Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge personal, property tax payments due Oct. 30

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

City of Oak Ridge Seal

Friday is the due date for paying real property taxes in Oak Ridge without penalty. All of this year’s property tax bills have been mailed and should have been delivered to property owners, a press release said.

Taxes go to support the operation of many city services—from street maintenance to the library. The police and fire departments, refuse removal and disposal, recreation and parks and many other city activities are all supported by the property tax, the press release said. A portion of the tax also goes to support the Oak Ridge school system.

The city staff said a relatively small number of property owners may not receive a tax notice. [Read more…]

Location change: Haunted Harvest Hike starts at Oak Ridge Marina

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Haunted Harvest Hike Oct. 31, 2015

The location has changed for the Haunted Harvest Hike on Saturday, October 31. The new location is the Oak Ridge Marina Pavilion.

The Haunted Harvest Hike will start at the marina pavilion and leave promptly at 9 a.m. Saturday, organizers said. The hike is scheduled to last until about 11 a.m.

“Please feel free to get in the Halloween spirit early and come in costume,” organizers said. Costumes are encouraged but not required.

The hike includes Phase 1 of the Melton Lake Greenway. Phase 2 and 3 may be included for longer distances. This is either a 2.6-mile “out and back” walk, or if you choose 2 and 3 together, it will be 4.6 miles. The walk path has varied elevations and can accommodate bicycles and strollers.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

School Board retreat: Preschool, superintendent evaluation, Access Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Board of Education has a retreat on Friday. Among the agenda items are a superintendent evaluation and a preschool update.

The retreat is from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday, October 30, in the School Administration Building conference room.

Other agenda items include Access Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge 2020, communications plan and Web page, capital projects, and a legal update.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Oak Ridge to celebrate new Manhattan Project Park on Nov. 12

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Ernest Moniz

Ernest Moniz

Oak Ridge will have two community events on November 12 to celebrate the establishment of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. That proposal has been in the works for years to commemorate the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

The legislation authorizing the park was signed into law in December 2014, and it designated sites in Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington as a new three-site national park.

The Oak Ridge City Council has designated the week of November 9-15 as
“The Manhattan Project National Historical Park Week.”

Events have been scheduled at Oak Ridge High School and in Historic Jackson Square on Thursday, November 12, two days after a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. The two Oak Ridge events will celebrate the establishment of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. [Read more…]

DOE, Interior to sign agreement for Manhattan Project Park on Nov. 10

Posted at
By 1 Comment

K-25 Building Aerial View

Now demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building, pictured above, was once used to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Located in west Oak Ridge, the site could become part of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. There is a separate effort to preserve the site’s history; that work could be incorporated into the new park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

 

The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Energy will sign an agreement on Tuesday, November 10, that establishes the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge.

The memorandum of agreement, or MOA, will be signed by federal officials that Tuesday morning in Washington, D.C.

Besides Oak Ridge, the park will include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. [Read more…]

ADFAC to honor Cande Seay with Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Cande Seay

Cande Seay

 

ADFAC will honor dedicated volunteer and advocate Cande Seay with its Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award in a celebration and fundraiser on Tuesday.

It’s the Third Annual Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Celebration and Fundraiser. It will be held Tuesday, October 27, from 5:30-8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Parish Life Center in Oak Ridge.

“Our community will come together to honor this very special lady, and we hope family, friends, past coworkers, and the many admirers of Cande Seay will join us!” a press release said.

Seay was unanimously chosen earlier this year as the 2015 winner of ADFAC’s Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award. Previous winners of the prestigious award have been Ray Smith and the late Tim Myrick. [Read more…]

Linden Elementary has Scholastic Monster Book Fair Oct. 26-30

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Linden Elementary School Book Fair October 2015

Linden Elementary School has a Scholastic Monster Book Fair from Oct. 26-30, 2015. (Submitted photo)

 

Linden Elementary School has a Scholastic Monster Book Fair this week.

The Book Fair is scheduled from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday, October 26, to Friday, October 30.

There are extended hours until 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

Thanksgiving community meal being organized in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A community meal is being organized on Thanksgiving (November 26) for those who are in need.

The meal will be held at the Robertsville Middle School Cafeteria from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thanksgiving. It will be served by a group called @1558neighbor, which is a group that has a mission to help and give a hand up to our neighbors in need, an announcement said.

“This meal will be a community meal, and with that being said, we will be counting on the Oak Ridge community to help volunteer whether by donating money, time, or food,” the announcement said. [Read more…]

Pumpkin Festival is Saturday in Grove Center

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pumpkin Fest 2015

By Jim Widener

The 13th Annual Pumpkin Festival in the Historic Grove Center on Halloween will feature live music, family-friendly activities, and food vendors. The Pumpkin Festival is from noon until 6 p.m. Saturday, October 31, at Oak Ridge’s Historic Grove Center. The community is invited to enjoy Halloween with us!

Dress up and get in the spirit. Kids are especially encouraged to enter the costume contest. Our celebrity judges will present prizes for the best costumes. Pets and their people are encouraged to dress in outrageous, fanciful costumes and join in the fun! Pets are allowed to come in on a foot-powered float, like a wagon or decorated bicycle. And don’t forget the pumpkin chunkin’ contest! [Read more…]

Relics of a Firefighter: Retired volunteer fireman, avid collector to lead educational event Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Relics of a Firefighter

Tom Scott, a retired volunteer fireman and avid collector, will be the guest speaker at an educational event on Saturday titled “Relics of a Firefighter.” It starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, October 24, at Through the Looking Glass Antiques in Jackson Square.

Scott was a volunteer firefighter in Newport, Rhode Island; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Aiken, South Carolina.

He has been a member of the Oliver Springs Fire Department since 1974.

In 1992, he became the volunteer photographer for the Oak Ridge Fire Department. [Read more…]

Democratic women host discussion on climate change on Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

Climate change will be the focus of a panel discussion presented by the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club at 6 p.m. Monday, October 26. The discussion will be at the Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton. Panel members will be Ellen Faby, Jo Ann Garrett, Jan Newsome, and Ellen Smith.

Mary Headrick, a retired physician who was a Democratic candidate for the Third Congressional District, will facilitate the discussion, which will focus on protecting the environment and the effects of climate change on health.  A question-and-answer session will follow presentations by the panelists.

Those attending are invited to bring a pot luck item to share. Beverages will be provided. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has annual Owl Prowl on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

UTAS Owl Prowl

Katie Cottrell, right, and Kathy Strunk are pictured at an earlier Owl Prowl at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The Owl Prowl, one of the most popular events offered at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, will again be sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society on Saturday, October 24. It’s at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue (Highway 62) in Oak Ridge.

Presented by the Clinch River Raptor Center, Kathy Strunk and Katie Cottrell will bring live owls for display and will give information about their natural history, a press release said.

The Raptor Center was started by John Byrd 30 years ago at Clinton Middle School. So far, 2,000 birds have come to the Raptor Center to be rehabilitated. Strunk and Cottrell have shared the responsibility as co-directors of the Raptor Center for more than 25 years, and they have given hundreds of programs in East Tennessee on birds of prey, the press release said. [Read more…]