Oak Ridge Today

Kmart store closing in December

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The Kmart store on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December. The store is pictured above on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Kmart store in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December, the company said Monday.

“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” the company said in a statement. “We can confirm that we are making the difficult but necessary decision to close the Kmart store at 370 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.”

The store will remain open to customers until the mid-December closing and start a liquidation sale on September 22.

“We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites, and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors,” Kmart said in the statement. “As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location.” [Read more…]

City Council, DOE manager to discuss relations, hiring, housing; water rates also on agenda

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Kenneth R. Tarcza

Kenneth R. Tarcza (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

 

Some members of the Oak Ridge City Council and some residents have had a few concerns related to the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, including whether the DOE sites are doing enough to encourage new employees to live in Oak Ridge and whether DOE is paying enough on its payments in lieu of taxes to the City of Oak Ridge.

A more recent concern is whether DOE is paying enough for water supplied by the city to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, which are both federal sites.

On Tuesday, the Oak Ridge City Council could discuss these issues as it meets in a non-voting work session with Kenneth R. Tarcza, manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Operations. The work session, which is open to the public, starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane (behind the Kmart shopping center).

Among the DOE-related items on the agenda are a discussion and review of city-DOE relations, local hiring for DOE projects, housing, and “other related issues.” [Read more…]

Photos: ORHS WildBand, color guard perform in Lenoir City

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The Oak Ridge High School WildBand performs during halftime of the Oak Ridge-Lenoir City football game in Lenoir City on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge High School WildBand and color guard performed at halftime of the Oak Ridge-Lenoir City football game on Friday. Here are pictures by John Huotari of Oak Ridge Today. [Read more…]

Not sure what the Charter Commission is? Hear from candidates on Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has a forum for candidates for the Anderson County Charter Commission on Tuesday morning.

It’s the first candidate forum for the November 8 election.

The Charter Commission candidate forum will start at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 20, in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Joyce Conference Room. It’s free and open to the public.

There are 20 candidates for eight seats on the new Charter Commission. The Tuesday morning forum at the Oak Ridge Chamber will feature candidates from the county’s District 6, District 7, and District 8, which all include parts of Oak Ridge.

There are seven candidates for those three seats: [Read more…]

Cross country: Oak Ridge boys finish second, Etheridge third

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Oak Ridge Jake Etheridge State Cross Country Nov. 7, 2015

Oak Ridge senior Jake Etheridge, left, who is shown above running in the state Class AAA cross country meet in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, finished third in the Cherokee Classic in Knoxville on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 8:15 p.m.

The Oak Ridge boys cross country team finished second in a meet in Knoxville on Saturday, and senior Jake Etheridge finished third.

The Oak Ridge girls finished 10th.

The boys, competing against 35 other teams, were running shorthanded because Daeton Byars, the team’s number three, didn’t run, and Jose Villegas ran it as a workout rather than as a race, Oak Ridge Coach Allen Etheridge said.

“He’s just getting his legs back under him,” Etheridge said of Villegas.

Finishing in first place at the Cherokee Classic in Knoxville was Daniel Boone High School with 61 points. Oak Ridge was second with 83 points.

Behind them were Maryville (128 points), Knoxville Catholic (146), and Farragut (160). [Read more…]

Football photos, videos: Oak Ridge vs. Lenoir City

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Oak Ridge junior quarterback Johnny Stewart (2) hands off the football during a 45-8 win at Lenoir City on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. Stewart threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns, and he had 12 completions on 20 attempts (60 percent). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

LENOIR CITY—The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Lenoir City Panthers 45-8 in Lenoir City on Friday. Here are photos and videos from the game. [Read more…]

Caleb Jackson scores twice, recovers two turnovers in Wildcats’ win at Lenoir City

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Oak Ridge senior Caleb Jackson (25) scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016, and he recovered two Lenoir City turnovers during a 45-8 win over the Panthers in Lenoir City. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

LENOIR CITY—Oak Ridge senior Caleb Jackson scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats on Friday, and he recovered two Lenoir City turnovers during a 45-8 win over the Panthers.

Senior wide receiver Tee Higgins, a Clemson commitment, added three touchdowns for Oak Ridge.

The Wildcats scored on their first four drives, once after intercepting Lenoir City sophomore quarterback Gabe Williams.

Halfway through the regular season, Oak Ridge is undefeated at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 3-5A.

Lenoir City fell to 1-4 and 0-2 with the loss at home on Cecil Thomas Field.

Oak Ridge plays Sevier County (1-4, 1-1 Region 1-5A) at home on Blankenship Field at 7:30 p.m. September 23. It’s Homecoming Night. [Read more…]

Fandango!, a Chicago group, to perform in Oak Ridge on Oct. 8

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Fandango!—a musical group from Chicago that plays a mix of Latin, Spanish, Sephardic, Balkan, and classical sounds—will perform in Oak Ridge on Saturday, October 8, 2016. (Submitted photo)

 

Fandango!—a musical group from Chicago that plays a mix of Latin, Spanish, Sephardic, Balkan, and classical sounds—will perform in Oak Ridge on Saturday, October 8.

The concert will start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 8, at the Pollard Auditorium. It’s presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

A press release said Fandango! is an exciting new group from Chicago. It was founded by “four multi-award-winning, globe-trotting virtuosi who hail from Spain, the USA, former Yugoslavia, and the UK, and who have played, separately and together, on the world’s most prestigious stages,” the press release said.

Made of two husband-and-wife virtuoso duos, Fandango! features flautist Eugenia Moliner, guitarist Denis Azabagic, violinist Desiree Ruhstrat, and cellist David Cunliffe, the press release said. [Read more…]

Register for Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Fall League by Saturday

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The registration deadline is Saturday, September 17, for the Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Fall League, which is available to boys and girls in first through sixth grade.

The league evaluation days are at Oak Ridge High School from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, September 14, and 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday, September 17.

The cost is $70 per pre-registered player. Practice starts the week of October 17. Games will be on Saturdays and will be played in the Oak Ridge High School Arena and in the B gym. [Read more…]

CNS, Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council reach new labor agreement

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Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC and the 16 local unions that comprise the Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council reached terms on a new five-year labor agreement on Tuesday, September 13. The new five-year labor agreement expires September 30, 2021.

The agreement also has an option for CNS to extend the new agreement without further negotiation for an additional five years through September 30, 2026. [Read more…]

Council wants to roughly triple proposed water rate at ORNL, Y-12

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The Oak Ridge Water Treatment Plant is pictured on Pine Ridge above the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Note: This story was updated at 6:50 p.m.

Some Oak Ridge City Council members have questioned whether the federal government is paying enough for municipal water at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, and on Monday, four of them proposed roughly tripling a potential new high-volume water rate at the two federal sites in 2017.

The new water rate would apply to water consumption over 20 million gallons per month, which would limit it to ORNL and Y-12. The two sites use a total of more than 100 million gallons of water per month.

The new rate is expected to go into effect in April 2017 only if Oak Ridge and the U.S. Department of Energy aren’t able to agree on a contract for water at ORNL and Y-12 by the end of March. Those two federal sites now pay a flat annual rate but could default to what is known as a retail rate if the contract lapses.

The city staff had proposed a new default rate of $1.08 per thousand gallons for consumption over 20 million gallons starting January 1, 2017. The following year, in 2018, the staff had proposed a $1.35 rate.

But four City Council members—Rick Chinn, Charlie Hensley, Trina Baughn, and Chuck Hope—voted to raise the $1.08 rate in 2017 to $3 per 1,000 gallons. Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith, and Council member Kelly Callison voted against the increase. [Read more…]

Martial arts academy offers free workshop to counter bullying

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A martial arts academy in Oak Ridge is offering a free workshop in October for children and their parents who want to counter bullying.

The CounterBully Seminar is from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, October 1.

It’s being offered by Progressive Martial Arts Academy at 138 Fairbanks Road in Oak Ridge.

There are many forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, verbal abuse, physical violence, and even sexual harassment, a press release said.

The CounterBully Seminar will teach children six years old and older to learn to combat bullying by using confidence as a way to prevent potential physical violence or emotional abuse, the press release said. Participants will also learn proper reporting methods and basic self-defense tactics in case the bullying becomes physical. [Read more…]