Oak Ridge Today

Cartoonist Charlie Daniel to talk Sept. 3 at Roane State

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Charlie Daniel

Charlie Daniel, editorial cartoonist at Knoxville newspapers for 57 years, will speak Thursday, September 3, at 3 p.m. in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building of Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge campus, off Briarcliff Avenue and Laboratory Road.

His talk will open the second RSCC-Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning intergenerational lecture series and ORICL fall kickoff (where catalogs on the upcoming ORICL fall term will be available). Refreshments will be offered after the lecture.

A native of Richmond, Va., Daniel grew up in Weldon, N.C. He attended Weldon public schools and Fork Union Military Academy before serving as a private in the U.S. Marine Corps. [Read more…]

Powell man arrested after SunTrust bank robbery, FBI says

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A Powell man was arrested after an armed bank robbery was reported at the SunTrust Bank at 6632 Clinton Highway in Knoxville on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

The robbery was reported at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

Michael James Ward, 43, of Powell, was arrested in Knox County without incident through the joint efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, composed of the FBI, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the KPD Violent Crimes Unit.  KCSO patrol officers also assisted with the arrest, a press release said. [Read more…]

Alexander to visit Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Johnson City this week

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander will visit Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Johnson City this week. The senator’s stops on Thursday include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Cherahala Boulevard in Knoxville and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The visits start at the Johnson City on Wednesday, where Alexander will deliver remarks at the Upper East Tennessee Chamber Luncheon and will be presented with the Spirit of Enterprise Award, which recognizes members of Congress who consistently cast votes that help businesses create jobs, a press release said.

Also Wednesday, the senator will visit Rocky Fork to commemorate the completion of efforts to protect the largest unprotected tract of land in the Southern Appalachians, the press release said. The Conservation Fund, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will host the event to celebrate the final transfer of land for inclusion into the Cherokee National Forest. [Read more…]

New Zumba Gold Session starts Sept. 1 at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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A new fall session of Zumba Gold begins September 1 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

“Come celebrate the start of this new session with an Aloha Luau!” a press release said. “Try the first class for free and get a good cardio workout while dancing to great Latin music. Learn to tango, salsa, mambo, and cha-cha-cha along with some hip hop and oldies mixed in as well.”

Participants who are 50 or older can bring a guest that is under 50. Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. Classes are $4 each after your first one for free.

“Come join the fun and dance!” the press release said. [Read more…]

3M presents Supplies4Nonprofit Organizations

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3M Supplies for Nonprofit Organizations

Pictured from left to right above are Mike Swisher, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; Annie Cachiero and Cande Seay, Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties; Anderson County Chamber President Rick Meredith presenting awards; Charlotte Bowers, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County; Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center; David Erb, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; and Terry Allen, Anderson County Rescue Squad. (Submitted photo)

 

Nonprofit organizations serving Anderson County have received a grant from the Annual 3M Supplies4Nonprofit Organizations product donation program, or S4NPO, in partnership with Good360.

The photo above was taken at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Community Services Coffee in August. Pictured from left to right are Mike Swisher, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; Annie Cachiero and Cande Seay, Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties; Anderson County Chamber President Rick Meredith presenting awards; Charlotte Bowers, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County; Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center; David Erb, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; and Terry Allen, Anderson County Rescue Squad.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ORPD Records to close early Sept. 11 for Massengill retirement ceremony

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

The Oak Ridge Police Department Records Bureau will close early on Friday, September 11, so the staff can attend a retirement ceremony for Deputy Chief Alan Massengill.

The Records Bureau will close at 2:45 p.m. September 11. The office will reopen on Monday, September 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ORAU seeks applicants for the 2016 Extreme Classroom Makeover

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities is accepting applications for its $25,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover competition.

Now in its eighth year, the competition provides the latest educational technologies to update one teacher’s classroom, a press release said. Interested teachers must file their intent to apply no later than October 14.

The contest is open to public school math and science teachers who teach grades from third to 10th and are located within a 50-mile radius of Oak Ridge. Entrants must have the written consent of their principals and, if chosen, be willing to have their 2016-2017 classroom experience highlighted on the Internet and in various media outlets. Teachers, students, and even parents whose children are benefiting from this initiative will be invited to blog about this year-long experience on the Extreme Classroom website. [Read more…]

Roane Sheriff part of investigation that leads to long sentence for pill mill operator

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A Chattanooga pill mill operator was sentenced to 280 years in federal prison on Thursday, and the Roane County Sheriff’s Office was among the law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigation that led to her indictment and subsequent conviction, authorities said.

Barbara Lang, a.k.a. “Aunt Bea,” 61, of Rossville, Georgia, was sentenced by the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, U.S. District Judge, said United States Attorney William C. Killian of the Eastern District of Tennessee.

After a 25-day trial that spanned almost three months, Lang was convicted of two counts of conspiring to distribute and dispense Schedule II and IV controlled substances, outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose; five counts of maintaining a premises for the purpose of distributing controlled substances; and 14 counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, a press release said.

Lang was charged along with three other people. [Read more…]

Labor Day concert at A.K. Bissell Park on Monday

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Oak Ridge Community Band July 4, 2014

Photo by Larry Perry

 

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform its last outdoor concert of the summer at A.K. Bissell Park next Monday.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. Monday, September 7. There is no admission fee, and the public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating, a press release said. Cool refreshments will be available.

“Attendance at the Community Band’s concerts this summer has been large due to outstanding programs, and the band directed by Dale Pendley and assistant conductor Lisa Michaels have still another excellent performance planned for Monday evening featuring as special guests the Dixieland Band, the Community Band Choir, vocalist Deidre Ford, and former mayor Tom Beehan, who has been narrator at the previous summer concerts and will once again appear in this role for the Labor Day program,” a press release said. [Read more…]

State certifies four new adventure tourism districts in Roane

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Submitted

Adventure tourism is one of the hottest industries in the country and the world. To capitalize on this growing trend, Tennessee passed the Tennessee Adventure Tourism and Rural Development Act of 2011 in hopes to incentivize adventure tourism businesses to invest and create jobs in districts planned all across the state.

Tennessee’s abundance of natural resources makes it an ideal setting to support this segment of the tourism industry. The act allows qualified businesses that locate within a certified district to earn a jobs tax credit to offset a portion of the business’ Tennessee franchise and excise tax liability. Qualified businesses may include restaurants, hotels, or other tourist related attractions.

“I began the process in February and over the next few months required resolutions from each of the cities where the district resides, as well as the county. They all passed unanimously,” said Pam May, vice president of The Roane Alliance. “Roane County has so many natural resources ideal for adventure tourism—more than 700 miles of shoreline, bluffs, and vistas on the plateau, and a large number of Wildlife Management Areas—just to name a few.” [Read more…]

Silver Alert canceled for missing woman

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Betty Ann Ayers

Betty Ann Ayers

The Silver Alert issued for a missing woman on Sunday afternoon was canceled after she was found safe and sound, authorities said.

Betty Ayers, 84, had last been seen at 2 p.m. Saturday in Westwood Estates in Oak Ridge, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

The ORPD said Ayers is from Auburn Hills, Michigan, and suffers from dementia.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Reminder: ORHPA celebrates 70th anniversary of end of WWII with special showing of historic movie

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The Beginning or The End

A historic Ed Westcott image of the original showing of the movie, “The Beginning or the End”—The Story of the Atomic Bomb and Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Reminder: A 70th anniversary celebration of the end of World War II will feature a special showing of the historic movie “‘The Beginning or the End,’ The Story of the Atomic Bomb and Oak Ridge.”

This movie was Hollywood’s first attempt to tell the fascinating story of the creation of the world’s first atomic bomb in the massive, top-secret Manhattan Project. The movie was originally released in 1947, just two years after the end of the war. It stars Brian Donlevy, Robert Walker, and Tom Drake.

The celebration has been organized by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It’s scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Grove Center.

“We wanted to honor those who perished in WWII, our great veterans, Manhattan Project and Cold War workers, and the world-changing Y-12 plant on this anniversary,” said Mick Wiest, president of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. “It’s important to remember and be grateful.” [Read more…]