Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County Republicans also have April 8 candidate forum

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The Anderson County Republican Party will have an April 8 forum for GOP candidates running for county offices in the May 6 primary election.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge. It’s expected to last about two hours, a press release said.

“This year’s election is especially important for Anderson County’s future,” said Aaron Wells, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party. “A forum will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase our great candidates and the Republican vision for the county. We invite folks to join us for what should be an interesting and informative evening. ”

The Republican Party forum is scheduled at the same time and the same night as a candidate forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. The League forum is for both Democratic and Republican candidates in the May 6 primary elections. It’s not clear yet if either event might be rescheduled to allow Republican candidates to attend both. [Read more…]

Household trash pickup starts Monday

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The citywide household trash pickup program starts Monday, March 31. Household rubbish, old appliances, and minor remodeling materials will be picked up. Compressors must be removed from refrigerators and air conditioners.

City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible, a press release said. The proposed schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably from the actual schedule due to weather conditions and/or the amount of participation by residents.

The city asked residents to follow a few guidelines: [Read more…]

UT Singers perform in last concert of season in Oak Ridge on Sunday

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UT Singers

UT Singers, the University of Tennessee’s jazz choir

The UT Singers, the University of Tennessee’s jazz choir, will present their last concert of the season at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

The choir is directed by Wendel Werner, and the concert starts at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 6. The community is invited, and there is no cost to attend, a press release said.

ORUUC is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Habitat for Humanity volunteers install three roofs in March

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Habitat Volunteers on Lake City Roof

Student volunteers for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County help install a roof in Lake City. (Submitted photos)

Two families and the Holiday Bureau have new roofs this month, thanks to volunteers from two different colleges and local men that routinely volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a press release said.

The first week of March, a group of students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering came to Oak Ridge as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program. The students were housed at First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. First Baptist shared their facilities for four weeks in a row with four different groups.

The Holiday Bureau has a bicycle storage shed, measuring 16 feet x 78 feet, that had a very old and leaky roof. Now, the shed has a new roof, and it only took the students four days, the press release said. Tim Marcum, HFHAC’s chief operating officer, coordinated this project in an effort to help another nonprofit. [Read more…]

Sewer rehab work continues this week

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More rehabilitation work of the city’s sewer collection pipes is scheduled to continue this week.

The work is being done by Hurst Excavating and Morgan Contracting under contract with the City of Oak Ridge. It includes rehabilitating sewer collection pipes within city easements in yards and in roadways, a press release said.

Residents should already have received color-coded letters and door hangers (orange for Hurst Excavating and purple for Morgan Contracting) providing general information and each contractors’ contact information.

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are urged to use extra care and caution when traveling on the streets with sewer work areas, a press release said. Temporary road repairs will be made, and loose gravel should be expected until the patches are permanently paved. [Read more…]

Anderson Chamber offers business counseling

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center advises and assists future and existing business owners.

Jutta Bangs, senior business specialist, is available for free and confidential counseling sessions on Thursday, April 16, from 9–11 a.m. at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce at 245 N. Main Street, Ste. 200, in Clinton.

To make an appointment for this, or another day, please call (865) 457-2559 or email accc@andersoncountychamber.org.

To learn more about the TSBDC, visit www.tsbdc.org.

Environmental lawyer to discuss fracking, mountaintop removal

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Anne Davis

Anne Davis

The managing attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center will discuss fracking in the Cumberland Forest, mountaintop removal, and other issues during a Tuesday lunch meeting.

Anne Davis of SELC will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday. Her talk is titled “Southern Environmental Law Center: Tennessee Projects.” The meeting is in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Southern Environmental Law Center has been the leading champion of the South’s air, water, and special places for almost three decades, a press release said.

SELC’s Nashville office brings the expertise, power, and resources of this regional organization to the service of Tennessee, the press release said. [Read more…]

2013 record-breaking year for Roane County and Roane Alliance

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Leslie Henderson

Leslie Henderson

Submitted by Roane Alliance

$150 million worth of new development opened

KINGSTON—To The Roane Alliance—and to many across Roane County—2013 will be remembered as one of the busiest years ever, with record-setting activity in major grand openings, business expansions, and in state-wide, national, and international recognition and awards.

“Most impressive were grand openings of more than $150 million worth of new development projects,” said Leslie Henderson, president and chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance, “including the new $76 million hospital in Midtown, the $35 million carbon fiber manufacturing research facility in Oak Ridge, and the $40 million Volkswagen 460,000-square-foot distribution facility along I-40 in east Roane.”

Henderson said in the report that in 2013 Roane County also saw records set in numbers of announced expansions of existing industry and also in a record number of recognitions and awards for Alliance programs’ accomplishments. [Read more…]

Library celebrates National Library Week with contests, helps with donation drives

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The Oak Ridge Library is preparing to celebrate National Library Week from April 13 to April 19.

The festivities begin early with the Design a Bookmark contest for the Summer Reading Program. This contest began on March 17 and runs through April 17. This contest is open to children in grades K-5, and one winner will be chosen from each grade. Winning bookmarks will be selected in May and will be printed and distributed during the 2014 Summer Reading Program.

During National Library Week, the Biscuit Guessing Contest will be held. A jar of dog biscuits will be at the main desk of the Library, and the three participants who guess closest to the number of biscuits in the jar will receive free DVD rentals.

Join with the Oak Ridge Library to help the community by donating supplies to Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC). [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line: Master the art of active listening

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CONTACT Care Line has training sessions on listening starting Friday, April 4.

The Art of Active Listening Training classes are on Friday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. April 4-May 23. There is no class on Good Friday, April 18. Classes will be held in the Parlor at Kern Memorial United Methodist Church at 451 E. Tennessee Ave. in Oak Ridge. The cost is $50 for the general public and $25 for students.

The Art of Active Listening teaches effective listening skills that everyone can use in their daily lives with family, friends, and co-workers. It enables participants to develop empathetic, non-judgmental listening techniques. This training offers important ways to assist with many of the problems people face and how we can respond in a healthy, heartfelt, and helpful way, a press release said. Practice sessions in a supportive, nonjudgmental atmosphere help participants begin to use their new skills and gain confidence as they discover the value of constructive, caring listening, and responding. [Read more…]

Annual Sportsman’s Showcase to feature call-maker Preston Pittman

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May 3 event in Oneida to serve as fundraiser for CASA of the Tennessee Heartland

ONEIDA—Hunters and anglers are invited to the Boys and Girls Club of Scott County for good food, good fellowship, and support of a great cause as CASA of the Tennessee Heartland hosts its second annual Scott Sportsman Showcase on May 3.

The event, slated to begin at 5 p.m., will be highlighted by Preston Pittman as the featured speaker.

The 60-year-old Pittman is called by many the world’s best turkey caller, and he has the trophies to back it up. Winning his first turkey calling championship at the age of 16, Pittman has gone on to become a seven-time national champion turkey caller, a nine-time National Champ of Champs, and has been crowned the U.S. Gobbling Champion, Grand National Gobbling Champion, and Grand National Champ of Champs. He is the only person to hold five different world titles. [Read more…]

Library offers one-on-one Kindle help

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Submitted

Navigating the evolving technological world can be challenging. Websites, devices, and programs are constantly upgraded, changing their appearance and often confusing us in the process.

Joan Kearney, a Kindle enthusiast, has worked at the Oak Ridge Public Library for 30 years and owns different generations of Kindles. Kearney will be available for one-on-one-Kindle-tutorials by appointment. She can help walk you through the checkout process on your Kindle device, whether it’s a first generation Kindle, a Kindle app, or the latest version, so you can explore the library’s electronic collection.

This is a free program for the community and only requires that you bring your Kindle, your library card number, and PIN, and the email address and password associated with your Amazon account. If you do not have a library card, call the Circulation Desk at (865) 425-3455 prior to your Kindle appointment to learn what is needed to create a library account.

For more information about this program, call the Library at (865) 425-3455 or email the Circulation Librarian at CircLib@oakridgetn.gov.