Oak Ridge Today

DOE, Interior to sign agreement for Manhattan Project Park on Nov. 10

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K-25 Building Aerial View

Now demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, pictured above, was once used to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Located in west Oak Ridge, the site could become part of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is a separate effort to preserve the site’s history; that work could be incorporated into the new park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Energy will sign an agreement on Tuesday, November 10, that establishes the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The memorandum of agreement, or MOA, will be signed by federal officials that Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park will include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. [Read more…]

ADFAC to honor Cande Seay with Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award

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Cande Seay

Cande Seay

 

ADFAC will honor dedicated volunteer and advocate Cande Seay with its Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award in a celebration and fundraiser on Tuesday.

It’s the Third Annual Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Celebration and Fundraiser. It will be held Tuesday, October 27, from 5:30-8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Life Center in Oak Ridge.

“Our community will come together to honor this very special lady, and we hope family, friends, past coworkers, and the many admirers of Cande Seay will join us!” a press release said.

Seay was unanimously chosen earlier this year as the 2015 winner of ADFAC’s Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award. Previous winners of the prestigious award have been Ray Smith and the late Tim Myrick. [Read more…]

Linden Elementary has Scholastic Monster Book Fair Oct. 26-30

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Linden Elementary School Book Fair October 2015

Linden Elementary School has a Scholastic Monster Book Fair from Oct. 26-30, 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

Linden Elementary School has a Scholastic Monster Book Fair this week.

The Book Fair is scheduled from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday, October 26, to Friday, October 30.

There are extended hours until 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Clinton Church of Christ has ‘Trunk-or-Treat’ on Halloween

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The Clinton Church of Christ has a “Trunk-or-Treat” on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, starting at 5 p.m. in the parking lot of their facility at 500 North Main Street in Clinton.

“Stop by on your trick-or-treat route and join us!” the church said.

Thanksgiving community meal being organized in Oak Ridge

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A community meal is being organized on Thanksgiving (November 26) for those who are in need.

The meal will be held at the Robertsville Middle School Cafeteria from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thanksgiving. It will be served by a group called @1558neighbor, which is a group that has a mission to help and give a hand up to our neighbors in need, an announcement said.

“This meal will be a community meal, and with that being said, we will be counting on the Oak Ridge community to help volunteer whether by donating money, time, or food,” the announcement said. [Read more…]

Pumpkin Festival is Saturday in Grove Center

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Pumpkin Fest 2015

By Jim Widener

The 13th Annual Pumpkin Festival in the Historic Grove Center on Halloween will feature live music, family-friendly activities, and food vendors. The Pumpkin Festival is from noon until 6 p.m. Saturday, October 31, at Oak Ridge’s Historic Grove Center. The community is invited to enjoy Halloween with us!

Dress up and get in the spirit. Kids are especially encouraged to enter the costume contest. Our celebrity judges will present prizes for the best costumes. Pets and their people are encouraged to dress in outrageous, fanciful costumes and join in the fun! Pets are allowed to come in on a foot-powered float, like a wagon or decorated bicycle. And don’t forget the pumpkin chunkin’ contest! [Read more…]

Relics of a Firefighter: Retired volunteer fireman, avid collector to lead educational event Saturday

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Relics of a Firefighter

Tom Scott, a retired volunteer fireman and avid collector, will be the guest speaker at an educational event on Saturday titled “Relics of a Firefighter.” It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 24, at Through the Looking Glass Antiques in Jackson Square.

Scott was a volunteer firefighter in Newport, Rhode Island; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Aiken, South Carolina.

He has been a member of the Oliver Springs Fire Department since 1974.

In 1992, he became the volunteer photographer for the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has annual Owl Prowl on Saturday

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UTAS Owl Prowl

Katie Cottrell, right, and Kathy Strunk are pictured at an earlier Owl Prowl at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The Owl Prowl, one of the most popular events offered at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, will again be sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society on Saturday, October 24. It’s at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue (Highway 62) in Oak Ridge.

Presented by the Clinch River Raptor Center, Kathy Strunk and Katie Cottrell will bring live owls for display and will give information about their natural history, a press release said.

The Raptor Center was started by John Byrd 30 years ago at Clinton Middle School. So far, 2,000 birds have come to the Raptor Center to be rehabilitated. Strunk and Cottrell have shared the responsibility as co-directors of the Raptor Center for more than 25 years, and they have given hundreds of programs in East Tennessee on birds of prey, the press release said. [Read more…]

Suspect in Powell bank robbery arrested in Clinton

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A 36-year-old man was arrested in Clinton on Tuesday, just hours after a bank robbery was reported at Home Federal Bank at 105 East Emory Road in Powell at about 1:40 p.m. Tuesday.

Christopher Michael Miller was arrested later Tuesday.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the bank robbery but hasn’t yet specified the charges against Miller.

Authorities in Anderson County received an alert after the Tuesday afternoon robbery. The suspect reportedly turned onto Heiskell Road, which runs from Knox County into Anderson County, and officers and deputies began looking for the suspect vehicle. The Clinton Police Department made the traffic stop, and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department assisted. [Read more…]

Legendary vocalist Pat Boone to perform in benefit for ORHS music department

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Pat Boone

Pat Boone

Legendary vocalist Pat Boone will perform in a benefit for the Oak Ridge High School music program in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 22, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

Boone will be backed by Knoxville swing orchestra The Streamliners.

“The performance of his ‘The Music and The Memories’ show is a benefit for the Music Department at the Oak Ridge High School,” a press release said.

Tickets are $75 VIP (with artist meet and greet), $50 orchestra, $35 side aisles, and $20 upper balcony. [Read more…]

City accepting applications for first special events board

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Secret City Festival World War II Re-enactment 2015

A Flak 88 firing during a Battle of Normandy re-enactment at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Rob Welton)

 

Election notice: The City Clerk’s Office is accepting resumes and letters of interests from members of the public who want to serve on the inaugural board of directors for a new nonprofit organization that will be responsible for implementing the expanded Secret City Festival/Celebration.

City Council will select eight remaining members of the 14-member board. Six members of the board of directors have been designated from the former Special Events Advisory Task Force, and those representatives include Ben Arnold, Mike Brown, Judi Gray, Kate Groover, Ray Smith, and Michelle Ward.

The election for this committee is scheduled to occur at the November 16, 2015, City Council meeting. [Read more…]

City accepting applications for Oak Ridge Corridor Initiative Committee

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Pellissippi Parkway

The Pellissippi Parkway is an important link between Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Blount County. (Photo courtesy Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission)

Election notice: The City Clerk’s Office is accepting resumes and letters of interest from members of the public who are interested in serving on a recently established five-member Oak Ridge Corridor Initiative Committee.

The committee was established by City Council on October 12, 2015, to study the economic, regional, and marketable benefits of U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander’s proposal to rename the four-lane highway from the Knoxville airport to Oak Ridge the “Oak Ridge Corridor.” It’s now known as Pellissippi Parkway.

Council member Rick Chinn has been selected as one of the five members to chair the committee.

The committee shall report its findings to the City Council by May 31, 2016. [Read more…]