Oak Ridge Today

Next breakfast with legislators is Monday; community invited

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This year’s next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday.

It’s organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 22, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to give updates on what’s happening in the Tennessee General Assembly during the breakfast. Members of the audience can ask questions and give opinions. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge. The public is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]

Lunch today: ORNL Climate Change Science Institute, impact of climate on society

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Melissa-Allen

Melissa R. Allen, post-doctoral research associate, Computational Science and Engineering Division at ORNL (Submitted photo)

Joseph Kennedy and Melissa Allen of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discus the lab’s Climate Change Science Institute and the impact of climate on society during a lunchtime meeting today (Tuesday, February 16).

Kennedy and Allen will be the guest speakers at the Lunch with the League. Kennedy is a postdoctoral research associate and computational glaciologist at the Institute. Allen is a post-doctoral research associate in the Computational Science and Engineering Division. 

Presented by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, the program will be held at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in  the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is invited, and no reservations are necessary. Lunches are provided on a first-come basis for $8 or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.

Also at the meeting, there will be a formal announcement and details of an ORNL CCSI and a League partnership on climate change issues, a press release said. League member Chris Iversen, who leads the climate change action group for the LWVOR, has been working extensively with ORNL to develop this partnership. ORNL is already working with the city of Knoxville on similar partnership. [Read more…]

Habitat for Humanity needs your help raising money for sprinkler system

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Charlotte-Bowers-Feb-2016

Charlotte Bowers

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County needs your help making repairs to its very old sprinkler system. The nonprofit organization is trying to raise $8,500 by March 12 for these repairs.

Habitat for Humanity has issued a challenge to encourage supporters to contribute. Executive Director Charlotte Bowers will shave her head if the fundraising drive is successful.

Habitat for Humanity said all the money donated to build or repair homes is used only for that purpose, so the $8,500 for the sprinkler system has to be raised in a fundraiser specifically for that purpose. [Read more…]

ASAP’s Strutner named 2016 Advocate of Year by anti-drug coalition

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Stephanie Strutner accepted CADCA’s National Advocate of the Year Award in National Harbor, Maryland on Feb. 4, 2016. (Submitted photo)

Award recognizes individuals who are exceptional advocates for drug prevention field

Stephanie Strutner has been named the 2016 Advocate of the Year by Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, or CADCA, the nation’s leading substance abuse prevention organization.

Strutner, executive director of Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, accepted the award on Thursday, February 4, during CADCA’s 26th annual National Leadership Forum. The forum was at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

CADCA represents more than 5,000 community anti-drug coalitions across the country.

The Advocate of the Year award recognizes substance abuse prevention leaders who are exceptional advocates in the field, forge relationships and educate their elected officials throughout the year about key substance abuse-related issues, and help to ensure that members of Congress understand the importance of community coalitions. [Read more…]

Boys & Girls Club Gala is Saturday—enjoy the evening, support youth

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Boys-Girls-Club-Clinch-Valley-Gala-2016The Boys & Girls Club of Oak Ridge has its Gala 2016 on Saturday, February 13.

The Gala includes dinner, dancing, and an auction. Tickets are $100 per person, and black tie attire is encouraged. You must be 21 to attend.

“This will be a beautiful evening to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day and support the youth in our community!” organizers said.

The Gala is from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oak Ridge.

You can contact Boys & Girls Club staff or board members for tickets, or you can email Jennifer Pettyjohn at JPettyjohn@bgcor.org. You can also visit the event page here.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Video: Free group guitar lessons at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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Wendall Cook teaches free group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. from January through the first week of October at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Freelance contributor Savanna Schubert talks to Cook, a few of his students, and Senior Center Manager Linda McGhee in the video below.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is at 728 Emory Valley Road. Call (865) 425-3999 for more information.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Cook teaches guitar, love of music at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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Wendall Cook teaches free group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. from January through the first week of October at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. (Photo by Savanna Schubert)

 

Wendall Cook has been playing guitar for more than 60 years. It began when he was growing up, listening to Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Cook started playing and singing with the help from his father, and it began with three chords on the guitar.

Now Cook has a class of his own. He has been giving group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. for more than 11 years. His group has grown from a small jam session of three people to four classes of more than 60 students ranging from beginner to advanced.

“We started from three people and they kept inviting people in—by the end of the year we had seven or eight,” Cook said. “I never have been a professional teacher, but I like to share.”

Cook’s passion for teaching can be seen just by sitting in on one class. His love for the music and the students are unparalleled. We spoke with a couple of Cook’s students about why they got started and how the group lessons have grown. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum International Festival features music, dance, crafts, cuisine on Feb. 20

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Shamrock Road

Shamrock Road (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from cultures around the world at its annual International Festival on Saturday, February 20.

Shamrock Road, a band specializing in Irish ballads, will be the featured performer for the international event. The family-friendly festival will feature musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day, international food and culture booths, and crafts for children to make and take home.

The festival will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. February 20 at the Children’s Museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.

Shamrock Road plays many old pub standards and contemporary ballads by such artists as Mary Black, Christy Moore, and U2. Two of the band members have lived in Ireland. Bob Morin, on vocals and 12-string guitar, lived in County Tipperary for several years. Steve Reddick, on vocals, banjo and harmonica, attended college in Cork City. Other band members are Mary Tuskan, on vocals, guitar, banjo and mandolin; Jake Alexander, on bass; and Amanda Morgan, on fiddle. [Read more…]

Anderson County Ally of the Year for 2016: Becky Grubb

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2016 Anderson County Ally of the Year First Runner-up Theresa Scott, Ally of the Year Becky Grubb, and Second Runner-up Kim Pouncey are pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Becky Grubb has been named the 2016 Anderson County Ally of the Year.

The award is given by Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP, and it recognizes Grubb’s passion for creating a healthy and productive Anderson County, a press release said.

Grubb is the office manager at Fox Toyota, where she works with her family. She and her husband Stanley are active members of Grace Baptist Church, where they serve as greeters and small group home hosts. They have served with Lost Sheep Ministries in Knoxville for the past 12 years, assisting the homeless, and have taken several mission trips with Jesus Centered Ministries. Grubb is also a member of the Clinton Civitan Club, the press release said. She and Stanley have three children and four grandchildren. [Read more…]

Fall in love with ‘Dine and Donate’

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Dean Russell and Lynn Randolph, co-owners of Dean’s are pictured above. Ranked the number one restaurant in Oak Ridge on tripadvisor.com, Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery offers a variety of wood-grilled and home cooked favorites. (Submitted photo)

 

On Monday, February 8, several local restaurants will “share the love” by donating a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, ADFAC’s February Dine and Donate event provides an early opportunity to treat loved ones to a special meal.

Restaurants participating on Monday, February 8, are:

  • Dean’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Hoskins in Clinton,
  • Mediterranean Delight in Oak Ridge,
  • Popeye’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Razzleberry’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Secret City BBQ and Pies in Oak Ridge, and
  • Subway locations in Clinton (both), Oak Ridge (Four Oaks Center), Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top.

[Read more…]

Downtown Hardware, ADFAC partner to collect weatherization items for struggling families

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Downtown Hardware’s co-owner Roger Clary, along with his wife, Sondra, present the ADFAC collection area. (Submitted photo)

 

Families in need of utility assistance often request help in obtaining weatherization materials to reduce home energy costs.

This year, ADFAC and Downtown Hardware have partnered to collect those materials to help families struggling with higher energy bills through the colder months.

Downtown Hardware customers can help provide items or donations to help the families stay warmer and reduce utility bills. The hardware store is collecting donations purchased at a discounted price by customers, providing receipts, paying all sales taxes, and delivering the materials to ADFAC.

“When clients are able to weatherize their homes, it is a helpful, proactive step to clients becoming more self-sufficient,” ADFAC said in its monthly newsletter. “We are very grateful to Downtown Hardware and their customers for their generosity and commitment to the community.  If you would like to help with this effort, stop by Downtown Hardware at 298 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

Tech 2020 winding down operations; Pro2Serve among its success stories

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Technology-2020-Jan-27-2016

The board of directors for Technology 2020, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, voted Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to wind down operations after more than two decades. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Tech 2020—a nonprofit organization that counts Pro2Serve, a technical and engineering services firm, as one of its early success stories—announced last week that it is winding down operations after more than two decades.

Facing increased financial pressures, the Tech 2020 Board of Directors voted Tuesday, January 26, to begin an orderly process to wind down their operations, a press release said. The organization has been focused on technology-based economic development activities in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge region.

Tech 2020 once had 12 to 15 employees or more, but it is now down to less than five full-time employees, said Tom Ballard, past Tech 2020 chair and longtime Executive Committee member who was on the founding board. The organization has one building at Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge and manages a second building, an entrepreneurial center, for the City of Oak Ridge.

Tech 2020 was established in 1994 in Oak Ridge with significant grants from BellSouth, now part of the AT&T enterprise, and others, the press release said. The organization’s initial focus areas were telecommunications and entrepreneurship. One of its early creations was Digital Crossing Networks LLC, which is located in downtown Knoxville.

Pro2Serve is another success story, Ballard said. The company went from a home office to the Tech 2020 building to headquarters in the National Energy Security Center in the Oak Ridge Science and Technology Park at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The company now has more than 350 employees. [Read more…]