The Oak Ridge Public Library has announced a change in operating hours that is set to begin Tuesday, September 3.
Starting then, the main library will be open on the following schedule:
Michael Yates
Abuse of addictive prescription pain pills and other opioids, as well as deaths from overdoses, are plaguing the nation, state, and local communities. In 2018, nearly 200 Americans every day died from drug overdoses.
What are the consequences of opioid use and abuse in Anderson County? What are the overt and hidden costs to our local communities?
To begin to address the need for local understanding of this mental health issue and public health crisis, two Oak Ridge churches—First Presbyterian and Oak Valley Baptist—will co-sponsor a public forum on three Sunday afternoons in September on the crisis of drug addiction in Anderson County.
The forum sessions will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the fellowship hall of the Sanctuary building at First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the corner of Lafayette Avenue.
David Clark, district attorney general of Anderson County, will speak on September 8Â on criminal justice and the opioid epidemic. [Read more…]
Join a park ranger for a walk through the pre-Manhattan Project community of Wheat on Saturday, September 14.
Wheat was in what is now west Oak Ridge, around the area of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site. It was one of several local communities displaced by the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.
Oak Ridge and two other sites involved in the Manhattan Project—Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico—are now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Cedar Hill Playground due to a tree hazard. The playground will remain closed until crews are able to fully address the situation, a press release said.
“Crews have been working to safely trim the affected tree, but additional work is required,” the press release said. “Safety fencing and caution tape have been installed around the playground, and signs are being posted to notify the public of the temporary closure.”
[Read more…]
See the prairie wild flowers at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 24, during a hands-on maintenance activity with plant experts to identify wild flowers and grasses. Volunteers are needed to uproot invasive plants that would otherwise shade and kill the native cedar barren prairie plants, a press release said.
Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. One of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, the area is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses, the press release said.
The last Oak Ridge Reservation Nature Walk of 2019 will be held at the historic Freels cabin—the oldest structure in Oak Ridge—on Saturday.
The cabin is on Freels Bend near Melton Hill Lake in south Oak Ridge, east of Clark Center Park. It was built in 1844, and it’s been reported to be on the National Historic Register.
The opportunities to see the cabin are rare because it’s on restricted U.S. Department of Energy land.
Saturday’s walk is titled “History of the Oak Ridge Reservation—Freels Bend.” Registered walkers will meet at 1 p.m. in the parking lot behind the ORISE building at the corner of Bethel Valley and Pumphouse roads, a press release said.
[Read more…]The Fraternal Order of Eagles in Oak Ridge has its homecoming tonight (Friday, August 23), and visitors are welcome.
The Eagles have rebuilt after a fire on Oak Ridge Turnpike in 2016 and are now doing a membership drive.
“Our building may have burned three years ago, but our new building is done and we are ready for more members,” an announcement said.
The Homecoming tonight will feature food starting at 6:30 p.m. until it’s gone. There will be an auction at 7:30 p.m. with bars signs, mirrors, and other items.
A band, Downtown Claxton, will perform after the auction, the announcement said.
[Read more…]
Note: This story was updated at 1:50 p.m.
The YWCA has received funding that will expand its victim advocacy services to families with a history of domestic violence and who work with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services East Region in Anderson, Loudon, and Roane counties.
The award—$179,795 during a three-year period—was received by YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley.
The DCS liaison victim advocate will be co-located at the YWCA’s Oak Ridge location and the DCS East Region site in Anderson County, a press release said.
YWCA is one of only four organizations across the state to receive Victims of Crime Act funding from the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs, the press release said.
[Read more…]
The new MyRide Oak Ridge Senior Transportation Program is hosting its third Volunteer Driver Information and Training Session from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, August 17, at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.
MyRide Oak Ridge began with a “soft launch” in the spring and provided its first ride on April 12, a press release said. Through the program, volunteers will use their personal vehicles to drive seniors to doctor appointments, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other essential destinations.
The program allows seniors to keep some of their independence while still participating in social activities like going to church, playing bingo at the Senior Center, or volunteering, the press release said.
[Read more…]
Mira Kimmelman accepts an award from Hadassah. (Submitted photo)
Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally will present a state proclamation in honor of Mira Kimmelman on Friday, August 16. The presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge.
Jinx Watson will receive the proclamation from McNally and give a tribute to Kimmelman as her longtime friend and fellow educator, a press release said.
Following the program will be a Friday night service and then a potluck meal, the press release said.
“The public is invited to attend this celebration of Mira and the community potluck following the service,” the release said. [Read more…]
Submitted
What is ORICL? It is the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, and it is sponsored by Roane State Community College. It is open to people of all backgrounds and educational levels who reside in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, Rocky Top, Knoxville, and the surrounding areas. ORICL offers programs to appeal to many different interests. Membership is $100 for a full year, consisting of three terms beginning in September; $80 for two terms beginning in February; and $45 for the summer term only.
Learn more about ORICL at https://www.roanestate.edu/?8465-ORICL-Oak-Ridge-Institute-for-Continued-Learning. Call the ORICL office at (865) 481-8222 to ask questions or to request a catalog. Online registration began on August 6, and paper registrations are being accepted starting August 7. [Read more…]
Enjoy fantastic food, support an important nonprofit organization, and qualify for a $25 gift card—all at the same time—on Monday, August 12.
Several area restaurants are donating a portion of their sales to Aid To Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. Participating restaurants are Dean’s, Gallo Loco, Hoskins, Burchfield’s, Mediterranean Delight, Razzleberry’s, The Soup Kitchen, and Subway locations in Clinton, Oak Ridge (1968 Oak Ridge Turnpike), Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top, a press release said.
This month, in addition to enjoying a great meal and helping ADFAC at the same time, there’s an added bonus of a Photo Contest. ADFAC needs fresh, new photos to publicize its monthly Dine & Donate event, the press release said.
“You can help—and maybe even win!” the press release said.
Here’s how: [Read more…]
