Oak Ridge Today

Tennessee Mountain Writers presents ‘When the Byline Loses Its Thrill’

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Jennie Ivey

Jennie Ivey

Cookeville freelance writer and newspaper columnist Jennie Ivey will conduct an all-day writing workshop on “When the Byline Loses Its Thrill: Making Money with the Words You Write” on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the United Way of Anderson County office at 161 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. The event is the Fall Workshop of the Tennessee Mountain Writers.

Workshop participants will learn how to focus on subjects they want to write about and tailor writing to fit markets that pay. They will also learn how to expand their reach and get paid to talk about the things they have written. Writers of all levels and all genres will benefit and are welcome.

Ivey is the co-author of three books: “Tennessee Tales the Textbooks Don’t Tell,” “E is for Elvis,” and “Soldiers, Spies, and Spartans: Civil War Stories from Tennessee.” She writes a weekly newspaper column for the Cookeville Herald-Citizen and is a regular contributor to Guideposts magazine and Chicken Soup for the Soul. She has taught at numerous writers’ conferences including the Tennessee Mountain Writers, Alabama Writers Conclave, Cookeville Creative Writers Association, and MTSU Writers Loft. [Read more…]

Ballroom dance lessons start at Senior Center on Thursday

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Senior Center Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing lessons start at the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Thursday. (Submitted photo)

Anyone 50 and older is invited to ballroom dancing lessons at the Oak Ridge Senior Center starting Thursday, a press release said.

“Ballroom dancing is not only a wonderful social skill to have but also a great fun way to exercise for all ages,” the press release said.

Lessons will be on Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for beginner levels and 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for intermediate levels. The lessons will begin Oct. 3 and will be led by Richard Pierce. The cost is a $5 donation per lesson, and no contracts or commitments are required.

Health Insurance Marketplace opens Tuesday

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Kathleen Sebelius

Kathleen Sebelius

The new Health Insurance Marketplace set up by the Affordable Care Act opened Tuesday, and Tennessee residents can apply for coverage, compare plans, and enroll at HealthCare.gov.

“For the first time ever, today all Americans can begin shopping for quality health coverage that is affordable, and not be denied or charged more because they have a pre-existing condition,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release.

The HHS said the Health Insurance Marketplace will allow uninsured Americans and their families to purchase health insurance in one place. Coverage begins as early as Jan. 1, 2014, for people enrolling by Dec. 15, 2013. Open enrollment closes March 31. [Read more…]

Roane authorities arrest two after armed robbery investigation

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Mark Andrew Randolph

Mark Andrew Randolph

Rufena Jean Bunch

Rufena Jean Bunch

Roane County authorities investigating an armed robbery at a gas station on Highway 70 on Friday arrested a Harriman man and Kingston woman on Monday, Sheriff Jack Stockton said.

The alleged robbery occurred at a Rocky Top Market on Bluff Road at Highway 70 at closing time Friday. A white man wearing camouflage clothing entered the store, pointed a handgun at the clerks, and demanded money, Stockton said in a press release. The suspect allegedly left the store with an undetermined amount of money.

On Monday, Roane County Sheriff’s Office deputies, with help from detectives Bryan Walker and Brandon Kittrell, arrested the two suspects without incident, the release said. The Crossville and Kingston police departments also helped. [Read more…]

New executive director, board members at Girls Inc.

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Girls Inc.

Pictured above are Girls Inc. Board President Terry Domm, Ternica Raley, Executive Director Rhoni Basden, Judy Gooch, and Board Secretary Melissa McMahan. (Submitted photo)

Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge has a new executive director and five new board members.

Rhoni Basden is the new executive director. She succeeds Carol Mullane, who retired after seven successful years, a press release said.

New board members include Ternecia Raley, Judy Gooch, Melissa McMahan, David Mosby, and Hugh Ward. [Read more…]

Voce starts today as general manager of Oak Ridge security force

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Michael Voce

Michael Voce

Michael Voce started today as general manager of the National Strategic Protective Services’ protective force contract at U.S. Department of Energy sites in Oak Ridge.

NSPS, a joint venture of Triple Canopy Inc. and Securiguard Inc., announced last month that Voce would start Oct. 1. He replaces general manager Greg McDowell, whose resignation was announced in July.

NSPS is responsible for providing protective force services to the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Joe L. Evins Federal Building. Voce will be responsible for directing the safe and efficient performance of the protective work force and overseeing all administrative operations, a press release said. [Read more…]

ORNL physicist to discuss sensors, detection technologies

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Bruce Warmack

Bruce Warmack

A physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discuss sensors and detection technologies, such as those used in smoke alarms, at a Friends of ORNL meeting on Tuesday.

The talk by Bruce Warmack of the ORNL Measurement Science and Systems Engineering Division is titled “Making machines sense our world.”

The meeting is open to the public, and it starts at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the University of Tennessee Resource Center at 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Domestic violence down; most victims female, TBI says

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Reports of domestic violence fell 3.4 percent during a three-year period from 2010 to 2012 in Tennessee, state authorities said.

Nearly 72 percent of the victims were female in cases where the gender of the victims were known, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a recently released study.

The TBI analyzed the state’s domestic violence crime data as reported by law enforcement agencies through the Tennessee Incident Based Reporting System, or TIBRS, program. The data showed a 0.4 percent drop in domestic violence reports from 2010 to 2011 and a 2.9 percent decrease from 2011 to 2012. [Read more…]

Rocky Top theme park proposed in Lake City

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Information from WYSH Radio

A new theme park proposed for Lake City could prove to be an economic boon but before anything can happen, the developer wants the city to change its name.

Proposed is a $20 million project that includes a brewery and distillery, interactive kids’ theater, and an outdoor amphitheater, an indoor/outdoor water park and resort with a restaurant that looks like a shipwreck and seats 700, and a Rocky Top-themed sports museum, as well as a 100-bed lodge and several other attractions.

In addition to the theme park, they also want to change the name of the city to Rocky Top. [Read more…]

ORFD open house includes fire demonstration

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Oak Ridge Fire Department Burn Cell

A burn cell flashes over during an Oak Ridge Fire Department open house on Thursday. (Submitted photo)

A Thursday evening open house at Fire Station No. 3 in Oak Ridge included a live fire demonstration of a typical living room fire, which allowed those who attended to watch a fire progress from start to “flashover” at 1,150 degrees.

The burn cells constructed for these type of demonstrations are located at Fire Station No. 3 and were built under a partnership agreement with the University of Tennessee’s National Forensic Academy and the Oak Ridge Fire Department as a teaching tool for fire development studies. The live fire demonstration allowed attendees to see firsthand how quickly a fire develops and the tremendous amount of heat released from a burning sofa and chair. The live fire demonstration illustrated the need for smoke alarms and exit drills to save lives when every second counts, a press release said. [Read more…]

Something for everyone at this year’s Clinch River Antiques Festival

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Clinch River Antiques Festival

The Clinch River Antiques Festival in 2012 is pictured above. (Photo by Carl Warner)

The 13th Annual Clinch River Antiques Festival kicks off on Friday evening, Oct. 11, from 6–9 p.m. in Historic Downtown Clinton with shops open late, food vendors, carriage rides, and live entertainment.

The entertainment starts Friday evening in Hoskins Lane Park on Market Street with The Real McCoys, a bluegrass band that grew up playing music together in Lake City. It’s hosted by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Anderson County Class of 2014. The show is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Gem hunter brings Smithsonian style exhibit to Karen’s Jewelers

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Karen’s Jewelers will host a Smithsonian style exhibit of gems and jewelry from Central Asia and Australia Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 2-4, when adventurer Gary Bowersox brings his collection of more than 60,000 gems to Oak Ridge.

Bowersox has hunted for gems this year in the mines of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka and India, as well as Australia. Among his finds are a rare 29 carat black opal from Lightening Ridge, Australia, and an 1,100 carat ruby from Tajikistan. Both will be on display at the gem show at Karen’s Jewelers, 1120 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The exhibit will be on display from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. each day. [Read more…]