer Drive.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: ACSD, Anderson County, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Chelsea Reign Lively, crash, heroin, Jim Akagi, Kevin Craig, Knox County, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Larry Dewayne Williams, marijuana, North Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge Police Department, ORPD, shooting, Wakefield Road, West Outer Drive

Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

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...]

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Recent Comments

  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Mysti M Desilva on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Mel Schuster on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Cecil King on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Rick Morrow on Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
  • Diana lively on Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25
  • Anne Garcia on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student
  • Raymond Dickover on Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center now open 6 days per week
  • Mike Mahathy on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today