Oak Ridge Today

Friends of Oak Ridge Library Book Sale is Thursday-Sunday

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Library will hold its Fall 2018 Book Sale from Thursday to Sunday in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium.

“Plan to come to the Thursday evening Members Sale, then come Friday to purchase the titles you thought about buying but didn’t on Thursday,” a press release said. “Come Saturday to find half-price bargains and to place your winning bid on the Silent Auction items you want to take home. Return on Sunday to fill a bag with titles for your friends and family and the many Free Libraries scattered about town. Every day you will find a wide selection of fiction and nonfiction books and nonprint media with most titles 50 cents or $1 each.”

The Book Sale will be open to members only on Thursday evening, October 25, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Memberships ($5 for individuals, $10 for families) can be bought that evening. [Read more…]

Reminder: Children’s Halloween Party is Friday

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Halloween Party 2017 Star Wars Family Costume (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Halloween Party 2017 Star Wars Family Costume (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A reminder: The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2018 Children’s Halloween Party on Friday, October 26, from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. This annual event is now in its 36th year and will be attended by hundreds of local children and their families, a press release said.

Here is more information from a press release published earlier:

Activities will be planned for every room in the Oak Ridge Civic Center and a hay ride will be offered in Bissell Park, weather permitting. There is no admission fee for the event, but participation in most activities requires one or more tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center. The cost is 25 cents per ticket or $5 for a pack of 20. [Read more…]

ASAP partners with Oak Ridge, Clinton police for Drug Take Back Day

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Naloxone training offered at Drug Take Back Day, which is this Saturday

Anderson County is participating in a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday.

It’s the 15th Annual DEA Rx Drug Take Back Day on October 27. The DEA is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Community members can bring their expired or unused medicines to one of the Anderson County ‘take back’ locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, a press release said. Collection sites will be located at the police departments listed below. Each department will be set up outside in their respective parking lots to receive the expired or unused medicines, the release said. [Read more…]

Free child car seat checkpoints scheduled for Oct. 23-24

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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital are teaming up to host child passenger seat checkpoints on Tuesday, October 23, and Wednesday, October 24. The events are free and open to the public.

The checkpoints will be held in the parking lot across the street from Oak Ridge Preschool, located at 304 New York Avenue. Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by anytime between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. either day with no need to pre-register, a press release said.

During the event, car seats will be checked for manufacturer recalls and examined for proper installation by certified technicians. Crews will also distribute educational materials about car seats. Attendees should follow the directional signage when arriving at the checkpoint, the press release said. [Read more…]

Norris Bulletin publisher to speak at Democratic Women’s Club

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Jack Mitchell, editor and publisher of The Norris Bulletin, will discuss publishing a community newspaper at the Monday, October 22, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The club will meet at 6 p.m. at The Other One, a deli at 178 Randolph Road in Grove Center in Oak Ridge.

Mitchell publishes the weekly Norris Bulletin, which is produced in both an e-mail version and printed version. The Bulletin, founded in 1948, celebrates its 70th birthday this year, a press release said.

A resident of Norris since 2004, Mitchell has been the editor and publisher of The Norris Bulletin since 2013. Initially, it was his intent to assume control of the community newspaper on an interim basis, when the previous owner was moving out of the country and had been unable to find anyone interested in purchasing the publication. [Read more…]

Flat top house to move to Children’s Museum on Tuesday

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The historic flat top house that has been at the American Museum of Science and Energy for about a decade will be moved to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, officials said Monday, Sept. 10. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The historic flat top house that has been at the American Museum of Science and Energy for about a decade will be moved to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The flat top house move from the American Museum of Science and Energy to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 16. The move was delayed earlier this month due to heavy rains.

The move is expected to begin at AMSE about 9:45 a.m. and continue along Illinois Avenue about 10 a.m. Tuesday. Residents along West Outer Drive from Illinois Avenue to the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive have been notified of the move date and are asked to move cars from the street on Tuesday, a press release said.

The Children’s Museum offered to give the flat top a new home when AMSE, which is re-opening in its new location in Main Street Oak Ridge, announced its move. AMSE’s new location doesn’t have space to keep the flat top as an exhibit, the press release said. The Children’s Museum does have room on its property southeast of the museum building. [Read more…]

New conductor starts Community Band/Wind Ensemble season with Sunday concert

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Shaun Salem

Shaun Salem

 

New conductor Shaun Salem will begin the Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble’s 2018-2019 subscription season with the Fall Concert on Sunday.

The concert is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, October 14, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

“The Community Band/Wind Ensemble is extending an invitation to Oak Ridgers and area residents to attend the October 14 performance and give a resounding welcome to Shaun Salem as he ushers in the ‘Prelude to a New Era’ season with indoor concerts from October through April,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Food First: Walk of Abundance at four local churches

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Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

Come join four local churches in creating a Walk of Abundance. As abundant lives are built on generosity, First Baptist, First Christian, First Presbyterian, and First United Methodist churches will be collecting canned food goods between now and October 21 to stock local food pantries, a press release said.

“You can help by taking your donation to any one of these four churches,” the press release said.

On October 21, using some of the collected cans, a labyrinth, similar to the one pictured above, will be built on the lawn of First United Methodist Church. As part of an outdoor worship celebration (which will include inflatables, human bubble balls, and a pumpkin-launching trebuchet), participants can both make a contribution to help local families in need as well as walk the can-lined labyrinth. A collection will also be taken for Second Harvest Food Banks, the press release said. [Read more…]

Public Works director to discuss water, wastewater systems on Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters will discuss the needs and costs of the city’s water and wastewater systems at Lunch with the League on Tuesday. McWaters will also discuss the status of upgrades to the systems, a press release said.

Lunch with the League is scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, October 16, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

McWaters was in the private consulting field for more than 22 years before she accepted the position with the City of Oak Ridge, the press release said. She helped municipal clients in the areas of water, wastewater, and storm water. McWaters has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Worchester Polytechnic Institute and holds professional engineering licenses for the states of Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Arizona. [Read more…]

Today: Alpha House has Community Strong Day

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2018 CS flyer final 9-27-18

On Saturday, October 6, Alpha House will host its Second Annual Community Strong Day for the tri-county area of Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Alpha Bitz Thrift Shop in Oliver Springs.

Linette Brown, president of the Alpha House Board of Directors, explained: “Our faith-based ministry is focused on helping women in our communities who have experienced addiction, abuse, and incarceration. Through our thrift shops and generous donors, we have provided support and guidance to help women return to their families, reunite with their children, and become a stable part of the community. Hosting Community Strong is our ‘thank you’ to the community, donors, and volunteers.”

The Clinton shop at 1726 Oak Ridge Highway will be closed on October 6 to participate in the activities at the Oliver Springs shop. [Read more…]

Election 2018 Community Forum: Liberty and Justice for All

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Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

Submitted

A local faith-led, multiracial and interdenominational coalition of congregations, community organizations, and labor groups will present its vision for East Tennessee to candidates on October 7 from 3-5 p.m. at the University of Tennessee Cox Auditorium on the UT-Knoxville campus.

Through a months-long process of discussion and voting in a series of meetings open to all, the Alliance for Community Transformation of East Tennessee (ACT-ET) has arrived at three specific ways our elected representatives can improve the quality of life in our community:

  • Provide a path for all Tennessee residents to obtain a valid driver’s license.
  • Ensure local lending institutions provide equal opportunity to home mortgages for all families.
  • Increase access to necessary medical treatment for those struggling with opioid dependence.

ACT-ET member organizations include Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church and St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Members of First Christian Church of Oak Ridge, First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, and Oak Valley Baptist Church participated in choosing the issues and planning the public meeting. [Read more…]

DOE public bus tour now starts at new AMSE

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities public bus tour started departing from the new American Museum of Science and Energy, which is located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge, beginning Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities public bus tour started departing from the new American Museum of Science and Energy, which is located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities public bus tour started departing from the new American Museum of Science and Energy on Monday.

The new AMSE is at Main Street Oak Ridge near JCPenney. The address is 115 Main Street East.

The new museum, which replaces the former museum on South Tulane Avenue, opened to the public on Monday (October 1) with a limited schedule, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed weekends), a press release said.

“Participating in the public bus tour allows visitors to go behind the scenes and explore the lives of those who lived and worked behind the fences of the 1940s city of Oak Ridge, also known as the Secret City,” the press release said. “Visitors will experience the race to build the first atomic bomb through artifacts, audiovisuals, live demonstrations, and interactive exhibits.” [Read more…]