Oak Ridge Today

Early voting starts today in Tennessee

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Note: This story was last updated at 1:30 p.m.

Early voting for the March 1 presidential preference primary, or “SEC Primary,” begins today (Wednesday, February 10).

In this election cycle, voting early may be an important option because of unpredictable winter weather, state officials said in a press release. The number of presidential candidates as well as the number of delegates could also create incredibly long ballots for some voters.

Six Southern states will join Tennessee to help decide who could be the next president of the United States. The Volunteer State’s clout could mean more primary interest than in years past. [Read more…]

Boys & Girls Club Gala is Saturday—enjoy the evening, support youth

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Boys-Girls-Club-Clinch-Valley-Gala-2016The Boys & Girls Club of Oak Ridge has its Gala 2016 on Saturday, February 13.

The Gala includes dinner, dancing, and an auction. Tickets are $100 per person, and black tie attire is encouraged. You must be 21 to attend.

“This will be a beautiful evening to celebrate an early Valentine’s Day and support the youth in our community!” organizers said.

The Gala is from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oak Ridge.

You can contact Boys & Girls Club staff or board members for tickets, or you can email Jennifer Pettyjohn at JPettyjohn@bgcor.org. You can also visit the event page here.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Williams named UCOR chief operating officer

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Fran-Williams

Fran Williams

Fran Williams has been selected as the chief operating officer for UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.

Williams will fill the position vacated last month by Matt Marston, who left to accept a senior management position within AECOM, one of the parent companies of UCOR, or URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Williams is returning to UCOR, where she previously served as manager of Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality Assurance, a press release said. She retired in 2015 after overseeing UCOR’s successful designation as a Star site in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Program. Star status recognizes the safest operating sites in the nation.

She also helped set the company on a course to achieve more than five million work hours without a lost-time accident, the press release said. [Read more…]

Top 3 in DOE middle school science bowl: Farragut, Jefferson, Norris

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Farragut Middle School finished first in the U.S. Department of Energy’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl at Roane State Community College on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. Pictured above from left to right are Kevin Wang, Prajwal Jagadish, Caden Farley, Aditya Bal, Luke Kronzer, and Coach Mary Sue Pruitt. (Submitted photo)

 

Farragut Middle School finished first in the U.S. Department of Energy’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl on Saturday. Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge finished second, and Norris Middle School finished third.

The sixth annual East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl was on Saturday, February 6, at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. It highlighted the academic and problem-solving abilities of students representing 13 Tennessee middle schools, a press release said.

“The Middle School Science Bowl is a competition that tests participants’ knowledge in mathematics and the sciences,” the press release said.

There were 16 teams this year, and they included some of the state’s brightest middle school students. The students were quizzed in a fast-paced question-and-answer format similar to the Jeopardy! television game show, the press release said. Each team included four student competitors, an alternate, and a coach who also served as the team’s adviser.

After an intense competition, three winning teams emerged and received monetary awards: [Read more…]

No one injured when fire starts in bed of commercial landscaping truck

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Oak Ridge Fire DepartmentNo one was injured when the Oak Ridge Fire Department extinguished a fire in the bed of a commercial landscaping truck on Melton Lake Drive on Monday morning, authorities said.

The truck fire was reported at about 8:30 a.m. Monday on Melton Lake Drive near Rivers Run Drive. The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Oak Ridge Police Department both responded.

The truck belonged to Eastwood Landscaping of Knoxville.

Melton Lake Drive was closed from 8:30 a.m. until just after 11 a.m. due to the fire, a press release said. The exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

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.

Anderson County Ally of the Year for 2016: Becky Grubb

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2016 Anderson County Ally of the Year First Runner-up Theresa Scott, Ally of the Year Becky Grubb, and Second Runner-up Kim Pouncey are pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Becky Grubb has been named the 2016 Anderson County Ally of the Year.

The award is given by Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP, and it recognizes Grubb’s passion for creating a healthy and productive Anderson County, a press release said.

Grubb is the office manager at Fox Toyota, where she works with her family. She and her husband Stanley are active members of Grace Baptist Church, where they serve as greeters and small group home hosts. They have served with Lost Sheep Ministries in Knoxville for the past 12 years, assisting the homeless, and have taken several mission trips with Jesus Centered Ministries. Grubb is also a member of the Clinton Civitan Club, the press release said. She and Stanley have three children and four grandchildren. [Read more…]

Fall in love with ‘Dine and Donate’

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Dean Russell and Lynn Randolph, co-owners of Dean’s are pictured above. Ranked the number one restaurant in Oak Ridge on tripadvisor.com, Dean’s Restaurant and Bakery offers a variety of wood-grilled and home cooked favorites. (Submitted photo)

 

On Monday, February 8, several local restaurants will “share the love” by donating a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, ADFAC’s February Dine and Donate event provides an early opportunity to treat loved ones to a special meal.

Restaurants participating on Monday, February 8, are:

  • Dean’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Hoskins in Clinton,
  • Mediterranean Delight in Oak Ridge,
  • Popeye’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Razzleberry’s in Oak Ridge,
  • Secret City BBQ and Pies in Oak Ridge, and
  • Subway locations in Clinton (both), Oak Ridge (Four Oaks Center), Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top.

[Read more…]

Downtown Hardware, ADFAC partner to collect weatherization items for struggling families

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Downtown Hardware’s co-owner Roger Clary, along with his wife, Sondra, present the ADFAC collection area. (Submitted photo)

 

Families in need of utility assistance often request help in obtaining weatherization materials to reduce home energy costs.

This year, ADFAC and Downtown Hardware have partnered to collect those materials to help families struggling with higher energy bills through the colder months.

Downtown Hardware customers can help provide items or donations to help the families stay warmer and reduce utility bills. The hardware store is collecting donations purchased at a discounted price by customers, providing receipts, paying all sales taxes, and delivering the materials to ADFAC.

“When clients are able to weatherize their homes, it is a helpful, proactive step to clients becoming more self-sufficient,” ADFAC said in its monthly newsletter. “We are very grateful to Downtown Hardware and their customers for their generosity and commitment to the community.  If you would like to help with this effort, stop by Downtown Hardware at 298 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

Video: Savanna Schubert talks to disc golfers in Oak Ridge

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Disc golf isn’t a sport you hear of often in the hills of East Tennessee. In Oak Ridge, we were able to catch up with some avid disc golfers who are happy to see the game growing.

Here is a video by Savanna Schubert. See the story here.

Savanna Schubert is a freelance contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

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

Knoxville man dies in single-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway

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A 72-year-old Knoxville man died in a single-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in Anderson County on Tuesday, authorities said.

Harvey R. Weldon was driving north in a 2009 Ford Focus on Clinton Highway near Lonesome Dove Road at about 6:36 p.m. Tuesday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in a preliminary report.

“While negotiating a curve to the left, the vehicle traveled off the east side of the roadway, entered a ditch, and struck a culvert,” the report said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridger with public, private work experience appointed city clerk

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Beth Hickman

Beth Hickman

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m.

An Oak Ridge resident who has management and administrative experience in the public and private sectors has been appointed city clerk, officials said Monday.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson announced the appointment of Beth Hickman on Monday. Hickman will replace former City Clerk Diana Stanley, who resigned in November 2015.

Hickman has more than 15 years of management and administrative experience in both the public and private sectors, a press release said.

She served as field representative for former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis and as executive assistant at The Roane Alliance.

She is presently employed at Vanderbilt University Law School as a faculty assistant. [Read more…]

Sunset Rotary expands Da Vinci Arts, Science Fair; winners announced today

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In 2016, the Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club expanded its annual Da Vinci Arts and Science Fair to include middle school grades. The middle school fair is being held today (Saturday, January 30) at the New Hope Center in Oak Ridge.

Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in the New Hope Center auditorium at the Y-12 National Security Complex at 3 p.m. Saturday. That will be preceded by an afternoon open house with all entries will be available for viewing. All participants, parents, teachers, and the public are invited to attend.

The middle school grades arts and science fair provides a gateway for students to participate in other regional science fairs. Science project winners in grades 6-8 will qualify to participate in the Junior Division of the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Knoxville April 4-7. [Read more…]