Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge firefighter named Roane State Paramedic Student of the Year

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Roane State paramedic program director David Blevins, left, and Dr. Todd Heffern with TEAMHealth, right, congratulate Brandon Payne of Oak Ridge, Roane State’s Paramedic Student of the Year. (Submitted photo)

Roane State paramedic program director David Blevins, left, and Dr. Todd Heffern with TEAMHealth, right, congratulate Brandon Payne of Oak Ridge, Roane State’s Paramedic Student of the Year. (Submitted photo)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

An Oak Ridge Fire Department captain has been elected by his peers as Roane State Community College’s Paramedic Student of the Year.

Brandon Payne, 40, an Oak Ridge firefighter since 2007, received the tribute during a luncheon last year that continues a longstanding tradition of honoring graduating paramedic students.

TEAMHealth, a hospital staffing firm based in Knoxville, sponsored the luncheon for paramedic students who were in the spring semester cohort.

“It was challenging,” Payne said of the three-semester program to obtain certification as a paramedic. “There was a lot of information in a short amount of time.” [Read more…]

Monday: Oak Ridge has groundbreakings at Preschool, Senior Center

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An image showing what the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park could look like. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

An image showing what the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park could look like. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

 

The City of Oak Ridge will hold ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, January 14, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center. Construction activity is already under way at both locations.

Studio Four Design Inc. of Knoxville was chosen to design the both the Preschool and the Senior Center. At a special meeting on October 11, Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved resolutions awarding construction contracts to Jenkins and Stiles LLC.

The new preschool will be a single-story facility of about 33,000 square feet located on Carver Avenue. The build site is inside Scarboro Park, a roughly 10-acre parcel. The project includes improvements to the adjacent park area such as lighted basketball/tennis courts, a baseball field, a public pavilion, green space, and a walking trail. [Read more…]

Roane State to offer extended business hours

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Roane State Community College will offer extended business hours to help students get ready for the spring semester.

  • Friday, January 4: Business hours offered at all campuses, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. local time
  • Monday January 7- Thursday January 10: Business hours offered at all campuses, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. local time
  • Friday, January 11: Campuses on normal Friday schedule.
  • Monday January 14- Thursday January 17: Business hours offered at all campuses, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. local time
  • Friday, January 18: Campuses on normal Friday schedule.

Spring classes begin January 14.

MCLinc gives OR schools history book to assisted living facilities, nursing homes

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Pictured above at the Alexander Guest House are, from left, LuAnn Hanchett, community relations and activity director; MCLinc President Barry Stephenson; resident Muriel Bogardus; and Executive Director Amy Duncan. (Submitted photo)

Pictured above at the Alexander Guest House are, from left, LuAnn Hanchett, community relations and activity director; MCLinc President Barry Stephenson; resident Muriel Bogardus; and Executive Director Amy Duncan. (Submitted photo)

 

This holiday season, Oak Ridge’s assisted living facilities and nursing homes received a special gift to help residents remember the history of Oak Ridge schools, a press release said. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc. (MCLinc) provided the facilities with collector’s edition copies of the book “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence in the Oak Ridge Schools 1944-2018,” which includes the history of the Oak Ridge school system, photographs, and memories from 1944 through the present.

The book was developed by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, and it includes anchor authors from each of the 75 classes who shared their memories and helped collect those of their classmates.

MCLinc donated more than 20 books to six facilities in Oak Ridge, including Brookdale, Canterfield, Alexander Guest House, Greenfield, The Courtyards, and NHC, the press release said.

“Each year MCLinc looks for ways that we can give back to the community where we live and work, and what better way to support our schools and provide cherished memories to residents than to make these books available,” said Barry Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of MCLinc. [Read more…]

ORICL announces winter/spring classes for 2019

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Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning has opened online registration for its winter/spring term. A total of 82 classes and 7 trips are being offered for the winter/spring term running from February 4 through April 26, 2019, a press release said.

For those unfamiliar with ORICL, it is a not-for-profit organization offering classes, field trips, and other opportunities for area residents of all backgrounds and educational levels. ORICL is sponsored by Roane State Community College and located at the Oak Ridge campus of RSCC. ORICL is administered by a board of directors elected by the members and has two part-time paid employees. RSCC provides classrooms, an office, and administrative support. ORICL’s motto is “Enriching Lives Through Continued Learning.” There are no tests.

In order to attend classes, one must join ORICL as a dues-paying member. [Read more…]

Suresh Babu to lead UT-ORNL Bredesen Center

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Suresh Babu

Suresh Babu

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have selected Suresh Babu as the next director of their jointly operated Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education.

Babu will retain his position as UT-ORNL governor’s chair for advanced manufacturing when he assumes his new role on January 3, a press release said. He will be replacing Lee Riedinger, who is retiring at the end of January.

“Dr. Babu has worked extensively with both UT and ORNL through his governor’s chair position, and we’re excited about him taking on this new role,” UT Knoxville Interim Chancellor Wayne T. Davis said in the press release. “He is a nationally recognized expert in the development of advanced materials and advanced manufacturing and has helped us emerge as a leader in those critical research areas.” [Read more…]

Holiday Concert at ORHS on Thursday

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On Thursday Dec. 20, 2018, the Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert. (Submitted photo)

On Thursday Dec. 20, 2018, the Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert on Thursday.

“Please come and celebrate the season with these very talented students,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State campuses will be closed Dec. 18-Jan.1 for holidays

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Roane State Community College campuses will be closed Tuesday, December 18 through Tuesday, January 1 for the holidays.

The college will reopen Wednesday, January 2, and spring classes will begin on Monday, January 14.

Registration and other self-service options are available through the Roane State website at www.roanestate.edu.

For more information, visit www.roanestate.edu or call 1-866-GO2-RSCC (1-866-462-7722).

Limited amount of sod from Blankenship Field available Friday

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The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

A limited amount of sod from Blankenship Field will be available to football fans during a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Renovations have started at the field, which will be converted from grass to synthetic turf, possibly by the end of April.

The ceremonial groundbreaking will be hosted by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools, and it is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Friday, December 7.

“Football fans will be given the opportunity to take home a piece of sod from the field beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday,” a press release said. A limited amount of sod will be available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. [Read more…]

Photos: Work begins on Blankenship Field

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The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

The high school football season is over, and renovation work has started at Blankenship Field.

The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have both posted photos of the start of the work.

On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge said maintenance crews from Oak Ridge Schools were doing preliminary work, including removing irrigation, fencing, and sod.

“Heavy machinery will arrive with the contractors soon,” the city said in a post published on Twitter. “We can’t wait to see the finished product next year!” [Read more…]

Bonds sold Tuesday for Preschool, Senior Center

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A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

A rendering of the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)

 

Bonds sold Tuesday morning for three construction projects: Oak Ridge Preschool, Oak Ridge Senior Center, and Scarboro Park renovations.

The bonds sold at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said.

There were six competitors. Fidelity Capital Markets had the low bid, with an interest rate of 3.613651 percent.

It’s considered a good interest rate. Anything below 4 percent is good, Watson said.

There wasn’t a large spread between the six bidders. The highest bidder had an interest rate of 3.720288. [Read more…]

ORHS Masquers presents ‘Our Town’ this week

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Image courtesy ORHS Masquers

Image courtesy ORHS Masquers

 

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Our Town” for three performances this week.

The performances are scheduled for Thursday, November 8, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 10, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, November 11, at 2 p.m., at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center. [Read more…]