Driver in crash with bus dies and other news from areas around Chattanooga

Driver in crash with bus dies

CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The 34-year-old driver of a Ford Explorer that collided with a Bradley County school bus a week ago died Wednesday of his injuries, according to a news release.

Jeremy H. Anderson, of Charleston, Tenn., was ejected from his vehicle Dec. 5 after it crossed into the opposite lane on North Lee Highway, struck the bus, left the road and rolled over.

Anderson died at Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga, Bradley County Sheriff's Office spokesman Bob Gault said in the statement.

The driver of the bus and a 14-year-old passenger were less seriously injured.


Toll lanes eyed for Interstate 75

ATLANTA - Georgia's Transportation Department is seeking bids on a massive project to add toll lanes to two busy interstates northwest of Atlanta.

The project will add the optional toll lanes to interstates 75 and 575. They would open in March 2018 if all goes according to plan.

Darryl VanMeter of the Department of Transportation told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the state is seeking an innovative and efficient design for the project.

Metro Atlanta already has toll lanes on Interstate 85 northeast of the city. The I-85 toll lanes span about 16 miles from near Chamblee Tucker Road, just south of Interstate 285, to Old Peachtree Road in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.


Y-12 protesters' trial date reset

KNOXVILLE - A federal judge has reset the trial for three nuclear protesters who broke into the Y-12 weapons plant in Oak Ridge to May 7.

The three people were scheduled to start trial on Feb. 26, but The Knoxville News Sentinel reports federal Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley Jr. moved the trial back during a conference call Monday with attorneys because of a new charge of felony sabotage that a grand jury added earlier this month.

Michael Walli, Greg Boertje-Obed and Sister Megan Rice are accused of breaking into the plant in July, cutting through security fences and defacing the plant's storage facility for uranium.

A deadline to reach a plea deal has been set for April 7, although the defendants have said they will not plead guilty.


Veteran sentenced for false claims

KNOXVILLE - A Tennessee military veteran who claimed he was a war hero has been sentenced to 21/2 years in federal prison for duping federal agencies out of nearly a half-million dollars in benefits.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips told 59-year-old Charles C. Kaczmarczyk during his sentencing hearing Wednesday that he had done a "grave disservice" to the real heroes of war and imposed the maximum penalty allowed.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that prosecutors say he never saw combat during his Air Force career but filed for more than $450,000 in benefits.

Upcoming Events