Oak Ridge Today

Mother Goose, a program for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, returns to Oak Ridge

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After a short hiatus, the Mother Goose interactive program for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers has returned to Oak Ridge. Sessions are held on the first and third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. with leader Father Goose Michael Raymond and his little sidekick, son Benjamin. The first session was held on Thursday, September 1. Due a previous scheduled event in September only, the second session will be held on the fourth Thursday, September 22. There is no cost.

Mother Goose of Oak Ridge meets in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, or ORUUC, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, next to Summit Medical.

Mother Goose is a group experience that focuses on the pleasure and power of using rhymes, simple songs, rhythmic activities, musical circle games, parachute play, and more for parents and their babies and young children. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle provides scholarships for Roane State Middle College students from Roane County high schools

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Roane State President Chris Whaley is joined by Middle College students and Roane State faculty to accept a scholarship check from Leigha Humphries, protocol and community relations manager with UT-Battelle. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Ten Roane County students participating in Roane State Community College’s Middle College have received $3,400 annual scholarships thanks to UT-Battelle.

Roane State’s Middle College program allows high school students to take college classes in their junior and senior years and then graduate with their associate degrees and their diplomas. Middle College graduates are then able to complete their bachelor’s degrees just two years after finishing high school.

Middle College students pay for tuition through a combination of out-of-pocket funds, use of the Tennessee dual enrollment grant (funded by the state lottery), and private scholarships. The UT-Battelle Scholarship was established in fall 2015 and is awarded to one Middle College student from each high school in Roane County. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge ‘Hams’ show children fun of amateur radio at Children’s Museum

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Lucas Henderson, 9, of Corryton, taps his name in Morse code as his brother, Brody, 7, at right, awaits his turn. Amateur radio operator Jim Bogard helps them learn to tap the code. (Submitted photo)

Lucas Henderson, 9, of Corryton, taps his name in Morse code as his brother, Brody, 7, at right, awaits his turn. Amateur radio operator Jim Bogard helps them learn to tap the code. (Submitted photo)

 

Children and teens from ages 6 to 16 tried their hand at Morse code recently with ham radio operators at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, learning to communicate on amateur radio as they also participated in celebrating the 100th birthday of the country’s national parks.

Jim and Ronnie Bogard, both amateur radio operators with FCC licenses, welcomed children on a recent Sunday to the museum’s Discovery Lab, where they had set up portable radio equipment and a mobile antenna. Jim Womack (KC4RD) also set up an amateur radio station in the museum’s Living Light Solar House.

“We focus on Morse code, teaching the children to key, so they can send messages. It is like a secret language to kids,” said Jim Bogard (KY4L). “Kids will hear two-way Morse code contacts from all over the U.S. and can have fun sending their names in Morse code. There are also opportunities to talk on the microphone with other amateur radio stations.”

Amateur radio operators will be at the Children’s Museum’s Discovery Lab from 1-4 p.m. each third Sunday of the month. [Read more…]

Former Roane State dual enrollment student now an expert in his field

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Kyley Dickson tests the field at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Battle at Bristol, the record-setting football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Kyley Dickson tests the field at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Battle at Bristol, the record-setting football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

This Fentress County farm boy will likely soon have a new title: professor.

Kyley H. Dickson, who grew up on a farm in the rural middle Tennessee county, will be receiving a doctorate in plant and soil science this December from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

And his expertise in his doctorate—the safety of athletic fields—was put to use recently when he and a professor went to Bristol, Tennessee, for an inspection.

They were checking on the safeness of the Astroturf installed for the football game between UT and Virginia Tech, held September 10 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Now, Dickson is setting his sights on a teaching job at UT-Martin, where’s he’s applied for a professorship. [Read more…]

MORE2 energy efficiency program has public meeting on Thursday

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Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2, will be hosting a public meeting for interested applicants Thursday, September 22, from 3-4 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

MORE2, funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority, kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of Oak Ridge residents with no-cost energy upgrades, such as new HVAC units and water heaters. [Read more…]

High school seniors invited to Roane State’s Scholarship Saturday on Oct. 1

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High school seniors can sign up for the Tennessee Promise, complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and fill out their college application as part of Scholarship Saturday on October 1 at Roane State Community College’s Roane County campus in Harriman.

The event will last from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern, and refreshments will be served. Visitors are welcome to drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Check-in will be in the lobby of the Dunbar Building.

Roane State financial aid and admissions staff will be available to help students and their families complete their forms.

The deadline to apply for the Tennessee Promise is November 1. [Read more…]

Girl Scouts host Peace Demonstration on Wednesday

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Becca Seay, right, and Daphne Seay, left, Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 20508 fold white peace doves as souvenirs of the Girl Scouts celebration of the UN's International Day of Peace. (Submitted photo)

Becca Seay, right, and Daphne Seay, left, Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 20508 fold white peace doves as souvenirs of the Girl Scouts celebration of the United Nation’s International Day of Peace. (Submitted photo)

 

Information and photos from Jerralyn Luckmann and Kay Brookshire

Oak Ridge Girl Scout Troops are planning a Peace Demonstration to celebrate the United Nation’’s International Day of Peace, at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21. Also known as World Peace Day, September 21 is a global observance, a day when nations around the world are invited to honor a cessation of hostilities.

To inaugurate the International Day of Peace, the “Peace Bell” is rung at the United Nations Headquarters. The bell was cast in Japan and made from coins donated by children from all continents. It bears the inscription “Long live absolute world peace.”

Girl Scouts from many Oak Ridge troops will gather at the Oak Ridge Friendship Bell, near the proposed location for the Peace Pavilion, which will house the new bell support structure. In the shadow of our own “Peace Bell,” the Girl Scouts will present a program of songs and peace quotes. Troop members are folding peace doves to distribute as keepsakes of the event. [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic announces Clay as executive director

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Jackie Clay

Jackie Clay

 

The Free Medical Clinic has announced Jackie Clay as its executive director.

The Free Medical Clinic, or FMC, provides no-charge primary care and wellness services to low-income, uninsured residents of Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties.

Before she joined the FMC, Clay worked for the City of Knoxville as project manager, then as program manager, with a focus on crime reduction programs. She has experience as a community organizer and as an instructor at the University of Tennessee, a press release said.

Clay has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee in social work with concentrations in nonprofit management, leadership, and community practice. She also has a community engagement professional certification from Neighbor Works America Training Institute. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge, Naka-shi Japan celebrate 25 years of sister city relationship

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Members of the Oak Ridge delegation at 25th Anniversary celebration of sister city signing agreement with Naka shi, Japan. (Submitted photo)

 

This year, the Oak Ridge Sister City Support Organization, or SCSO, is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Sister City agreement between Oak Ridge and Naka-shi, Japan.

The significance of this anniversary was acknowledged with special events in Japan and Tennessee. In July, a 21-member delegation from Oak Ridge traveled to Naka, including City Council member Rick Chinn; Myles Hebrard, supervisor of special education for Oak Ridge schools; SCSO Chairwoman Jerralyn Luckmann; Japanese mentor Shigeko Uppuluri; and the 2016 middle school exchange delegation of students and teachers and other SCSO members. A reception and dinner with more than 100 Naka shi dignitaries, officials, and Naka International Exchange Association members attended and honored the Oak Ridge group with recognitions, gifts, songs, and karate demonstrations. [Read more…]

After text message scam, consumers receiving fraudulent phone calls, credit union says

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First, consumers received text messages falsely claiming to be from Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union. It was a scam designed to get personal information.

Now, they are receiving phone calls and additional text messages, the credit union said in an update posted on its website on Tuesday.

“Consumers are now receiving phone calls informing them of past due payments,” the credit union said. “They are given a number to call back and asked to give personal information. These calls are not from the credit union. Please do not give out personal sensitive information!”

On Monday, the credit union said members and non-members received text messages resembling the ones from this past weekend, but asking recipients to click a link instead of calling a phone number. [Read more…]

Police search home, one detained after shots-fired call Tuesday afternoon

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The Oak Ridge Police Department searched a home in east Oak Ridge after they responded to a shots-fired call and set up a perimeter around the house Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 20, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department searched a home in east Oak Ridge after they responded to a shots-fired call and set up a perimeter around a house Tuesday afternoon.

The call was reported at 1:29 p.m. Multiple police units responded, including patrol and K-9 officers, detectives, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force truck.

Officers couldn’t make contact with the residents at 118 East Arrowwood Road, and they set up a perimeter and sent an entry team, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. [Read more…]

ORHS WildBand wins High Music Award at Maryville Marching Invitational

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The Oak Ridge High School WildBand won the High Music Award at the 2016 Maryville Marching Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (Photo courtesy Merny Hughey/ORHS WildBand)

 

The Oak Ridge High School WildBand won the High Music Award at the 2016 Maryville Marching Invitational on Saturday, September 17.

This is the third year in a row that Oak Ridge has earned the award, said Merny Hughey, music and teacher assistant.

The band’s next competition will be at the Karns High School Marching Festival on Saturday, September 24.

More information will be added as it becomes available.