Oak Ridge Today

CHS Lady Dragons’ hoops coach resigns

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton High School girls’ basketball coach Tonya Lively-Snyder has resigned after 15 years on the bench.

The Lady Dragons are coming off a 4-20 season that saw them bow out of the first round of the District 3-AAA tournament. Since the 2001-02 season—the last for which reliable records are available—Clinton’s girls went 134-221.

Lively-Snyder’s best season at Clinton was the 2008-09 campaign, when her team led by future NAIA standouts Cody Houck and Amber Taylor went 22-9 and advanced to the regional tournament. [Read more…]

AC man pleads guilty in 2010 shooting death

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 Information from WYSH Radio

Last week, a Briceville man pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in a 2010 shooting that left his neighbor dead.

Larry Joshua Ramsey, 39, shot Bobby Allen Turpin, 46, during an argument in front of Ramsey’s house on New River Highway on April 14, 2010. The argument stemmed from Turpin accusing Ramsey’s then-11-year-old son of stealing a pocketknife.

Ramsey grabbed his pistol before going outside to confront Turpin, and at some point during the argument shot and killed him. Turpin died at the scene, and Ramsey has been in custody ever since. [Read more…]

AARP luncheon on Thursday focuses on Alzheimer’s prevention

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AARP Alzheimer's Luncheon

A Thursday luncheon organized by the local AARP chapter will focus on preventing Alzheimer’s.

The luncheon starts at noon Thursday in Room 54 of the Oak Ridge Senior Center. Those who attend are asked to bring a dish.

The luncheon will feature Sonny Biden and Angelia Jones. Call (865) 684-8585 for more information. [Read more…]

Comedy night at Grove features five comics Saturday

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High Places Community Church

A comedy show at the Grove Theater on Saturday will feature five comics and one host.

A comedy show at the Grove Theater on Saturday will feature five comics and one host.

The 90-minute show, which will feature local and touring comedians, starts at 8 p.m. It will be hosted by comedian and magician Danny Whitson, a regular host for Side Splitters Comedy Club in Knoxville, who has performed at festivals, clubs, bars, and other special events up and down the East Coast.

Those who attend must be 18 to enter and 21 years old to drink. A cash bar will be available before show time and during intermission. Doors open at 7 p.m. To buy a ticket, call Whitson at (865) 255-0618. The ticket must be presented at the time of entry. They are $10 per ticket, per person. [Read more…]

TN Mountain Writers’ conference in Oak Ridge in April

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The Tennessee Mountain Writers’ 26th Annual Conference, scheduled Thursday through Saturday, April 3-5, will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. The conference will include writing contests, workshops, networking, manuscript evaluations, publishers, editors, book signings, a bookstore, vendors, and more.

The conference, which is funded in part under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, will kick off with a 6 p.m. reception on Thursday, April 3. Conference sessions will be held from 9 a.m. through 5:15 p.m. Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Saturday, followed by the banquet on Saturday evening.  The Writer’s Block, a bookstore featuring works published by workshop leaders and conference participants, will be open all day Friday and on Saturday morning.  [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Butterfinger

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Pet of the Day: Butter fingerSubmitted

Butterfinger is the featured Pet of the Day at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter.

“I am the most handsome golden long-haired tabby. Miss Sandi and Miss Bev, of course, are fighting over time spent with me. I was a stray, but I am healthy and so very handsome. I was pretty noisy when Miss Sara brought me in, but it didn’t take any time to warm up to Miss Beverly’s loving arms. She thought I looked like a big yummy Butterfinger. I don’t really like being stuck in this cage. This is really no place for such an HQ guy like me! I need out…see you Tuesday!” [Read more…]

AMSE celebrates 65 years on Wednesday

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The American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

The American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

The American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge will celebrate its 65th birthday on Wednesday, and the public is invited.

The birthday celebration starts at 2 p.m. in the AMSE lobby.

AMSE, originally named the American Museum of Atomic Energy, shares its birthday opening on March 19, 1949, with the gate opening of the 1940s Secret City of Oak Ridge and the birth of twin girls (Madeleine Leigh and Amanda Anne) to Bill and Audrey Tewes. On the 16th birthday of the Tewes twins, AMSE’s mechanical hands held their birthday cake. Madeleine Leigh will attend the AMSE 65th birthday. Bill Tewes, who came to Oak Ridge with the Special Engineer Detachment in the 1940s, has been a strong supporter of AMSE. [Read more…]

First Cumberland Presbyterian has Family Kite Festival in April

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Family Kite Festival Logo 2014

First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Of Oak Ridge has a free family kite festival in April.

It’s the Eighth Annual Family Kite Festival, and it’s scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26. The festival will be held on the front lawn of the church, which is at 127 Lafayette Drive, on the corner of Lafayette Drive and Laboratory Road.

“The Eighth Annual Family Kite Festival is totally free with free registration, treats, water, and even a free Family Kite Festival Kite Workshop beginning at noon, when kids and parents can build and decorate their own kite with free supplies and kit builder instructors provided by the event staff,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Authorities investigate vehicle fire at Linden Elementary School

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Linden Elementary School Car Fire

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to a car fire at Linden Elementary School on Saturday, March, 8. (Photos by Tom Scott)

The cause of a vehicle fire at the Linden Elementary School on Saturday, March 8, hadn’t been determined as of Thursday, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 6:20 p.m. March 8.

An investigation determined that another car in the parking lot had been vandalized, and a brick was found on the roof of the car on fire as the blaze was extinguished, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said Thursday. “No cause has been determined for the fire at this time,” he said. [Read more…]

Clinton attorney Harber running for AC chancellor

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Phil Harber

Phil Harber

Clinton Attorney Phil Harber is campaigning for the Republican nomination for chancellor of the Anderson County Chancery Court. Harber, 59, a Clinton native, has practiced law more than 28 years in most of the trial and appellate courts in East Tennessee, including the United States federal courts, a press release said.

A Republican, Harber described himself in the press release as the only true conservative and the only true Republican seeking the Republican nomination for chancellor.

“Phil believes in faith, family, and freedom,” the release said. [Read more…]

AC school board gives director new contract, raise

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Information from WYSH Radio

On Thursday, the Anderson County School Board voted to award Director of Schools Larry Foster a new contract that runs through June 30, 2017. Foster has indicated he would like to retire at the end of the new contract.

The new deal raises his annual salary to $128,000, increases his number of vacation days to 20, and provides up to $4,000 a year for school-related travel expenses, up to $1,000 a year for continuing training, and up to $3,500 a year to cover the dues in professional organizations and subscriptions to academic publications.

Foster has been director of schools since 2009.