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Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Aug. 15

Posted at 11:00 am August 7, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Barrens

There will be a cleanup and Prairie Grass Extravaganza at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 15, organizers said.

They said this will be a free opportunity to see prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), and Torrey’s mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torrei) at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren. It will be combined with a workday to remove invasive plants.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, State Tagged With: cedar barren, City of Oak Ridge, Jefferson Middle School, Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, Prairie Grass Extravaganza, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, Tim Bigelow

Knoxville has First Friday, now Oak Ridge has Third Friday

Posted at 10:43 am August 7, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

The Locally Grown Gallery, home to 39 regional artists, will be hosting events from 5:30-9 p.m. in their gallery and studio as part of a new Third Friday.

The Locally Grown Gallery is located ​behind the Soup Kitchen in Greenwich Village Mall in historic Jackson Square.

The ​inaugural Locally Grown Gallery Third Friday event will be August 21. Weaver Andy Lyle and author B.J. Gillum will be the featured artists.

Lyle is an Oak Ridge native and member of the Foo​thills Craft Guild. She will be demonstrating on her large loom as well as teaching easy beginner projects. She will have small loom kits and fiber available for purchase. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Business, Entertainment, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge Tagged With: Andy Lyle, artists, B.J. Gillum, Continuous Threads Sewing Studio, Greenwich Village Mall, Jackson Square, Locally Grown Gallery, Oak Ridge Art Center, Roane Writer's Group, Third Friday

Ribbon-cutting ceremony for Admiral Title on Aug. 13

Posted at 10:36 am August 7, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Admiral Title on Lafayette Drive on Thursday, August 13.

The ceremony is scheduled from 4-7 p.m. August 13, and it’s been organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled at 5 p.m.

Admiral Title is located at 113 Lafayette Drive, Suite 101, in Oak Ridge.

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

Filed Under: Business, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge Tagged With: Admiral Title, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, ribbon-cutting ceremony

ORHS Cheerleaders have Cheerleading Camp on Aug. 15

Posted at 10:25 am August 7, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Wildcats Logo

The Oak Ridge High School Cheerleaders are hosting a Cheerleading Camp on Saturday, August 15.

The camp is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. August 15 at the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena. The camp is open to students from kindergarten through eighth grades. It will teach cheers, dance, and tumbling. The cost is $30 (pre-registered) or $35 at the door.

Each girl that attends the camp will receive a T-shirt. [Read more…]

Filed Under: High School, Meetings and Events, Sports Tagged With: Cheerleading Camp, cheers, dance, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge High School Cheerleaders, ORHS cheerleaders, tumbling

Wildcats scrimmage changed, will play Morristown West at home tonight

Posted at 8:48 am August 7, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Wildcats Logo

Oak Ridge’s scrimmage against South-Doyle at South-Doyle tonight has been canceled, and the Wildcats will instead scrimmage against Morristown West at home.

South-Doyle has apparently had some injuries, and another team canceled on Morristown West, Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis said Friday morning.

So, Oak Ridge and Morristown West will scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. today (Friday, August 7) at the practice field, Ben Martin Track at Oak Ridge High School. There will be no admission and no concessions.

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.

Filed Under: High School, Meetings and Events, Sports Tagged With: Ben Martin Track, football, Joe Gaddis, Morristown West, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Wildcats, scrimmage, South Doyle

Reminder: Today is the last regular registration date for AYSO fall soccer

Posted at 12:08 pm August 6, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Fall Soccer Registrations

Today (Thursday, August 6) is the last regular registration date for the fall soccer season of AYSO Region 390.

“If you have kids wanting to play soccer, sign them up,” organizers said. “Everyone plays in the Secret City AYSO!”

The registration is from 5 to 7 p.m. today (Thursday, August 6) at the region office, next to United Grocery Outlet, or UGO, on Oak Ridge Turnpike on the west side of town.

Visit www.aysoregion390.org for more information and to begin registration.

Filed Under: Meetings and Events, Recreation, Sports Tagged With: AYSO, AYSO Region 390, fall soccer, registration, soccer

Avery, Stone to give vocal recital at First Presbyterian on Aug. 13

Posted at 12:13 am August 6, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Rachel Avery

Rachel Avery

Rachel Avery and Taylor Stone will perform a vocal recital on Thursday, August 13, in Oak Ridge. The recital starts at 7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike and Lafayette Drive.

Avery is a recent graduate of American University with a minor in vocal performance. She performed her senior voice recital in Washington, D.C., in March and will be presenting several numbers from that performance.

Avery will be joined by her friend and fellow Sound Company alumni Taylor Stone. Stone is a senior at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville majoring in vocal performance, and he will be presenting selections from his junior recital, also from March. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Entertainment, Front Page News, Meetings and Events, Music Tagged With: Casey Maxwell, First Presbyterian Church, Rachel Avery, Sound Company, Taylor Stone, vocal recital

Two designs for Peace Pavilion for Friendship Bell to be presented Aug. 13

Posted at 2:15 pm August 5, 2015
By City of Oak Ridge Leave a Comment

International Friendship Bell

The International Friendship Bell is pictured above at Alvin K. Bissell Park before its housing structure was dismantled after the wood pavilion deteriorated. (Photo courtesy Peace Bell/Facebook)

 

The Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell has become an iconic symbol of Oak Ridge and a source of much pride. The bell is in need of a new home, and the community is invited to participate in planning for a new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, August 13, at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and the Youth Advisory Board are hosting this community input session, where two proposed designs for a new pavilion will be presented. The board wants to hear opinions from the community, which will be important in determining the pavilion’s design. The International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee supports the designs and will assist with the community input session and fundraising for the pavilion.

A monument to peace and friendship with Japan, the bell was designed and cast to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the City of Oak Ridge. The bell was removed last year from the original wood pavilion, which had deteriorated after housing the bell for nearly 20 years in Alvin K. Bissell Park. The need for a new pavilion allows for a new expression of the bell and its place in Oak Ridge.

The new designs being considered surround the bell with open space and a greatly enlarged plaza. A community gathering place is envisioned, with an open design that invites large groups to gather at the bell. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Alvin K. Bissell Park, Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc., City of Oak Ridge, International Friendship Bell, International Friendship Bell Advisory Committee, Japan, Naka, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, Peace Pavilion, Rotary clubs, Youth Advisory Board, Ziad Demian

Property transfer for Oak Ridge airport to be discussed during info session on Aug. 19

Posted at 12:00 pm August 5, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above. The airport site is the area pictured in yellow. The main entrance to Heritage Center off Oak Ridge Turnpike is at bottom left, in the area of the ponds. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

About 170 acres of land at a federal site in west Oak Ridge could be transferred to a nonprofit organization for a new general aviation airport that would feature a 5,000-foot runway and accommodate airplanes and helicopters.

The airport would be built on the south side of Heritage Center, which is also known as East Tennessee Technology Park and the former K-25 site. The runway would be close to and run roughly parallel to Oak Ridge Turnpike/State Route 58.

A draft environmental assessment, or EA, has been prepared for the property transfer. It evaluates the potential impacts of transferring the ETTP land from the U.S. Department of Energy to the nonprofit Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. DOE and MKAA representatives will be available to discuss the proposed action during a public information session from 5-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the DOE Information Center. The Information Center is on the west end of the building that houses the Office of Scientific and Technical Information in east Oak Ridge.

No formal presentation is planned, and the public may stop by at any time during the session. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, State, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: airport, Ben Williams, Blair Road, business development, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, DOE, DOE Information Center, DOE Office of Environmental Management, Downtown Island Airport, draft EA, draft environmental assessment, EA, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental assessment, ETTP, Federal Aviation Administration, general aviation, general aviation airport, haul road, Heritage Center, K-25 site, Leidos, McGhee Tyson Airport, Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, MKAA, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, Oak Ridge airport, Oak Ridge Turnpike, property transfer, Rockwood Municipal Airport, SR 58, State Route 58, State Route 61, U.S. Department of Energy, Victorius Boulevard

County to consider budget, tax rate again on Aug. 13

Posted at 9:18 am August 5, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Anderson County Teachers at County Commission

Roughly three-quarters of those attending the budget deliberations at Anderson County Commission wore red—”Red for Public Ed”—on Monday, July 20, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Anderson County commissioners have called another special meeting—this one on Thursday, August 13—to consider the county budget and tax rate. At stake are pay raises for county employees and educators and more than $1 million in new money for schools in Anderson County, Clinton, and Oak Ridge.

County commissioners approved a budget supported by a 10-cent property tax rate increase during a regular meeting on Monday, July 20. Eight cents of that increase was meant to provide most of the money needed for 2 percent pay raises for teachers and staff in Anderson County Schools. Anderson County Schools expected to receive another $700,000 or so from the tax rate increase, while Oak Ridge Schools anticipated an extra $423,000 and Clinton City Schools were projected to get another $134,000.

The other two cents approved during the July 20 meeting was for 2 percent pay raises for Anderson County employees, with the exception of county commissioners and other elected officials.

But in a follow-up special meeting on Thursday, July 30, the Anderson County Commission rejected the tax increase when it came time to officially adopt the new tax rate for the fiscal year that began July 1. For now, county and school officials are continuing to operate under last year’s spending levels. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Government, Government, Meetings and Events, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Schools, budget, budget cuts, certified tax rate, Clinton City Schools, fund balance, Oak Ridge Schools, pay raises, property tax rate, property tax rate increase, special meeting, tax increase, tax rate, tax rate increase

Free Medical Clinic Bash on Saturday features dance contest, auctions

Posted at 9:00 am August 5, 2015
By Carolyn Krause Leave a Comment

Hit Men

Performers in the Hit Men band are, from left, Mark Akers, Bob Andres, Alan Keck, Pat Andres, and Uwe Lueth. They will perform at the Free Medical Clinic Bash on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Parish Life Center of St. Mary’s Church. (Submitted photo) 

 

Tickets are still available for the FMC Bash, the annual fundraiser for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, which will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, August 8, in the Parish Life Center of St. Mary’s Church.

It will include a catered dinner, music by the Hit Men (a Knoxville rock and pop dance band), a Celebrity Dance Contest, silent auction (80 items), and live auction conducted by the entertaining Bear Stephenson.

Live auction items include a four-day vacation in a beach condo near St. Augustine, Florida; North Carolina barbecue dinner for 12; an Indian dinner for eight; a walnut jewelry box, hand-made earrings (sterling and mother of pearl) by Frederick Duclos; a fly-fishing package; a wine cooler; and Cajun dinner.

Couples who have entered the Celebrity Dance Contest are Sharon and Brian Annis, Naomi Asher and Jim Dodson, Tom Beehan and Kay Brookshire, David and Sandy Bradshaw, Gene Caldwell and Dottie Thompson, Keys Fillauer and Scott Hinton, Judy Gooch and Michael Shrader, and Austin Keathley and an amazing “secret” dancer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Dancing, Entertainment, Front Page News, Health, Meetings and Events, Music, Nonprofits, Top Stories Tagged With: auction, Celebrity Dance Contest, dance contest, dinner, FMC, FMC Bash, FMCOR, Free Medical Clinic, Free Medical Clinic Bash, Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, Hit Men, music, Parish Life Center, St. Mary's Church

OREPA has events in Oak Ridge, Knoxville on 70th anniversary of WWII bombings

Posted at 11:23 am August 4, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Ralph Hutchison

Ralph Hutchison

The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance has a series of events in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week on the 70th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.

The events will recall the bombings and address present-day nuclear weapons production, a press release said.

The events kicked off with an evening with Gar Alperovitz, author of “The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb,” at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville on Sunday and continued on Monday with faith leaders speaking about the bomb in Market Square in Knoxville.

They continue today (Tuesday, August 4.) Here’s the schedule: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Front Page News, Meetings and Events, Nonprofits, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: 2013 DOE Tennessee Science Bowl, bombings, Church of the Savior, Greg Boertje-Obed, Hiroshima, Japan, Megan Rice, Michael Walli, Nagasaki, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Ralph Hutchison, World War II, Y-12 National Security Complex

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