Oak Ridge Today

ORNL employees, UT-Battelle donate $900K+ to nonprofits

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory employees gather on the campus quad for the Facilities and Operations Charity Carnival for Kids and Barbecue Cookoff to benefit East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital on June 23, 2021. (Photo credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Department of Energy)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory employees and the lab’s managing contractor UT-Battelle donated more than $900,000 to local nonprofit organizations in 2021.

Most of the donations, almost $800,000, came from laboratory employees. UT-Battelle provided an additional $144,000 in corporate contributions, a press release said. That’s a total of $944,000 in donations.

The contributions from ORNL’s employees benefit 169 area and regional nonprofits, the press release said.

Organizations receiving funds include:

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Wildcats finish 4th in KISL swim meet

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Andrew Chou (Photo by Barry Houchin)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats swim team finished fourth out of 40 teams in the Knox-area Interscholastic Swim League (KISL) City Championship Meet at the University of Tennessee on Sunday.

With the fourth-place finish, the Wildcats have had top five finishes in back-to-back years at KISL for the first time in KISL records dating back to 1997.

“In fact, the highest place Oak Ridge High School had ever placed since 1997 is seventh back in 2003,” a press release said.

The Sunday swim meet was in the Allan Jones Aquatic Center at UT.

Out of 22 ORHS swimmers, nine swimmers competed in the finals, the press release said.

Here are meet results:

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Celebration of life in April for John Rice Irwin

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John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, plays the mandolin in this photo by Linda Gunderson.

A celebration of the life of museum founder John Rice Irwin will be held in April at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris. The celebration of life is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 24.

Irwin was a cultural historian and founder of the Museum of Appalachia, among other notable achievements.

Irwin died Sunday, January 16, in Clinton. He was 91.

He was born on December 11, 1930, in Union County, Tennessee.

“While Irwin was still a toddler, his family was forced to move from their farm to make way for the flooding of Norris Lake and the construction of Norris Dam,” his obituary said. “They first settled in Robertsville (in Oak Ridge), but the Manhattan Project forced them to move yet again, this time to the Bethel Community.”

Irwin’s obituary said he was captivated by the rich cultural history of East Tennessee and its people for as long as he could remember.

“As a young boy, he would sit at the feet of his grandmother, Ibbie Jane Rice, and grandfather, Marcellus Moss ‘Sill’ Rice, and listen intently to their stories of the past,” the obituary said. “Sill took notice of his grandson’s fascination and said to him, ‘you ought to keep the old-timey things that belonged to our people and start you a little museum sometime.’ It was this advice that would ultimately inspire Irwin to create the Museum of Appalachia.”

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UT Arboretum Society resumes hikes after almost two years

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will resume its Third Saturday Hike on Feb. 19 after almost two years due to COVID-19 closures. (Submitted photo)

It has been almost two years since the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has had a Third Saturday Hike because of COVID-19 closings.

“The organization is excited to announce the resumption of the hikes beginning February 19 at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge, 901 South Illinois Avenue,” a press release said. “Enjoy over 260 acres of forest and trails in this lovely wooded setting.”

The theme for February is a newcomer’s hike, the press release said. Everyone is welcome to participate in this free guided hike. Newcomers to the area, newcomers to the UT Arboretum, and newcomers to hiking are encouraged to join as well as previous participants. The hikes have been a staple of the UT Arboretum and UT Arboretum Society for more than 13 years This is a great opportunity to “walk off” the food and festivities of the Super Bowl and the Olympics, the press release said.

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OR Schools names teachers, TA, principal of the year

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Oak Ridge Schools has named its teachers of the year, teaching assistant of the year, and principal of the year.

The Teacher of the Year program recognizes and honors outstanding teachers in Tennessee, a press release said.

“The Tennessee Department of Education staff applauds teachers who care about children, who devote their professional lives to enriching the lives of Tennessee students, and who demonstrate exceptional gains in student achievement,” the press release said.

In Oak Ridge, teacher candidates are sought from each school in the district.

Here are the district-level winners, who were nominated by their peers. The information was written in the staff members’ own words and excerpted from their full applications. The narratives provide a window into each staff member’s authenticity and commitment to Oak Ridge students, the press release said.

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Roane State student helps teach famous talking bird at Zoo Knoxville

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Roane State Community College student Kinsley Cagle poses with Einstein, the Zoo Knoxville parrot that’s become a YouTube sensation with more than 24 million views. (Photo courtesy Zoo Knoxville)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State Community College student Kinsley Cagle has a job helping teach Einstein.

That’s the moniker for the famous African grey parrot at Zoo Knoxville. Einstein is a viral superstar whose incredible antics have been viewed more than 24 million times on YouTube.

Einstein’s hilarious mimicry of noises ranging from a variety of animal sounds and calls to complete sentences is a popular attraction at the zoo’s Wild Encounters area.

“She (Einstein) can make a lot of sounds,” said Cagle, a 23-year-old Oak Ridge resident. “At times, it’s almost like having a conversation with her.”

One of Cagle’s latest training endeavors involves teaching a species of duck called hooded mergansers to voluntarily waddle into a crate for safe, secure transport.

“I was never a ‘bird person’ before this,” Cagle said, “but I like being around them.”

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Roane State’s Harnish gets 800th career win

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Members of the Lady Raiders basketball team congratulate Roane State Community College Coach David Harnish on his 800th career win. From left to right are Cassidy Gilmore, Chloe Roark, Catherine Hendershott, Coach Harnish, Korbin Witherspoon, and Shelbi Smith. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Submitted

Call him Mr. 800.

Roane State Lady Raiders head women’s basketball coach David Harnish earned his 800th career win last week with a 74-56 victory over conference foe Motlow College.

Now in his third season at the helm of the Lady Raiders program, Harnish is the seventh-winningest coach in women’s NJCAA basketball history and the fourth-winningest active coach.

After the win, Harnish said, “I owe a lot of people a lot of credit for the success of 800 wins, and I certainly couldn’t have done it alone.”

The veteran coach began his coaching career as a men’s assistant at Western Nebraska Community College in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska. Then, in 1988, he was named head coach of Western Nebraska’s women’s team, where he posted an amazing 23-4 record in his rookie season.

That was the start of 28 consecutive 20-win seasons, including nine seasons with 30 wins or more.

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Hospitals ask for your help

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance
Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Emergency departments at hospitals in the Knoxville area are overflowing and many health care workers are absent due to illness, and health care systems are asking for your help as they start a third year battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our communities are still in an emergency,” the hospitals said in a statement Wednesday. “Health care systems continue to be under unprecedented strain. We remain committed to delivering the medical services needed by our communities, but we need your help.

The statement was issued by Covenant Health, which includes Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge; Tennova Healthcare; University of Tennessee Medical Center; Blount Memorial Hospital; and Sweetwater Hospital Association.

“The Omicron variant is racing through East Tennessee with lightning speed, spreading easily from person to person, increasing infections and hospitalizations,” the hospitals said in their statement. “This year. we are also seeing large numbers of patients with respiratory illnesses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumonia, and post-COVID-19 complications, in addition to heart attacks, strokes, and other emergent care needs. Our emergency departments are overflowing with these cases and other medical emergencies, leading to longer-than-usual wait times as we work to deliver care to all who are counting on us.”

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Barker seeking re-election as sheriff

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker is seeking a second term as sheriff of Anderson County in this year’s election.

Barker, a Republican, was first elected to a four-year term as sheriff in 2018 after serving as the director of the Seventh
Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County.

In a press release, Barker said he has fulfilled his 2018 campaign promises of increasing the number of school resource officers, dedicating personnel to keep seniors safe, and implementing intelligence-led policing.

“I am very proud of what we have accomplished this first term,” Barker said in the press release. “I attribute the success we’ve had to the brave men and women I serve with every day. Together, we are making a great impact in Anderson County.”

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‘Brain Food’ need increases as federal aid reduced

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Roane State Community College Brain Food volunteer Mariella Akers, left, with Sue Byrne from First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, a sponsor for the pantry. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

“Brain Food,” the name of Roane State Community College’s pantry for students at the Oak Ridge Branch Campus, has seen a big increase in students taking advantage of the free service.

A reduction in federal assistance that went into effect in late September is seen as one of the reasons for the uptick, an official said.

At the Oak Ridge campus, between nine and 11 students were helped by Brain Food each week during the Spring 2021 semester, while that number jumped to 18 to 20 students in the fall.

Last year, more than 120 students were served. After tallying the reported members of each student’s household, pantry staffers estimate that a total of 373 people received assistance in 2021. Mariella Akers, Oak Ridge faculty secretary and Brain Food volunteer, added that 120 of those household members were children.

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Borchers to present State of Schools

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Bruce Borchers
Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will present his State of the Schools at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, February 1.

During the annual talks, Borchers gives an overview of what is happening in Oak Ridge Schools.

“Between the unusual events at the high school in December and groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art Ben Martin Track, Dr. Borchers will undoubtedly have much to share,” a press release said.

Lunch with the League is organized by League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Borchers started his education career as an elementary physical education teacher in the Sioux City (Iowa) Community School District. He also worked as an interim assistant principal and guidance counselor in Iowa City, Iowa; as assistant principal and principal in Mankato, Minnesota; and as associate superintendent of secondary schools for the Anoka-Hennepin (Minnesota) School District. Prior to joining the Oak Ridge Schools, Borchers was the superintendent of the Rockwood School District from 2010 to 2013.

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Atomic Junior rower gets scholarship to Oregon State

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Atomic Junior rower Mason Fischer of Oak Ridge High School has signed a letter of intent to Oregon State University, where she plans to major in kinesiology. (Submitted photo)

Atomic Junior rower Mason Fischer of Oak Ridge High School has signed a letter of intent to Oregon State University, where she plans to major in kinesiology, a press release said.

She will be rowing for the Beavers in the powerful Pac-12 Conference, the press release said. Fischer is in her third year of rowing and was in the Atomic four that finished 8th nationally last spring.

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