Oak Ridge Today

CONTACT Care Line pancake breakfast on July 13

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CONTACT Care Line is hosting a pancake breakfast at Lincoln’s Sports Grille from 8-10 a.m. July 13.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased from any board member or at the door. All proceeds will benefit CONTACT’s crisis call lines, which serve a nine-county region, including Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union counties.

CONTACT has been in operation in Oak Ridge since 1973 and is celebrating its 40th year of service to the community, a press release said. [Read more…]

Picture: Anderson County Chamber donates to Education Foundation

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Anderson County Chamber Donates to Education Foundation

Pictured from left are Ed Engel, Chamber Events Council co-chair; Jackie Nichols, Chamber president; Garry Whitley, Education Foundation president; Larry Stephens, Chamber board chairman; and Natalie Erb, Chamber Events Council co-chair. (Submitted photo)

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce recently presented a check for $750 to The Education Foundation for Clinton City and Anderson County Schools.

The donation represented a percentage of proceeds from the 2nd Annual Tribute to Business held on June 7.

It’s ‘Christmas in July’ for United Way of Anderson County

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United Way of Anderson County will kick off their annual campaign with a “Christmas in July” event at the DoubleTree Oak Ridge from 6-10 p.m. July 13. The evening will include a cocktail hour, silent auction, buffet dinner, ugly Christmas sweater contest, an evening of entertainment emceed by Kim Hansard of Star 102.1 FM, and a live auction.

The event is chaired by Katy Jett of Enrichment Federal Credit Union and De Wayne Kirchner of The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department announces two new hires

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department held a ceremony on June 11 to welcome two new members.

The event was held at Fire Station No. 3, and firefighter trainees Courtney McCarter and Joe Brackins were sworn in as the two newest members of the fire department. Both firefighters began their service for the department on April 22 and have already completed multiple training sessions, a press release said. [Read more…]

RSI awards eight $1,000 college scholarships

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RSI Scholarship Winners

RSI executives and scholarship recipients are pictured above. In the front row from left are Rick Ferguson, RSI vice president, and Kaitlyn Byrd, Stephanie Hanahan, Bethany Allen, and Jedidiah Long. In the back row are Peter Caswell, RSI vice president, and Joseph “Grant” Barbour, Jalen Carter, and Staci Ferguson, RSI president. Not pictured are Christiana Goode and Tyler Moore. (Submitted photo)

Restoration Services Inc., or RSI, and its voluntary Employee Outreach Committee have joined efforts to offer eight $1,000 college scholarships to “help students achieve their greatest potential through higher education,” a press release said.

The company announced this week that six scholarships were awarded to graduating high school students who will be attending college in the upcoming fall 2013 semester. The remaining two scholarships were awarded to children of RSI employees who are upcoming sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently enrolled in an accredited college for the 2013 fall semester. Scholarship recipients were selected from submitted applications that included academic accomplishments, community involvement and leadership roles, and an essay on current environmental threats. [Read more…]

Four Oak Ridge fire officers receive national accreditation

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Darryl Kerley

Darryl Kerley

Josh Waldo

Josh Waldo

The Center for Public Safety Excellence has notified four officers of the Oak Ridge Fire Department that they have received national accreditation, a press release said.

ORFD Fire Chief Darryl Kerley and Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo have been notified that they have been approved for the designation of chief fire officer, the release said. Battalion chiefs Marty Griffith and Joseph Durham have been approved for the designation of fire officer. [Read more…]

Haslam announces IBM executive as chief operating officer

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has announced that Greg Adams, who has been an IBM executive and longtime employee, will join the governor’s senior team as chief operating officer, a press release said.

His job will be to work with state departments to ensure they’re operating in the most efficient and effective way possible. [Read more…]

More than 475 metric tons of Russian highly enriched uranium eliminated

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Deliveries are 95 percent complete, represents 19,000 nuclear warheads converted to civilian use

WASHINGTON, D.C.–The National Nuclear Security Administration on Monday announced it has monitored the elimination of more than 475 metric tons of Russian highly enriched uranium, or HEU, under a landmark nuclear nonproliferation program, commonly known as Megatons to Megawatts.

The rough equivalent of 19,000 nuclear weapons has been permanently eliminated, the NNSA said in a press release. [Read more…]

ORPD offers Junior Police Academy for students; register by July 5

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Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy

Oak Ridge Junior Police Academy students at the Law Enforcement Innovation Center in 2012. (Submitted photo)

The 2nd Annual Junior Police Academy will take place from Aug. 5-9. This is the last week before Oak Ridge Schools start the new school year.

Cadets will be given presentations by several Oak Ridge Police Department officers on topics that include K9 and SWAT operations, traffic stops and more. Cadets will also visit the prestigious Law Enforcement Innovation Center, Anderson County Detention Facility, and Anderson County Criminal Court, and they will be given a presentation by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office’s Aviation unit, who will fly in on a helicopter.

The academy meets from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day. Those who are eligible to attend are students entering high school this year or returning to high school, or those that graduated this May. Private school and home-schooled students are welcome as well. [Read more…]

Sustainability group will form large ‘350’ with people at Secret City Festival today

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Secret City Sustainability, a student-led initiative to promote divestment from fossil fuels, is having an event at the Secret City Festival at 2 p.m. today. They are going to make a large “350” with people to signify the organization 350.org.

The organization was founded by Bill McKibben, a leading environmental activist who will be coming to speak at the Oak Ridge High School Auditorium on Aug. 18. The students are trying to get the word out about his talk by forming a “350” in the grass.

Secret City Festival features ‘something for everyone’

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Homemade Wine Band

The Homemade Wine Band played after the Friday morning opening ceremony at the Secret City Festival.

The annual Secret City Festival started today, and it features Manhattan Project bus tours and history displays, World War II living history activities and demonstrations, arts and crafts and antiques dealers, food vendors and exhibitors, a children’s festival area and youth events, and a car show and concerts.

“Join more than 20,000 visitors and residents to celebrate the end of World War II and the heritage of Oak Ridge from 1945 to the present,” a press release said.

Oak Ridge was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s atomic bombs, and the festival celebrates the city’s heritage.

Festival organizers have provided an overview of some of the many activities and events taking place at this year’s festival:
 [Read more…]

Secret City Festival announces return of ‘Kid City Circuit’

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For the second year in a row, Oak Ridge has been named a Playful City and is proud to announce the return of the Kid City Circuit to the children’s area of the Secret City Festival. Playful City USA is a nationally recognized program honoring cities and towns that make play a priority and use innovative programs to get children active, playing, and healthy.

Because the Secret City Festival is focused on community unity and children’s and family activities are such a big part of the festival, organizers are excited about the return of this festival favorite. [Read more…]