Oak Ridge Today

High school seniors: Get help with your Tennessee Promise application

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RSCC Coffey McNally Building Oak Ridge

The Coffey/McNally Building is pictured at the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College is hosting four evening sessions to help students sign up for the Tennessee Promise and complete their college applications.

Sessions will be held on the following dates:

  • October 8—Roane County campus, Room O-201, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
  • October 19—Oak Ridge campus, Goff-118, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
  • October 26—Roane County campus, Room, T-306B, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.
  • October 26—Oak Ridge campus, Goff-118, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.

The sessions are designed to encourage students to enroll in Tennessee Promise, Governor Bill Haslam’s program to provide two years of community college or technical school tuition-free. Tennessee Promise is part of the Drive to 55 initiative to increase the number of Tennesseans with some form of postsecondary credential, such as a college degree or technical certificate.

The deadline to apply for the Tennessee Promise is November 2.

For more information, contact Karry Hamby at hambykl@roanestate.edu or (865) 882-4555.

Tennessee Fall Homecoming at Museum of Appalachia this weekend

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Tennessee Fall Homecoming Leroy Troy

Photo courtesy Museum of Appalachia

NORRIS—The annual Tennessee Fall Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris this weekend will feature more than 70 musicians, authentic mountain and pioneer demonstrations, and dozens of artisans showcasing and selling handmade goods.

It’s a beloved and historic three-day event, organizers said.

This year, the Homecoming Marketplace, where festival-goers browse heritage arts and crafts from artisans showcasing their skills on site, has been selected as a feature representation of Tennessee Craft Week. Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam will be making a special appearance on Friday afternoon from 2:30-4 p.m. to promote Tennessee Arts programs.

The featured music lineup for this year’s event, now in its 36th year, includes the Del McCoury Band, multiple Grammy and International Bluegrass Music Award recipient and Bluegrass Hall of Fame member; previous two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year, the Gibson Brothers; and the multiple Grammy- and Dove-nominated band, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, also a 7-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year and Bluegrass Hall of Fame Member. Also returning to the Tennessee Fall Homecoming this year is the legendary Larry Sparks, who was just inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame at the 2015 IBMA awards. [Read more…]

Clinch River Antique Festival in Clinton this weekend

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Clinch River Antiques Festival

The Clinch River Antiques Festival in 2012 is pictured above. (Photo by Carl Warner)

 

The annual Clinch River Antique Festival is on Friday and Saturday in Clinton.

The 15th annual festival includes a kick-off party and “Cruze-In” on Friday, October 9, and the Antique Street Festival on Saturday, October 10.

The kick-off party in Historic Downtown Clinton is from 6-9 p.m. Friday. Admission and parking are free, and there will be entertainment and three cash giveaways at 7, 8, and 9 p.m.

The Antique Street Festival is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The festival features antique and artisan dealers and antique apprasier Joe Rosson. You can shop, and there will be food and entertainment. There will also be a re-enactment of the Burr-Hamilton duel. [Read more…]

Evans to give update on Oak Ridge mall redevelopment Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Mall

The Oak Ridge City Center, which could be redeveloped as a multi-use town center known as Main Street, is pictured above. Also known as the former Oak Ridge Mall, the L-shaped building is at center. The white building at center left is Walmart, and it is not part of the proposed redevelopment. Neither is the white building at center top, the Tinseltown Theater. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Ray Evans, retail consultant for the City of Oak Ridge, will give an update on the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

Main Street Oak Ridge could redevelop the mall, now officially known as the Oak Ridge City Center, as a 60-acre mixed-use project that would include retailers, restaurants, a hotel, and residential units. The vacant enclosed space between the two remaining anchors, JCPenney and Belk, would be demolished, although those two stores would remain.

The goal has been to complete the first phase of the redevelopment in time for the Christmas season in 2016. [Read more…]

Artists ‘chalk the walks’ Saturday for scholarships for Roane State students

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Blue Phantom

A sidewalk chalk painting from the 2014 Street Painting Festival. (Submitted photo)

 

The 16th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival is drawing near—it will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 3 (rain day on Sunday), at the Oak Ridge Campus, Roane State Community College.

Dozens of artists will be brushing up on their skills as they bring colorful faces and scenes to concrete sidewalk squares using free art supplies. Would-be Rembrandts will “paint” with chalk the squares that sponsors “purchase” by writing checks.

You, too, can write a check to the Roane State Foundation to fund scholarships for RSCC students. These students have been out of high school for a few years and are not eligible for Tennessee Promise scholarships.

The public is invited to this free festival organized by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge in conjunction with Roane State. [Read more…]

TORCH, Blossom Center have spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday

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Torch Logo

Trinity Outreach Center for Hope, or TORCH, and the Blossom Center will have a spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Saturday, October 3, at Grace Covenant Church.

The church is located at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. Dine-in or carry out will be available between 5 to 8 p.m.

Tickets prices for adults are $10, children $5, and $25 for families, and they will be available at the door and in advance at Ruby Miller’s State Farm office, which is at 574 Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Telephone (865) 483-5663.)

Those who want to purchase tickets online may do so by sending a message to Blossom Center for Childhood Excellence Inc. or Creed Mushimbo on Facebook. [Read more…]

Atomic City Classic Car Show on Saturday

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Atomic City Car and Bike Show

The fundraising Atomic City Classic Car Show is on Saturday, October 3. The rain date is October 10.

All proceeds will benefit Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. The car show is sponsored by Atomic Speed Shop.

It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Midtown Community Center (the Wildcat Den) at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. It is expected to include classic cars, trucks, street rods, motorcycles, and motor scooters up to 1975.

Dash plaques for each entry, people’s choice awards in each class, and door prizes will be given away. Barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sodas will be sold. [Read more…]

AC Events: Pickin’ in the Park, Wheelers for the Wounded, David Hall Cabin open house

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Here are three events happening in Anderson County this weekend:

Pickin’ in the Park Concert—Friday, October 2, at Norris Dam State Park

Join the Friends of Norris Dam State Park for the annual Pickin’ in the Park Concert held the first Friday of October from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. This event is an evening full of bluegrass music, barbecue, local craft vendors, laughter, and fun, organizers said.

The event is located at the historic amphitheater and tearoom on the east side of Norris Dam State Park. There is no entrance fee, but donations to the Friends of Norris Dam are strongly encouraged.

If you have any questions, call the park office at (865) 426-7461.

Wheelers for the Wounded—October 3 at Windrock Park [Read more…]

Former nuclear physics teacher in OR to be inducted into TN Women’s Hall of Fame

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Elizabeth Rona

Elizabeth Rona

Elizabeth Rona, a former nuclear physics teacher at the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, will be inducted into the Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame on Monday, October 26.

Before she immigrated to the United States, Rona was the first woman to teach chemistry in any university in Hungary.

Once in the U.S., she was on the frontlines of the discoveries of isotopes and fission, and later contributed to work in the Manhattan project. She later taught on theory and methods of nuclear physics at the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies.

Rona is one of two inductees to be honored posthumously. The ceremony will honor a total of eight women from all three grand divisions of the state (East, Middle, and West), including an astronaut, judge, and civil rights pioneer. [Read more…]

Roane State invites public to Manufacturing Day in Clinton on Friday

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Roane State Manufacturing Day Open House Oct. 2, 2015

Roane State Community College will host an open house at its Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility as part of Manufacturing Day on Friday, October  2.

The event will last from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the facility, which is at 214 Nave Street in Clinton. The public is invited to visit the facility and learn more about Roane State courses in mechatronics and injection molding.

Representatives from area manufacturers will be at the facility to discuss job opportunities in manufacturing, and Roane State staff will demonstrate equipment used in its mechatronics and injection molding programs. [Read more…]

Chipotle Mexican Grill opening on South Illinois

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Chipotle Oak Ridge Oct. 1, 2015

Chipotle Mexican Grill has applied for a beer permit for a store at 433 South Illinois Avenue, in the same shopping center as Great Clips, Pie Five Pizza, and Aspen Dental. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Chipotle Mexican Grill is opening on South Illinois Avenue. The restaurant will be in the same shopping center as the new Great Clips, Pie Five Pizza, and Aspen Dental.

The company’s website says the restaurant will be opening soon at 433 South Illinois Avenue.

Chipotle has applied for a beer permit, and the Oak Ridge Beer Permit Board will consider the application at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 7, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Training Room.

The restaurant will be owned by Chipotle Mexican Grill LLC of Colorado.

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.

Tech initiative starts with laptop distribution at JMS, RMS in October

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Students in sixth grade at Jefferson Middle School and seventh grade at Robertsville Middle School will receive Lenovo laptops in October. It’s the first phase of the Oak Ridge Schools’ AccessOR digital technology initiative and the initial student device rollout.

Here are some specific plans, according to Oak Ridge Schools:

  • Students will be receiving the Lenovo Yoga 11e as well as a charger, protective sleeve, and insurance for each device. Lenovo calls the Yoga 11e a convertible laptop or durable multimode laptop that can be used as a laptop, tablet, tent, or stand.
  • The laptops will be etched with the Oak Ridge Schools’ logo and address.
  • The initial October rollout will include the sixth grade at Jefferson Middle School and the seventh grade at Robertsville Middle School. The choice of these grade levels came about from principals discussing the opportunity with their staffs, and it benefits Oak Ridge Schools as a whole to have teachers building out and sharing digital curricula in two grade levels.
  • The orientation/device distribution will take place from 5-8 p.m. October 20 at Robertsville Middle School and October 22 at Jefferson Middle School.
  • The kick-off will include:
    • policy/procedures/insurance discussion from school administrators,
    • digital citizenship talk from teachers about creating safe online environments for students,
    • device registration and roll out,
    • device testing with support of school staff, and
    • a question and answer session.
  • Students and parents will receive and sign a procedures and expectations document before receiving a device.
  • After learning from the initial rollout, Oak Ridge Schools plan to distribute devices to the rest of the middle school grade levels after winter break.

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