Oak Ridge Today

2014 Election: Constitutional amendments, wine in groceries, a candidate’s record

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League Women Voters Constitutional Amendment Forum

Corinne Rovetti, co-director and family nurse practitioner for the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, second from right, discusses Amendment 1, which is on Tuesday’s ballot, during a forum in October. Also pictured are moderator JoAnn Garrett, right; Judy Cornett, second from left, distinguished professor in the College of Law at the University of Tennessee, who discussed Amendment 2; and Sherry Davis Kasper, professor of economics at Maryville College, who discussed Amendment 3.

 

Many voters remain confused about the four proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot in Tennessee on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.

Three of the amendments were discussed during a League of Women Voters forum in Oak Ridge in October, and you can find a guide to the four amendments here.

The first amendment, Amendment 1, is related to abortion, and it appears to be the most divisive.

Here’s the full text of the proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution:

“Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.”

[Read more…]

2014 Election: School board candidates talk taxes, budgets, bus routes, Preschool

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Oak Ridge Board of Education Candidates 2014

Oak Ridge Board of Education candidates are, from right, Mike Mahathy, Laura McLean, Bob Eby, Andy Howe, Paige Marshall, and Jean Hiser. Not pictured are Laurie Paine and Aaron Wells.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:10 a.m. Nov. 3.

School board candidates at two forums this campaign season expressed optimism that school officials will be able to continue to provide school bus transportation to most students in the next school year, and several said they would support a property tax rate increase if it were deemed necessary.

Bob Eby, Oak Ridge Board of Education vice chair, cited delayed staff raises and textbook purchases as well as capital project needs. Eby helped lead moves this summer to restore bus transportation to preschool students and then other students after the area where bus service is not provided was temporarily expanded to 1.5 miles as part of cost-cutting measures in June.

In August, Karen Gagliano, Oak Ridge Schools director of business and support services, said the $500,000 in fund balance money used to restore transportation and the delayed purchase of textbooks, among other things, means the school system could start the Fiscal Year 2015 budget discussions with a $1.8 million deficit, before anything new is added.

“I will ask for a tax increase next year,” Eby said. “We’ve put (off) all we can put off.” [Read more…]

Vote411.org available online as voter information guide

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League of Women Voters Logo

VOTE411.org, an online voter information guide, is available to all citizens of Anderson and Roane counties. Sponsored locally by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, VOTE411 began in 2006 at the national League level. More than 220 Leagues are now participating.

The site allows users to compare candidates for office in their district, select their choices, and create a ballot summary that they can print out, take with them to the polling place, or share. To access the guide, the user should go to www.VOTE411.org and follow the prompts.

After accessing the site, users are prompted to enter their address, which is used to identify their voting district from U.S. Census Bureau GIS data. The races and referenda provided should be identical to those on the ballot for that voting district. The address information and candidate selections provided by users will not be collected or retained. [Read more…]

Repairs needed, school system considers three options for Preschool

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Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building

The Oak Ridge Board of Education will consider three options for the Oak Ridge Schools Preschool on New York Avenue during a Monday night meeting. The building—which has lead paint that needs to be repaired, replaced, and painted, among other things—has to be renovated or vacated for the Head Start program to receive funding in the 2015-2016 school year.

 

It’s 70 years old and in need of repairs. Federal officials want it renovated or vacated by next year in order for the school system to continue to receive Head Start funding.

So, on Monday, the Oak Ridge Board of Education will consider what to do about the Oak Ridge Preschool, a building on New York Avenue that’s been on the repair wish list for years.

The school board will consider three options:

  • stay in the building and renovate it;
  • move the Preschool and its roughly 200 students to a different site, possibly by leasing space;
  • move the Preschool classes and split them up among the elementary schools.

There is one option that is not on the table, school officials said Thursday.

“We have no intention…of shutting down the Preschool in any form or fashion,” said Chris Marczak, Oak Ridge Schools assistant superintendent. [Read more…]

Reception will honor three BOE members for their service

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Oak Ridge School Board and Superintendent

Three of the four Oak Ridge Board of Education members pictured above will be honored for their service during a Nov. 3 reception. Two of the three, Dan DiGregorio (second from left) and Jenny Richter (center), are not seeking re-election in the Nov. 4 municipal election. Bob Eby (right) is. (File photo/August 2014)

 

A reception in early November will honor three Oak Ridge Board of Education members for their service.

The reception will honor BOE members Dan DiGregorio and Jenny Richter, who are not seeking re-election in the November 4 municipal election, and Bob Eby, who is. It will start at 5 p.m. Monday, November 3, in the board room of the Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue.

The reception will take place prior to the regularly scheduled board meeting that begins at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend, an Oak Ridge Schools press release said.

Oak Ridge Schools ‘STEMposium’ convenes educators from across country

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Discovery Education and Oak Ridge Schools will host a STEMposium on Thursday. It will be an interactive discussion focused on best practices for providing students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, a press release said.

The release said the event will convene educators from some of the most innovative school districts across the country, including Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Grand Prairie Independent School District in Texas, Baldwin County Public Schools in Alabama, Richland School District Two in South Carolina, and the New York City Department of Education.

They will discuss best practices for building a culture around STEM education, the release said. That includes exploring how to implement innovative STEM instructional strategies, and the use of digital content and curricula to drive student achievement. [Read more…]

OREA has ‘Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators’ at ORHS today

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The Oak Ridge Education Association is having a “Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators” event at the high school this afternoon.

It’s scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, October 22) at the Oak Ridge High School amphitheater.

“Because of the plethora of candidate forums in recent weeks (and the number of candidates), our event will not be so much a traditional candidate forum as much as a ‘conversation’ about public education,” a press release said. “Each candidate will have the opportunity to speak for three-five minutes on their views on educational issues pertinent to the office that he/she is seeking. Once each candidate has spoken, the event will transition into a ‘meet and greet,’ during which you can chat with individual candidates about questions that you have. [Read more…]

Progress PAC endorses three each for City Council, BOE

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Kelly Callison

Kelly Callison

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

Warren L. Gooch

Warren L. Gooch

 

The new Progress PAC political action committee has endorsed three candidates each for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The three candidates endorsed in the City Council race are Kelly Callison, Warren Gooch, and Ellen Smith. The three endorsed in the School Board race are Bob Eby, Paige Marshall, and Laura McLean.

“PAC board members feel these candidates best support exceptional schools and jobs in Oak Ridge via teamwork between the Board of Education and City Council,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Early voting begins Wednesday, October 15

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Vote Logo

Information from WYSH Radio

Early voting for the November 4 general election in Anderson County begins Wednesday, October 15, and runs through Thursday, October 30.

Early voting hours Monday through Friday will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Clinton Community Center, the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge, and at the North Anderson Government Office in the Anderson Crossing Shopping Center in the Norris/Andersonville area. [Read more…]

Meet and greet for Marshall, a school board candidate, tonight

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Paige Marshall

Paige Marshall

Oak Ridge resident and community volunteer Dottie Thompson will host a “meet and greet” tonight for Paige (White) Marshall, a candidate for the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The meet and greet is from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 14, at Thompson’s home at 25 Windhaven Lane in Oak Ridge.

“I’m so appreciative of Dottie for hosting this event,” Marshall said. “I’ve known her family for 30 years, and her support and endorsement mean the world to me. This type of gathering provides a great opportunity to meet folks face to face and better hear and understand the viewpoints of our citizens.”

Visit www.facebook.com/PaigeMarshallORBOE for more information about Marshall.

Tea Party meeting this evening to feature Frank, Wells

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The Anderson County Tea Party meeting this evening will feature Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Aaron Wells, a candidate for Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. today (Tuesday, October 14) at the Red Cross building on Oak Ridge Turnpike.


Aaron Wells

Aaron Wells

Other agenda items will include a presentation by the “Yes on 1” group, member reports from the latest Oak Ridge City Council meeting, and a book raffle of “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinski. The Red Cross building is located at 908 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

This meeting is open to the public and will last until approximately 8 p.m., a press release said.

Schools notify parents of solicitation scam

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

Oak Ridge school officials have notified parents of fraudulent school solicitations.

School officials have been told that unknown people are driving around town and soliciting donations for the Parent-Teacher Organization at the schools, Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak told parents in a Skylert call on Thursday.

“We do not send parents or employees door-to-door to collect money,” Marczak said. “These people are not collecting for any of our schools. If you are asked for money, please do not donate and immediately contact the police department.”