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Christmas Parade will be reverse parade

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A float is pictured above in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)

The Oak Ridge Christmas Parade will be a reverse parade this year because of concerns about COVID-19. That means the floats will be stationary and spectators will drive the parade route.

In normal years, the spectators are stationary, and the floats are driven down Oak Ridge Turnpike.

This year, floats will line the northbound lanes of Lafayette Drive (heading toward Oak Ridge Turnpike), and spectators will drive down the southbound lanes (heading toward Illinois Avenue) to enjoy the festivities from the safety and comfort of their own cars, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade, announced the change on Monday. [Read more…]

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Beehan named as ADFAC Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Awardee

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Left to right, past Bow Tie awardees announcing Tom Beehan as this year’s recipient (note: photo taken in January 2020): Bear Stephenson, Ray Smith, Teresa Myrick, Tom Beehan, Cande Seay, Bill Capshaw, Louise Mixon, and Tom’s wife, Kay Brookshire. (Submitted photo)

ADFAC will host its eighth annual Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Event on Saturday, November 14, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

This event celebrates an important volunteer in the community each year who exemplifies the values of the late Bill Wilcox, a press release said. This year’s honoree is former mayor and local volunteer Tom Beehan.

This year’s pandemic-altered event will be a “drive by” event with multiple focuses, the press release said: [Read more…]

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Street Painting Festival honors pandemic heroes while raising funds for Roane State scholarships

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Best of Show winning chalk art by The Yaun Ladies. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Crisp, clear weather greeted a fall tradition in Oak Ridge’s historic Jackson Square on Saturday, October 17, with artists of all ages creating colorful chalk art on the sidewalk.

By mid-morning during the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge’s annual Street Painting Festival, many of the participant’s creations were taking form, and each artist’s hands were covered with a chalk patina.

Launched in 2000, the festival is facilitated by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge to support scholarships for Roane State Community College students through the nonprofit Roane State Foundation. Both participants and onlookers followed pandemic guidelines, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

“We are so fortunate to continue our partnership between Roane State Community College, The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, and the Jackson Square Merchants Association to present the annual Street Painting Festival,” said Rotarian Jim Dodson, the event’s creative director.

[Read more…]

Death penalty forum set for Sunday

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Sabrina Butler Smith

A virtual community forum on “Race, Wrongful Conviction, and the Death Penalty” will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, October 25.

A focus will be on the planned execution of Pervis Payne, scheduled for December 3 in Nashville. He is a Black man with an intellectual disability and son of a highly respected pastor, a press release said.

The speakers will be Rolanda Holman, Payne’s sister, who will describe the circumstances surrounding his case and the push for DNA testing and commutation of his sentence; Sabrina Butler Smith, exoneree from Mississippi’s death row and Memphis resident, who will connect issues from her case to those in Payne’s case and the broader realities of racial injustice inherent in the death penalty; and the Reverend Stacy Rector, executive director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, who will reflect on current issues raised by the death penalty, particularly as they relate to race and wrongful conviction, the press release said. [Read more…]

Autism Breakthrough hosts 21-Day Virtual Challenge, Virtual 5K Race

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The Volunteer CrossFit Team from Oak Ridge participated in the 2019 Breakthrough Run in honor of Gus Beehan, in the wagon, and Gus’ cousin Luke Koksal. (Submitted photo)

Autism Breakthrough of Knoxville is hosting a 21-Day Virtual Challenge November 5-25, featuring individual runs, walks and talks that replace its annual spring 5K Run for Autism.

Breakthrough is inviting the community to learn more about adults on the autism spectrum through the 21-day journey with stories from families of adults with autism and discussions with leading professionals knowledgeable in the field of autism. Its annual 5K Run will be held during the challenge, although virtually this year because of COVID-19.

“In April we made the decision to postpone our Annual 5K Run out of concern for runners’ health and safety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those concerns remain present today,” race chair Happy Lee said.

“We hope you will take the challenge to run, walk, listen, and talk about issues facing adults on the spectrum today. We invite you to hear our stories and share them with friends and family each day during the challenge,” Lee added. [Read more…]

City offers tips to prevent spread of COVID-19 during Halloween

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The City of Oak Ridge does not regulate Halloween activities, but it has offered health safety tips and alternatives to celebrating the spooky season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses, the city said in a press release. If you might have COVID-19 or might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters, the city said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), these are some low-risk activities:

[Read more…]

Street Painting Festival Saturday helps fund Roane State scholarships

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The Street Painting Festival in Oak Ridge today (Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020) helps fund scholarships at Roane State Community College.

The Street Painting Festival in Oak Ridge today (Saturday, October 17) helps fund scholarships at Roane State Community College.

The theme for this year’s event is “HeART For Heroes.” The festival is being held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. Chalking began at 8 a.m.

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory, Inc. (MCLinc) of Oak Ridge recently announced it is sponsoring the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge’s Street Painting Festival at the Platinum Level. The festival was launched in 2000, and this year’s event marks the 19th consecutive year that MCLinc has been a major contributor to the effort, a press release said. MCLinc is an applied research laboratory that provides analyses and consultation services in a wide assortment of fields, including environmental chemistry, industrial hygiene, and uranium chemistry.

Festival sponsors make a tax-exempt donation to the Roane State Foundation, providing funds for scholarships for Roane State students. Sponsorship levels include Platinum, or $5,000 and up; Gold, $2,500 to $4,999; Silver, $1,000 to $2,499; Bronze, $500 to $999; small business, $250 to $499; and individual, $100 to $249.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Electric Department partners with TVA to donate another $10,000 to ADFAC

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The Oak Ridge Electric Department has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to award another $10,000 to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) to help the local community during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, a press release said.

The funds will be used to help meet the essential needs of the residents of Oak Ridge, including rent, housing, and utilities, the press release said. This donation is in addition to the $10,000 that was donated to ADFAC back in April.

“These funds have been able to assist more than 160 households in Oak Ridge since March, with much needed assistance paying for utilities and rent,” said Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs. “We are very grateful for this opportunity and hope it reduces the potential for things like utility termination and eviction.”

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Senior Center to re-open in phases

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Oak Ridge Senior Center exterior front 2019
The front of the new Oak Ridge Senior Center is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge is planning a phased re-opening of the Senior Center on November 3.

Closed since March 16 due to COVID-19, the Senior Center is a “valued community resource providing opportunities for social interaction, continuing education, and exercise for area seniors,” a press release said.

During the first phase of re-opening, the Senior Center will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This limited schedule will allow time to clean and disinfect the building between sessions, the press release said.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, the following safety protocols will be in place, the press release said:

[Read more…]

Online classes offered for lifelong learners

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In a recent Friday lecture offered on Zoom by ORICL, Lane Warmbrod, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University with an Oak Ridge relative, spoke on “Advances in Life Sciences and their Implications for Biosecurity and Arms Control.” She mentioned untrue conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 virus. (Submitted photo)

 

For 21 different courses offered this fall by the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), you don’t have to get dressed and drive to Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Branch Campus. All you have to do is open your email to the message about the class you registered for and click on the Zoom videoconferencing link. In less than two minutes, you will be admitted to the class.

On your computer screen, you will see yourself, your fellow classmates, and your instructor, who will speak, show Power Point slides., and offer you a chance to ask questions—all from the comfort and convenience of your home.

At least one of the classes—the Friday morning lecture series—will offer talks not only by local instructors but also by speakers from other cities and states. [Read more…]

UT professor to discuss impact of COVID-19 on ecology, evolution

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Nina Fefferman

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss the effects of COVID-19 on ecology and evolution during an online presentation on Tuesday.

Nina Fefferman will be the speaker at the League of Women Voters event. Fefferman is a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Mathematics at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Fefferman is the associate director of UT’s One Health Initiative, and she is a member of the Covid-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) at UT.

The principle investigator at the Fefferman Lab at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville since 2008, Fefferman focuses on disease in the human population and how disease and disease-related behavioral ecology can affect the short-term survival and long-term evolutionary success of a population during and after a pandemic, a press release said. She has done extensive work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on pandemic preparedness and has drawn on her expertise to develop models to shape policy to keep populations safe during and after pandemics.

[Read more…]

Veterans Day Parade canceled due to COVID-19

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This year’s Veterans Day Parade in Anderson County has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision to cancel the annual parade because of uncertainties related to the pandemic was made by the Clinton American Legion Post #172, in partnership with The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12051, AMVETS Post #2, and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 26, a press release said.

“With the COVID-19 concerns and issues throughout the county and within the schools, the American Legion membership felt, ‘due to safety of spectators and participants alike,’ it is best to forego the parade this year and plan for a bigger and better parade in 2021,” the press release said.

While this year’s parade has been canceled, discussions are under way to develop a program to celebrate Veterans Day and follow proper social-distancing restrictions and guidelines, the release said.

[Read more…]

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