Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge UU church has July 14 groundbreaking at new site

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Site

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will have a July 14 groundbreaking ceremony at its new 4.6-acre home in front of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building, at right in background, on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Moving across town to make way for a new shopping center, members of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will have a July 14 groundbreaking ceremony at their new home in front of the Federal Building on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Church members announced in late February that they had purchased a 4.6-acre parcel at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Laboratory Road in front of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building, which is used by the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office. They plan to be in a new building there by Thanksgiving 2014. [Read more…]

Lafollette man drowns on Norris Lake

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Lafollette man drowned Thursday on Norris Lake, according to the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office.

The body of Ralph Ward, 65, was found floating in the lake near the Powell Valley Marina at around 3:45 pm Thursday after dispatchers received a 911 call from a nearby address on Cliffs Drive. [Read more…]

City board reconsiders Price Florist demolition, repair order

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Price Florist

A city board has declared Price Florist on Oak Ridge Turnpike a nuisance and unfit for human occupation and use, and on Thursday, members will reconsider a demolition or repair order for the building, which is now for sale.

A potential demolition order is looming, and the building is for sale.

For decades, it was home to Price Florist, but it’s now in “severe disrepair,” according to the Oak Ridge city staff.

In June, the Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals declared the now-unused store on busy Oak Ridge Turnpike to be a nuisance and unfit for human occupation or use. The board stopped short of issuing a demolition order and gave the property owner 30 days to present a repair or demolition plan. [Read more…]

Reminder: Summer camps ongoing

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There are still opportunities to enroll your children in summer camps.

The Summer Camps section on Oak Ridge Today includes information on upcoming summer camps at First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, Continuous Threads Sewing Studio, and the City of Ridge.

OREPA celebrates world court opinion on nuclear weapons on Sunday at Y-12

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OREPA Spring Demonstration at Y-12

Members of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance and supporters gather across from the Y-12 National Security Complex to protest the plant’s proposed Uranium Processing Facility in April. OREPA will read a 1996 world court opinion on nuclear weapons during a Sunday vigil.

An Oak Ridge organization that opposes the nuclear weapons production work at the Y-12 National Security Complex has organized a Sunday reading of a world court opinion on the legality of the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons.

Open to the public, the reading will be part of a 5 p.m. weekly Sunday vigil at the main entrance to Y-12 at East Bear Creek and Scarboro roads. [Read more…]

ORNL Federal Credit Union launches small business cash mob campaign

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ORNL Federal Credit Union recently announced it has launched a Small Business Counts cash mob campaign, and it was scheduled to start this month.

A cash mob is a group of people who assemble at a local business to make purchases as a gesture of support for that business as well as the overall community, a press release said. The credit union’s grassroots program, Small Business Counts, is designed to help local merchants in the 16 East Tennessee communities that it serves through the use of promotion, social networking, and even direct financial support. [Read more…]

Fireworks rescheduled, but Norris Day activities continue as weather allows

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Information from WYSH Radio

The threat of steady, soaking rainfall Wednesday through Friday has forced Norris to postpone its annual fireworks display until Friday, July 26, but all other Norris Day activities on the Norris Commons sponsored by the Lions Club will go on as planned starting at 8 a.m. today (July 4).

In a press release, the Norris Lions Club said it will conduct its annual Norris Day activities as weather allows today at Norris Commons. Scheduled indoor activities include the traditional barbecue lunch in the Norris Middle School Cafeteria, the Quilt Show in the Norris Fellowship Church, and the Library’s annual book sale in the McNeeley Building. Also, the evening awards program will be held at the Norris Community Building. [Read more…]

No garbage pickup in Oak Ridge on July 4

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Waste Connections Inc. will not be picking up garbage or recyclables on Independence Day.

Thursday’s routes will be picked up on Friday, July 5, and other routes will be picked up through Saturday, a city press release said. All garbage and recyclables should be out by 7 a.m. for a Friday and Saturday route.

For more information, contact Waste Connections Inc. at (865) 482-3656 or visit www.WasteConnectionsTn.com.

Kingston cancels parade tonight, considers canceling more July 4 events

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Kingston has canceled the July 4 parade scheduled for 7 p.m. today, the city announced on its website.

Officials will meet at 7 a.m. Thursday, July 4, to determine whether to cancel more Independence Day events. [Read more…]

Sheriff: Eight pounds of marijuana found, $23K cash seized, five arrested

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Investigators allegedly found about eight pounds of marijuana, seized roughly $23,000 in cash and three vehicles, and arrested five Knoxville men after traffic stops in Anderson County on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The five men were arrested after the three vehicles were intercepted on Clinton Highway bringing marijuana into the county, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said in a Wednesday afternoon press release.

“These arrests are the result of surveillance and investigation into this drug activity, which includes receiving, transporting, and distributing marijuana on several occasions in the Claxton community of Anderson County,” the press release said. [Read more…]

NWS forecasts wet holiday week, flood watch in effect

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National Weather Service Holiday Week

The National Weather Service is forecasting a wet holiday week, and a flood watch is in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. (Image courtesy NWS/Morristown)

The National Weather Service in Morristown in forecasting a wet holiday week, and a flood watch remains in effect in East Tennessee from 8 p.m. today to 8 p.m. Friday.

Between two to five inches of rain is expected, with some local levels exceeding that, the Weather Service said.

The Weather Service is forecasting heavy rain tonight and Thursday, with thunderstorms or a chance of thunderstorms continuing through Sunday. The heavy rain could start tapering off late Friday. [Read more…]

Clinton, Norris, Lake City postpone fireworks

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Information from WYSH Radio

The city of Clinton has postponed its Independence Day fireworks show to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Lakefront Park. This will be a fireworks-only display as all other pre-show festivities have been canceled.

The threat of steady, soaking rainfall Wednesday through Friday has also forced Norris to postpone Norris Day and all the activities on the Norris Commons until Friday, July 26. [Read more…]