Oak Ridge Today

Authorities save man from drowning in west Oak Ridge on Friday

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Blair Road River Rescue

Photo by Roane County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook

 

Authorities helped save a man from drowning in west Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, the Roane County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The Roane County dispatch center received a report that a man had fallen in the water near Blair Road, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Captain Tim Hawn was less than one mile away when the call was dispatched.

“Captain Hawn immediately put himself at risk in order to save the guy that was in the water,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a post published on Facebook. “Captain Hawn was able to retrieve the guy and pull him to safety.” [Read more…]

Lung cancer to be discussed at Health Night on the Town

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Carlo Martinez

Carlo Martinez

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There is no sure way to know if you’re going to get lung cancer, but certain risk factors can make you more likely to get lung cancer than another person. Smoking causes 80 percent of lung cancer deaths; however, other factors can increase your risk and even non-smokers can get the disease.

Learn more about lung cancer during Methodist Medical Center’s Health Night on the Town lecture on Tuesday, August 25, at 7 p.m. in the Ridge Conference Room of the hospital, which is at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Carlo Martinez, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon on the medical staff of Methodist, will present “Lung Cancer: Risk Factors and Prevention.” [Read more…]

Free community school focuses on waste disposal management

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Natalie Landry

Natalie Landry

Three Community School evening seminars on the topic of waste disposal management will be held at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church beginning Tuesday, September 15.

The second and third seminars are scheduled for the following Tuesdays, September 22 and September 29. All seminars will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and free child care will be provided. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning have partnered to offer these seminars, a press release said. The Community School is made possible by a $20,000 Community Involvement Fund grant awarded to the Oak Ridge League by the New Mexico Community Foundation, and funded through the U.S. Department of Energy. A portion of the grant helped to fund an environmental program focusing on children at the ORUUC Rainbow Camp in June. [Read more…]

Chief Deputy Lucas to speak to Democratic Women’s Club on Aug. 24

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Mark Lucas

Mark Lucas

Chief Deputy Mark Lucas of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will be the guest speaker when the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club meets Monday, August 24. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at Shoney’s Restaurant at 2405 North Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton.

Lucas, who has been in law enforcement for 37 years, will discuss “Duties and Responsibilities of the Office of Sheriff,” a press release said.

He has served as chief deputy for 21 years with three sheriffs, and he is now second in command to Sheriff Paul White. He began his law enforcement career in 1978 as a reserve deputy with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, joining the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department in 1979. He attended Basic Police School in 1980 and served as a patrol deputy and sergeant. [Read more…]

Expanded Safety Fest 2015 set for September

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Safety Fest TN

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Safer workplaces result in safer communities. Why? Because workers who learn safe practices on the job take them home and into their communities. In Oak Ridge, once a year, an event is held to ensure safer communities by offering free safety classes to anyone who registers.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership, or ORBSP, partnering with numerous businesses and organizations will host Safety Fest TN, a week of safety classes, live demonstrations, a Safety Expo, and a community safety forum—all free of charge. The event is scheduled for September 14-18, with classes at six locations in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

“This year’s Safety Fest TN is popping at the seams with classes, demonstrations, seminars, a Safety Expo, and a community brunch that celebrates safety,” said Jenny Freeman, chair of the ORBSP planning committee, which is responsible for organizing the event. “We’ve got something for everyone.”

One of the main events is a community safety forum with Joe Estey, a national safety specialist, who brings innovative solutions to potential safety challenges facing some of the country’s highest hazard and complex industries. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society presents urban forestry program Aug. 25

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is sponsoring a lecture on the “Knoxville Urban Forestry Program” on August 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the UT Arboretum’s Program Shelter at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The program will be presented by Kasey Krouse, City of Knoxville urban forester, who will discuss the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry program and its attempt to move from a reactive to a proactive urban forestry program. He will also discuss proper pruning, planting, mulching, tree selection, and other arboriculture practices that are pertinent to an urban forestry program. The presentation will conclude by touring trees around the arboretum and discussing some of the issues they face in an urban forest, a press release said.

As the urban forester for the City of Knoxville, Krouse is responsible for the expansion, protection, and maintenance of the city’s urban forest and implementing the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan. [Read more…]

New patient appointments available at Free Medical Clinic

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Free Medical Clinic

The Free Medical Clinic now has appointment openings for new patients from Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties.

To qualify for free medical care at the clinic, patients must live in one of the three counties, have no medical insurance of any kind (no private insurance, no TennCare, no Medicare), and have a household income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. The chart below shows the income criteria to be seen at FMC: [Read more…]

Tourism revenues up 3.7 percent in Anderson County

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Bill Haslam during Presidential Visit at Pellissippi State

Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama at Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9. (File photo by Rob Welton)

Tourists spent a total of $115.77 million in Anderson County in 2014, state officials announced Tuesday. That was an increase of 3.7 percent compared to 2013.

The spending generated a total of $6.72 million in state and $2.47 million in local tax revenues, increases of 4.7 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively. A total of 905 Anderson Countians are employed in tourism-related fields.

State officials also said that tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached $17.7 billion in 2014, up 6.3 percent, and an all-time high for the state.

The record-breaking numbers were announced in Nashville on Tuesday by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Kevin Triplett of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. [Read more…]

Council to discuss changes to Secret City Festival, selecting Charter Review Committee

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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)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council during a work session on Tuesday will discuss proposed changes to the Secret City Festival and the process to select members of a Charter Review Committee.

See previous story on the recommended changes to the Secret City Festival here.

The Charter Review Committee is required by the Oak Ridge City Charter, Article Ill, Section 14.

Council could also receive updates on: [Read more…]

Neighborhood Watch volunteers helping Comfort Inn thank ORFD, ORPD

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Volunteers for the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will help thank the Oak Ridge police and fire departments on Tuesday morning, a press release said.

It’s part of National Waffle Day, and it’s hosted by Kate Groover and the Comfort Inn in Oak Ridge.

The “Say Thank You with Waffles” event is from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, August 18, at Comfort Inn at 433 South Rutgers Avenue. [Read more…]

St. Mary’s brings home volleyball gold for second consecutive year

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St. Mary's Volleyball TeamSubmitted

Several area middle schools were invited to Knoxville Catholic High School on August 15 to participate in the 2015 KCHS Volleyball Feeder Fest Tournament.

The tournament lasted more than eight hours, with some teams playing up to six games each. The varsity volleyball team from St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge took first place in the overall pool and continued its winning streak through the finals, securing its second consecutive Feeder Fest championship.

The St. Mary’s Junior Varsity team also did very well, as they took first place in their pool and second overall in the finals. Both teams are coached by Laura McKenna and Rob Halcrow.

Coach McKenna said: “Both the JV and varsity teams have exceeded expectations in play, team bonding, and sportsmanship. The girls have laid a strong foundation for another spectacular season. As a coach, I could not be more proud of the hard work and dedication the team has shown and I look forward to helping the girls gain confidence in their volleyball skills and grow on and off the court.” [Read more…]

City creates co-ed adult dodgeball league

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has created a co-ed adult dodgeball league that will start in fall 2015.

“This pilot program offers adult teams of eight players the chance to participate in an exciting, entertaining, and low-cost team sport to be played at the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium,” a press release said.

Cost for participating in this new and exciting league is $150 per team, and all non-resident participants will be subject to a $20 non-resident fee, the press release said. Teams must consist of a minimum of eight players, and at least two of those players must be women.

There will be an organizational meeting and organized free play night on Monday, August 31, at 6 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. [Read more…]