Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge eliminates Bearden, despite second-half rally by Lady Bulldogs

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Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32), left, and Desiree Bates (20), center, play defense against Bearden junior Trinity Lee (2), who led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points, in a 62-56 loss to the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32), left, and Desiree Bates (20), center, play defense against Bearden junior Trinity Lee (2), who led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points in a 62-56 loss to the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats eliminated Bearden 62-56 in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at home on Friday, despite a high-scoring second-half rally by the Lady Bulldogs.

After scoring only 15 points in the first half, the Bearden girls scored 41 in the second, narrowing an Oak Ridge lead of 24 points in the third quarter to three points late in the fourth.

“It was a fun ball game,” Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said. “They did not back down. They did not quit…They went on a great run. We managed to contain it.”

Bearden (24-4) struggled to make three-point shots in the first three quarters. They made only two, both by junior Trinity Lee. That changed in the fourth quarter, when Lee hit four. She led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points and had 17 of Bearden’s 27 points in the final quarter. She had all six of Bearden’s three-point shots.

Oak Ridge (27-3) was led by sophomore guard Jada Guinn with 32 points, a game high and career high. Like Lee, Guinn also made six three-point shots. She knocked down four in the second quarter alone. [Read more…]

Two arrested on drug charges, two on outstanding warrants after Vermont Ave search

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Charges are pending after a search warrant was served as part of an investigation into illegal drug activity on Vermont Avenue on Friday morning, Feb. 24, 2017, authorities said. The search warrant was served by members of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and the Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT and patrol staff. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Charges are pending after a search warrant was served as part of an investigation into illegal drug activity on Vermont Avenue on Friday morning, Feb. 24, 2017, authorities said. The search warrant was served by members of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force and the Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT and patrol staff. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Two people were arrested on drug charges and two were arrested on outstanding warrants after a search of a Vermont Avenue home on Friday morning, authorities said.

The search of the home at 306 Vermont Avenue, across from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in central Oak Ridge, came after an investigation by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

The Oak Ridge Police Department SWAT team entered the house early Friday morning with help from ORPD patrol officers.

Once the house was secure, agents from the Crime Task Force searched the home, detained several people, and conducted interviews as part of their investigation, a press release said. [Read more…]

Mason leaving ORNL for Battelle

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Thom Mason May 23 2016

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thom Mason is pictured above on Monday, May 23, 2016, in Chattanooga. (File photo by ORNL)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:05 p.m.

Thom Mason, the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2007, is leaving the lab for a job at Battelle.

Mason announced the move in an email to employees on Friday morning.

He will become senior vice president for laboratory operations at Battelle in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle, in partnership with the University of Tennessee, has managed and operated ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy since April 2000.

“I’m privileged to take on the challenges that lie ahead,” Mason said. [Read more…]

Edgemoor Road maintenance project extended, traffic delays still possible

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The right-of-way maintenance project that began earlier this month on Edgemoor Road has been extended through Friday, March 3, providing there are no issues with weather or other unforeseen circumstances, a press release said.

Oak Ridge Public Works Department crews originally expected the work to be complete by Friday, February 17.

Drivers should plan for possible delays while the project continues.

As stated in an earlier release, the road work will take place between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. [Read more…]

Female candidates, elected officials to discuss campaigns at Monday meeting

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Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club will present a panel discussion by a group of women who have been candidates or elected to public office at its meeting on Monday, February 27. The club will host a soup dinner at 6 p.m. Monday at the Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

The women will discuss campaigns—what works and what doesn’t—as they also encourage other women to become candidates for office, a press release said.

On the panel will be Ellen Smith, current Oak Ridge City Council member; JoAnn Garrett and Ann McNees, both former Oak Ridge Board of Education members; and Mary Headrick and Melody Shekari, both former Democratic Congressional candidates in the Third Congressional District. [Read more…]

Wilsons expand Roane State Foundation endowment to provide scholarships for more students

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James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson (Photo courtesy Roane State)

James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson recently established a scholarship endowment with the Roane State Foundation, the James Frank and Patricia Ann Wilson Morgan County Campus Scholarship Endowment.

Now, they have submitted an additional gift that will expand scholarship opportunities to nursing and allied health sciences students in Morgan County, a press release said. The Wilsons said: “We are pleased to double down on our commitment to these scholarship beneficiaries. It is very important to us. We ask that you determine what is important to you and do the same now rather than later.”

Recipients must be a current or former Morgan County resident, have financial need, and meet special criteria as set by the Roane State Community College Foundation Scholarship Committee. [Read more…]

Author Mascaro to speak at Roane State Oak Ridge campus March 1

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Knoxville area author Marilyn Mascaro will be the featured speaker at the new Arts and Lectures series at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus.

Mascaro—an educator, writer, traveler, and East Tennessee native—will discuss her latest book, “Surviving History: The Life of B.Y. Harris in East Tennessee.”

It’s described as “creative non-fiction” and is about a relative who fought in the Civil War.

The event will be held in the Oak Ridge City Room (A111) at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1. Mascaro will be introduced by DeAnna Stephens, a Roane State assistant professor of English and humanities. Stephens organized the new Arts and Lectures series, titled “Writers at Roane State.” [Read more…]

Wetland restoration project on Melton Lake Greenway on March 5

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Melton Lake Wetland Restoration

The Healthy Waters Program in Oak Ridge will be conducting an invasive plant removal on the Melton Lake Greenway, under the Edgemoor Road bridge, on Sunday, March 5, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

This is in an effort to restore a wetland along the greenway by removing non-native invasive plants, cleaning up trash, and planting native trees, grasses, and flowers, a press release said.

Tina Ball and Caitlin Craighead, the AmeriCorps members serving in Oak Ridge with the Public Works Department’s Stormwater Management Program, have received a grant through the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, or TWRA, to make this project possible, the press release said. [Read more…]

Divas for a Cure on March 4, a fundraiser for American Cancer Society

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Divas for a Cure 2017
There is no better way to spend a Saturday than by enjoying the company of other women (and men) in food/drink, entertainment, and pampering by professionals. There will also be music by a local band, Hazel.

The event will be held on Saturday, March 4, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the High Places Community Church in Grove Center in Oak Ridge. Admission is $30 at the door or early bird, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Anderson County event. Admission includes a lunch buffet, mimosa bar (two per diva), a fashion show put on by local merchants, and four pampering tickets to be used at the pampering stations of your choice. This will include hand/foot massages, nails, hair, makeup, mini-facials, henna, and much more, a press release said. The popular “Purse Pull” will also take place during the event, which gives you the opportunity to go home with a very nice purse. [Read more…]

Help identify photos in Oak Ridge Library’s Ruth Carey collection

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From the Oak Ridge Public Library Ruth Carey photo collection (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

From the Oak Ridge Public Library Ruth Carey photo collection (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Public Library needs your help. The library is privileged to house the photography collection of Ruth Carey, an original Oak Ridge resident and longtime photographer for The Oak Ridger from the 1960s to the mid-1990s. Her photo collection is vast and varied, including pictures of key political and cultural figures, community events, and weddings. Figures such as Alex Haley and Guilford Glazer, for instance, appear in several photos. Unfortunately, many of the photographs do not include notes about who is in the photo or when or where it was taken.

With the help of volunteers, Oak Ridge Public Library staff members Teresa Fortney and Jordan Reed have begun digitizing the collection. Some of the photographs that have been digitized are available for public viewing online at www.orpl.org. However, Carey’s collection was so comprehensive, only a portion of the total number of photographs have been digitized. As the library continues its digitization efforts, it is important that the people and places are identified so as not to lose this important part of our history. [Read more…]

School board could vote on preschool site on Monday

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Scarboro Community Center Preschool Conceptual Site Plan Jan 2017 Large

The Oak Ridge Board of Education could vote on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, on where to build a new preschool. Among the possible sites are the Scarboro Community Center on Carver Avenue in central Oak Ridge, pictured in the conceptual site plan above, and Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Studio Four Design/City of Oak Ridge)

 

The Oak Ridge Board of Education could vote on Monday on where to build a new preschool.

Several sites have been considered. At one time, Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge was the preferred site. But there has been recent discussion of building the preschool at or near the Scarboro Community Center.

The school board will discuss the preschool sites during a non-voting work session at 8 a.m. Friday, February 24, in the conference room of the Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue.

The board could then vote on a site during its regular meeting on Monday. [Read more…]

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday

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McNally-Ragan-Calfee-at-Breakfast-with-Legislators-April-25-2016

Pictured above at a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016, are, from left, Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 27, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Breakfast with the Legislators is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the Tennessee Legislature, a press release said. Members of the audience may ask questions and give opinions. [Read more…]