Oak Ridge Today

Christmas sing-along at First Baptist on Sunday

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Oak Ridge Community Band

The Oak Ridge Community Band performs at the Dec. 6 Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Civic Center. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band and Wind Ensemble has a Christmas sing-along concert on Sunday.

The free concert is at 7 p.m. Sunday at the First Baptist Church at 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The concert will be held in the church sanctuary, dress is casual, and song books will be handed to the audience members to sing familiar Christmas carols along with the band, a press release said.

Another highlight of the concert will be several selections performed by the band including Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” Johann Bach’s “If Thou Be Near,” Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day” featuring a medley of carols, and “The Little Drummer Boy” arranged by former Oak Ridge Community Band director Steve “Doc” Combs and former band member Glenn Bigelow. [Read more…]

‘Hang out with Artists’ at Greenwich Village Mall on Saturday

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Stained Glass

Greenwich Village Mall has a “Hang out with Your Local Artists” event on Saturday.

It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The mall is on the first floor of Jackson Square, next to the Soup Kitchen at 109 Towne Road.

The event will include a stained glass demonstration by Vicki Poe. The Locally Grown Gallery will have a 15 percent discount on hanging art, and photographs will be discounted.

Spencer’s Visions will offer 10 percent off prints and 20 percent off framing and matting.

Besides artists, the event will also include door prizes. Call (865) 483-9115 or (865) 696-8078 for more information.

Sen. Alexander’s chief of staff placed on leave during child pornography investigation

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Note: This story was last updated at 12:52 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Wednesday said his chief of staff in Washington, D.C., has been placed on leave as law enforcement agents search the man’s home to investigate child pornography allegations.

“I was just informed by the United States Senate legal counsel’s office that law enforcement agents are conducting a search of the personal residence of Ryan Loskarn, the chief of staff of my Washington, D.C., office, regarding allegations involving child pornography,” Alexander said in a Wednesday morning statement. “I am stunned, surprised, and disappointed by what I have learned. Based on this information, I immediately placed Mr. Loskarn on administrative leave without pay. The office is fully cooperating with the investigation.”

U.S. Postal Inspectors conducted the raid of Loskarn’s home, according to NBC News.

“The Postal Inspectors Service was involved in a law enforcement action in Southeast D.C.,” a spokesman for the agency told NBC News, declining further comment.

Loskarn is a longtime Alexander aide and was named the Tennessee Republican senator’s chief of staff in 2012, according to Politico. [Read more…]

ORNL FCU donates $65,000 to United Way, a 65 percent increase

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ORNL Federal Credit Union and United Way of Anderson County

Pictured above from left to right are Lisa Thompson and Chris Boler, co-chairs of ORNL Federal Credit Union employee campaign; Leslie Daugherty, ORNL FCU loaned executive; and Edwena and Charles Crowe, 2013 UWAC campaign chair family. (Photo courtesy United Way of Anderson County)

Each fall, ORNL Federal Credit Union employees help raise funds for the United Way of Anderson County, and  donations this year were up more than 65 percent, a press release said.

ORNL FCU raised roughly $66,000, the release said. The money came from employee donations, ORNL FCU’s corporate donation, and an interactive employee auction site. The fundraising total was up significantly from 2012.

The theme of this year’s internal fundraising effort was Uni and Ted Way’s Excellent Adventure, a parody of the movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” the release said. [Read more…]

ORNL’s Bruce Pint elected 2014 NACE fellow

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Bruce Pint

Bruce Pint

Bruce Pint, a research staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elected a 2014 National Association of Corrosion Engineers fellow.

Pint is a principal investigator for many research and development projects, including corrosion issues in fossil energy, nuclear energy, fusion energy, and combined heat and power systems. His research during the past 25 years covers compatibility, lifetime predictions, environmental effects, and coatings for metals and ceramics in all types of power generation.

He received his doctorate in ceramic science and engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Community Orchestra plays seasonal music on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra Bass and Viola Sections

The bass and viola sections of the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra are pictured above. (Photos courtesy of Travis Witherington)

In its free concert at 2 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra will play well-known music associated with traditional celebrations in December.

“Everyone will immediately recognize the dashing ‘Sleigh Ride’ by Leroy Anderson, and the Christmas carols captured by William Burkhart in his special arrangement, ‘While in the Fields,'” a press release said. “You can savor the traditional Russian flavor with ‘Polonaise’ from the ‘Christmas Eve Suite’ by Rimsky-Korsakov, and ‘Russian Christmas Music’ by Alfred Reed. Moreover, you will enjoy the lilting style of traditional Jewish music in ‘Festive Sounds of Hanukah’ by Bill Holcombe.”

This eclectic mix of celebratory seasonal music will be performed at 2 pm. Saturday in the sanctuary of the First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge, on the corner of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and LaFayette Drive. Admission is free. But, modest donations at the door to support the orchestra’s routine operating expenses will be appreciated. [Read more…]

Reunirse con nosotros para practicar la conversación inglés (Spanish version)

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Únase a nosotros para conversar inglés, café y aperativos.

Cuidado a los niños y ayuda con las tareas escolares para los niños en edad escolar (edades 6-10) estarán disponibles.

Clases de inglés formales comenzarán en enero de 2014.

Para mas información llame a 865-483-3787. [Read more…]

English conversation evening on Wednesday at Grace Lutheran

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Grace Lutheran Church is having its second English conversation evening on Wednesday evening.

It’s scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the church, which is at 131 W. Gettysburg Ave. in Oak Ridge.

“Join us for conversation, coffee, and snacks,” a press release said. Child care will be available, and there will be homework help for school-age children from 6-10. [Read more…]

Commercial, nuclear facilities the focus of safety forum on Wednesday

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The Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership will hold its last community safety forum of 2013 on Wednesday at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

The program is titled “Safety in Commercial and Nuclear Facilities: Programs that Work.” It’s scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Speakers include Shane Strickland, Alcoa safety manager;  Paul Wasilko, safety culture program manager at the Y-12 National Security Complex; Chris Patton, safety services division director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Doug Giles, plant protection safety area manager at Eastman. Each will make a 15-minute presentation about the safety program at his facility, followed by a panel discussion at the end with audience questions and answers. [Read more…]

Treat yourself to an early holiday meal with ADFAC’s ‘Dine and Donate’

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With the hustle and bustle of holidays all around, ADFAC says it’s a great time to treat yourself and your loved ones to a special meal.

With their monthly “Dine and Donate” event, there is a way to do that and support the less fortunate in our community.

This month’s event is Monday, and five local restaurants are participating. They have agreed to donate a portion of their sales to support ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties).

The participating restaurants are: [Read more…]

Shephard’s Pipes to perform Renaissance carols at Oak Ridge library

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Shepards Pipes

Come in out of the cold and enjoy talented musicians at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

On Dec. 19, from 7:30-8:15 p.m., Shephard’s Pipes will perform Renaissance carols in the Oak Ridge Public Library auditorium.

A recorder consort, Shepard’s Pipes was started in the 1980s by Phyllis Shepard, a music teacher and early music enthusiast in Oak Ridge, a press release said. When she returned to her home state of Vermont in 2001, the then-current members decided to continue on their own. They meet weekly to play the music that they love and they specialize in early music, usually defined as from medieval times through the Renaissance and into the Baroque, a period when much music was composed specifically for recorders. [Read more…]

Varying Degrees performs final concert at Oak Ridge Library

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Varying Degrees Christmas 2011

Varying Degrees is pictured above during Christmas 2011. From left are Marsha Howard, Betsy Abernathy, Judy DiGregorio, Kathy Gillenwaters, Amy Souleyrette. (Submitted photo)

Varying Degrees—a vocal group composed of Amy Souleyrette, Betsy Abernathy, Judy DiGregorio, Kathy Gillenwaters, and pianist Marsha Howard—will perform their final concert on Tuesday, Dec. 17, from 7-7:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Public Library.

The group has sung together for six years and has appeared on WBIR-TV, “Rock to Bach,” the Tennessee Mountain Writers’ Conference, Holiday Lights at Methodist Medical Center, and numerous area churches and civic groups. The group thanks the public for their past support and invites everyone to come hear their Christmas concert, which is free of charge.