Oak Ridge Today

Two Oak Ridge residents part of Knoxville tennis team that wins national title

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Pictured above are, from left to right in front, Melanie Dodson (Knoxville), Barbara Miller (Knoxville), Kim Lee (Oak Ridge), and Cindi Mooney (Knoxville); and left to right in back, Bill Padgett (Alcoa), Trips Dawson (Loudon), Tony Lee (Oak Ridge), and Jay Huffman (Knoxville). (Photo credit: Juan O’Campo)

Pictured above are, from left to right in front, Melanie Dodson (Knoxville), Barbara Miller (Knoxville), Kim Lee (Oak Ridge), and Cindi Mooney (Knoxville); and left to right in back, Bill Padgett (Alcoa), Trips Dawson (Loudon), Tony Lee (Oak Ridge), and Jay Huffman (Knoxville). (Photo credit: Juan O’Campo)

 

Knoxville team crowned national champions at USTA League Mixed 40 and Over 6.0 National Championships

SURPRISE, ARIZ.—A tennis team from Knoxville, representing the USTA Southern Section, captured the national title at the USTA League Mixed 40 and Over 6.0 National Championships held at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona.

The Knoxville team defeated a team from Arcadia, California, 2-1 in the Championship match. Earlier in the day, the Knoxville team defeated a team from Concord, California, 3-0 in the semifinals. They advanced that far by winning their round-robin flight contested during a weekend in the fall.

The team is captained by Jay Huffman and features Barbara Miller, Melanie Dodson, Cindi Mooney, Tony Lee, Kim Lee, Trips Dawson, Katherine Evans, Timmy Cuesta, Bill Padgett, and Justin Chaniott, and plays at the Cedar Bluff Racquet Club. The Lees live in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Schools give Year Two progress report on Access Oak Ridge

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These charts depict the increase in use of the Canvas learning management system, or LMS, since its adoption in 2015 in Oak Ridge Schools. Dips in usage occurred in June and July of 2016 when school was not in session. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)

These charts depict the increase in use of the Canvas learning management system, or LMS, since its adoption in 2015 in Oak Ridge Schools. Dips in usage occurred in June and July of 2016 when school was not in session. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Submitted

During the past two years, the Oak Ridge school district has been making new strides in our Access Oak Ridge digital learning initiative by putting Lenovo Yoga laptop computers into the hands of every student in grades 5-10.

Our vision in this initiative is “to empower all Oak Ridge students with equitable access to digital learning opportunities, and to innovate, design, collaborate, and ultimately succeed in local and global communities of the future.” Within this vision, we believe that learning should be student-centered, with technology that enables exploration of content with greater depth and breadth.

Our aim is to continue to grow Access Oak Ridge to provide opportunities that lead to substantial benefits for both students and staff. Fostering innovative thinking expands the classroom beyond the school walls for our students.

Prior to embarking on the Access Oak Ridge initiative, dedicated information technology (IT) staff and instructional technology coaches had been preparing our students and teachers with digital tools and software for more than a decade. In 2014-15, our instructional technology coaches worked with a team of teachers to research and select a learning management system, or LMS, to securely house all of our online content for courses such as soft copies of textbooks, course readings, designated internet content links, software, and videos, as well as student and family progress monitoring (course grading). The LMS the teacher team selected is Canvas by Instructure. [Read more…]

Pull For Our Veterans presents checks to Honor Air, Fisher House

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Dual Presentation1

Richard Stouder, center, president of Pull For Our Veterans, presents checks for $19308.50 to Megan Wynn of the Fisher House Foundation Inc, left, and to Eddie Mannis of Honor Air Knoxville. Pull For Our Veterans is an Oak Ridge-based 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping veterans and their families. (Submitted photo)

 

Pull For Our Veterans, an Oak Ridge-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping veterans and their families, presented checks in the amount of $19,308.50 to both Honor Air Knoxville and the Fisher House Foundation Inc. in a ceremony at the Oak Ridge Sportsmen’s Association in Oak Ridge on November 29.

“Honor Air Knoxville and The Fisher House Foundation are two great organizations that do a lot, but they need help and we’re proud to support them,” said Richard Stouder, president of Pull For Our Veterans. “It’s gratifying to know that the money we raised in 2016 will be used by them to help support our veterans and their loved ones. We want to thank our corporate sponsors, Consolidated Nuclear Security, National Strategic Protective Services, Enrichment Federal Credit Union, and Clayton Homes as well as the many other sponsors, participants, and all of our wonderful volunteers who worked tirelessly to make these events happen. They are the ones that are making a difference in the lives of our veterans and their families.”

Honor Air Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) that is dedicated to honoring World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans from East Tennessee and the sacrifices they made to ensure our freedoms. Each Honor Air trip costs approximately $500 per veteran. Every dollar donated is applied directly to the cost of the trip. No donation dollars are applied to administrative expenses. [Read more…]

Haslam visits ORNL to highlight state’s role in discovering tennessine

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Bill Haslam at ORNL Tennessine Martin McDonald Thom Mason ORHS Students

Principal Martin McDonald, left, and students from Oak Ridge High School accepted the first new chart of the periodic table featuring element tennessine and signed by Governor Bill Haslam, right, and ORNL Director Thom Mason, second from left. To mark the discovery of tennessine, UT-Battelle is donating a new chart to all public middle and high schools in Tennessee. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam visited the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Friday to congratulate the ORNL team involved in the discovery of the element tennessine, named in recognition of the vital contributions of the state of Tennessee to the international search for new superheavy elements.

UT-Battelle, the managing contractor of ORNL, is marking the discovery by providing more than 1,000 public middle schools and high schools in Tennessee with new charts of the periodic table. Tennessine—the official name for element 117—completes the seventh row of the table and the column of elements classified as halogens.

The charts will include the signatures of Haslam and ORNL Director Thom Mason.

“We had two very significant announcements in Tennessee this fall as it relates to science,” Haslam said. “In October, the Nation’s Report Card announced that Tennessee students are the fastest improving in the nation in science, and in November, Tennessee became only the second state to be recognized in the periodic table of elements. Having an element named in our honor is further evidence of the scientific excellence that exists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, and other institutions throughout our state, and by UT-Battelle donating new periodic tables to every middle and high school in Tennessee, students can feel proud of our state’s important role in the scientific community and inspired to play a role in its future.” [Read more…]

Cybersecurity brown bag lunches start Tuesday in Oak Ridge

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The Cyber and Information Security Consortium, or CISC, and the University of Tennessee’s Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy have partnered together to hold monthly brown bag lunches to hear talks on key topics regarding cybersecurity.

The first official lunch will take place next week in the UT Outreach Center in Oak Ridge.

The second lunch will be held on February 17 in the Toyota Auditorium at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy on UT’s campus. [Read more…]

Refugee services to be discussed Feb. 6 in Oak Ridge

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Drocella Mugorewera, executive director of Bridge Refugee Services Inc. (Submitted photo)

Drocella Mugorewera, executive director of Bridge Refugee Services Inc. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

Coming to a strange country not knowing the people, culture, or even language can be daunting. Many United States citizens often trace their families back and learn about those who came to these shores and struggled against difficult odds. The challenge continues, and sometimes people are available to offer a helping hand during the critical transition, to bridge the gap between one’s former life and the new one stretching out ahead with so many unknowns. One organization that serves in this capacity is Bridge Refugee Services, operating in the Knoxville and Chattanooga areas, which assists refugees, a group of people often including asylum seekers.

“How can I help?” is a question often posed by those who wish to help eliminate the pain and confusion of those living this difficult set of circumstances.  With this question in mind, Drocella Mugorewera, executive director of Bridge Refugee Services Inc., will present at the next meeting of the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. It will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 6, at the Jewish Congregation, 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge. This is across the street from the back of the Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Authors speak about delights, frights along Cumberland Trail on Feb. 2

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Ben Larry Pounds Book Cover

Well-known botanist Larry Pounds and his son, local journalist Ben Pounds, spent a month in 2012 hiking all 200 miles of the Cumberland Trail that existed then. Combining Larry’s extensive botany experience and Ben’s training as a writer, they documented their experiences in a book, “Wildly Strolling Along,” a press release said.

The public is invited to an informational program about their Cumberland Trail experience in a 7 p.m. program on Thursday, February 2. The Pounds will share slides of their favorite sights along the Cumberland Trail and provide basic information about the trail, the press release said. [Read more…]

Community invited to World Harmony Week celebration at ORUUC

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The Oak Ridge Interfaith Partnership will celebrate World Harmony Week on Thursday, February 2, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near traffic light number two.

Speakers from diverse traditions will speak about aspects of their faith they feel are important and often misunderstood, a press release said.

Mix and Mingle will be start at 6:30 p.m., the press release said. Presentations will be from 7 to 8 p.m. That will be followed an opportunity for dialogue and fellowship, the press release said. Refreshments will be served, and child care will be available. There is no cost to attend. [Read more…]

Anderson County Schools closed Monday, Tuesday due to illness

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Anderson County Schools will be closed Monday, January 30, and Tuesday, January 31, because there is a large number of students and staff out due to illness, officials said Friday.

Custodians at each school will spend Monday and Tuesday disinfecting classrooms and schools, Anderson County Schools said.

The central office staff will report at its usual time.

Anderson County Republicans to have congratulatory dinner for McNally

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally (Submitted photo)

 

Fleischmann, Haslam plan to attend

The Anderson County Republican Party will honor Randy McNally, Tennessee’s new lieutenant governor, at this year’s Reagan Day dinner. The dinner will be held at the Double Tree Hotel in Oak Ridge on Friday, February 10. It will start at 6:30 p.m.

On January 10, McNally was selected as the 87th speaker of the Tennessee Senate, a position that also makes him the state’s lieutenant governor.

“It’s a great honor for East Tennessee to furnish the next lieutenant governor,” said William Jones, chair of the Anderson County Republican Party. “Randy is certainly the perfect choice. He is a thoughtful, dedicated leader who has given many years of public service to the Volunteer State.” [Read more…]

Alexander to chair subcommittee that oversees funding for ORNL, Y-12, DOE cleanup work

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Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

The Senate Appropriations Committee announced Wednesday that U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, will serve as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development for the 115th Congress.

That subcommittee oversees funding for national priorities such as energy research, nuclear weapons modernization, and waterways infrastructure that are funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a press release said. It also oversees funding for Tennessee priorities, including the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Security Complex, cleanup in Oak Ridge, and Chickamauga Lock. [Read more…]

Q&A: Top 10 most frequently asked questions about City Blueprint

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The City of Oak Ridge has posted the top 10 most frequently asked questions about the City Blueprint, which will be the subject of an open house kick-off meeting on Thursday.

Question One

Q: When and where is the City Blueprint Kick-Off Meeting being held?

A: Thursday, January 26, at High Places Church in Grove Center (123 Randolph Road) from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]