Oak Ridge Today

Candidate forum for Anderson County mayor is Monday

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Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building

The Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building is pictured above on the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee will be hosting a series of candidate forums during the election season.

The first forum, which is Monday evening, will be for candidates running for the office of Anderson County mayor. Both candidates for the Republican nomination, Steve Emert and Terry Frank, will participate, a press release said.

The Anderson County mayor’s race will be determined in the May 1 primary because there are no Democrats running for the office.

Monday’s forum is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. April 2 at Roane State Community College’s Goff Building in Oak Ridge. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. All candidate forums are free and open to the public. [Read more…]

Tonight: Learn about candidates, campaigns at Democratic Women’s Club Meeting

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Will Winters

Wil Winters

You can learn about campaigning and meet Democratic candidates running for county and state offices in Oak Ridge tonight, a press release said.

“Join the Blue Wave Campaign, learn how volunteers can campaign effectively, and meet the Democratic candidates running for county and state offices,” the press release said.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club has invited candidates running for any office in Anderson County, from county sheriff to state governor, to attend or send a campaign representative to the meeting, the press release said. [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

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The next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Tennessee senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about this session of the Tennessee General Assembly, and respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience, a press release said. The public is invited to attend.

The meeting will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.  A free continental breakfast will be served, the press release said. [Read more…]

Knox County sheriff candidates to participate in forum on Tuesday

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There is a forum for candidates for Knox County sheriff on Tuesday. It’s hosted by the League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County and the Alpha Mu Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Both candidates have confirmed attendance, a press release said. They are Tom Spangler and Lee Tramel.

Oak Ridge is near Knox County. Solway, just across the Clinch River from Oak Ridge on Pellissippi Parkway, is in west Knox County.

Tuesday’s forum is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. at Knoxville Public Works Center, which is at 3131 Morris Avenue Northwest in Knoxville.

TVA to lower level of Melton Hill Reservoir for shoreline maintenance

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The Tennessee Valley Authority's Melton Hill Dam is pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Melton Hill Dam is pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority will temporarily lower the water level of Melton Hill Reservoir from Saturday, March 24, through Saturday, April 7, to allow property owners to repair docks, stabilize shoreline, and pick up litter.

The reservoir’s water level will be held between 790 and 792 feet above sea level—about two to four feet below its current level—during this period. The exact rate of the drawdown will depend on weather conditions and may vary with rainfall amounts, a press release said.

Melton Hill will be returned to its normal winter elevation of 794 feet beginning on April 8. [Read more…]

Final presentation on revitalization of downtown Clinton is Thursday

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The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host the final presentation for the revitalization of downtown Clinton on Thursday.

This event will feature a presentation by Gianni Longo, president of Gianni Longo and Associates. Longo has conducted visions, many in Tennessee that have led to the redesign of Chattanooga’s riverfront, downtown Franklin, and even Knoxville’s Market Square, a press release said.

The closing presentation given on February 22 at the end of the four-day Clinton charrette focused on unveiling the results of the effort. The ideas presented have since been expanded to include specific implementation steps on how to turn the community vision into reality. [Read more…]

Canceled: Atomic Dash Splash 5K & Family Fun Run

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has been forced to cancel a fundraising event and 5K family fun run planned for Saturday, March 31, due to low registration numbers.

Aquatics staff made the decision on Monday, March 19, and began notifying all those who had registered or expressed interest in the event, a press release said.

“We apologize for any inconvenience the cancellation may cause and hope to host a similar event in the future,” the press release said.

Please contact aquatics manager Vonda Wooten for additional information at (865) 425-3441 or by email at vwooten@oakridgetn.gov.

Citywide household trash pickup to start April 2

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The citywide household trash pickup program will begin Monday, April 2. Household rubbish, old appliances, and minor remodeling materials will be picked up. City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible.

Residents have always been very cooperative and we ask for their continued cooperation this year by following a few guidelines, a press release said: [Read more…]

Johnson Architecture donates design of new facility for Little Ponderosa Zoo & Rescue

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Pictured above is a rendering by Johnson Architecture of the new facility at Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue. (Submitted image)

Pictured above is a rendering by Johnson Architecture of the new facility at Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue in Anderson County. (Submitted image)

 

Animals to get new home after devastating December fire

After a devastating fire last December, plans to rebuild the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue started quickly since the surviving animals and new rescues would need a permanent home. Knoxville-based Johnson Architecture volunteered to donate its time to design a new structure for the nonprofit organization, a press release said.

“Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue is such a valuable part of our community, and we wanted to give back in their time of need and thank them for all that they do to provide a loving home for rescue animals,” said Daryl Johnson, president of Johnson Architecture.

The new design recently was revealed to the organization’s donors, sponsors, and supporters.

The facility, which will be built on the foundation of the former structure in Anderson County, will feature 5,600 square feet of interior space; a 1,700-square-foot mezzanine; front and rear porches; and 4,200 square feet of open-air, covered storage. It will include a bird aviary, reptile viewing area, and eight stalls to house a variety of animals. [Read more…]

Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit has presentations on energy, manufacturing, security

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Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit Logo 1

The Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit in Oak Ridge in May will feature presentations on advanced manufacturing, clean energy and a nuclear renaissance, and national security and cyber security.

The 2018 TVC National Summit is scheduled from May 29-31 at the New Hope Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. It will be hosted by Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch in cooperation with U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann.

Agenda topics include: [Read more…]

Social justice, sociology of incarceration to be discussed Tuesday

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Michelle Brown

Michelle Brown

Social justice and the sociology of incarceration will be discussed at Lunch with the League on Tuesday. The speaker will be Michelle Brown of the University of Tennessee Department of Sociology.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Brown received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University and joined the faculty at UT in 2011, a press release said.

“Currently, she studies and advocates for anti-prison and racial justice movements in carceral regimes,” the press release said. “She is particularly interested in the use of rights claims and visual tactics in community and national organizing.” [Read more…]

Manhattan Project Park Program: The Life of Women in the Manhattan Project

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Y-12 Calutron Girls

Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. This famous “Calutron Girls” photograph by Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott prompted author Denise Kiernan to write the best-seller “The Girls of Atomic City.” (Photo by Ed Westcott)

 

What was life like for women during the Manhattan Project? Join National Park Service staff as they discuss the social changes that occurred during World War II and how that affected women in the Manhattan Project. The free interpretive program will take place at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 29. The program will outline the life for women before, during, and after World War II.

After the program, you may see the new photography display commemorating the life of women from all walks of life in Oak Ridge during World War II.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal project to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Besides Oak Ridge, other sites that were involved in the Manhattan Project and included in the park are Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. [Read more…]