Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Rotary Club helps hometown, the world

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Elaine Bunick and Adolf King and Ghanaians

Elaine Bunick and Adolf King, members of Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, are pictured with Ghanaians in the village where they led the medical and educational missions. (Submitted photo)

 

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge is helping its hometown and communities in the world.

The club contributed $2,500, which was matched by a Rotary District 6780 grant, yielding $5,000 that financed the renovation of a room in the Oak Ridge Boys and Girls Club building. Anne Dunthorn, the club secretary and grant writer, helped Jennifer Pettyjohn, the chief and special officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley, identify a District 6780 matching grant and prepare and submit the winning application.

Elaine Bunick, club member and endocrinologist in Oak Ridge, spearheaded the successful medical and educational mission in late July in the eastern African nation of Ghana. More than 1,800 patients in the village of Nkonya-Wurupong received medical treatment and used, or will use when needed, $250,000 worth of anti-malarial and other medications. [Read more…]

Wildcats: ‘Coaches Corner with Joe Gaddis’ starts Wednesday

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Joe Gaddis

Joe Gaddis

The live broadcast “Coaches Corner with Joe Gaddis” starts this Wednesday, August 19.

The show, which starts at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, usually features a review of the previous week’s performance by the Oak Ridge Wildcats football team as well as a preview of the upcoming game.

The live broadcast is every Wednesday at Pizza Inn in Oak Ridge. If you can’t make it, you can watch it on Channel 12, BBB-TV.

The regular season starts Friday, August 21, at home on Blankenship Field. The Wildcats will play the Clinton Dragons, and kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. [Read more…]

Community tour of Oak Ridge Schools on Aug. 25

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There will be a tour of elementary, middle and high school classrooms on Tuesday, August 25, from 8 a.m.-2:45 p.m.

“See how Oak Ridge teachers and students are teaching and learning while school is in session,” a press release said.

The day will begin at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, then will proceed through an elementary school, middle school, and high school for classroom visits. Lunch will be provided. [Read more…]

McNutt appointed to replace Biloski on AC Commission

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Angeleque McNutt of Rainbow Florist

Angeleque McNutt of Rainbow Florist in Oak Ridge was appointed to the Anderson County Commission on Monday, replacing Robin Biloski, who resigned August 3. (Angeleque McNutt via Facebook)

Business owner Angeleque McNutt has been appointed to replace Robin Biloski on Anderson County Commission. Biloski resigned on August 3 because she and her husband Bill are moving to Madeira Beach, Florida.

McNutt, who owns Rainbow Florist in Oak Ridge, will represent District 8. That district includes Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland in Oak Ridge.

McNutt will serve until the August 2016 election, the next county general election. She told commissioners on Monday that she will seek re-election in that election.

McNutt was appointed in a 8-6 vote after a first-round 7-7 tie between her and candidate Phil Yager. [Read more…]

ORPD officer, a former Vandy standout, terminated as statutory rape allegation investigated

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ORPD Cassen Garrison

Witnesses said ORPD Officer Cassen Garrison used his hands to break out a back window of an Emory Valley Center van and rescue a client from the back of it after a May 12, 2015, crash at Northwestern and North Purdue avenues. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:25 a.m. Aug. 18.

A probationary Oak Ridge police officer who once played football for Vanderbilt University and the Kansas City Chiefs has been investigated, terminated, and will be prosecuted for allegations of statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl and other charges, authorities said Monday.

The victim’s stepfather, who was in custody at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, made an allegation that the officer, Cassen Jackson-Garrison, 30, had engaged in inappropriate contact with his stepdaughter, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release. The allegation was made to an Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy investigator at the jail.

Clark said Garrison was one of two officers who met the victim when he responded to the victim’s home in connection with a domestic violence complaint. The victim’s stepfather was arrested because of that complaint and remains jailed at the ACDF, Clark said. [Read more…]

TORCH Brew Review, a beer-tasting fundraiser, on Aug. 29

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TORCH Brew Review

Photo from the Brew Review on Sept. 12, 2014, by Margaretanne Ingle.

 

Trinity Out-Reach Center for Hope, or TORCH, has its Second Annual Brew Review on Saturday, August 29. It’s a one-of-a-kind fundraiser in Oak Ridge.

The Brew Review is scheduled for Saturday, August 29, from 7 to 11 pm, at St. Mary’s Catholic School Gymnasium at 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The evening will include beer tasting, finger foods, and live music, a press release said. Guests can mingle with their food and beer, dance to live music and/or enter the Corn Hole Tournament.

The bands performing are The Portals, Rhiannon, Jack Russell and the Terriers, and Ridge City Ramblers. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Public Library has open house, new services described

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Oak Ridge Public Library

The Oak Ridge Public Library is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Public Library will host an open house on Saturday, August 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. All Oak Ridgers are invited to visit the Library to enjoy the newly renovated lights and to learn about two new services—digital magazines and streaming video.

Patrons with an active library card can now choose from 20 monthly magazines to read on their computer, phone, or other mobile device, a press release said. ESPN The Magazine is for the next generation of fans who want to stay on top of their favorite sport. Game Informer is the largest computer and video game magazine, with knowledge and insight into the games market. Taste of Home features real food from real home cooks, all made with easy, affordable ingredients. To read these digital titles and other magazines, the free Nook reading app and a free Barnes and Noble online account are required. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School has open house on Thursday

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Oak Ridge High School

The main entrance at Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Oak Ridge High School will have an open house on Thursday beginning at 5:15 p.m. in the Food Court. Parents are asked to print their student’s schedules prior to the event from Skyward Family Access.

From 5:15-6 p.m., school guidance counselors will have PSAT sign-up, freshman TCAP results, and senior information tables. School clubs and organizations will have information tables set up during this time.  Food and drinks will be sold by the Oak Ridge High School Band Boosters. PTSO will be accepting donations of hand sanitizer and Kleenex for teacher use.

Beginning at 6 p.m., parents will meet in the Auditorium for a short welcome by Martin McDonald, school principal, and the PTSO officers. Then, parents will follow their children’s schedule period by period, spending about 10 minutes with each teacher. Hall guides will be provided to direct parents. [Read more…]

Fire destroys home on Frost Bottom Road early Sunday

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Frost Bottom Road Fire

A fire destroyed a home at 352 Frost Bottom Road in Anderson County early Sunday morning. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

A fire destroyed a home on Frost Bottom Road early Sunday morning.

The fire was reported at 2 p.m. Sunday at 352 Frost Bottom Road in Anderson County, photographer Tom Scott said.

According to a neighbor, a passerby first saw the fire and asked the neighbor to call the Anderson County 911 Center, Scott said.

He said the Marlow Fire Department was dispatched and responded with one engine and two tankers. Mutual aid was requested from the Oliver Springs Fire Department, which sent two engines. [Read more…]

State asks for comments on charges for inspecting public records

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Tennessee officials are studying whether to charge for inspecting public records, and the state is seeking public comment.

The Office of Open Records Counsel has been asked by the Tennessee General Assembly to review issues surrounding the inspection of public records. Legislation was introduced in the 2015 Session of the 109th General Assembly that would permit charges for inspecting public records. While a records custodian is permitted to charge for copies of public records, inspection is generally free of charge. The OORC will prepare a report with recommendations on this issue to the General Assembly by January 15, 2016.

The OORC has prepared brief online surveys to help gather input from citizens and government entities. The responses from these surveys will help in the preparation of the final report. [Read more…]

SL Tennessee honored for support of higher education

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SL Tennessee Award

The East Tennessee College Alliance honored SL Tennessee for its support of higher education. From left are Roane State President Chris Whaley; Yeonsoo Chung, human resources manager at SL Tennessee; Scott Laska, SL Tennessee business development manager; Y.K. Woo, SL America president; Kim Harris, Roane State job placement director; and Maria Gonzales, Roane State director of student enrollment and recruitment. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Automotive parts manufacturer SL Tennessee has received an East Tennessee College Alliance 2015 Corporate Award.

The alliance is a collaborative association of higher education institutions dedicated to providing educational opportunities for working adults.

The Corporate Award recognizes business that support higher education’s crucial role in workforce development and economic growth. [Read more…]

Hitchcock to be celebrity bartender in fundraiser for Free Medical Clinic

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Echo Bistro and Wine Bar

Submitted

For lovers of exotic mushroom fare, Echo Bistro and Wine Bar is the place to be on Thursday, August 20, from 4:30-8 p.m.

Celebrity bartender, Anderson County commissioner, and mushroom aficionado Whitey Hitchcock will bring an assortment of morel, chanterelle, lobster, and other personally foraged mushrooms to Echo to be transformed into a wild mushroom offering by Chef Seth Simmerman. The bar will feature Whitey’s chanterelle-infused libations, complete with Turkish apricot garnish.

Half the mushroom sales and all of the bartender tips go to the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, which serves surrounding counties as well as Anderson County. [Read more…]