Oak Ridge Today

Green McAdoo hosts Jazz on the Hill on Saturday, July 1

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Green McAdoo Organization Jazz on the Hill July 2 2016

The Jazz on the Hill concert on July 2, 2016, at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

The Green McAdoo Cultural Organization will be hosting its first Jazz on the Hill concert series on Saturday, July 1. The group performing will be Brian Clay and Friends.

The event is open to the public, and you can bring your families, blankets, and lawn chairs, a press release said. Performance times will be 5:30-8:30 p.m.

It’s a free event, and vendors will be available for food and drink purchases, the press release said. [Read more…]

‘Natural Synergy’: Photography exhibit celebrating impact of naturalized citizens on Manhattan Project opens Thursday

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Maria Geoppert Mayer Born: June 28, 1906, in Kattowitz, German Empire Naturalized: March 13, 1933 Received Nobel Prize: 1963 Died: Feb. 20, 1972, San Diego, CA

Maria Geoppert Mayer
Born: June 28, 1906, in Kattowitz, German Empire
Naturalized: March 13, 1933
Received Nobel Prize: 1963
Died: Feb. 20, 1972, San Diego, CA

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will host “Natural Synergy,” a photography exhibition focusing on some of the Manhattan Project’s most prominent scientists who left their homeland to be become naturalized U.S. citizens. The month-long exhibit will open on Thursday, June 15, with a reception starting at 4:30 p.m. The photo exhibit is sponsored by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Oak Ridge.

Beginning in the 1930s, there was active persecution of religious minorities and political opponents, a press release said. As a result, many leading scientists, philosophers, and academics fled to the West, the press release said. A number of the refugees later joined the Manhattan Project, and the large number of refugees and immigrants working on the Manhattan Project gave the American nuclear program an international character unusual in such a top-secret program.

The “Natural Synergy” photography exhibit opens the day before a naturalization ceremony for new United States citizens on Friday, June 16, that is hosted by the National Park Service and United States Citizenship and Immigration Service. That ceremony is open to the public and starts at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. For more information please call Manhattan Project National Historical Park at (865) 567-6767.

Manhattan Project public program: Bike with a Ranger on North Boundary Greenway on Saturday

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Join a park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway in Oak Ridge to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 70 years. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 29, 2017. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

Join a park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway in Oak Ridge to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 70 years. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 17, 2017. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

 

Join a park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway to see how the former communities of the area have changed over the past 70 years.  The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present a free program on Saturday, June 17, at 10 a.m.

The program will begin at the Turnpike Gatehouse and travel down Quarry Trail, a press release said.

“Along the ride, we will explore the former communities that were here before the Manhattan Project,” the press release said. “Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area.”

The Turnpike Gatehouse is located at 2900 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

‘When Good Trees Go Bad’: Lecture & walk at UT Arboretum on Thursday

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Oak Ridge Forest is pictured above in the spring of 2016. (Photo by UT Arboretum)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Oak Ridge Forest is pictured above in the spring of 2016. (Photo by UT Arboretum)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a short talk and lead a walk on Thursday, June 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the UT Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Led by Forester Jeff Holt, the short talk and walk will focus on the impact of disease and damage as observed in trees on the walk, a press release said. Holt will discuss how these issues relate to tree hazard mortality risk as they may relate to management and safety of the trees. During the walk, Holt will lead the group around the Arboretum to discuss affected trees, the press release said.

Celebrating 52 years in 2017, this program is one of many activities that will be offered this year by the UT Arboretum Society. The program is co-sponsored by the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center.

The Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014, is one of 10 outdoor laboratories located throughout the state as part of the UT AgResearch system. AgResearch is a division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. The Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension offices, with locations in every county in the state.

Oak Ridge police warn of ‘spoofing’ phone scam

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The City of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Police Department are warning of a scam telephone call that people may receive that uses a local telephone number with a 425 prefix and is titled “City of Oak Ridge.”

One of the numbers from which calls have been been received is (865) 425-1892. The calls have a recorded message that tell the person receiving the call that they have won a trip or something of value.

“This call is not from the City of Oak Ridge,” city officials said. “Rather, it is a scam which utilizes ‘spoofing’ software. Caller identification ‘spoofing’ is technology that causes the telephone network to indicate to the receiver of the call that the originator of the call is a station other than the true originating station. In other words, the software allows the caller to program the caller ID to any message or originating title.”

Again, (865) 425-1892 is not a number associated with the City of Oak Ridge. People who receive these calls should hang up immediately and ignore any recorded message from the caller, the city said.

Elks hosts Drug Awareness Day at Oak Ridge pool on Saturday

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2017 Drug Awareness Day at the Pool (Flyer)

The Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks will host the Fifth Annual Drug Awareness Day at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool at 172 Providence Road on Saturday, June 17.

Drug awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. inside the pool area, a press release said. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, swim noodles, beach balls, and Frisbees, the press release said.

This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, and the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition. [Read more…]

Front Page Follies presents musical news revue on Saturday

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The Front Page Follies cast rehearses for the June 17, 2017, event at Knoxville Convention Center. (Submitted photo)

The Front Page Follies cast rehearses for the June 17, 2017, event at Knoxville Convention Center. (Submitted photo)

 

Social media tweets and WikiLeaks figure prominently in the national news and in the 39th annual Front Page Follies, but the show will focus on finding fun in state and local stories.

The cast of local media folks and friends is ready to present the Front Page Follies on Saturday, June 17, at the Knoxville Convention Center. The musical revue of the year’s news and newsmakers offers an evening of laughs as the Front Page Foundation, host of the show, raises funds for journalism and broadcast scholarships, a press release said.

The evening will begin with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by dinner, live and silent auctions, and the stage show. Tickets to the event are $125 each. They are available on the Front Page Foundation website at www.frontpagefoundation.org, which also features a preview of auction items.

Among song highlights is “Don’t You Forget D-O-E,” on the confirmation hearing of new U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry, to the 1980s tune “Don’t You Forget About Me.” Other Follies parodies include “Suppositions” to the tune of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and a Wiki-Wacky tale of “The Leaks” from the Clinton and Trump campaigns set to Ray Stevens’ “The Streak.” [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Amateur Radio Kids Day on Sunday

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Amateur radio operator Jim Bogard helps children learn about amateur radio at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Amateur radio operator Jim Bogard helps children learn about amateur radio at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Children will have the opportunity to earn a “Certificate of Participation” for a two-way contact by amateur radio on Kids Day on Sunday, June 18, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Amateur Radio Kids Day will be from 1-4 p.m. in the Museum’s Discovery Lab. Participation is free with admission, a press release said.

Kids Day is designed to give on-the-air experience to young people and foster interest in getting their own amateur radio license. It also gives licensed ham radio operators a chance to share their stations and love for amateur radio with children, the press release said. [Read more…]

Atomic City Sportsmen Club has golf tournament Saturday

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The Atomic City Sportsmen Club has its 16th Annual Golf Tournament on Saturday.

The tournament is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, June 17, at Centennial Golf Club at 101 Centennial Boulevard in Oak Ridge.

It’s a best ball-shotgun start, an event flyer said. The entry fee is $75 per person. It’s $90 the day of the event.

The tournament includes lunch, range balls, a goodie bag, and door prizes, the flyer said.

Contact Larry Gipson at (865) 254-1346 for more information. You may also contact any sportsman, the event flyer said.

Norris Bulletin: Norris hires new police chief, separates public safety departments

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Information from WYSH Radio

The town of Norris will have a new police chief beginning July 3.

According to the Norris Bulletin, it was announced during the Norris City Council meeting on Monday that William “Chip” Kain has been hired to serve as Norris’s next police chief. Kain is currently chief of police in the town of Baneberry, Tennessee. Kain has previously served with the University of Tennessee Police Department and the Clinton Police Department. He also once co-hosted a sports talk show on a Knoxville radio station. He succeeds Danny Humphrey, who stepped down earlier this year.

The Bulletin also reported that the City Council voted to reorganize the city’s Public Safety Department. The reorganization will essentially create separate police and fire departments, a move that supporters say will allow members of both to be more efficiently trained and supervised. That reorganization was unanimously approved.

WYSH Radio in Clinton is an Oak Ridge Today news partner.

ACHS baseball coach, assistant principal takes new job in Alcoa

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Information from WYSH Radio

Anderson County High School baseball coach and assistant principal Ben Downs has announced his resignation.

Downs, who has spent the last 10 years guiding the Mavericks’ baseball team, has accepted an administrative role in the Alcoa city school system.

WYSH Radio in Clinton is an Oak Ridge Today news partner.

Anderson County Budget Committee sends budget with no tax increase to County Commission

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Steve Emert

Steve Emert

The Anderson County Commission Budget Committee has completed its work on the county budget and forwarded it to County Commission for consideration and approval at its June 13 special-called meeting, a press release said. The full budget is available on the county web site at andersontn.org under the Finance Department tab.

“The Budget Committee and Finance Department had several challenges in preparing next year’s budget,” said Myron Iwanski, Budget Committee chair. “This is the first year operating under the 81 Financial Management Law. It has resulted in changes in the Finance Department’s role and its organizational structure and staff. There have also been the challenges of having to take $1.5 million dollars from our fund balance to address Ambulance Service shortfalls; the continuing costs for legal fees that have accumulated over the last four years; the computer breach; and increases in medical insurance cost.”

The press release said the proposed budget keeps spending in departments at current levels, but it includes funding for an Information Technology staff. It provides funding for a capital outlay note to purchase a county Senior Center building, relocate the General Session Court in Oak Ridge to a county-owned building, and fund several needed building upgrades. [Read more…]