Oak Ridge Today

DOE Oak Ridge environmental management employees retire

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Eddie Holden

Eddie Holden

Two U. S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) employees retired last month after a combined 34 years of federal service.

Eddie Holden, a traffic management specialist for the Facilities Operations Division at OREM, retired on December 31 with 10 years of federal service.

Holden oversaw transportation activities for the agency, leading the effort to maintain compliance and keep hazardous materials off public roads and was responsible for the Haul Road Transportation Program, a press release said. He played a critical role in the development of DOE’s Radio Frequency Identification Transportation System, used for paperless shipments and electronic tracking of vehicles, which cuts costs and improves security. [Read more…]

Register for ORICL courses, trips by Jan. 7; term starts Feb. 2

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ORICL Tours ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

Uri Gat and other ORICL members enjoy a tour of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. Here, they observe and handle items produced at MDF by its 3D printers. (Submitted photo)

 

Want to know how to improve your bidding in the game of bridge? Analyze your dreams? Identify area birds? Play the guitar?

Would you like to better understand how 3D printing works, how to write computer code with the software Scratch and how people mine data of importance to you? Or do you just want to learn how to relax?

These are among the courses offered during the winter-spring 2015 term of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, starting February 2. [Read more…]

Daughters of American Revolution chapter meets Saturday

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The Clinch Bend Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will start the new year with a 1 p.m. meeting on January 10 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge.

The guest speaker will be Joan L. Markel, the Civil War curator at the University of Tennessee’s Frank L. McClung Museum. She will be speaking on the Civil War in East Tennessee, a press release said.

“Please plan to attend this intriguing program,” the release said. For more information, go to http://www.tndar.org/~clinchbend/ or call (865) 945-5605.

Registration under way for Wilderness First Responder course at Roane State

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Wilderness First Responder

Rescue workers train during Roane State’s Wilderness First Responder course. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

Roane State Community College’s Continuing Healthcare and Safety Education Department is accepting sign-ups for its Wilderness First Responder course.

Held at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, the class is designed for those who operate extensively in the outdoors, such as outdoors enthusiasts, wilderness guides, environmental educators, and missionaries, a press release said. [Read more…]

Lunch Rotary donates to memorial garden at Emory Valley Center

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Oak Ridge Lunch Rotary and Emory Valley Center Bob Craig Memorial Garden

Pictured above from left are Cindy, Emory Valley President Jennifer Enderson, Kim Moore, Judy Craig, Cassie Russell, Jack Bailey, and Bill Martin. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

Emory Valley Center recently dedicated the Bob Craig Memorial Garden outside of the Adult Enrichment Classrooms in the Daniel Arthur Building. Bob Craig was a longtime community advocate actively involved in the Oak Ridge Lunch Rotary, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and a variety of other area business and organization committees and boards.

Through a donation from the Rotary, Emory Valley was able to purchase a park bench and two raised flower beds, making it easier for people with disabilities to participate in planting items.  Several people participating in the Emory Valley Enrichment program, staff and volunteers painted the fence, weeded and mulched the area, and created beautiful birdhouses for the garden. There is also a picnic table in the garden for everyone to enjoy. [Read more…]

Lower fire classification in Clinton could lower home owners’ insurance premiums

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A lower community classification for Clinton and its fire department could translate, overall, into reductions in insurance premiums for home owners, a press release said.

The Insurance Services Office Inc., or ISO, notified the city and the Clinton Fire Department of the new community classification, which is 02/2X. That’s lower than the previous classification of 4, the press release said.

The new classification follows a recent analysis of the structural fire suppression delivery system for the City of Clinton. [Read more…]

Midnight Hike at Norris Dam on New Year’s, Norris Dam 12K on Jan. 17

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Norris Dam State Park

Norris Dam State Park

By Anderson County Tourism Council

New Year’s Midnight Hike at Norris Dam State Park—December 31

Never mind the New Year’s parties, start 2015 with us, on a hike along the Andrews Ridge Trail system.

Bring a flashlight or headlamp as it might just be dark! Hike starts at 12 a.m.

For more information, call (865) 426-7461. [Read more…]

Free guitar, banjo lessons for seniors 50 and older

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Senior Guitar Lessons Class 2014

First Row: Jack Copeland, Rosevelt Gilliland, Lu Ann Christy, Ken Carter, Wendall Cook, Instructor, Don Snouffer. Second Row: Dee Williams, Don Bourgrand, George Davis, Bobby Neal, John Dorflinger, Roe Sutherland, Charlie Orr, Billie Joe Campbell. Third Row: Ernie Blair, Jim Sells, Joe Henderson, Unidentified Visitor, Ken Newton. (Submitted photo)

 

Free guitar lessons for senior citizens will resume on Friday, January 9, at 9 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Senior Citizen Center on Emory Valley Road.

All levels of guitar players are welcome, a press release said. Beginner’s lessons start at 9 a.m. and intermediate lessons at 10 a.m. Wendall Cook, who has many years of experience playing and teaching, conducts the lessons. [Read more…]

Adjusted 911 rates to take effect Jan. 1

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911 Decal

A new state law that takes effect on Thursday, January 1, will result in changes to 911 surcharges on residential and business lines and cellular phones.

The Anderson County Emergency Communications District said the new law, the 911 Funding Modernization and IP Transition Act of 2014, passed the Tennessee General Assembly in April. It changes the way 911 surcharges are collected and paid and affects all 911 districts in Tennessee, including Anderson County.

“It updates the existing model for funding 911 to account for changes in technology and consumer choice by establishing a single, uniform 911 surcharge rate across the state,” the Anderson County Emergency Communications District said in a press release. [Read more…]

Camera Club to feature photo exhibition, competition on Jan. 13

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Pat Postma Photo

Image by Pat Postma

 

Submitted

If you would like to learn more about photography, one of the most cost- and time-efficient ways to do so is to join a camera club and Oak Ridge has a good one!

The Camera Club of Oak Ridge has monthly meetings that alternate between presentations by some of the area most accomplished professional photographers and intra-club competitions with expert judging who teach photography during the process of evaluating the images. The public is welcome to attend an initial meeting for free, and a yearly membership cost is nominal. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has inaugural New Year’s Day Walk

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UT Arboretum Trail Junipers

UT Arboretum trail junipers (Photo courtesy UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center)

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Do you want to get some exercise on New Year’s Day? Come to the University of Tennessee Arboretum for a short hike.

If you are overloaded on football, food, and festivities, the UT Arboretum Society is offering a great alternative: the inaugural New Year’s Day Walk at the UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

AARP chapter elects new president

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Billy Bates AARP Chapter President

At the Christmas Luncheon on December 18, the AARP Chapter #625 elected a new president. R. Billy Bates will help chart a new direction with the infusion of new ideas and a new direction for 2015, a press release said.