Oak Ridge Today

DOE director’s presentation to include discussion of proposed landfill near Y-12

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Laura Wilkerson

Laura Wilkerson

A Tuesday presentation by federal official Laura Wilkerson will include information on the proposed new Environmental Management Disposal Facility, a landfill that would be on the west side of the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Laura Wilkerson is a portfolio federal project director for the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. She will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday, November 17, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Her presentation will focus on environmental management and waste management in Oak Ridge.

Lunch with the League is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. In a press release, the League said it has a position on waste disposal that addresses full disclosure of intent and public participation in the decision-making process.

“The League position is to protect the health of the community and environment,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Today: Celebrate veterans with Community Band concert

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Oak-Ridge-Community-Band-Summer-Concert-July-4-2014

The Oak Ridge Community Band performs in a summer concert on July 4, 2014. (Photo by Larry Perry)

 

The Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble will hold a Veterans Concert on Sunday, November 15, at 3:30 p.m., at the Grove Theater Performing Arts Center.

Everyone is invited, but area veterans are particularly encouraged to attend this event which is being held in their honor, a press release said. The program will include patriotic selections, swing era music, and a special ceremony to recognize veterans who have served both in peacetime and during war time.

Directed by band leader Dale Pendley and assistant conductor Lisa Michaels, the Community Band will perform Irving Berlin’s “Songs for America” featuring “This is the Army, Mister Jones,” “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor,” “This is a Great Country,” and “God Bless America.” Other patriotic selections will include John Philip Sousa’s “Liberty Bell,” James Hosay’s “Pride of the Fleet,” and Bob Lowden’s arrangement of “Armed Forces Salute” with “Semper Paratus,” “The U.S. Air Force,” “Anchors Aweigh,” “The Caisson Song,” and “Marines Hymn.” [Read more…]

Today: 12th Annual ‘Say No to Drugs’ Balloon Release

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12th-Annual-Say-No-To-Drugs-Balloon-Release-Flyer-2015

Submitted

Have you or someone you love ever suffered from drug abuse? Have you ever given thanks that the negative effects of drug abuse haven’t entered into your life?

If so, you are invited to join the family and friends of Clayton Smith along with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition for a special prayer and balloon release at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 15, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The event is being held to honor the recovery efforts of anyone who has suffered from drug addiction and to remember the lives of loved ones lost due to drug abuse. [Read more…]

Neighborhood Watch Hosts Pancake Breakfast Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will host a pancake breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Applebee’s, 1213 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge.

Tickets are $5 per person. Tickets for the all-you-can-eat breakfast may be purchased from Neighborhood Watch district leaders in advance and at the door the day of the event.

Proceeds from the breakfast will support Neighborhood Watch, a program that supports groups of neighbors who organize and partner with the Police Department to report suspicious activity and keep watch on neighbors’ homes. The program helps police reduce crime and keep neighborhoods safe, and it helps neighbors improve the quality of life in their communities.

The breakfast will raise funds to help new Neighborhood Watch groups get started and for signs, literature, and other Neighborhood Watch expenses.

Neighbors are helping police reduce crime throughout Oak Ridge in dozens of blocks and neighborhoods that have organized Neighborhood Watch groups.

 

Bridges Out of Poverty training is Dec. 4, 11

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Bridges Out of Poverty Training Poster

Register by November 30

The Compassion Coalition is presenting Bridges Out of Poverty, a two-day training program for those who serve people who are homeless, in poverty, or in need.

“When you work with someone in need, do you wonder why they make certain choices?” the Compassion Coalition asks. “Do you wish they would experience faster success?  Do you give them ‘the look’ when they just don’t get it? If so, this training is for you.”

Bridges Out of Poverty training will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on two Fridays, December 4 and 11, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. This training class is in two parts, and participants must attend both sessions.

The interactive training explores how the economic environment in which people grow up impacts their ability to not only get by, but also get ahead in life. Registration is required by November 30, and the cost is $25 for the book and training materials. Agape House of Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization that provides transitional housing for the homeless, is underwriting the cost of bringing the training to the community. [Read more…]

TN House minority leader to speak to Democrats at fundraising dinner

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Craig Fitzhugh

Craig Fitzhugh

Craig Fitzhugh, Tennessee House minority leader, will speak to Anderson County Democrats at their fall fundraising dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 12, at the Clinton Community Center.

Fitzhugh has represented Tennessee’s 82nd legislative district as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives since 1994, a press release said. He is the former chairman of the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee and of the Council on Pension and Insurance. Fitzhugh currently serves as House Democratic leader.

The Thursday dinner is $25 per person, and reservations are required. You can RSVP to Beth Hickman at (865) 964-0611 or Jean Hiser at (865) 272-3077, the press release said. For general information about the dinner contact Catherine Denenberg; see contact information above.

The Clinton Community Center is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Reminder: Oak Ridge to celebrate new national park on Thursday

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Jonathan-Jarvis-Manhattan-Project-National-Historical-Park-Nov-10-2015

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis shares a story about the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which became the 409th park in the National Park System on November 10, 2015, after Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz signed a memorandum of agreement on operation of the park during a ceremony at the South Interior Building in downtown Washington, D.C. The park was authorized by Congress in December 2014. The park will have three sites in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Hanford, Washington; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (NPS Photo by Anthony DeYoung)

 

Reminder: Two events in Oak Ridge on Thursday will celebrate the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

The park was formally established in a federal signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, November 10. That signing followed more than a decade of work by historic preservation groups, local leaders and governments, and federal officials and federal legislators representing communities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.

The Manhattan Project, which included the city that became Oak Ridge, was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. It is considered one of the top scientific achievements of the 20th century, and it credited with helping to end the war. The new park, the nation’s 409th, is the first of its type to commemorate the Manhattan Project. [Read more…]

ORAU to honor veterans with event, open to community

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities will honor veterans in a Veterans Day event that is open to the community on Tuesday morning.

Lieutenant Colonel Martin Hartley, 151st Air Refueling Squadron commander, Tennessee Air National Guard, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker.

Entertainment will be provided by The Southern Brass along with a presentation of colors by the Anderson County High School ROTC.

The ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, at Pollard Technology Conference Center at 100 ORAU Way in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Interior, Energy to sign agreement establishing Manhattan Project Park

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Building 9204-3 at Y-12

Building 9204-3 at the Y-12 National Security Complex could be among those included in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Also known as Beta 3, Building 9204-3 has beta calutrons that produced stable isotopes until 1998 and are still on standby. (Photo courtesy of Y-12 National Security Complex.)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz will sign a memorandum of agreement, or MOA, in Washington, D.C., to establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which will include Oak Ridge.

The new park will be the first of its type to commemorate the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. The park will have three locations: Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis will attend the Tuesday morning ceremony along with U.S. senators Lamar Alexander, Maria Cantwell, Martin Heinrich, and Tom Udall, who represent each of the park’s locations. Leaders of the communities that will host the park, including Oak Ridge, will attend the ceremony. [Read more…]

AC committee to consider mayor’s request to sit with, participate in Commission meetings

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The Anderson County Operations Committee on Monday will consider proposals from County Mayor Terry Frank to sit with County Commission and participate in meetings.

Frank has said she 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.

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. See previous story here.

The Anderson County Operations Committee meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, November 9, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. [Read more…]

Former POW featured at Veterans Day program on Tuesday

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William A. Robinson

William A. Robinson

A Veterans Day program on Tuesday will feature a former prisoner of war who is a retired U.S. Air Force captain.

William A. Robinson will be the featured speaker at the 10 a.m. program on Tuesday, November 10, at the American Museum of Science and Energy. It’s hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office.

The program is titled “To Those Who Watch for Us.” It’s in “honor of the courageous men and women who serve and have served in our nation’s armed forces,” a press release said.

The program, scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, is open to employees and the public. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts A Tennessee Evening on Dec. 4

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Tennessee Gala Volunteers at Children's Museum of Oak Ridge

A Tennessee Evening Gala volunteers join Mary Ann Damos, museum executive director, in the museum’s Appalachian Exhibit log cabin. From left, they are, seated, Pat Imperato and Cande Seay, and standing, Nancy Harrison, Lee McGetrick, Damos, and Larry Burkholder. (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will host a Tennessee Evening Gala on Friday, December 4, celebrating Tennessee heritage with music, dance, and fine food representing the state’s traditions.

Guests are invited to come as a favorite Tennessee personality or character to the semi-formal event held from 6-11 p.m. December 4 at the museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.

The Ridge City Ramblers will entertain with toe-tapping bluegrass and Americana music. Also entertaining will be Henry Perry, bringing his harmonica blues music to the event, and Slade Trammell, a concert pianist. The Knoxville Contra Dancers will bring old-time folk dancing to the Gala.

Beth Haynes of WBIR-TV will emcee the Gala. Haynes co-anchors WBIR’s “Live at Five at Four” with Russell Bivin and anchors 10 News at Five and the 10 p.m. news at Fox 43. [Read more…]