Oak Ridge Today

Today: Music of America Concert at ORHS

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The Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble is pictured above during its Spring Concert on April 19, 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble will present its last indoor concert of the 2015-2016 “Every Day is Better with Music” series on Sunday, April 3. This performance will be held at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center at 3:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for all adults over age 18, and it includes free refreshments in the lobby at the conclusion of the show.

“This Sunday’s performance promises to be exceptional featuring music about America and a number of selections written by American composers,” a press release said. “A highlight of this concert will be guest soprano vocalist Lettie Andrade De La Torre, who will be making a return appearance to sing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beautiful ‘Music of the Night’ from ‘Phantom of the Opera.'”

Another high note of Sunday’s show will be a unique narration of Ernest Thayer’s poem by Oak Ridge High School student Lucas Potter as the band plays Randol Bass’s “Casey at the Bat” focusing on America’s favorite summertime sport, baseball, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber celebrates nonprofit members Tuesday, April 5

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Community members and members of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce learn more about local nonprofits at last year’s Give it UP for a Cause. This year’s event will take place on April 5. The event is free and the public is invited. (Submitted photo)

To celebrate National Volunteer Month, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is hosting a nonprofit fair on Tuesday, April 5. It’s scheduled from 8-10 a.m. at Pollard Technology Conference Center, which is at 210 Badger Road. The community is invited to attend.

“Give it UP for a Cause” is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual event to honor the nonprofit members of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. Several nonprofit organizations will be on hand to share what they do in the community, what their needs are, and how those who are interested can get involved.

Gene Caldwell, longtime community volunteer, will be the guest speaker. Caldwell was a pediatrician at the Oak Ridge Children’s Clinic for many years before being elected to the Tennessee State House of Representatives. He will speak about the importance of volunteerism.

Exhibitors for the event are: [Read more…]

Four more spring nature walks set on Oak Ridge Reservation

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Children learn to identify a corn snake during a 2015 nature walk on DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation. (ORNL photo)

 

Four more nature walks are planned this spring on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation beginning with a wildflower walk at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 10.

Participants will see many native spring wildflowers in the woods along the bluffs of Watts Bar Lake during the 3.5-hour walk. Limited to 25, walking will be off trail in moderately rough terrain of one to two miles. Participants need to have good balance and stamina, dress in layers, wear sturdy shoes, and bring bug spray and water.

Reservations must be made no later than Thursday, April 7, by contacting Tracy Clem at (865) 574-5151 or bodinetm@ornl.gov. If bad weather forces postponement of an event, it will be announced on ORNL’s Information Line at (865) 574-9836 at least two hours before the scheduled start of the walk. [Read more…]

United Way has annual meeting Thursday, April 21

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The United Way of Anderson County will have its annual meeting on Thursday, April 21.

“This is an opportunity to celebrate a successful campaign season, recognize businesses and board members as well as see the impact made on the community through United Way contributions,” a press release said.

The annual meeting is scheduled from 7:30-8:30 a.m. April 21 at the New Hope Center on Scarboro Road.

Tom Hilton will present a president’s report, Eric Abelquist will give a report of strategic planning outcomes, and John Garrity will report on community impact through grants, the press release said. Gene Patterson and Jim Dodson will present the 2015 campaign report, and the 2016 campaign chairs will be revealed, the release said. [Read more…]

Civic Center Recreation Building temporarily closing for ACT testing Tuesday, April 19

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The Oak Ridge Civic Center is pictured above on Oak Ridge Turnpike in March 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Center Recreation Building will be closed to the public during the day on Tuesday, April 19. The Oak Ridge Schools will be using the facility to conduct ACT testing for students. Only students pre-registered for the test, school faculty, proctors, and assigned Recreation and Parks staff will be admitted to the building. The building will reopen for public use at 5 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Civic Center is at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

For more information contact Jon Hetrick, Recreation and Parks Department, at (865) 425-3446 or visit the city’s website at http://www.oakridgetn.gov.

Charlie Daniels Band, Grand Funk Railroad to headline Secret City Festival

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The Charlie Daniels Band will headline the Friday night, June 10, concert at the 2016 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The Charlie Daniels Band and Grand Funk Railroad with Atlanta Rhythm Section will be the headliners in the Friday and Saturday night concerts at the Secret City Festival in June.

“After a record-breaking concert turnout in 2015, the 14th annual Secret City Festival on June 10th-11th aims to keep the good times rolling,” a press release said.

The concert headliners were announced Friday by radio sponsors 96.7 MerleFM and 93.1 WNOX.

Daniels continues to “bring down the house” at age 78 with his genre-defining Southern rock anthems and his CMA Award-winning country hits, the press release said. The legendary musician was recently announced as a 2016 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the press release said. He is best known for such hits as “Uneasy Rider,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” “Trudy,” “Long Haired Country Boy,” “Midnight Wind,” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” [Read more…]

Three arrested after robbery reported near Clinton Tuesday morning

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Dylon James Dotson

Dylon James Dotson

Three people were arrested after a robbery was reported in a mobile home park near Clinton on Tuesday morning, authorities said. One of the three is a juvenile.

A 22-year-old Clinton man flagged down a deputy on patrol on Laurel Road near Cedar Grove Lane around 9 a.m. Tuesday to report he had been beaten and robbed by four people, three males and a female, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

“The victim said he had stayed overnight with one of the males, and the next morning he was offered a ride by another man,” Lucas said. “Instead of giving him a ride, the males along with the female beat him severely and stole money, prescription narcotics, and a cell phone. He was familiar with the three men and named them as his attackers along with providing a description of their car.”

A short time later, other deputies responded to a single-car traffic crash on Old Lake City Highway and soon learned the three male suspects in the robbery were involved in the crash, Lucas said. Two of the three were arrested at the scene for charges related to the robbery. The third male was a juvenile and was taken into custody after being treated for injuries from the crash at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. [Read more…]

Armed felon arrested after vehicle, foot chase, ACSD says

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Johnny Dewayne Thomas

Johnny Dewayne Thomas

An armed Rocky Top man was arrested and is facing several charges after a short vehicle and foot chase on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputies tried to stop a vehicle driven by Johnny Dewayne Thomas, 41, of Rocky Top, at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said.

“The car attempted to evade but stopped, and Thomas ran on foot,” Lucas said. “While being chased, Thomas was seen to remove a handgun from his waistband and look back at the pursuing deputy. He then threw the gun and continued running. The deputy deployed his Taser and made the arrest without further incident.” [Read more…]

Vietnam veterans honored during Tuesday ceremony

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The Clinch Bend Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, along with Anderson County government, commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at the War Memorial in front of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. The local ceremony recognized and honored Vietnam veterans with the placing of a wreath on the Courthouse War Memorial and the raising of a special flag commemorating the 50th anniversary of the years-long conflict. (Photo by Leean Tupper)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

CLINTON—A crowd of about 100 people gathered outside the Anderson County Courthouse on Tuesday for a ceremony honoring Vietnam veterans on the fourth observance of what has been declared “Vietnam Veterans’ Day” by President Obama.

The event took place at the War Memorial in front of the Courthouse and included the laying of a wreath at the Memorial, the reading of the names of the 29 Anderson County soldiers who died in the conflict, and the raising of a special flag marking the 50th anniversary of U.S. involvement in the southeast Asian nation.

Remarks were made by County Mayor Terry Frank, and Veterans Services Officer Leon Jaquet read a special proclamation from the president.

The local observance was part of a nationwide effort led by the U.S. Department of Defense to thank veterans of the war for their service and sacrifice. Many Vietnam veterans were met with hostility, not gratitude, upon their return to U.S. soil from the unpopular war. In the years since, many organizations have taken up the cause of making sure that these veterans receive the recognition they deserve. [Read more…]

Church Women United addresses Community Matters on Friday

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Pictured above at a Community Matters forum at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Nov. 1, 2015, are the Rev. Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church, center, the Rev. Jake Morrill of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, left, and Father Brent Shelton of St. Mary’s Parish. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Church Women United invites the public to a program “Since Community Matters” on Friday, April 1, at Kern Memorial Methodist Church in Oak Ridge. Reverend Derrick Hammond of Oak Valley Baptist Church will be the guest speaker.

Hammond will summarize three community meetings initiated in fall 2015 by the clergy of Oak Valley, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, along with Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, to encourage citizens to speak up about community concerns. Hammond will give an update about the process of addressing those concerns and suggest steps that we and our church families can take to help strengthen our community.

Kern Memorial Methodist Church is at 451 East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. Fellowship at the Friday meeting begins at 11:30 a.m., followed by a short meeting, prayer, and program at noon. [Read more…]

Talk on ISIS is Thursday

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Rihab Sawah

Rihab Sawah

The Islamic State, its historical roots, and the ways ISIS differs from the Islamic religion will be explained in a talk at 3 p.m. Thursday in the City Room (A-111) of the Coffey-McNally Building, Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge Campus, a press release said.

Rihab Sawah, a Syrian native and professor of physics at St. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley in Ferguson, Missouri, will deliver the lecture, a press release said. Sawah holds an M.A. degree in Islamic/Arabic science history. She teaches an introductory course on Islam at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.

Her lecture, presented by Roane State’s International Education Department and the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), is free and open to the public.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Tech 2020 to sell building; other groups will continue organization’s work

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The board of directors for Technology 2020, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, voted Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to wind down operations after more than two decades of operations. Tech 2020 announced March 30 that it will sell the building. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Tech 2020 Board of Directors approved a plan Tuesday that allows many of the organization’s top initiatives to be continued under the leadership of other enterprises, officials said. The Tech 2020 building, which is located in Commerce Park in south Oak Ridge, will be sold.

In January, the Tech 2020 Board agreed to wind down operations after more than two decades.

“Our goal these past few months has been to preserve some of Tech 2020’s important resources, and we believe we’ve accomplished that with the plan approved at Tuesday’s meeting of the Board,” said David Bradshaw, Tech 2020 chair.

That plan calls for the transfer of several of the Tech 2020 regional missions to other organizations on or before April 30, and the financial assets of a fourth to be returned to its founding members, a press release said.

“When the Board voted on January 26 to wind down operations, it asked that we explore options to transition existing missions to other not-for-profit organizations,” Bradshaw said in the press release. “We asked interested organizations to outline their ideas, and we are pleased that several have stepped forward with concrete proposals.” [Read more…]