Oak Ridge Today

Sen. Corker in Oak Ridge on Tuesday

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U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., will be in East Tennessee on Tuesday, and he will make stops in Knoxville and Oak Ridge.

Corker is scheduled to be at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday afternoon. His brief visit to the Chamber will be with Millennium Partners only.

“At events in Knox and Anderson counties, Corker will discuss his work to solve the big problems facing our country,” a press release said. “In Knoxville, Corker will address family business owners and entrepreneurs at an event hosted by The Legacy Centre, an organization working to grow companies through educational programs, peer advisory groups and professional resources. Later, Corker will address business and community leaders at an event hosted by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.” [Read more…]

Ruby Tuesday restructuring to eliminate 50 positions

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Information from WYSH Radio

Ruby Tuesday announced Wednesday that it will eliminate 50 positions at its restaurant support center in Maryville.

The company, which has a restaurant in Oak Ridge, said the job cuts are in response to a cost review program on the heels of millions of dollars in reported losses during the past couple of years. The move is expected to save the company about $6 million a year beginning in 2015. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line celebrates 40th anniversary Friday

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Deborah Patterson

Deborah Patterson

For 40 years, volunteers with CONTACT Care Line have provided a listening ear to East Tennesseans in crisis, and the Oak Ridge-based nonprofit is inviting the public to a Friday evening of bluegrass music to celebrate its milestone anniversary.

The public is also recognizing CONTACT, with both the city of Oak Ridge and Rep. John Ragan from Tennessee’s District 33 proclaiming November as “CONTACT Care Line Month,” a press release said.

“A lot has changed in 40 years,” said Deb Patterson, CONTACT’s executive director, “but six of our volunteers have been with us from Day One, and what hasn’t changed is that lonely people, people with mental illnesses, the elderly—all of us, really—need someone to talk to every once in a while. It’s going to be special to reach the 40-year milestone and to thank all our telephone workers.”

The 40th Ruby Anniversary Balloon Pop Concert featuring the Ridge City Ramblers will be held from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Pollard Conference Center in Oak Ridge. The Ramblers will provide a fun mix of bluegrass and Americana music, and there’ll be a prize in every balloon, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge leaf pickup starts Nov. 25

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The citywide leaf pickup program will start in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 25.

City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible. The proposed schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably from the actual schedule due to the amount of leaves and weather conditions, a press release said.

The city has a few program guidelines: [Read more…]

Rotary clubs plan dragon boat races at Oak Ridge Marina in May

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Dragon Boat Festival

Teams take part in the annual Dragon Boat Festival in Taipei on May 28, 2009. (Photo credit Patrick Lin/AFP/Getty Images)

Three local Rotary clubs are launching the city’s first Dragon Boat Festival on May 17 at the Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion in Melton Lake Park.

“The purpose of the festival is to provide a venue for dragon boat races, offer food and musical entertainment, and raise funds for a special project and nonprofit service organizations in the community,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, president of the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The boat racing event, launched by OARS in the Water, will celebrate Oak Ridge’s waterfront and signature rowing venue. OARS stands for the Oak Ridge Association of Rotarians. The other two clubs are the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary clubs. [Read more…]

Letter: Oak Ridge wins real ACT Honor Roll

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To the Editor:

You would never ignore Alabama when talking about top football teams, so let’s admit that Oak Ridge beats all these top school districts in the measure that matters: ACT Readiness for Careers or College. Here are the facts about how many of the grads are prepared for the next step in their lives:

  • Oak Ridge—39.3 percent
  • Blount County—17.8 percent
  • Lincoln County—10.4 percent
  • Maryville —34.3 percent
  • McMinn County—12.4 percent

Only Maryville is even close, with their demographic advantage. It seems there is no contest; Oak Ridge wins the real ACT Honor Roll for Tennessee with measurable academic results. Cheer for the home team! Congratulate them.

David Coffey

Lenoir City

(See this story for more information.)

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from Nov. 22-27

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting Friday, Nov. 22, and continuing through Nov. 27.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau: [Read more…]

GIS Day on Wednesday at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus

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Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host GIS Day from noon-3 p.m. Wednesday.

GIS Day is an international event that highlights the real-world applications of the geographic information systems, or GIS, field. Roane State offers a one-year certificate and a two-year associate degree in GIS.

“GIS is a great field that blends science, geography, mathematics and, in a way, art,” said Pat Wurth, associate professor and director of Roane State’s GIS program. “We want anyone interested in GIS to visit on GIS Day and learn more about how this technology and training is used in a variety of fields.” [Read more…]

Anderson Commission unanimously approves Oak Ridge Mall TIF, project goes to state

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Oak Ridge Mall Concept Plan Featured

The Anderson County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used to help the $85 million redevelopment of the mostly empty Oak Ridge Mall.

CLINTON—The Anderson County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used to help the $85 million redevelopment of the mostly empty Oak Ridge Mall.

The vote was 15-0. Anderson County Commissioner Mark Alderson was absent.

“I am extremely optimistic about this,” said Anderson County Commission Vice Chair Robin Biloski, an Oak Ridge resident.

It’s the fifth unanimous or near-unanimous vote on the project in less than a month. The tax increment financing, or TIF, had also been approved with no opposition, but with one abstention, by the Oak Ridge City Council, and it had also been endorsed with no opposition by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and Anderson County budget and operations committees. [Read more…]

Red light camera ‘scam’ actually an ORAU training exercise

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Note: This story was last updated at 9:25 a.m. Nov. 19.

The red light camera scam that authorities warned about on Monday evening was actually a training exercise intended to only be used internally at Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The e-mails were created as part of ORAU’s cybersecurity training, and they were meant to help educate employees about so-called “phishing” scams.

The e-mails told recipients they had been captured on camera running a red light and had to pay a $50 fine. They instructed recipients to pay a fine through a PayPal link and warned them they could be subject to an extra $95 fee if they failed to do so. [Read more…]

City starts sending out sewer rehab letters on Monday

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Beginning next week, residents located in the east end of Oak Ridge should be receiving an information letter in the mail from the city concerning sewer rehabilitation work in the area. The letter is on purple paper and provides general information concerning the sewer work.

Morgan Contracting Inc. will be conducting preconstruction work in the area, a press release said. This work includes tasks such as locating manholes and walking the terrain of the area, so residents may see workers in their yard or along the greenbelt.

The work areas are located: [Read more…]

Officials celebrate conversion of historic hotel to assisted living center

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Alexander Inn Groundbreaking

Local, state, and federal officials join volunteers and nonprofit and business executives for a groundbreaking ceremony at the historic Alexander Inn on Thursday.

Top military leaders and scientists once stayed at this historic two-story hotel in the heart of Oak Ridge, and now it’s being converted into an assisted living center.

The $5.5 million renovation of the Alexander Inn at Jackson Square started in July, the culmination of a years-long preservation effort. It could be complete by mid-2014, said Rick Dover, manager of Family Pride Corp., the company converting the hotel.

The Guest House Senior Living at the Alexander Inn will have 62 rooms, including a 17-room memory care wing.

The hotel was built during the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Guests who once stayed there included Gen. Leslie Groves, Secretary of War Henry Stimson, and physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi. [Read more…]