Oak Ridge Today

Library celebrates National Library Week with contests, helps with donation drives

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The Oak Ridge Library is preparing to celebrate National Library Week from April 13 to April 19.

The festivities begin early with the Design a Bookmark contest for the Summer Reading Program. This contest began on March 17 and runs through April 17. This contest is open to children in grades K-5, and one winner will be chosen from each grade. Winning bookmarks will be selected in May and will be printed and distributed during the 2014 Summer Reading Program.

During National Library Week, the Biscuit Guessing Contest will be held. A jar of dog biscuits will be at the main desk of the Library, and the three participants who guess closest to the number of biscuits in the jar will receive free DVD rentals.

Join with the Oak Ridge Library to help the community by donating supplies to Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC). [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line: Master the art of active listening

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CONTACT Care Line has training sessions on listening starting Friday, April 4.

The Art of Active Listening Training classes are on Friday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. April 4-May 23. There is no class on Good Friday, April 18. Classes will be held in the Parlor at Kern Memorial United Methodist Church at 451 E. Tennessee Ave. in Oak Ridge. The cost is $50 for the general public and $25 for students.

The Art of Active Listening teaches effective listening skills that everyone can use in their daily lives with family, friends, and co-workers. It enables participants to develop empathetic, non-judgmental listening techniques. This training offers important ways to assist with many of the problems people face and how we can respond in a healthy, heartfelt, and helpful way, a press release said. Practice sessions in a supportive, nonjudgmental atmosphere help participants begin to use their new skills and gain confidence as they discover the value of constructive, caring listening, and responding. [Read more…]

Annual Sportsman’s Showcase to feature call-maker Preston Pittman

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May 3 event in Oneida to serve as fundraiser for CASA of the Tennessee Heartland

ONEIDA—Hunters and anglers are invited to the Boys and Girls Club of Scott County for good food, good fellowship, and support of a great cause as CASA of the Tennessee Heartland hosts its second annual Scott Sportsman Showcase on May 3.

The event, slated to begin at 5 p.m., will be highlighted by Preston Pittman as the featured speaker.

The 60-year-old Pittman is called by many the world’s best turkey caller, and he has the trophies to back it up. Winning his first turkey calling championship at the age of 16, Pittman has gone on to become a seven-time national champion turkey caller, a nine-time National Champ of Champs, and has been crowned the U.S. Gobbling Champion, Grand National Gobbling Champion, and Grand National Champ of Champs. He is the only person to hold five different world titles. [Read more…]

Library offers one-on-one Kindle help

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Submitted

Navigating the evolving technological world can be challenging. Websites, devices, and programs are constantly upgraded, changing their appearance and often confusing us in the process.

Joan Kearney, a Kindle enthusiast, has worked at the Oak Ridge Public Library for 30 years and owns different generations of Kindles. Kearney will be available for one-on-one-Kindle-tutorials by appointment. She can help walk you through the checkout process on your Kindle device, whether it’s a first generation Kindle, a Kindle app, or the latest version, so you can explore the library’s electronic collection.

This is a free program for the community and only requires that you bring your Kindle, your library card number, and PIN, and the email address and password associated with your Amazon account. If you do not have a library card, call the Circulation Desk at (865) 425-3455 prior to your Kindle appointment to learn what is needed to create a library account.

For more information about this program, call the Library at (865) 425-3455 or email the Circulation Librarian at CircLib@oakridgetn.gov.

Re-enactor to discuss Civil War medicine during April 12 meeting

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A Civil War re-enactor will discuss Civil War medicine of the 1860s during a Saturday, April 12, meeting of the Clinch Bend Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

The meeting starts at 1 p.m. April 12 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge.

“This month, Col. Bill Walker, better known as ‘Doc,’ will present ‘Civil War Medicine of the 1860s,'” a press release said. “Mr. Walker is a Civil War re-enactor with the Eighth Tennessee U.S. Infantry from Knoxville.”

If you are interested in attending the meeting or have questions regarding Daughters of the American Revolution, call (865) 945-5605 or visit the website at http://www.tndar.org/~clinchbend/.

Church Women United to host speaker from Healthy Start

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Susan Moore

Susan Moore

Susan Moore, program supervisor for Healthy Start of Anderson County, will discuss the program’s role in preventing child abuse during an April 4 presentation in Oak Ridge.

The program is part of the celebration of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, and it’s hosted by Church Women United, a press release said.

Healthy Start of Anderson County has been deemed an elite “model program,” ensuring the medical well-being of mothers and infants and preventing child abuse. Healthy Start programs enhance child development by helping children meet physical and mental milestones that affect their readiness for school. Healthy Start also supports parents and extended families in creating a positive environment for the child within the family, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Civic Ballet presents ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘Swan Lake’

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Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association

By Wendie Aurin

The Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association is inviting the community to their fairy tale world with Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” and “Swan Lake” in April.

Professional guest artists Tory Morton and Erin-Elizabeth Morton will perform as Prince Seigfried and Odette in “Swan Lake.” Special guest Frank Murphy of Classic Hits 93.1 WNOX will portray the King in “Sleeping Beauty.”

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors. Student tickets are $10, but ORCBA is proud to once again participate in the Penny 4 the Arts program, which allows up to three students to attend for a penny each with a paid adult or senior. Tickets may be purchased at the door, at www.orcba.org, or at Flutterfly’s Consignment in the Manhattan Place Shopping Center. All productions are open seating. [Read more…]

Enjoy city parks as weather warms this spring

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is working hard to prepare our award-winning parks and greenways for spring, officials said.

“After many days of cold weather and snow, sunshine and warmer temperatures will be drawing folks outside very soon,” a press release said. “This means more people will be utilizing our parks and greenway trails. To assure the safety of all of our visitors, it is especially important that everyone follow the posted rules.”

Please keep these rules in mind as you are out on our greenways and trails: [Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from March 28-April 2

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting Friday, March 7, and continuing through March 12.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. [Read more…]

Free community meal at ORUUC on Friday

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at a recent ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served on March 28. Everyone is welcome.

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will have a free community meal on Friday, March 28, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the church’s Social Hall. Dine-in or takeout will be available.

Homemade Santa Fe chili, corn chips, and blond brownies and milk are on the menu.

The Stone Soup Ministry free community meal is held the last Friday of every month at the same time in the Social Hall. Food for the free monthly meal is provided by the ORUUC congregation along with financial support from several members of the Oak Ridge community. [Read more…]

ORAU, USDA seek agricultural postdocs

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Multiple research appointments available through Agricultural Research Service Postdoctoral Research Program

Selected candidates participate in USDA research for one to four years

Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are currently seeking recent doctoral degree recipients for various appointments in the Agricultural Research Service Postdoctoral Research Program.

The ARS is the USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency responsible for developing and transferring solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority. ARS research is organized into national programs comprised of more than 800 research projects carried out by ARS in approximately 90 locations across the U.S.

From research positions focused on crop production to food safety and virology to sustainable agricultural systems, this program serves as the next step in educational and professional development of scientists and engineers interested in agricultural-related research. [Read more…]

UT, ORNL, NASA, TVA help robotic ‘football’ kick off this week

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FIRST Robotics' Aerial Assist

This image shows what a game of FIRST Robotics’ Aerial Assist, a football-like game played by robots, might look like. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—Football season is still months away, but those needing a quick fix before fall can get a chance to see a version of the game played by competitors functioning like well-oiled machines.

The FIRST Robotics Competition Smoky Mountain Regional returns to the Knoxville Convention Center March 26-29, and is centered around a game featuring strong elements from football and soccer called Aerial Assist.

The idea behind Aerial Assist is that the 50 teams at the competition—from as far away as St. Louis and as close as the L&N STEM Academy across World’s Fair Park—will each build a robot capable of throwing, kicking, or running with a round ball with the goal of scoring a goal at each end of a field, or one capable of playing defense.

The University of Tennessee’s College of Engineering in Knoxville helps sponsor the event along with various technology and industry organizations such as NASA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. [Read more…]