The Choices Resource Center Walk for Life was Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
The Choices Resource Center Walk for Life was Saturday, October 17, at the Oak Ridge Marina. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.
The Choices Resource Center Walk for Life was Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
The Powell Lady Panthers won what is believed to be their first-ever district soccer title in a 5-4 win during a penalty kick shootout against Oak Ridge on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (Photo courtesy Powell High School Girls Soccer)
The Powell Lady Panthers won what is believed to be their first-ever district soccer title in a 5-4 win during a penalty kick shootout against Oak Ridge on Thursday.
No one scored in 80 minutes of regulation time during the District 3-AAA championship game at Powell Middle School on Thursday, October 15. Then the score remained tied 0-0 through two 10-minute overtimes and two five-minute sudden death overtimes.
The game then went to penalty kicks, with the Lady Panthers and Lady Wildcats each getting five tries.
But the two teams were tied 4-4 at the end of the fifth attempt, Powell Coach Mark Smith said. So, the game went to a sixth try, and that’s when Powell scored one and Oak Ridge (13-4, 4-1 District 3-AAA) did not.
Sophomore Brooke Huffaker of Powell (10-4-3, 5-0) scored the winning goal. [Read more…]
An exact closing date hasn’t been set yet, but Mr. K’s Used Books and CDs will probably close at the end of October or in November, the owners said Friday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
An exact closing date hasn’t been set yet, but Mr. K’s Used Books and CDs will probably close at the end of October or in November, the owners said Friday.
Co-owners Kaveh and Mary Dabir, who are husband and wife, said their revenues are down since Kroger moved from its store next door at the South Illinois Avenue shopping center to a new shopping center at Oak Ridge Turnpike and North Illinois Avenue in June 2014.
The Dabirs said they kept Mr. K’s open for a year after Kroger moved to see if they could make it work, but foot traffic has been down.
The closure doesn’t have anything to do with electronic books, Mary Dabir said. [Read more…]
Margaret Norris, left, and Rex Barton of the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee deliver the results of a six-month review of the Oak Ridge Police Department to City Council on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. Oct. 16.
It probably wasn’t the explanation that many expected, but pay was cited most often as the reason for turnover and low morale in the Oak Ridge Police Department, according to a report released Thursday.
Some have pinned most of the blame for the department’s woes—or perceived woes, depending upon your perspective—on Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi, and they had called for an investigation of the chief earlier this year on several different fronts.
Among those pressing for an investigation was Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn. She and others had raised questions about the chief’s temperament, including whether he has outbursts and is vindictive, and what Baughn suggested is a high turnover rate.
But the City Council instead approved a review of the ORPD that focused on morale, turnover, and administrative policies. In March, Council hired the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee to conduct the six-month review, which was first proposed by Council member Kelly Callison. MTAS presented its findings in a 20-page report presented to the Oak Ridge City Council in a special work session on Thursday.
The report identified a primary culprit familiar to many workers: pay. But as officers have pointed out, they, unlike most other workers, face danger on a daily basis.
Most of those interviewed by MTAS thought that ORPD salaries are not suitable for retaining good employees, MTAS consultant Rex Barton told Council members Thursday. Whatever raises have been given in the past few years have been outstripped by the rise in the cost of benefits, Barton said.
The Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council have a joint work session on Tuesday, October 20, to hear an update on plans for the Oak Ridge Preschool.
The work session starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Municipal Building Courtroom. The two boards will receive an update from the Joint City/Schools Preschool Building Committee.
The Oak Ridge City Clerk’s Office is currently accepting applications from interested citizens to serve as a member of a board and commission as part of the city’s end-of-year election.
This year’s application process is similar to previous years in that interested residents must complete a 2015 Boards and Commissions Application available on the City Clerk’s departmental website or by visiting www.oakridgetn.gov/online/cityclerk/bcelections.
Applicants may also attach additional documents that includes cover letters, references, and resumes to their application. The application allows residents to choose and rank their top three board choices for membership consideration.
Paper editions of the online application are also available in the City Clerk’s Office located in Room Number 109 in the Municipal Building.
Currently, the city is recruiting membership for 16 boards and commissions that include: [Read more…]
Picture above from left to right are April Seiber (ACJC Lead Youth Services Officer), Sandy Slater (ACJC Youth Services Officer), Betsy Hunt (Judge Hunt’s wife), Judge Brian J. Hunt, Angie Perez (ACJC Judicial Assistant), Denise Casteel (ACJC Youth Services Officer), and Elizabeth Risner (ACJC Youth Services Officer). Not shown: Andrew Williams (ACJC Youth Services Officer) (Submitted photo)
Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands’ Oak Ridge office honored Anderson County Juvenile Court Judge Brian J. Hunt and the staff of the Anderson County Juvenile Court with its inaugural Community Award at a reception on Tuesday, October 6, at CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge.
Legal Aid Society’s Community Award honors individuals and/or organizations in the community for their leadership and compassion in supporting the nonprofit law firm’s mission, a press release said.
More than 60 people, including Representative Kent Calfee, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark, former Mayor David Bradshaw (who hosted the event as President of CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge), United Way of Anderson County Executive Director Naomi Asher, and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson celebrated Judge Hunt and the Anderson County Juvenile Court, or ACJC, for partnering with Legal Aid Society to advance access to justice among our region’s youth. [Read more…]
Submitted
Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge will serve its regular third Thursday community meal on Thursday, October 15, from 5-6 p.m.
The menu calls for creamy baked chicken, rice, salad, and dessert.
The meal is free, and all members of the community are welcome.
Please park in the church’s upper parking lot at 320 Robertsville Road, and follow the sidewalk to the Social Hall on the lower level, a press release said. Disabled parking only is available in the lower parking lot.
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Bargain hunters have come to rely on the low prices for much-needed or desired items at the upcoming Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Rummage Sale. It will be held Friday, October 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Proceeds raised will help to support various ministries of the church.
Along with the necessities such as linens, kitchenware, small appliances, furniture, home décor items, clothing, shoes, and accessories for the entire family, there will be DVDs, CDs, children’s books, baby items, toys, tools, athletic equipment, plants, low-cost computers, and other electronic devices, all in working order.
Silent auction items including a work bench with a lathe, drill press, and grinder; table saws; pianos; and a brass bed frame. The Boutique will feature art, designer wear, and collectibles. Prices are doubled on Friday evening for the preview sale.
“Being advocates for recycling and repurposing, this sale saves items from loading our landfills, and instead finds a home with someone who can reuse it.” said Betsy Bauer, who for more than two decades has been the sale organizer.
For more information call the Church office at (865) 483-6761.
The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.
Students will learn hidden rules of the ACT during an ACT Prep Workshop on Saturday, October 17, presented by Roane State and SailAway Learning at the college’s Roane County campus in Harriman.
Seating is limited. Register soon.
Students will learn valuable test-taking tips and receive helpful review materials. According to data from SailAway Learning, 60 percent of those who took the workshop improved their overall score by at least one point.
The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Roane County campus, 276 Patton Lane in Harriman. The cost is $55.
The $55 non-refundable fee is payable at registration. To register, go to roanestate.edu/ACTworkshop or call (865) 481-2031.
The Sister City Support Organization has scheduled the annual meeting for Thursday, October 22, at 6:30 p.m. in the Robertsville Middle School cafeteria.
Buffalo Tours, the California agency that is coordinating the 25th anniversary trip to Japan in July, is sending a representative to preview the trip and take deposits. SCSO will also have a slide show of photos from the 2015 exchange with Naka shi, Japan; discuss recent developments in their relationship with Obninsk, Russia, and elect officers. A member of the Friendship Bell structure renovation committee will give a status report on this project.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Middle School Exchange with Naka shi, Japan, the Sister City Support Organization is planning a visit to Naka and tour of Japan.
“We are inviting any interested Oak Ridgers to join us,” a press release said. “It is especially important that we have representatives of the Oak Ridge city government and schools, SCSO members, previous Naka middle school travelers and host families. This is your turn to have the ‘Naka experience’ that so many students have enjoyed for 25 years.” [Read more…]
Terry Frank
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank wants to serve as chair of the County Commission, and she’s asked to be considered as a candidate in September 2016.
In an October 14 letter, Frank also asked commissioners to sit with them during meetings.
The proposals could be considered by the Anderson County Commission on Monday.
If she were commission chair, Frank said, she would have to surrender her veto power. She would have a non-voting position, but she would be able to cast a vote to break a tie.
“While this may seem a shocking proposal at first, I think we can look back over the history of Anderson County and see that the county mayor as chairman—or county executive or judge as the position used to be called—was an effective structure,” Frank said. [Read more…]
