Oak Ridge Today

Murals celebrate Oak Ridge recreation, history

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A mural is being painted on an ORNL Federal Credit Union building on West Tennessee Avenue by artist Megan Lingerfelt, pictured above on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Murals celebrating nature, diversity, history, and outdoor activities have been painted on or near several Oak Ridge buildings, including at the boathouse and at ORNL Federal Credit Union.

Three murals have been painted near the ORNL Federal Credit Union headquarters on Rutgers Avenue. Another mural has been painted on the Oak Ridge Rowing Association boathouse at Melton Lake Park.

A fifth mural is being painted on an ORNL Federal Credit Union building on West Tennessee Avenue.

The first three murals painted at the credit union headquarters building on Rutgers Avenue were designed by students at Oak Ridge High School, Jefferson Middle School, and Willow Brook Elementary School, according to JMS art teacher Jim Dodson, who is also an Oak Ridge City Council member. The murals were created by Bryan Wilkerson, art professor at Roane State Community College. For their work, each of the schools received a $500 contribution to their art departments, and the students received a cash award, Dodson said.

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AMSE re-opens

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The American Museum of Science and Energy is pictured above on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

After a long closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Museum of Science and Energy has re-opened.

AMSE re-opened at 9 a.m. Friday, May 21.

AMSE will be open to a limited number of visitors at a time, 50. Museum visitors will be asked to maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (the general guidance has been to maintain a distance of six feet or more, when possible, from people who live outside your home).

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Friends of Library Book Sale returns

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library Spring 2021 Book Sale will be Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22. Pictured above are FOL President Nancy Hardin, right, and Treasurer Jan Pierce sorting books from a previous year. (Submitted photo)

The Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library Spring 2021 Book Sale is returning after more than a year.

The Book Sale is Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22. It will be a smaller sale at a different location because the Oak Ridge Public Library is not yet fully open to the public, a press release said.

“But we are ready to have a sale to share with you the many items we have received since our last sale in March 2020,” the press release said.

The sale will be held in two rooms on the lower level of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore building in Grove Center. The entrance is on Robertsville Road.

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For members: Council approves purchase of 3 drones for police, fire

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The Oak Ridge City Council in a special meeting on Tuesday approved the purchase of three drones that will help police officers and firefighters battle blazes, find lost people, and respond to calls about people barricaded with weapons.

The seven-member Council had deferred a vote on the drones during its May 10 meeting after members raised questions about privacy, civil liberties, and requests for images or videos inadvertently captured by the drones.

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The Oak Ridge City Council in a special meeting on Tuesday approved the purchase of three drones that will help police officers and firefighters battle blazes, find lost people, and respond to calls about people barricaded with weapons.

The seven-member Council had deferred a vote on the drones during its May 10 meeting after members raised questions about privacy, civil liberties, and requests for images or videos inadvertently captured by the drones.

The Oak Ridge City Council in a special meeting on Tuesday approved the purchase of three drones that will help police officers and firefighters battle blazes, find lost people, and respond to calls about people barricaded with weapons.

The seven-member Council had deferred a vote on the drones during its May 10 meeting after members raised questions about privacy, civil liberties, and requests for images or videos inadvertently captured by the drones.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

ORHS Concert band to perform at Civic Center Amphitheater

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Oak Ridge High School Concert Band (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge High School Concert Band will perform on stage in public for the first time this year Thursday evening.

The concert is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 20, in the Amphitheater at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. The concert will move to Oak Ridge High School if if necessary because of rain.

“The students have been rehearsing and performing virtually from the ORHS Performing Arts Center auditorium seats since December!” a press release said.

The band’s “Jazz Journey: 1941” halftime music during football season along with the virtual Christmas and winter concerts have kept the group strong musically, and they are looking forward to entertaining their families and the community with that talent for their final concert performance this year, the press release said.

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Already charged with murder, two also charged with child rape, sexual exploitation

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Sean Finnegan, one of two defendants in a series of gruesome alleged crimes in Oak Ridge some time between December 2019 and August 2020, including murder, sex crimes, and kidnapping, is pictured above in a mugshot from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.

Two Oak Ridge defendants who were previously charged with first-degree murder, aggravated rape, and abuse of a corpse in the death of a 36-year-old woman have now been charged with aggravated child rape and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Sean S. Finnegan, 53, and Rebecca E. Dishman, 23, were charged last summer with murder, sex crimes, kidnapping, and abuse of a corpse after Jennifer Gail Paxton, 36, was allegedly tortured, raped, and strangled, and her body was allegedly cut and broken before being stuffed into a freezer in a home on East Fairview Road in Oak Ridge.

The new child rape and sexual exploitation charges followed an investigation by the Oak Ridge Police Department, according to a press release from the office of Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark in Clinton. Finnegan and Dishman have been indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury, the press release said.

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Cole seeking re-election as county clerk

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Jeff Cole (File photo)

Jeff Cole is seeking re-election as Anderson County clerk in the 2022 election.

Cole has worked in the Anderson County Clerk’s office since 1989, and he has served as Anderson County clerk since 2002, a press release said.

Cole is a certified public administrator from the University of Tennessee, and he is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Local Government Leadership Program. Cole was president of the County Clerks Association for the State of Tennessee, and he was chosen as County Clerk of the Year by all county clerks in the state of Tennessee in 2015, the press release said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the office has had a continued interest in protecting Anderson County families and businesses that use the clerk’s office, the press release said. Recently, the office installed new counters that have enhanced safety features and allow for better service, the release said.

The County Clerk’s office is responsible for waiting on more than 120,000 customers a year, according to the press release. The office has more than $8 million in receipts per year and offers more than 15 different services to the citizens of Anderson County.

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Flatwater Tales Virtual Storytelling Festival is June 5

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Bil Lepp performs at the 2019 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, held at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. (File/submitted photo)

The 2021 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three world renowned storytellers, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5.

The festival will offer an evening performance recorded in front of a live audience, three live online interactive workshops, and a live online after-party, a press release said.

The annual event is led by volunteers from the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge. Due to concerns about COVID-19, this year’s event will be online.

The featured storytellers are three acclaimed performers: Andy Offutt Irwin, Bil Lepp, and Kim Weitkamp. They are known to audiences nationwide for their wit, wisdom, and abilities to make audiences laugh, cry, and reminisce, the press release said. The three storytellers have achieved national recognition and appear regularly at festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

On Saturday, June 5, the Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will present the art and magic of storytelling with a virtual performance at 8 p.m. The three tellers will record a live show that will be performed before a small audience exclusively for Flatwater Tales. This performance will include an unrehearsed improvisation segment, hosted by emcee Paula Gordon Lepp, a new feature in the storytelling world, the press release said.

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Garbage has to be brought to curb starting July 1

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The Waste Connections Convenience Center is pictured on Warehouse Road in east Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 p.m.

With limited exceptions, garbage cans in Oak Ridge will have to be brought to the curb for the weekly pickup starting July 1, and there will be a $1.20 monthly fee increase for the waste disposal service.

The city’s previous 25-year contract is expiring, and the new contract will start July 1.

Unlike many cities, Oak Ridge has had a “backdoor pickup” garbage service for years, but that is ending. With that back door service, garbage would be picked up away from the curb—at a back door, for example.

Under the new contract, people with qualifying disabilities will still be eligible for backdoor garbage and recycling services. (More information is included below.)

As part of the contract change to curbside pickup, new large 95-gallon trash bins will be provided at no cost, a press release said.

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Roane State ends COVID-19 mask requirement for fully vaccinated

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Part of the Oak Ridge branch campus of Roane State Community College is pictured above. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College is ending its face mask requirement for people who are fully vaccinated. The college also ended its daily wellness screening requirement on campus on Monday.

The changes are updates to the college’s pandemic response plan as COVID-19 cases decline in the area, state, and nation.

“These changes follow updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued on May 13,” Roane State said in a press release. “Over the next few weeks, Roane State will be working to implement these new protocols within its response plan and communicate changes to the campus community.”

Until further notice, Roane State will maintain some of the preventive measures put in place during the pandemic in order to keep campuses as safe as possible. Protocols that will remain in place include:

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COVID-19 vaccines at ORHS for students 12 and older in June

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Oak Ridge Schools and Anderson County Health Department will have a vaccine clinic for students 12 and older in June.

The vaccine clinic will be in Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School on June 4 and 25. It will feature the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, with the first shot on Friday, June 4, and the second on Friday, June 25. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose.

The vaccine clinic will begin at 9 a.m. both days.

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Masks to continue in ORS through May 28, optional for summer school

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Mask use will continue in Oak Ridge Schools through the end of the school year, May 28, but will be optional for summer school.

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers recommended the change during a special meeting Monday evening. The Oak Ridge Board of Education approved it unanimously.

Masks have been required in Oak Ridge Schools to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Students can take off their masks outside. Visitors will be allowed starting in school in July.

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