Oak Ridge Today

Volleyball: Oak Ridge eliminated in Region 2 semifinals

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The Oak Ridge volleyball team suffered a season-ending loss at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday night in the Region 2-AAA tournament semifinals.

Farragut, which went on to win the regional championship, defeated the Lady Wildcats in the semifinal elimination game for the second straight year. The Lady Admirals won in straight sets Tuesday: 25-20, 25-20, and 30-28.

That prevented Oak Ridge from moving on the sectional round, the set of games that determine which teams go to the state tournament. Sectionals follow the regional championship games. Win or lose, both teams in each regional championship game move on to sectional games.

“This is such a disappointing way to end what was otherwise a banner year for Oak Ridge volleyball,” Oak Ridge Head Coach David Kolodney said after the Tuesday night semifinal loss, according to information provided by Buzz Patrick, who provides volleyball stories and photos to local news and sports outlets. “In the match that mattered most, we came up very short. We know going into this that it would be tough—Farragut always brings their ‘A’ game in big moments—but we had a good game plan and when we were able to execute it, we were successful.”

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TDEC: Most material tested in Claxton, after residents expressed concern, was soil

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Note: This story was last updated at 4:50 p.m.

The vast majority of the material tested in Claxton, after residents raised concerns about an unidentified substance falling around the Bull Run Fossil Plant, was soil, a state official said Thursday.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation said it sampled material in the area, and TDEC Deputy Communications Director Kim Schofinski released a short statement Thursday.

“TDEC takes the concerns of citizens very seriously, and in response to their direct requests, we independently conducted sampling of the material in the area,” the statement said. “We also reviewed lab results from samples taken by TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) and citizens…All results indicated the vast majority of the material was soil. As it relates to coal ash, sampling results ranged from non-detectable amounts, amounts too low to quantify, or trace amounts.

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For members: AC man accused of trying to kill deputy also faces federal charges

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Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019
One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, 52, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has two previous homicide convictions and has been accused in state court of trying to kill a deputy this year now faces federal gun and drug charges that could result, depending upon the circumstances, in a lifelong prison sentence.

Charles Edward Mason, 52, was charged last month with three federal felonies: felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; possession of, with intent to distribute, methamphetamine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The federal charges were filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on September 17.

 
Charles Mason Preliminary Hearing July 25 2019

One count of attempted first-degree murder and five aggravated assault charges filed against Charles Edward Mason, 52, of Anderson County, were sent to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KNOXVILLE—An Anderson County man who has two previous homicide convictions and has been accused in state court of trying to kill a deputy this year now faces federal drug and gun charges that could result, depending upon the circumstances, in a lifelong prison sentence.

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Soccer: Lady Wildcats to play for district championship

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The Oak Ridge girls soccer team will play for a district championship against Powell tonight (Thursday, October 17).

The game will start at 7 p.m. at the Pro2Serve soccer stadium at Oak Ridge High School.

This will be the fifth year in a row that Oak Ridge and Powell have played for the District 3-AAA championship.

The top two teams in the district, the Lady Wildcats and Lady Panthers met once during the regular season, and Oak Ridge won 2-1 in overtime. It was the girls’ first victory over Powell since 2016. That’s when the Lady Wildcats last won the district championship in a 2-0 victory at Powell.

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New at Street Painting Festival: Take the STEAM challenge

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Artists turned Jackson Square into a work of art last year at the annual Rotary Club of Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, at Jackson Square. (Submitted photo)

The 20th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival at Jackson Square on Saturday will offer a new challenge this year, a press release said.

The October 19 event will be held in historic Jackson Square, and it will offer the first STEAM Challenge. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

The festival will, as always, offer prizes for artists in each category, the press release said. But this year, artists in any category can win an all-ages, all-categories bonus prize as part of the STEAM challenge.

The Street Painting Festival is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge. It’s a fundraiser for Roane State Community College scholarships.

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Manhattan Project Park: Ride with a Ranger on Saturday

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You can join a National Park Service park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway on Saturday, May 25, 2019, to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 75 years. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

You can join a National Park Service ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 75 years.

The free program is presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The bike ride program will start at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 19, at the Turnpike Gatehouse and travel down Big Oak Trail and North Boundary Road.

“Along the ride, we will explore the former communities that were here before the Manhattan Project,” a press release said. “Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area.”

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UT Arboretum Society has Fall Plant Sale on Saturday

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University of Tennessee Arboretum Society Fall Plant Sale (Submitted photo)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s Fall Plant Sale will be held Saturday at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge.

The sale is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 19, at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

“Fall is the ideal time to add plants to your landscape because of milder temperatures and more dependable rainfall,” a press release said. “In addition, the fact that plants are not putting energy into their top growth but devoting all their resources to developing a strong root system will give them a head start in the spring and a much better survival rate.”

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Sound Company has auditions on Saturday

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Children currently in first through 12th grade who enjoy music and performing are encouraged to come to the Grove Theater (High Places Community Church) in Oak Ridge to audition for Sound Company, the children’s show choir of Oak Ridge, on Saturday, October 19. Auditioners should prepare a song to perform, a press release said. You can sign up to audition and find out more at the Sound Company website, www.soundcompanytn.net.

Sound Company is comprised of approximately 100 children who come from all over East Tennessee. They present concerts featuring a wide range of music, from pop to Broadway to classical to multicultural, incorporating choreography and costumes into many of their pieces, and they have travelled regularly to Switzerland, where they have a “sister” choir, and to other places such as New York City. Sound Company is divided by age into four groups, and is led by Katy Wolfe and Terry Silver-Alford, both on staff at the University of Tennessee in the vocal music/musical theater departments and both regular performers in the area.

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Children’s Halloween Party is Oct. 24; sponsors, volunteers needed

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Halloween Party 2017 Star Wars Family Costume (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the annual Children’s Halloween Party on Thursday, October 24, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event is now in its 37th year and will be attended by hundreds of local children and their families, a press release said.

Activities will be held inside the Oak Ridge Civic Center, located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike, and a hay ride will be offered outside in A.K. Bissell Park, weather permitting. There is no admission fee for the event, but participation in most activities requires one or more tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center. The cost is 25 cents per ticket or $5 for a pack of 20.

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Greenway, park closures announced during fall hunts

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The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has scheduled two scout days and three quota hunts on the Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area this fall.

During the scout and quota hunt days, these greenways and this park will be closed: Gallaher Bend Greenway, North Boundary Greenway, Haw Ridge Park, and the section of Melton Lake Greenway adjacent to Haw Ridge Park.

The hunts, which are open only to those with a valid TWRA quota permit, will take place on the following weekends:

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ASAP to celebrate move with Oct. 24 ceremony

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ASAP of Anderson will celebrate its move to a new office building in Clinton with a building dedication ceremony on Thursday, October 24.

ASAP had been in the Robert Jolley Building on Main Street in Clinton for 10 years, a press release said.

The building dedication ceremony is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. October 24 at 131 South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. Everyone is invited, the press release said.

The ceremony will include coffee and light snacks, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and open house for community members to explore the new space, the press release said.

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Oak Ridge Public Library to host concert with cellist

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Alicia Randisi-Hooker (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Library will host a lunchtime concert with cellist Alicia Randisi-Hooker on Wednesday, October 16, from noon until 1 p.m. as part of the World Wise Wednesdays program.

An engaging speaker and performer, Alicia Randisi-Hooker is a well-known member of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and the Trillium Piano Trio, a press release said. She has performed extensively in a rich variety of settings, from the Knoxville Symphony to the Philly Pops orchestras, and in many chamber ensembles.

She studied in Germany with members of the renowned Alban Berg Quartet, and performed concerts in Italy, France, Germany, and across the United States. As a noted Suzuki cello teacher, her private cello students have won awards and scholarships both nationally and internationally, the press release said.

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