Oak Ridge Today

Photo: JMS First Lego League team competing in Houston

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At the First Robotics World Championship in Houston, the Jefferson Middle School First Lego League team, the JMS Master Builders, is also competing in the FLL Division. Pictured above on Thursday, April 20, 2017, are team members (left to right) Matthew Alexander, Thora Spence, Amelia Thomson, Jessica Mohr, Stella Scott, and Adam Blanchard. (Photo by Angi Agle)

At the First Robotics World Championship in Houston, the Jefferson Middle School First Lego League team, the JMS Master Builders, is also competing in the FLL Division. Pictured above on Thursday, April 20, 2017, are team members, from left to right, Matthew Alexander, Thora Spence, Amelia Thomson, Jessica Mohr, Stella Scott, and Adam Blanchard. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

At the First Robotics World Championship in Houston, the Jefferson Middle School First Lego League team, the JMS Master Builders, is competing in the FLL Division (see photo above).

The FLL matches began Thursday at 12:50 p.m. Central time.

Photo and information provided by Angi Agle.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Like what we’re doing? Subscribe to Oak Ridge Today

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If you appreciate what we do here at Oak Ridge Today, please consider becoming a voluntary subscriber. You don’t have to subscribe to read our stories, but your contribution will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can.

We currently offer three subscription levels: $5, $10, or $25 per month. We accept payments through PayPal. You can also send check payments to our P.O. box. Please visit our subscription page for information on these options.

There isn’t currently a difference between the three monthly subscription levels. It’s mostly a matter of what you can contribute or want to contribute. We believe that most of our subscribers support us because they like what we’re doing and want to see us succeed. We like to think of the voluntary subscriptions as like a tip jar. So, if you appreciate our service, please consider subscribing. [Read more…]

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday

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McNally-Ragan-Calfee-at-Breakfast-with-Legislators-April-25-2016

The monthly Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, 2017, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Pictured above from left during a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016, are Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The monthly Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Breakfast with the Legislators is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Tennessee senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the state legislature, the Tennessee General Assembly, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State award-winning author Genovise has new book

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Elizabeth Genovise

Elizabeth Genovise

 

There’s a “bit of the magical” in her new work of fiction, author and Roane State assistant professor Elizabeth Genovise says.

Genovise’s latest literary effort, what she describes “one very long ‘short’ story,” is titled “The Stone Pear.” It’s now available for pre-order from publisher Anchor & Plume Press in Louisiana.

It’s the coming-of-age story of a girl coming to grips with her mother’s fragile health while also becoming obsessed with a pair of migrant workers boarding at her parents’ farm.

Genovise, who has taught English composition and literature at Roane State since 2010, says “The Stone Pear” is an unusual departure from what she calls her “strictly realistic stories.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge recreation manager named a community hero

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Matt Reedy, left, receives an official ICMA Community Hero certificate and letter from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, right. From left to right in background are Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, Council member Jim Dodson, and Council member Kelly Callison. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Matt Reedy, left, receives an official ICMA Community Hero certificate and letter from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, right. From left to right in background are Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn, Council member Jim Dodson, and Council member Kelly Callison. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge Recreation Manager Matt Reedy has been named a 2017 Community Hero by the International City/County Management Association, or ICMA. Reedy is one of just 10 people chosen from across the country, a press release said.

“The honor is part of an ICMA initiative called ‘Life, Well Run,’ which aims to raise awareness of and appreciation for the value professional managers bring to build ethical, efficient, effective local government, and great communities we’re proud to call home,” a press release said.

Reedy was surprised with the announcement and a presentation of a certificate from ICMA at the regular city council meeting on Monday, April 10, the press release said. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson spoke about Reedy’s devotion to the city and its people, in particular its youth. [Read more…]

First United Methodist hosts ETSU BucsWorth Men’s Ensemble on Friday

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ETSU BucsWorth Men's Ensemble (Submitted photo)

ETSU BucsWorth Men’s Ensemble (Submitted photo)

 

As part of the Newsong Concert Series, First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge will host the East Tennessee State University BucsWorth Men’s Ensemble on Friday, April 21, at 7:30 pm in the Sanctuary. All are welcome to attend. The suggested donation is $10, a press release said.

BucsWorth Men’s Choir was formed in the early 1990s at East Tennessee State University as a primarily a capella chamber ensemble called “10 BucsWorth”—which referred to the number of guys in the ensemble and a play-on-words reference to the ETSU mascot, the Buccaneers, the press release said. In 2013, the ensemble was expanded to a full men’s choir under the direction of Alan Stevens. [Read more…]

New healthy living exhibit opens at Children’s Museum on Saturday

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Children will find plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and many suggestions for movement to keep them fit when the new Kids in Action! Healthy Living exhibit opens Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

Children will find plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and many suggestions for movement to keep them fit when the new Kids in Action! Healthy Living exhibit opens Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Children will find plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and many suggestions for movement to keep them fit when a new exhibit opens Saturday at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Kids in Action! Healthy Living exhibit opens with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 22, in the east wing of the Museum. The exhibit opening will feature special activities in the gym and drawings for door prizes throughout the day, with one week of summer camp as the grand door prize. The museum is open until 4 p.m. Saturday.

A members’ sneak preview of the new exhibit will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday at the museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. Museum visitors may join that evening if they wish to participate in the sneak preview.

“The exhibit is an opportunity for kids to learn through play where their food comes from. We have a henhouse and a farmers’ market. Children and families can learn about making healthy food choices,” Beth Shea, the museum’s executive director, said of the “Healthy Eating” part of the exhibit.

The “Healthy Activity” section of the exhibit encourages kids and families to keep healthy and fit through exercise and movement. [Read more…]

From greenhouses on Mars to sustainability on Earth: Hear STEM stories at ORAU on Thursday

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ORAU will host a STEM Stories event in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Here is information about the event:

Who: Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)

What: STEM Stories, featuring live talks by two dynamic speakers and innovators in their fields. The speakers, both of whom work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), will describe their respective career journeys, who or what inspires them, and how mentors impact lives and our nation’s scientific agenda.

Speakers for the event are: [Read more…]

ORHS student wins National Merit Scholarship

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Oak Ridge High School student Lara S. Blokland has won a National Merit Scholarship. The scholarship winners were announced this week by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Blokland is one of two area students to win a National Merit Battelle Scholarship. The other is Nalin H. Varma of Farragut High School.

Blokland’s probable career field is physics, a press release said, and Varma could study chemical engineering.

This week’s announcement was the first announcement of National Merit Scholars in 2017 by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, or NMSC. NMSC will name recipients of National Merit $2,500 Scholarships on May 10 and winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 7 and July 17. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy is in June

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Oak Ridge Police Department Badge

The sixth annual Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy will be held this summer from June 11 through June 29. The Junior Police Academy will be using an age-appropriate format this year, which will allow three separate sessions.

Sessions will be based on the grade that is obtained for the 2017 through 2018 school year, a press release said.

  • 7th grade through graduating seniors: This session will be a Junior Police Forensic Academy, an intensive week of forensic training in crime scene investigation, and the science involved. It is targeted toward those who may be interested in a career in forensic science. The training environment will be classroom and lab setting.
  • 8th grade through graduating seniors: This session will target students who may be interested in a law enforcement career. Training will focus on basic policing and law enforcement techniques.
  • 5th grade through 7th grade: This session will be a junior police camp with a police theme and will focus on group activities and team building exercises.

Are you right for the Junior Police Academy? Answer these questions: Have you thought about what you are going to do after school? Have you ever wondered exactly what a police officer does? Are you interested in a career in law or paralegal? Would you be interested in learning more about law enforcement? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you are a great candidate for the Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge will celebrate new eighth rowing lane on Friday, April 28

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Rowers are pictured above on the Oak Ridge rowing course in the spring of 2017. The area that needed work to recently add the eighth lane is pictured at center-right along Melton Lake Drive. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Rowers are pictured above on the Oak Ridge rowing course in the spring of 2017. The area that needed work to recently add the eighth lane is pictured at center-right along Melton Lake Drive. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge will celebrate the new eighth rowing lane with a special dedication ceremony on Friday, April 28, the city said in a press release.

The dedication, announced by the City of Oak Ridge, will be at 3 p.m. Friday, April 28. It is expected to include state and local leaders, and it will help kick off one of the biggest rowing weekends of the season, the press release said.

The eighth rowing lane, which is now complete, has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Officials have said that it could help attract even more and larger regattas (rowing races) and help maintain the Oak Ridge course as one of the top-ranked rowing venues in the United States.

Those who attend Friday’s dedication ceremony will gather in Melton Lake Park at the pavilion across from the Oak Ridge Rowing Association and then take a short walk on Melton Lake Greenway to the new overlook for the eighth rowing lane, the press release said. [Read more…]

Chief Jailer Avery Johnson named Jail Administrator of the Year

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Anderson County Chief Jailer Avery Johnson, second from right, is pictured above with Sheriff Paul White, right; Chief Deputy Mark Lucas, second from left; and Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Chief Jailer Avery Johnson, second from right, is pictured above with Sheriff Paul White, right; Chief Deputy Mark Lucas, second from left; and Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally. (Submitted photo)

 

Anderson County Chief Jailer Avery Johnson was recently presented the Jail Administrator of the Year award by the Tennessee Corrections Institute, or TCI.

The Tennessee Corrections Institute is the state agency that regulates local jails and workhouses. The award was presented at the annual TCI Jail Issues Conference in Franklin, Tennessee.

Also attending the award ceremony were Anderson County Sheriff Paul White, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas, Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, and Johnson’s wife Diane with other family members.

The Jail Administrator of the Year award is awarded to a worthy candidate who must be a full-time jail administrator responsible for operations within a local correctional facility, a press release said. The nominee must have demonstrated a high level of professionalism and dedication in the area of corrections within the agency and community. They must have initiated or promoted programs enhancing the operations of a correctional facility within the State of Tennessee. They must also have contributed toward the overall mission of TCI in working to develop a professional corrections environment for today and tomorrow.

Chief Jailer Avery Johnson began his career with the Anderson County Sheriff Department in February 1981. [Read more…]