Oak Ridge Today

Archives for June 2012

Fire Department begins wildfire campaign next week

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As more homes are built in wooded areas, the threat posed by wildfires increases, so the Oak Ridge Fire Department has launched a new fire prevention program called Fire Wise.

Announced by Fire Chief Darryl Kerley on Friday, the new program is an effort to make residents more aware of the potential for a wild land fire.

Starting next week, Oak Ridge Fire Department employees will begin distributing Fire Wise materials via a door-to-door campaign to homes located off of Scenic Drive on the east end of town and Whippoorwill Drive on the west end.

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Federal lobbyist’s pay could be cut 70 percent

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The city’s federal lobbying firm could have its annual compensation reduced by about 70 percent under a contract the Oak Ridge City Council will consider Monday.

The Ferguson Group of Washington, D.C., has earned up to $102,000 per year to lobby for Oak Ridge in the nation’s capital.

However, under the proposed contract, The Ferguson Group could earn $30,000 at an hourly rate of $425 per hour. Once the firm reaches the $30,000 cap, the city manager would have to approve extra hours.

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Regional small business summit starts July 9

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The first regional small business summit by the U.S. Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration will be held in Knoxville from July 9 to 11.

During the summit at the Knoxville Convention Center, small businesses will be able to speak with government and industry representatives, and information specifically focused on awarding prime contracts and subcontracts to small businesses will be highlighted.

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Music in Oak Ridge this weekend includes rock, reggae

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The Super Dave 5

The Super Dave 5 perform at Lincoln's Sports Grille in Oak Ridge tonight. (Photo courtesy of The Super Dave 5)

Rock and reggae bands will perform in Oak Ridge this weekend.

Knoxville band The Super Dave 5 will play at Lincoln’s Sports Grille on South Illinois Avenue tonight. The band performs classic rock and R&B with a splash of funk.

The show starts around 8 or 8:30 p.m.

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Motorcycle ride on Saturday benefits children at Christmas

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Anderson County Toy Run

A few hundred motorcyclists ride in the annual Anderson County Toy Run. (Photo courtesy of Anderson County Toy Run)

An annual motorcycle ride that benefits children at Christmas starts at Moose Lodge in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The ride has raised about $25,000 per year for the past few years and helped roughly 220 children last year, said Brad Brewster, 2012 chair of the nonprofit Anderson County Toy Run.

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WSI Oak Ridge executive receives Guard, Reserve support award

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Jim Rackstraw Award

WSI Oak Ridge Deputy General Manager Jim Rackstraw, left, accepts an outstanding performance award from ESGR Area Chair John Dyess.

WSI Oak Ridge Deputy General Manager Jim Rackstraw was recently honored by the Tennessee Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve with the Outstanding Performance Award.

This new award is presented to volunteers whose efforts are important to the success of ESGR’s expanded mission of promoting support for their employees who serve in the Reserve Components and who work to find employment for Reserve personnel and their spouses, a WSI Oak Ridge press release said.

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About 5,000 people expected at US Rowing youth championships

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US Rowing Youth National Championships

One hundred thirty-five teams from 30 states are competing in the US Rowing Youth National Championships at Oak Ridge Marina this weekend.

The US Rowing Youth National Championships are in Oak Ridge again this year, and about 5,000 people are expected to attend, including athletes and their families, an organizer said Thursday.

The regatta starts Friday morning and ends Sunday afternoon. It will include about 1,800 rowers from 135 teams in 30 states, said Allen Eubanks, Oak Ridge Rowing Association head coach.

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UCOR employee named state president of professional association

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Linda Spitzer

Linda Spitzer at the IAAP Tennesssee division's annual meeting. (Photo submitted by UCOR)

Linda Spitzer, an administrative professional for UCOR, has been named president of the Tennessee division of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, according to a press release.

Spitzer was elected to the board as secretary in 2009, and was elected president by the members of the 17 chapters that comprise the Tennessee division, the press release said. She became president at the division’s annual meeting, which was held June 1-3 in Chattanooga.

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Four dogs found dead, woman arrested for animal cruelty

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An East Tennessee woman who owned four dogs that were found dead and severely emaciated last year was arrested Sunday, Anderson County court records said.

Sarah Rebecca Roe, 30, has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty.

In an affidavit, Oak Ridge Police Sgt. Shannah Newman said Animal Control Officer Cy Cruttenden found the dogs—three juveniles and one adult—dead at a home on Lynwood Lane on Feb. 23, 2011.

“The physical conditions of all four dogs are best described as severely emaciated,” Newman said.

Roe had left all four at the home for several weeks and did not provide adequate food, water, or medical care, she said. The young dogs were in a sunroom or enclosed porch at the rear of the house, and the adult dog was found under the enclosed porch in the yard.

The Anderson County jail log and arrest warrants give two different addresses for Roe, one in Oak Ridge and one in Clinton.

She has been released from the Anderson County jail in lieu of $20,000 bond, and she has a June 14 court appearance in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.

School board picks superintendent search firm

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously agreed to hire an executive search firm based in Iowa to lead the search for a new Oak Ridge school superintendent.

Ray and Associates Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will help lead the hunt for a superintendent to replace Tom Bailey, who is retiring at the end of the year. The company will charge a base fee of $15,500 plus expenses of up to $6,000.

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Haw Ridge Park use policies discussed tonight

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board is asking for public input on facility use policies at Haw Ridge Park during a meeting tonight.

The quarterly “Meet the Board” meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the Civic Center Social Room.

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Insect that kills ash trees found in Oak Ridge

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Emerald Ash Borer Trap Inspection

Oak Ridge National Laboratory intern Jordan Chaney inspects an emerald ash borer trap near Bethel Valley Road. (Photo courtesy of ORNL)

The emerald ash borer, a destructive insect that attacks ash trees and can kill them, has been found on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation, according to an article posted on ORNL Today.

The non-native insect was first trapped in Roane and Anderson counties in May, the article said. One trap was on Highway 95 at the Highway 58 interchange, and the other was on Bethel Valley Road near the East Portal.

“Unfortunately, these finds signal the beginning of a decline of ash species throughout the reservation,” said Greg Byrd, forester with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Natural Resources Program.

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