Oak Ridge Today

Corker visiting six Tenn. counties, with stop in Clinton

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U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

U.S. Senator Bob Corker is visiting six Tennessee counties, and the trip includes stops in Clinton, Knoxville, and Kingston on Tuesday.

The statewide travel started in Chattanooga on Saturday at the Department of Navy Memorial Service to honor the service members tragically killed in the July attack.

During Tuesday’s stops, Corker, a Tennessee Republican, will visit with business and community leaders.

On Wednesday, Corker will be back in Hamilton County, where he will attend the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. [Read more…]

CASA seeks volunteer advocates in Anderson County

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By CASA of the Tennessee Heartland

Kids Count Data 2015 has just been released. This data revealed that there were 160 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Anderson County alone. As a result, 277 Anderson County children were in DCS custody last year.

Because of the growing problem of abuse and neglect in our community, CASA of the Tennessee Heartland is seeking volunteer advocates for its Anderson County program. CASA of the Tennessee Heartland recruits, trains, and empowers volunteers to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children in juvenile court.

Our Court Appointed Special Advocates gather information, recommend services, and advocate for each child to be placed in a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible. A CASA volunteer may be the only consistent, adult presence in a child’s life. Because a CASA focuses on one family at a time, a child with a CASA volunteer is more likely to find a safe, permanent home, more likely to be adopted, and less likely to be bounced from home to home. [Read more…]

Festive Italian music featured in Aug. 29 ORCO concert

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Marcelo Urias

Marcelo Urias

By Dale Gedcke

The mystery maestro can now be revealed. The new conductor and music director for the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra is Marcelo Urias.

Those long familiar with the ORCO will recall that Urias was an enthusiastic conductor of the orchestra from February 2009 through September 2010. In the meantime, he was working diligently on a doctorate in choral conducting, which he received from the Indiana University School of Music in 2014.

Now, he has returned to build an exciting program of music that everyone is going to enjoy. Uriah maintains strong roots in the area, with full-time employment as music director at the Cokesbury United Methodist Church in West Knoxville.

For a free concert on Saturday, August 29, Maestro Marcelo has programmed the energetic “Roman Carnival Overture” by Berlioz and the vibrant “Capriccio Italienne” by Tchaikovsky.

In addition, he has arranged a surprise bonus of famous and fabulous opera arias sung by April Hill, Kathryn Marvel, Taylor Stone, and Ryan Colbert.  Their performances will be the “whipped cream and cherry on top of the banana-split sundae.” This will be a flavorful program to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon. [Read more…]

Good news: Interactive fountain arrives at Jackson Square

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Interactive Fountain Vault at Jackson Square

The interactive fountain has arrived at Jackson Square. It’s the central component in the $1 million renovation of the square’s parking lot. Above, workers unload the fountain’s vault, which is essentially its operating system, early Thursday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m.

The interactive water fountain has arrived at Jackson Square. It’s a central component in the $1 million renovation of the shopping center’s parking lot.

The fountain components that arrived on a semi truck early Thursday afternoon were a large vault, which is the fountain’s operating system, and a collection tank. Spray pods that will go around the fountain were already here.

The entire fountain, which was custom-built by Roman Fountains of New Mexico, is now on site, said Angel Rich, president of Rich Construction Inc. of Lenoir City. The parking lot renovation, which is mostly funded with a state grant and includes the fountain, is expected to be substantially complete by September 15. That would be in time for the Taste of Anderson County on September 19 at Jackson Square.

Rich said the next steps are to dig a hole for the fountain and install it, run electrical and water lines to it, and tie it into the city’s sewer system. [Read more…]

United Way announces $1.2 million goal for 2015 campaign

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Naomi Asher

Naomi Asher

By United Way of Anderson County

Under new leadership and with renewed focus, United Way of Anderson County announces a goal of $1.2 million for the 2015 fall campaign. The announcement comes as UWAC is ramping up for the campaign kickoff later in August with a full roster of community and fundraising events.

As with previous years, the funds from this year’s campaign will support the agencies working hard in our community to improve the quality of life of our friends and neighbors.

UWAC has been working to re-establish relationships with the people and businesses of Anderson County after the departure of former leader Rick Morrow in March of this year. However, Executive Director Naomi Asher and the UWAC board of directors are working to maximize the impact of this year’s campaign. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line needs volunteers

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CONTACT Care Line is in need of volunteers to answer its Crisis Line and to make daily Reassurance Calls to its elderly, disabled, and home bound clients. CONTACT is a United Way Agency and all of its services are free of charge. They serve all nine counties in the 865 area code area.

CONTACT Care Line is offering The Art of Active Listening Training on Tuesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. for eight weeks from August 25-October 13 in the Austin Peay Building at 1404 Circle Drive in Knoxville.

A press release said this training teaches empathetic listening skills that you can use with co-workers, family. and friends. [Read more…]

ORHPA will celebrate 70th anniversary of end of WWII with special showing of historic movie

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The Beginning or The End

A historic Ed Westcott image of the original showing of the movie, “The Beginning or the End”—The Story of the Atomic Bomb and Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

A 70th anniversary celebration of the end of World War II will feature a special showing of the historic movie “‘The Beginning or the End,’ The Story of the Atomic Bomb and Oak Ridge.”

The celebration has been organized by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It’s scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, August 29, at the Historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Grove Center.

The program will include the presentation of the flag by the Volunteer State Honor Guard, patriotic music by the Oak Ridge High School Ensemble, and the special recognition of all veterans, a press release said. Also, a special proclamation will be presented to the Y-12 National Security Complex recognizing 70 years of supporting our nation’s freedom, the release said. [Read more…]

Friends of ORNL meeting will feature discussion of data-driven health innovation

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The Tuesday lunch meeting of Friends of ORNL will feature Gina Tourassi, director of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She will discuss data-driven health innovations at ORNL.

The August 11 meeting starts with lunch at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation begins at 12 p.m. It’s in the University of Tennessee Resource Center, the white-colored building at 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike between Taco Bell and Applebee’s at the intersection of the Turnpike and Rutgers Avenue. Use the canopy entrance at the southwest (back) corner of the building.

This meeting is open to the public. [Read more…]

Suicide prevention the focus of Aug. 22 training

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Scott Payne of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, or TSPN, will offer a free one-hour gatekeeper training program for all who want to learn more about suicide prevention on Saturday, August 22, at Grace Lutheran Church. The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The presentation, which is titled “Addressing Suicidal Ideation and Behavior,” will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the church fellowship hall. Free child care will be provided.

The training is appropriate for anyone who may come in contact with a person who is having suicidal thoughts and wants to help that person choose life, a press release said.

In information provided by Payne, he noted that the training is a customized version of the evidence-based, best practice “Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)” suicide prevention training and that it will enhance each participant’s awareness of their values, attitudes, and beliefs regarding suicide. [Read more…]

Community Mediation has fall training for volunteer mediators

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Community Mediation Services Banner

Community Mediation Services of Anderson County has early fall training for those interested in becoming a volunteer mediator.

“You will learn new skills while you help others,” a press release said.

“CMS’s four mediation programs make very real differences in the lives of youth and families in our community,” the release said. “Our mediators say amazing things happen at the mediation table when people arrive to discuss often difficult issues and leave with a solution they have all agreed upon.”

Training for Basic Mediation Skills is scheduled for Friday, August 21, from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. [Read more…]

Council could consider Secret City Festival changes, including move to fall

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Secret City Festival Concert 2015

A concert crowd at the 2015 Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. Concerts by the Marshall Tucker Band and Three Dog Night attracted the highest number of spectators in festival history. (Photo by Robert Welton)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday could consider changes to the Secret City Festival, including a possible move to the fall. The annual festival could be expanded into a celebration that could start in October and run through Veterans Day (November 11), last at least a week, and include the Secret City Festival.

It’s one of five changes recommended by the Special Events Advisory Task Force set up by City Council in February. Each Council member appointed a member of the task force, which was chaired by Council member Trina Baughn. The task force was expected to meet for six months and provide a recommendation to City Council by this month.

The City Council will need to consider an amendment to the Monday night agenda to formally include the recommended changes.

“The idea is not to limit the celebration to a single event, but to incorporate other activities over an expanded period of time that allow for greater participation by both patrons and various organizations within the community,” Baughn said in an August 5 memo to City Council. [Read more…]

Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Aug. 15

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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…]