Oak Ridge Today

ORPD: Man forces woman from wheelchair & vehicle in reported carjacking

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A woman was forced from her wheelchair and vehicle during a carjacking reported in Oak Ridge on Saturday, and the suspect crashed after a police chase into Knox County, authorities said.

The carjacking was reported in the parking lot of the Red Lobster restaurant on South Illinois Avenue at about 1:50 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

“It was reported that a man forcibly took a vehicle that was occupied by an adult female passenger in a wheelchair,” the ORPD said. “After taking the vehicle, the suspect forced the passenger from her wheelchair and from the vehicle in the restaurant parking lot. The victim was not injured.” [Read more…]

Photos: Lavender Festival 2018

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The Lavender Festival is pictured above in Jackson Square on Saturday, June 16, 2018. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Lavender Festival is pictured above in Jackson Square on Saturday, June 16, 2018. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Here are photos by Julio Culiat of the Lavender Festival in Jackson Square on Saturday. [Read more…]

Shen of ORHS one of 20 U.S. high school students selected for USA Biology Olympiad Finals

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Photo of Henry Shen courtesy of Oak Ridge High School teacher Sharon Thomas.

Photo of Henry Shen courtesy of Oak Ridge High School teacher Sharon Thomas.

 

Henry Shen of Oak Ridge High School is one of 20 high school students selected for the 16th Annual USA Biology Olympiad National Finals.

The top 20 students were announced by the Center for Excellence in Education in May.

Nearly 10,000 talented students from across the country registered for the USA Biology Olympiad, or USABO. Nearly 700 were selected as semi-finalists, a press release said.

The 20 finalists were selected following completion of a three-part, two-hour exam in April.

The 20 finalists will meet from June 23 to July 5 at the University of California San Diego for 10 days of biology instruction that includes laboratory training and conceptual understanding, followed by two days of testing, the press release said. [Read more…]

Council expected to appoint new member on July 9

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The Oak Ridge City Council is expected to appoint a new member on July 9 to fill the seat being vacated by Hans Vogel, who is resigning and moving to take a new job at Idaho National Laboratory.

Vogel, who was elected to a four-year term in November 2016, is serving through June 30. Currently employed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vogel will become director of strategic irradiation capability for the Advanced Test Reactor at INL, which is in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The new City Council member appointed Monday, July 9, will serve until a special municipal election on November 6. The person elected in the special election will then serve the final two years of Vogel’s four-year term.

The City of Oak Ridge is currently accepting applications to fill the pending City Council vacancy. Those who are interested must submit application materials to the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. Thursday, July 5.

“Any qualified voter is eligible to serve on City Council if he or she has been a resident of the city for one year preceding the day of appointment and provided that, before taking office, he or she resign any state, county, or other municipal office which is filled by public election or position of employment with the City of Oak Ridge,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Updated: Council approves $800,000 contract for synthetic turf at Blankenship

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Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium are pictured above on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium are pictured above on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was published at 4:15 p.m. June 19 and updated at 6 p.m. June 20.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday approved a $800,000 contract to buy and install synthetic turf at Blankenship Field.

Council approved the contract in 5-0 vote during a special meeting Tuesday evening in the Multipurpose Room in the Central Services Complex in central Oak Ridge.

The contract was awarded to Field Turf USA Inc. of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. The company has a regional office in Calhoun, Georgia.

The contract says the purchase and installation of the synthetic turf are not to exceed $800,000. [Read more…]

First Water Safety Day will have demonstrations on life jackets, water rescues

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Oak Ridge Water Safety Day 2018

A first-ever Water Safety Day in Oak Ridge will feature demonstrations on boating and life jacket safety, open water rescues, lifeguard skills, and more, a press release said.

The Water Safety Day was announced by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool.

Water Safety Day is a partnership between the Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department, as well as the Anderson County Volunteer Rescue Squad and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the press release said. [Read more…]

Clinton has July 4 fireworks in Lakefront Park

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Information from WYSH Radio

The city of Clinton has released its plans for its annual Independence Day celebration at Lakefront Park.

The event will begin at 5 p.m. July 4 and end with fireworks at 10 p.m. at Lakefront Park in Clinton.

There will be bounce houses, bungee run, basketball game, rock climbing wall, obstacle course, water slide, human hamster balls, and trackless train that are available to the public at no charge, although kids must have a free wrist band to ride. Also available will be laser tag for children and a game truck for children craving video game excitement at no charge.

There will also be food vendors, antique cars on display, and music from 5-9:45 p.m. Performers will include John Fee & The Honky Tonk Playboys, and possibly some other special guests who will likely be announced in the next few days.

Tryouts will be held June 28 for Roane State golf teams

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Chris Griffin

Chris Griffin

 

Tryouts for the revived Roane State men’s golf team and the first-ever women’s team at the community college will be held Thursday, June 28, at Oak Ridge Country Club, 150 Gum Hollow Road.

Chris Griffin, a Roane State alumnus who was a member of the college’s golf team, is volunteering his time to reactivate the men’s squad and launch a women’s team, a press release said.

Rising Roane State sophomores and students who have graduated from high school and are enrolling in Roane State this fall are invited to try out, Griffin said.

Those tryouts will consist of a single 18-hole round, and tee times will begin at 1 p.m. Contact Griffin at (865) 898-0043 to reserve a tee time. [Read more…]

Festival of Hope raises $50,000 for American Cancer Society

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The Festival of Hope at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge on Friday, June 15, 2018, raised $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. Opening ceremonies recognized more than 60 area cancer survivors who attended, and that was followed by the Cancer Survivors lap, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The Festival of Hope at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge on Friday, June 15, 2018, raised $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. Opening ceremonies recognized more than 60 area cancer survivors who attended, and that was followed by the Cancer Survivors lap, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

The Festival of Hope at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge on Friday raised $50,000 for the American Cancer Society, a press release said.

The Festival of Hope opened with Matt Hinkin from WATE-TV as the emcee, the press release said. Opening ceremonies recognized more than 60 area cancer survivors who attended.

That was followed by the Cancer Survivors lap down the peninsula, where survivors were cheered on by the participants and public. Each survivor was provided a purple cancer survivor’s T-shirt and had a medallion placed around their neck by Lynda Vinyard and Kim Monroe, the press release said.

Teams participating at the event included Professional Case Management, St. Mark United Methodist Church in Clinton, Oak Ridge Veterinary, Clinton Physical Therapy Center, Fast Pace Urgent Care, Oak Ridge Baptist Church, Barry Sanders family team, and Lynda Vinyard family team. [Read more…]

Part of Melton Lake Drive to be closed Thursday for USA Cycling races

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Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

A large part of Melton Lake Drive will be closed Thursday for the USA Cycling Individual Time Trial National Championship, which is being held in Oak Ridge.

The planned road closure was announced by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Police Department.

The closure is necessary to provide a safe, closed-loop course for athletes, volunteers, and spectators, a press release said. [Read more…]

Meet candidates at Popcorn & Politics on Monday

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You can meet candidates for county and state elected offices at Popcorn and Politics at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

It’s scheduled from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday, June 25. It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee. Popcorn and Politics will give you a chance to meet candidates running for office in the August election, a press release said.

“All local candidates as well as candidates running for state legislative offices have been invited to participate,” the press release said.

The public is invited. There is no charge to attend, but a reservation is requested. The event will be held in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

McNeilly retiring after 19 years as library director

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Oak Ridge City Council members Jim Dodson, left, and Kelly Callison, second from left, read a proclamation for Kathy McNeilly, right, during her retirement celebration at Oak Ridge Public Library on Friday, June 15, 2018. Also pictured is Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge City Council members Jim Dodson, left, and Kelly Callison, second from left, read a proclamation for Kathy McNeilly, right, during her retirement celebration at Oak Ridge Public Library on Friday, June 15, 2018. Also pictured is Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Kathy McNeilly is retiring after serving as director of the Oak Ridge Public Library for 19 years—and working for the City of Oak Ridge for more than 47 years.

Friends, family, and City of Oak Ridge staff celebrated McNeilly’s “amazing career” in a ceremony in the library auditorium on Friday, June 15, a city press release said.

McNeilly received a master’s degree in library science from the University of Tennessee. She was hired by the City of Oak Ridge in 1971 as a reference assistant, just a few months after the library’s new location opened its doors in the Oak Ridge Civic Center, the press release said. Since then, she has served as head of the Reference Department, head of Technical Services, and as assistant library director before taking on her role as director nearly 20 years ago.

“In her time with the library, McNeilly has watched services change from print-based to computer, and she was instrumental in guiding the library through many technological changes,” the press release said. “Most recently, she helmed the library’s inclusion of e-books and streaming video. McNeilly is perhaps most proud, however, of the library’s work with COROH (Center for Oak Ridge Oral History). Under her guidance, the library has been able to collect, bind, and make available online the oral histories of more than 800 Oak Ridgers whose lives and work helped create the Oak Ridge of today.” [Read more…]