Molly Tuttle and the Alex Leach Band will perform in a free concert in Oak Ridge on Saturday.
It’s the last Summer Sessions concert of 2019 presented by ORNL Federal Credit Union.
Summer Sessions is a free concert series featuring bluegrass and American bands from throughout the region. Jim Lauderdale, Steve Gulley and the New Pinnacle, The Travelin’ McCourys, Circus No. 9, Ricky Skaggs, and Kentucky Thunder have also performed during the 2019 concert series.
[Read more…]
Storm the Grove will help young musicians and raise money for the historic Grove Theater on Friday.
It’s a spoof of Area 51. Organizers said you can fly out to Nevada in hopes of seeing an alien—or save money, “storm the grove,” and be the alien you want to see. You are welcome to come dressed as your favorite space alien. There will be a cash prize for the best costume, organizers said.
Storm the Grove will spotlight Tennessee bands (musical earthlings): Zack Miles, Chloe Kimes, Nightly, and Drive Thru Therapy. One band is from Nashville, two from Knoxville, and one is based in Oak Ridge.
[Read more…]
Cirrus Aircraft and Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals could both use the proposed Oak Ridge Airport, a project consultant said Tuesday.
Oak Ridge Today has previously reported that Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corporation could use the airport, which would have a 5,000-foot runway and be located at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site. Coquí has announced plans to build a $500 million medical isotope production facility at Heritage Center.
The company makes medical isotopes with a half-life of 62 hours, airport project consultant Billy Stair said at an Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce breakfast on Tuesday. Using the Oak Ridge Airport, rather than spending 42 minutes driving to McGhee Tyson Airport in Blount County, would save Coquí about $2.3 million per year, Stair said. It would also avoid the loss of about 1,000 doses per day of isotopes used for medical treatments, Stair said.
The Federal Aviation Administration conditionally approved the Oak Ridge Airport in March. That was a very significant step after four years of work, Stair said. The master plan has been approved; the precise location of the runway has been set; and a model of likely traffic has been developed.
As part of the conditional approval, the FAA wants an environmental assessment and a benefit-cost analysis.
[Read more…]
The Frank Callaghan Towers on Fairbanks Road in Oak Ridge will be renovated and renamed, a housing developer and manager said this week.
Officials with LHP Capital LLC announced Tuesday that they have signed the last document necessary to close on the acquisition and renovation of Oak Ridge’s Frank Callaghan Towers. That’s a 110-unit affordable rental housing community for seniors 62 and older and adults with disabilities, and it is located at 115 Fairbanks Road in east Oak Ridge.
LHP will oversee more than $5.8 million in renovations to the property, which was originally constructed in the late 1970s, a press release said. The sale to LHP will assure preservation of the property’s affordability status under federal guidelines, the press release said. LHP will also manage the apartments.
The renovations to the property will begin immediately and will start with a new name, according to Carr Hagan, president, LHP Development, a division of Knoxville-based LHP Capital, a real estate development firm specializing in affordable housing.
[Read more…]
Maria Catron
Maria Catron, deputy director of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, will become the executive director of the Oak Ridge Housing Authority in September.
Jean Lantrip, ORHA Board chair, announced the board’s decision to name Catron the new executive director, a press release said.
“In her visit to Oak Ridge, Maria impressed us with her serious interest in improving public housing through community projects and her history of collaborating with a number of stakeholders, including city government,” Lantrip said in the press release. “With her outgoing personality, she has the knack of connecting with everyone she meets.”
Catron, who has worked with the Kingsport housing agency since 2004, began her career there as grants and community development coordinator, later serving as Hope VI community supportive services coordinator and self-sufficiency and homeownership administrator before becoming deputy director in 2014. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a contract with a veterinarian at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and potential changes to the property transfer agreement with TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC during a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, August 20).
The veterinary services contract would be with Matt Jinks of Maryville.
TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC is the company helping to lead the redevelopment of the former American Museum of Science and Energy site, and it is affiliated with the company developing Main Street Oak Ridge at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The changes to the property transfer agreement could include extending the first tax revenue condition by one year and requiring a letter of credit for the community-oriented amenities, according to Council’s meeting agenda.
[Read more…]
Note: This story was last updated at 5 p.m. Aug. 20.
Dairy Queen is coming to Oak Ridge.
The Dairy Queen will be located at the corner of Rutgers Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, where a Taco Bell restaurant used to be. A new Taco Bell has been built east on the Turnpike, at the intersection with Bus Terminal Road.
Workers were at the Dairy Queen restaurant site on Monday, putting up a “DQ Coming Soon!” sign and unloading construction equipment.
[Read more…]
UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, is contributing $100,000 to the construction of a new math and science building at Pellissippi State Community College, a press release said.
The contribution was announced by UCOR on Thursday.
“Workforce development is at the heart of a new partnership between UCOR, an AECOM-led partnership with Jacobs, and Pellissippi State Community College,” the press release said. “The collaboration is focused on ensuring that Oak Ridge has a continuing pipeline of trained, qualified workers for environmental cleanup and other future industry needs. To launch the partnership, UCOR is contributing $100,000 toward construction of a new math and science building at Tennessee’s largest community college.”
As part of the partnership, other programs are in the works to strengthen small businesses and the broader workforce as part of the partnership, UCOR said. On Tuesday, August 13, UCOR and Pellissippi State sponsored a Small Business Diversity Summit that presented information from global companies about building more diverse and inclusive workforces, the press release said.
[Read more…]
Jewelry Television (JTV) donated $5,000 to support the Roane State Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward awards program. From left are Kirk Harris, Roane State director of Continuing Healthcare and Safety Education and director of the college’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences; R. Steve Walsh, senior vice president of global operations and logistics for JTV; Scott Niermann, executive director of the Roane State Foundation; Charles Wagner, vice chairman of JTV; and Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College. (Photo by Roane State)
Jewelry Television (JTV) donated $5,000 to support the Roane State Foundation’s Pay-It-Forward awards program.
Roane State Pay-It-Forward awards provide emergency aid to students to help them stay in school, including assistance with tuition or books for students near completion of their degrees, assistance for licensure/certification exam fees, and assistance to adult students who do not qualify for any state-funded tuition assistance programs, or whose aid has otherwise been exhausted.
Students who receive Pay-It-Forward scholarships agree to help future students in need at Roane State complete their education, once they are employed and able to give back, a press release said.
JTV is located next door to Roane State’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences, and leaders from both organizations consistently collaborate on ways to help Roane State students succeed. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Public Library will host a lunch and learn program next week called “You Have the Power to Outsmart the Scammers” as part of World Wise Wednesdays. The presentation is scheduled for August 21 from noon until 1 p.m.
The discussion will focus on incidents of fraud and some of the complex tactics used by scammers, a press release said. A local financial adviser will lead the presentation and outline steps everyone can take to protect themselves and their loved ones from fraudulent activity, the release said.
[Read more…]Small businesses in East Tennessee are invited to attend a half-day summit on Tuesday to gather tools and tips on building a more diverse, inclusive work force, a press release said.
“Because of their mutual commitment to workforce development, UCOR and Pellissippi State Community College are offering a free program featuring speakers from global companies providing insights on diversity,” the press release said.
Pellissippi State President Anthony Wise and UCOR President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Rueter will open the event, the East Tennessee Small Business Diversity Summit. The morning’s key speaker is Pat Harris, former global chief diversity officer and vice president of community engagement for McDonald’s Corporation. Harris led the evolution of McDonald’s diversity and inclusion function and has documented that experience in her book “None of Us is As Good As All of Us: How McDonald’s Prospers by Embracing Inclusion and Diversity.”
[Read more…]
Enjoy fantastic food, support an important nonprofit organization, and qualify for a $25 gift card—all at the same time—on Monday, August 12.
Several area restaurants are donating a portion of their sales to Aid To Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. Participating restaurants are Dean’s, Gallo Loco, Hoskins, Burchfield’s, Mediterranean Delight, Razzleberry’s, The Soup Kitchen, and Subway locations in Clinton, Oak Ridge (1968 Oak Ridge Turnpike), Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top, a press release said.
This month, in addition to enjoying a great meal and helping ADFAC at the same time, there’s an added bonus of a Photo Contest. ADFAC needs fresh, new photos to publicize its monthly Dine & Donate event, the press release said.
“You can help—and maybe even win!” the press release said.
Here’s how: [Read more…]
