Oak Ridge Today

Prevent Child Abuse presents special showing of ‘Resilience’

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Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee will present a special showing of “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope” in April in Oak Ridge.

“This impactful documentary is a great introduction to the topic of making our community more trauma informed,” said Susan Moore, regional program manager for Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee.

The video portion is about one hour long, and it will be followed by a panel discussion, Moore said.

It’s a free community event, and it will be at Roane State Community College at 701 Briarcliff Avenue in Oak Ridge. The screening will be in Goff 107. [Read more…]

Soccer: Wildcats fight back to beat Halls

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By Oak Ridge Soccer Coach Jeff Trombly

The Oak Ridge Wildcats traveled to Halls on Thursday to face the Red Devils.

Halls scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the district soccer game.

The Wildcats fought back to answer with four goals to take the lead 4-1 at halftime.

Goal scorers included senior Austin Vinyard, junior Carson McGhee, and sophomore Nathan Kidder. [Read more…]

OREPA to present information about U.S. weapons programs at United Nations

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Ralph Hutchison

Ralph Hutchison

The United Nations conference on a nuclear weapons ban opens in New York City on Monday, March 27. The purpose of the conference is to “negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading toward their total elimination,” a press release said.

Ralph Hutchison, coordinator of the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, will be presenting in a side event during the conference on Tuesday, March 28, with colleagues from other nuclear weapons sites, the press release said. The panel discussion, “US Nuclear Modernization Under President Trump: Implications for the Ban Treaty Process,” was organized by the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. The focus will be on U.S. efforts to modernize the entire nuclear weapons program, the release said. [Read more…]

BBB: Roane BOE to revisit consolidation decision

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Information from WYSH Radio

According to our partners at BBB-TV, the Roane County Board of Education met Thursday night and after several people in the near-capacity crowd addressed the panel, voted to revisit its previously announced decision to consolidate all five of the county’s high schools into one large school.

Last month, the Board had voted 7-3 to move forward on consolidating the schools, but following last week’s meeting where several people voiced opposition to the plan, including many from the Oliver Springs area, the Board decided to review its decision.

The Board now says it will meet in a work session on April 6 at 6:30 pm at the Central Municipal Building in Kingston to further discuss the school consolidation plan and see if any changes can be made. [Read more…]

Coach Kreis of Coalfield dies after battling brain cancer

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Garry Kreis

Garry Kreis

Information from WYSH Radio

Former Coalfield Head Football Coach Garry Kreis passed away Monday morning after battling brain cancer.

Kreis played wide receiver for the University of Tennessee in the late 1960s after playing high school football at Oliver Springs. He landed at Coalfield as an assistant coach in 1979 as a teacher, head basketball coach, and assistant football coach. In 1987, he was promoted to head coach of the Coalfield football team and held that post until his retirement in 2008. [Read more…]

Emert running for Anderson County mayor

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Steve Emert

Steve Emert

Steve Emert, chair of the Anderson County Commission, is running for Anderson County mayor as a Republican in the 2018 election.

Emert has served the last five years as a county commissioner from District 3, which includes Norris and Andersonville. He has been county commission chair for the past two years.

When he was elected to County Commission in 2012, Emert said in a press release, he immediately started furthering his education in every aspect of the local government, and he earned the CPA designation (certified public administrator).

Emert is a longtime local businessman and entrepreneur, the press release said. [Read more…]

NRC has accepted TVA’s early site permit application for small nuclear reactors

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TVA-SMRs-at-NRC-Meeting-April-12-2016

The Tennessee Valley Authority applied for an early site permit in May 2016 that could help prepare for small modular nuclear reactors at the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge, possibly as soon as the mid-2020s. Pictured above at a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting on the early site permit on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, is Dan Stout, TVA senior manager, small modular reactors. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority submitted an application last May for an early site permit for small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, at the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC, accepted the application for “docketing and detailed technical review” in December.

The early site permit application is for two or more SMRs.

A specific reactor design has not been selected. The NRC said TVA has identified parameters for a surrogate nuclear plant, and the NRC will use them to evaluate the site’s suitability for building and operating a new nuclear plant.

“If NRC determines that the site is suitable for the building and operation of a new nuclear plant, prior to building and operation of a plant at the site, NRC would need to review and approve an additional application from TVA (either a combined license (COL) or a construction permit (CP)) that includes a specific reactor design,” the NRC said on its website.

The project’s timeline, which includes a detailed technical review, is now in the hands of the NRC, and it will likely take several years, TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks said Friday. [Read more…]

Council scheduled to vote on Scarboro Park for preschool on Monday

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The new preschool could be located at Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge or Scarboro Park in central Oak Ridge, pictured above on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, and the city's school board expects to recommend one of the two sites on Monday, Feb. 27, a school official said Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge City Council is scheduled to vote on whether to build a new preschool at Scarboro Park during a special meeting on Monday, March 27, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council is scheduled to vote on selecting Scarboro Park for the new preschool during a special meeting on Monday.

The special meeting starts at 7 p.m. Monday, March 27, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education selected Scarboro Park in February. [Read more…]

Roane State paramedic alumni promoted

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Nathan Sweet, left, director of the Anderson County EMS, and Danny McCreary, deputy director, are pictured with two other graduates of Roane State's Paramedic Program who were recently promoted to assistant supervisors, Carrissa Keathley, left, and Misti Smiddy. (Submitted photo)

Nathan Sweet, left, director of the Anderson County EMS, and Danny McCreary, deputy director, are pictured with two other graduates of Roane State’s Paramedic Program who were recently promoted to assistant supervisors, Carrissa Keathley, left, and Misti Smiddy. (Submitted photo)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

CLINTON—Graduates of Roane State Community College’s paramedic program continue to receive promotions within area emergency medical services agencies, said David S. Blevins.

Blevins, director of EMS Education in the Allied Health Sciences Division of Roane State, said two paramedics, Carrissa Keathley and Misti Smiddy, have been promoted to the rank of lieutenant within the Anderson County EMS operation.

“They are great paramedics and strong additions to the supervisory team of Anderson County EMS,” said Director Nathan Sweet, who is also a graduate of Roane State’s paramedic program. [Read more…]

Service of Psalms on Apr. 2 at First United Methodist Church

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Choir directors Seth O’Kegley (FUMC) and Anna Thomas (FPC), as well as organist Simon Hogg (SSEC) chat while composer John Purifoy plays piano. (Submitted photo)

Choir directors Seth O’Kegley (FUMC) and Anna Thomas (FPC), as well as organist Simon Hogg (SSEC) chat while composer John Purifoy plays piano. (Submitted photo)

 

Six choirs, with members from three states, will perform in the third and last Service of Psalms for the Lenten season, which will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at First United Methodist Church, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The service will consist of reflections by local pastors and choral and instrumental performances of psalms selected for Lent that have been set to music by Knoxville composer John Purifoy, a press release said.

An offering collected during the service will be donated to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachia. ADFAC, an independent nonprofit agency located in Oak Ridge that is celebrating its 30th anniversary, serves the basic needs of primarily low-income residents in Anderson and surrounding Appalachian counties.

Running from Ash Wednesday to Easter, Lent is a season in the church year that is marked by an examination of one’s personal faith and spiritual journey.

Steve Boyce, cantor, will sing solo verses or passages to which the choir and congregation will respond. [Read more…]

Run for Autism on April 8 supports autism breakthrough

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Vicky Wallace, center, and Melissa Orsick Peplow, right, with her daughter Sarah, all of Oak Ridge, participated in last year’s Breakthrough Run for Autism. With them are three members of Knox Moms Run This Town. Vicky and Melissa were “Team 2 for 1” in the race. (Submitted photo)

Vicky Wallace, center, and Melissa Orsick Peplow, right, with her daughter Sarah, all of Oak Ridge, participated in last year’s Breakthrough Run for Autism. With them are three members of Knox Moms Run This Town. Vicky and Melissa were “Team 2 for 1” in the race. (Submitted photo)

 

The Breakthrough Run for Autism will be held April 8, with Autism Breakthrough of Knoxville inviting individuals, teams, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate.

The 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 8, at Regal Cinemas Pinnacle Stadium 18 in Farragut’s Turkey Creek. The run, held during National Autism Awareness Month, supports Autism Breakthrough of Knoxville, a nonprofit organization committed to helping adults facing the challenges of autism in the East Tennessee region.

Lori Tucker, WATE-TV news anchor, will serve as honorary chair of the run and will be the emcee during the awards ceremony. Chelsey Vaughan, who serves on the Autism Breakthrough Foundation board, is the race director. [Read more…]

Immigrant, refugee rights to be discussed in RSCC-ORICL lecture Thursday

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Kasar Abdulla

Kasar Abdulla

 

Kasar Abdulla, a Muslim refugee from Kurdistan of Iraq and director of advocacy and education at the Nashville nonprofit Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, will speak at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State Community College.

Abdulla will tell her story and discuss immigrant and refugee rights in the first talk of 2017 in the RSCC-Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or ORICL, Lecture Series. Her lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be delivered in the City Room (A-111) of the Coffey-McNally Building.

Abdulla has received awards and recognition on television and in publications for her community activism in Nashville. In 2013, President Barack Obama named her a “Champion of Change” for her work on immigrant integration in Tennessee. [Read more…]