Oak Ridge Today

NAACP has forum on voting rights restoration on Thursday

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Tom Marshall

Tom Marshall

Have you been convicted of a crime and are now unable to vote, or having trouble getting a job?

On Thursday, the Oak Ridge/Anderson County chapter of the NAACP will present the first in a series of public forums designed to help you. The forum starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at Spurgeon Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church at 100 South Benedict Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Tom Marshall, District 7 Public Defender, will provide information on how people having served their sentence can potentially get their voting right restored and their record expunged, a press release said. Additional agencies are providing information. [Read more…]

UCOR contributes to ADFAC as benefactor sponsor

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UCOR ADFAC Donation 2015

UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter, right, presents the 2015 Corporate Membership contribution to ADFAC’s Ray Smith, left, Board of Directors and Corporate Committee member, and ADFAC’s Executive Director, Annie Cacheiro. (Submitted photo)

 

UCOR recently contributed to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties as a benefactor sponsor for ADFAC’s 2015 Corporate Membership Campaign, a press release said.

UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter presented the contribution to ADFAC representative Ray Smith and Executive Director Annie Cacheiro. UCOR is a partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Smith, an ADFAC board member and Corporate Committee member, said: “This campaign is geared toward encouraging area corporations to support the very important mission of helping those most in need in our community. UCOR has been a corporate member for several years and we greatly appreciate their continued generosity.” [Read more…]

Food for Fines at Clinton Public Library

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Patrons can take advantage of the “Food for Fines” program at the Clinton Public Library from July 6 to July 11.

“Bring in an unexpired, nonperishable food item for each dollar you have in overdue fines, and your fines will be forgiven,” a press release said.

All donations will benefit the Anderson County Community Action Commission.

Clinton Public Library is located at 118 South Hicks Street in Clinton.  Call (865) 457-0519 for more information about the program.

Record crowds: Secret City Festival was ‘tremendous success’

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Secret City Festival Concert 2015

A concert crowd at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Robert Welton)

 

The 2015 Oak Ridge Secret City Festival drew record attendance, despite the heat, organizers said. Concerts by the Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night attracted the highest number of spectators in festival history.

“We were ecstatic with the turnout for both concerts,” says, Marc DeRose, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We knew the bands would be popular but didn’t expect to see quite so many people. It was outstanding!”

Attendances for The Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night were more than 2,200 and more than 3,500, respectively. The previous record was 2,300 for the Rick Springfield concert in 2013.

“After seeing how many tickets were sold at the gate for Friday’s Marshall Tucker concert, we decided to move the concert fences back to accommodate the expected additional 1,000-plus spectators for Three Dog Night,” DeRose said. [Read more…]

Eighty percent of ORHS Class of 2015 attends Graduation Celebration

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Graduation Celebration 2015

Photo courtesy Matt Reedy/City of Oak Ridge

 

Eighty percent of the Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 attended the 18th annual Graduation Celebration in May, organizers said.

Graduation Celebration was Thursday, May 28, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It’s made possible by gifts from local residents and businesses, a press release said.

Each year, more than $25,000 is raised to host the event on graduation night. Graduates are invited to the free party, where they can win cash and prizes like Bonnaroo tickets or up to $3,000 cash at the finale. [Read more…]

Girls Inc. Elite Awards honors Nikki Caldwell on July 15

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Nikki Caldwell

Girls Inc. will honor Nikki Caldwell on Wednesday, July 15. Caldwell is an Oak Ridge native, former University of Tennessee basketball all star, and current women’s basketball head coach at Louisiana State University.

She is also an “elite alumni” of Girls Inc., a press release said. The awards will also honor current elite member Semaj Clark of Oak Ridge, the release said.

The inaugural Girls Inc. Elite Awards ceremony is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville. All proceeds will go directly into expanding current programming to improve program content while increasing the number of girls served, the press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: Lavender Festival on Saturday

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Lavender Festival in Oak Ridge 2015

The Lavender Festival celebrates “all things herbal” in Jackson Square from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Lavender Festival celebrates “all things herbal” in Jackson Square until 3 p.m. today (Saturday, June 20).

It’s the 17th annual festival, and there is no cost to attend. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

The Lavender Festival focuses on herbs, health, gardening, and cooking, and it features more than 100 vendors, a dozen herb and health presentations, children’s activities, and many musicians. Vendors line the covered walkways of Jackson Square, the parking lot, and both sides of Broadway Avenue, which is closed to traffic.

See this previous story for more information.

[Read more…]

TWRA: Removing white-tailed fawns from wild does more harm than good

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White-tailed Deer Fawn

Safe and sound. While many people might consider it abandoned, the mother is nearby nourishing herself while the fawn rests in a safe place in thick cover. (Photo credit: TWRA/Sterling Daniels)

 

MORRISTOWN—Calls reporting abandoned white-tailed fawns are pouring in, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is reminding people to think twice before removing them from the wild in an attempt to rescue them, even when it seems like they’ve been abandoned.

TWRA Wildlife Biologist Sterling Daniels offers this information to those who may be considering “rescuing” a fawn that in most cases, would have been better left alone: “White-tailed deer have a very effective survival strategy for their offspring that may be misinterpreted by many people and it is very rare for a doe to ever abandon a fawn. Fawns are typically born May through July, with June being the most common month. For the first weeks of a fawn’s life, the mother will keep her distance from the bedded newborn only returning for just a few hours each day for nursing. This survival strategy reduces the chance of leading predators to their location. If someone encounters a fawn, the best thing to do is leave it alone.” [Read more…]

Local church makes plans for same-sex weddings after expected Supreme Court decision

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon rule on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, and Tennessee residents and state government officials are waiting to see how the Court’s decision will affect the state’s policy. In the midst of the wait, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church has begun making plans, a press release said.

“In keeping with our beliefs and to offer a sense of love and support to same-sex couples, ORUUC will offer free wedding services and a reception for same-sex couples as soon as the County Clerks’ offices are able to issue licenses,” ORUUC minister Reverend Jake Morrill said in the release. “Those who plan to marry should call the church office to request a time to speak with one of our ministers prior to the wedding day.”

“In the Book of Ruth, when Ruth tells Naomi, ‘Where you go, I will go; your people will be my people,’ people don’t get caught up with the gender,” said ORUUC Minister of Faith Formation Reverend Tandy Scheffler. “What they hear is love. What counts in this life is love. And at ORUUC, we are ready to bless public commitments of love between couples who’ve waited too long for the rights and honor denied to their families.” [Read more…]

Autism specialist to make presentation in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Phil Axtell

Phil Axtell

Dr. Phil Axtell, a Knoxville psychologist specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders, will discuss Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome diagnoses and interventions for both children and adults on Saturday, June 20, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue.

The presentation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the church fellowship hall.  The event is free and open to the public, and child care will be provided.

Children are increasingly being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome according to recent research. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network reported that 1 in 68 children were identified with ASD in their study covering 8-year-olds in 11 U.S communities over the years 2000-2010, a press release said. [Read more…]

State announces $347K grant to improve sidewalks in Norris

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TDOT Norris Grant

Among those pictured above during a TDOT grant ceremony in Norris on Friday are, third from left, Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican; Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, fourth from left; Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell; Representative Dennis Powers, a Jacksboro Republican; and partially obscured, Representative John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican. (Photo courtesy TDOT via Facebook)

 

NORRIS—Tennessee officials announced Friday that they have awarded a $347,760 transportation alternative grant to the city of Norris for a project known as East Norris Sidewalk Improvements.

The grant was announced by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer during a Friday visit to East Tennessee that also includes stops in Rockwood and Knoxville.

The Norris project includes a six-foot-wide concrete trail starting at the intersection of East Norris Road and Dairy Pond Road extending approximately 2,000 feet to Andersonville Highway, a press release said. At the end of the trail, two crosswalks will be constructed to provide pedestrians with safe access to Sycamore Place and a nearby shopping center. The project will join existing sidewalks along East Norris Road, providing the final connection to area schools, recreational facilities, the local business district, and shopping. [Read more…]

Boys, Girls Club releases football, cheerleading sign-up info

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Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge

The Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge have released fall sports sign-up information for youth tackle football, youth cheerleading, and Oak Ridge High School Football Camp.

See this PDF for more information: Boys and Girls Club Fall Sports Sign Up 2015.