Oak Ridge Today

Local food, music served at ‘Taste of Oak Ridge’ on Sept. 28

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Red Shoes and Rosin

Female string trio Red Shoes and Rosin is one of the music groups scheduled to appear at the Taste of Oak Ridge on Sept. 28. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

The flavors from some of Oak Ridge’s best restaurants and the sounds of local musicians will fill Jackson Square for the fifth annual “Taste of Oak Ridge” on Saturday, Sept. 28. The highly anticipated event will start at 4:30 p.m. and continue to 10 p.m.

While area restaurants will be able to showcase some of their finest food in small portions or ” tastes,” the community-focused event will raise money to benefit the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. The “tastes” from each vendor will cost $1 or $2 per item. Tickets will be available for purchase. Attendees can buy as many tickets as they want for $1 each. In addition, beer and wine will be available for purchase. [Read more…]

Three businesses avoid beer permit suspensions, five more have hearings

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Three Oak Ridge businesses have avoided short suspensions of their beer permits, but five more have hearings in the next two months.

The Oak Ridge Beer Permit Board had imposed the suspensions against the three businesses in three separate meetings during the past three months. Two were punished for selling beer to a minor and one over concerns that included questions about whether it was serving its customers too much alcohol.

But all three businesses have complied with the Beer Board’s orders, so they were able to avoid the suspensions, Oak Ridge Senior Staff Attorney Tammy Dunn said last week. [Read more…]

Learn more about Roane State’s AMTEC job training this week

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Anyone interested in Roane State Community College’s nationally recognized Advanced Materials Training and Education Center—a no-cost, high-tech job training program for those who are unemployed or underemployed—is invited to meetings this week at the college’s Oak Ridge campus and Loudon County campus.

The meeting at the Oak Ridge campus will be held Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. in the back room inside Anderson’s Grille. The meeting at the Loudon County Campus will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. in Room 209. [Read more…]

Proton Therapy medical director featured at county chamber lunch

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Marcio Fagundes

Marcio Fagundes

A radiation oncologist and medical director for the Provision Center for Proton Therapy will be the featured speaker at a quarterly networking luncheon for the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce next week.

The speaker will be Dr. Marcio Fagundes.

The chamber is having the luncheon in partnership with Junior Achievement of East Tennessee. It’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at the Hollingsworth Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, (Junior Achievement BizTown), at 2135 N. Charles Seivers Blvd. in Clinton. [Read more…]

Board orders demolition of Price Florist

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Price Florist

A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of Price Florist on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish the building within 60 days.

A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of the former Price Florist building on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish it within 60 days.

The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals had considered whether to issue a demolition or repair order for the once-thriving store at three other meetings this year, but members had given property owner Patricia Warren of Crossville several extensions to allow her time to come back with a sales contract, repair plan, or demolition permit. On Thursday, they said she had run out of time.

“I think we’ve bent over backwards to accommodate you and your property,” board member Philip Nipper said before the 6-0 vote in favor of demolition. [Read more…]

Y-12 Federal Credit Union names new CEO

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Mark Ziegler

Mark Ziegler

The Y-12 Federal Credit Union board of directors has named a new president and chief executive officer.

Mark Ziegler, the new CEO, will replace Tom Hilton, who will retire later this year, a press release said.

“Tom Hilton joined Y-12 Federal Credit Union more than 20 years ago as president/CEO and has led Y-12 FCU to achieve goals that we never imagined when he came on board,” board chairman Don Norris said. “We sincerely appreciate his leadership and dedication over the past 20-plus years and wish him the best in his retirement. [Read more…]

City board will consider tax incentive, development area for Oak Ridge Mall

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Oak Ridge Mall Redevelopment Area

The Oak Ridge Mall economic development area is pictured above. The map shows a contiguous area that could be affected economically by the proposed development, which only includes the former 60-acre mall property, according to a city consultant. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A city board this month will consider a financing arrangement that could be worth up to $10 million and allow a North Carolina company to use new property tax revenues generated at a redeveloped Oak Ridge Mall to be used for site development, possibly including for roads, stoplights, and demolition work.

Many of the details aren’t available yet, including the precise amount of the proposed tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement and the length of time it could be in effect. The details will be discussed at a Sept. 26 meeting of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, when members will consider an economic impact plan, city consultant Ray Evans said.

The economic development area could include about 90 acres. It would include the 60-acre mall and could include an apartment complex and museum, movie theater and pizza shop, real estate firm and hotel, and several busy stores on Oak Ridge Turnpike—properties that could benefit from the TIF, Evans said.

[Read more…]

New airport in west Oak Ridge could feature small business jets, 5,000-foot runway

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Oak Ridge Airport Site at Heritage Center

An airport with a 5,000-foot runway could serve small business jets and pressurized turbine aircraft at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, in west Oak Ridge. An image of the proposed runway is in yellow at right. (Photo courtesy Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority)

The airport proposed at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge could feature a 5,000-foot runway, accommodate all but the largest business jets, and cost between $35 million and $45 million, an official said Monday.

Construction at the site is possible around 2017 to 2018, said Bill Marrison, president of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

The airport would be built at the front of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, and the runway would parallel Highway 58. [Read more…]

ORNL Federal Credit Union names new assistant VP of mortgage

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Cissi Reagan

Cissi Reagan

ORNL Federal Credit Union has announced the leadership transition of Cissi Reagan to the newly created position of assistant vice president of mortgage.

In this new role, Reagan will be primarily responsible for the day to day operations of the overall mortgage department within the credit union’s mortgage lending CUSO–CU Community LLC.

“Cissi Reagan is a passionate employee and an instrumental leader within this organization, and we look forward to her continued development in this new role,” said Larry Jackson, president and chief operating officer of CU Community LLC. [Read more…]

TVA again ranks among top utilities for economic development

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NASHVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority has been named for the eighth consecutive year as one of Site Selection magazine’s top 10 North American utilities for achievement in economic development.

The publication recognizes TVA’s work in fiscal year 2012 with local power companies and regional, state, and community partners in helping to attract or retain more than 48,000 jobs and leveraging $5.9 billion in capital investment for the seven-state TVA service territory. [Read more…]

Taste of Oak Ridge this month features food, music

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Jackson Square Merchants Association

Members of the Jackson Square Merchants Association are pictured above. From left to right standing are Myra Langley, Debbie Magill, Jeannie O’Brien, Nancy Cosgrove, Wendy Holloway, and Bob Bardoff. Seated are Manderley Swain, Jo Ann Hasty, and Barbara Ferrell. (Submitted photo)

The Fifth Annual Taste of Oak Ridge later this month will feature small portions of food from local restaurants and music by local musicians—and raise money for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.

This year’s Taste of Oak Ridge is scheduled from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, in Jackson Square. The “tastes” from each food vendor will cost $1 or $2 per item. Attendees can buy as many tickets as they want for $1 each. In addition, beer and wine will be available for sale.

Taste of Oak Ridge is sponsored by the Jackson Square Merchants Association.

Safety Fest TN to feature free courses, demonstrations, workshops

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An annual safety training event in Oak Ridge next week is designed to help Tennessee become one of the safest places to work in the country, a press release said.

It’s Safety Fest TN, and it’s scheduled from Sept. 9-13 at the New Hope Center on Scarboro Road. The purpose is to provide free training to anyone wanting to work safer at work and at home, a press release said. [Read more…]