Oak Ridge Today

Close to 2,000 rowers race in more than 300 boats in SIRA Championship

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About 1,900 rowers competed in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on April 16-17. Pictured above is a Stetson University crew at the start of the 2,000-meter course on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

About 1,900 rowers from 61 programs raced in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring 322 boats, it was the largest SIRA regatta ever.

SIRA, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, has been holding its championship in Oak Ridge for almost 30 years.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s rowing course has been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water, and SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge, and the one this past weekend had 61 teams.

Racing started Saturday morning with time trials, which were followed by afternoon heats and semifinals. Finals were from 8 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Man charged with attempted murder after Tuesday shooting on Pacific Road

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Oak Ridge Police Department Badge

Note: This story was last updated 2:40 p.m.

A Knoxville man has been charged with attempted murder after a Tuesday shooting in Oak Ridge that left a woman with a gunshot wound to her ear, authorities said.

The alleged shooting was reported at about 12:04 p.m. Tuesday at 107 Pacific Road.

Besides attempted murder, Eric Wilson, 42, of Knoxville, has also been charged with aggravated assault, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a press release.

The shooting allegedly occurred during a dispute. Wilson fled the home in a vehicle, and authorities soon learned he might be on his way to a home in Morgan County. So, the ORPD altered authorities there. [Read more…]

Myers: Community should do more to honor former Wildcat Jennifer Azzi

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Jennifer Azzi

Jennifer Azzi, left, is pictured above in this photo from a gold medal celebration in 1996. (Photo courtesy David Clary via Alex Myers)

 

Growing up in Oak Ridge, I learned quickly that the folks here love their high school athletics. All it takes is one trip to historic Blankenship Field on a fall Friday night to get a sense of how this town feels about sports.

However, recently it’s occurred to me that there has been a terrible injustice to one of our own. One of Oak Ridge’s most decorated athletes has gone relatively unrecognized to my generation.

Jennifer Azzi is the athlete I’m talking about. From right here in Oak Ridge, Azzi graduated and went on to play Division One basketball at Stanford. While at Stanford, she compiled a list of accomplishments that would impress any sports junkie. Helping Stanford to win their program’s first women’s basketball national championship, Azzi was also named Final Four MVP. While this alone should be enough for her to be celebrated around town, Azzi didn’t stop there. She was named the 1990 Naismith National Player of the Year, and for those who are unaware, that’s essentially college basketball’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. Azzi was also named Pac 10 player of the year for the 1989-90 season. She was a two time Kodak All-American for her play during the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.

Azzi went on to be an eventual first-round draft pick in the WNBA draft.

And if that didn’t make your jaw drop, here’s the icing on the cake. In 1996, Azzi helped make not only East Tennessee proud, but her country proud as well when she and her teammates on the USA Women’s National Basketball Team won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. Let’s face it, she wasn’t good; Jennifer Azzi was simply amazing. [Read more…]

Rodriguez scores four as Wildcats dominate Anderson County

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Wildcats Jose Rodriguez against Anderson County April 14, 2016

Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez (11) scored four goals for the Wildcats during a 5-0 win over Anderson County at home on Thursday, April 14, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez scored four goals during a 5-0 win over Anderson County on Thursday, and the Wildcats dominated the Mavericks in total shots, 40-1.

Some of those shots went wide right or left, though, or high, and not all were on the goal frame. Rodriguez was credited with 14 shots, including four in the first 11 minutes, and he scored two goals in the first four minutes of the second half.

Oak Ridge Coach Jeff Trombly said he was pleased overall, but the Wildcats (8-5, 6-0 District 3-AAA) failed to finish too many of their scoring chances. Too many shots were at the Anderson County goalkeepers, Trombly said. That’s a sign that players are getting anxious in front of the net and need to look at their shots, he said.

“We’ve got to clean up our finishing,” Trombly said. “We created enough chances, but you’ve got to finish your chances.” [Read more…]

Rowing championship, largest in SIRA history, is in Oak Ridge this weekend

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Crews passing the crowded Melton Lake Park peninsula. (Photo credit: Rob Welton)

 

By Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau

Few partnerships have stood the test of time quite like that of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) and Oak Ridge. For almost 30 years, SIRA has been holding their championship in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge and its beloved rowing venue have been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water. SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge. In fact, the 2016 regatta will be the largest in SIRA history with 61 teams participating.

While SIRA offers races in many different boat categories, all eyes will be on the Men’s Eight race. Perennial men’s powerhouse teams (such as University of Michigan, University of Virginia, and Purdue University) will battle for SIRA’s ultimate prize—Men’s Eight Gold.

“The men’s eight final promises to be a brutal slug-fest; there are no clear favorites at this point,” said Marc DeRose, Explore Oak Ridge director and veteran rowing coach. “I also expect the heats to be just as competitive.” [Read more…]

Hobby Lobby opening in Oak Ridge

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Hobby Lobby has signed a lease at the former Kroger store on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, the company said Thursday, April 14, 2016. The company plans to start renovating the property around the beginning of June. The store is projected to open in September. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Hobby Lobby has signed a lease at the former Kroger store in Oak Ridge, the company said Thursday.

The company plans to start renovating the property around the beginning of June. The store is projected to open in September.

Hobby Lobby expects to hire 35 to 50 employees with full-time employees earning at least $15.35 and part-time employees earning at least $10.23 an hour.

“Hobby Lobby is constantly looking for locations to better serve our customers, and this location in Oak Ridge seems to fit the bill,” said Bob Miller, Hobby Lobby communications coordinator.”We look forward to getting the store up and running and being a part of the community. Including the Oak Ridge location, Hobby Lobby plans to open 50 stores this year.” [Read more…]

Roane County executive to speak at Lunch with the League

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Ron Woody, Roane County

Ron Woody

Ron Woody, Roane County executive, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, April 19. The program will begin at noon in the Social Hall at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Woody will address issues of importance to the county such as where your tax dollars go, problems the county has solved, and problems it is still facing, according to information provided by his office. Among the topics he will address or update in his presentation, “The State of Roane County,” are education, property appraisal, business recruitment, and development of tourism and funding of public services.

What happens in Roane County is of importance to Oak Ridge since a significant portion of Oak Ridge is located in Roane County, and present and future planning affect the lives and wellbeing of these residents and, consequently, all of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Legal Aid Society hires two new support staff members

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Mary Burney

Mary Burney

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm, announced Monday that two new support staff members have been added to the firm.

Mary Burney has returned to Legal Aid Society’s Oak Ridge office as the receptionist/intake worker. Burney previously worked for Legal Aid Society in the same capacity from 2008-2014 and was the office manager/legal assistant for Rural Legal Services of Tennessee (predecessor to Legal Aid Society) from 1979-2003. Prior to this return, Burney was a bailiff for the Roane County Sheriff’s Department.

“We are thrilled to have Mary back in the office,” said Janet Mynatt, managing attorney of Legal Aid Society’s office in Oak Ridge. “Except for our new database, things have remained pretty much the same, so Mary has been able to jump right back in. Her past experience with this office will be an asset to our staff and clients alike.” [Read more…]

Reminder: NRC has public meetings on small nuclear reactors today

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The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. The Bear Creek Road entrance to the Clinch River Site, where the reactors could be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is pictured above on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Reminder: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have two public meetings in Oak Ridge today (Tuesday, April 12). The meetings are to discuss the safety and environmental review process related to a Tennessee Valley Authority permit application for small modular reactors at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge.

TVA expects to submit what is known as an early site permit, or ESP, application by May 12.

One of the topics to be discussed today is how and when the public may participate in the NRC review process, if desired, a NRC meeting notice said. “The public is encouraged to ask questions about the NRC review process for this ESP Application,”

Two sessions are scheduled in the auditorium of the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The first is scheduled from 1-4 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, and the second is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. Prior to each formal session, there will be an informal one-hour open house to give the public an opportunity to speak informally with the NRC staff. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge native, longtime Hollywood photographer George Holz to speak at UT

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George Holz

George Holz

 

Photographer George Holz—who was born in Oak Ridge, attended the University of Tennessee, and is known for his fashion and celebrity photographs—will return to UT to speak about his work at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

His talk will be in the auditorium of the UT College of Nursing at 1200 Volunteer Boulevard in Knoxville. It’s sponsored by the UT School of Journalism and Electronic Media, and it is free and open to the public.

Holz will be talking about his new book, “Holz Hollywood: 30 Years of Portraits.”

Holz was born and raised in Oak Ridge and attended UT for two years in the mid-1970s, working as a photographer for the Daily Beacon and the Volunteer Yearbook.

After attending UT, Holz graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and assisted for noted fashion photographer, Helmut Newton, who became his mentor. [Read more…]

Soccer photos: Oak Ridge-Halls

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Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez (11) scored the first goal in a 3-1 win over Halls at home on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

At 4-0, the Oak Ridge Wildcats are undefeated in District 3-AAA, and the team’s goal is to go undefeated in the district this year, Coach Jeff Trombly said.

In their last district game on Thursday, the Wildcats beat Halls 3-1. Here are more photos from the game. We’ll add photo captions as we can.

See additional photos in this story on the game.

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Pictured above are Oak Ridge senior Matt Warmbrod (5) and Halls junior goalkeeper Tyler Anthony. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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Pictured above is Halls freshman Hayden Sobas (23) during a 3-1 win for the Wildcats at home on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

[Read more…]

Opinion: Making positive strides in elementary literacy

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Keys Fillauer

By Oak Ridge Board of Education

We have been reading a lot lately about the dire straits of reading instruction and students’ abilities in reading, especially at the early grades. Although there are challenges, there is also momentum to make positive impacts on students’ reading proficiencies in all grades.

What is happening with elementary literacy?

Two school years ago, the state changed (for the better) the English Language Arts and math standards to make them more rigorous in order to ensure that Tennessee high school graduates will be better prepared in the future for college and careers. Most public schools welcomed the change because the former standards just weren’t serving Tennessee students well. However, changing standards also meant changing state assessments.

In Oak Ridge, we saw a drop in our elementary reading results on state exams after these changes. The drops in reading results were especially evident with our economically disadvantaged students.

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Bob Eby

For us, this was and is unacceptable. We believe that all students can succeed, and we have expanded our literacy initiative as a result. This literacy initiative includes providing additional time and support starting in kindergarten all the way through high school to students who struggle in reading. We have trained reading specialists who provide intensive instruction to struggling students. We have a summer bookmobile program that is expanding to multiple elementary schools in order to help reduce summer reading setback. We have professional development for teachers on improving reading and writing instruction in the classroom, and we have purchased research-based materials to support them. In addition, we have recently been provided an opportunity to work with the Carnegie Foundation and the Tennessee Department of Education to systematically analyze our early literacy efforts in order to improve student outcomes. This work will begin in April 2016 and will last through September 2018.

But what about testing? [Read more…]