Oak Ridge Today

Boy battling brain cancer receives more than 100 pounds of birthday mail, gifts

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Joseph Dillman and Brian Bruce

Joseph Dillman, right, is battling brain cancer for the second time, and he received more than 100 pounds of mail and gifts for his 10th birthday. Above, family friend Brian Bruce helps Dillman open gifts during Joseph Dillman Day at Claxton Elementary School on Saturday. 

 

CLAXTON—A Clinton boy battling brain cancer for the second time received more than 100 pounds of birthday mail and gifts on Saturday from well-wishers across the country, including Peyton Manning and Johnny Majors. Joseph Dillman, who turned 10 on Thursday, also got to sit in a Dukes of Hazzard car, enjoy a visit from Claxton firefighters and a monster truck, and sit court side to watch a youth basketball game.

His favorite part of the day?

“Everybody coming to my birthday,” said the fourth-grade basketball player, who has attended South Clinton Elementary School but is now homebound. “Thank you to everyone.” [Read more…]

Regional Prevent Child Abuse manager to discuss Healthy Families, Healthy Start

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Susan Moore of Healthy Start

Susan Moore

Susan Moore, program manager for the East Tennessee region of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, will be the featured speaker at a February meeting of Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge.

Moore will discuss “Healthy Families, Healthy Start: A home-visiting program promoting the well-being of children.”

The meeting will start at 11 a.m. Monday, February 2, in the Entry Forum of the Jewish Congregation at 101 West Madison Lane. [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators kicks off Monday

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

John Ragan

John Ragan

This year’s Breakfast with the Legislators kicks off Monday.

Breakfast with the Legislators is a monthly morning meeting with state legislators from Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties. It’s held the first few months each year while the Tennessee General Assembly is in session in Nashville.

It includes brief updates of the legislative session from local legislators and a question-and-answer session with those who attend. It’s open to the public. [Read more…]

Free Family Symphony Sunday features guest violinist Hannah Shipstad

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Hannah Shipstad

Hannah Shipstad

Special guest violinist Hannah Shipstad, 11-year-old winner of the Youth Aliyah competition in Oak Ridge, will play as a soloist with the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra during its free family concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Hannah will join the orchestra in “Spring” from “Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi. A small symphony orchestra will also perform the musical story of “Peter and the Wolf,” by Sergei Prokofiev.

The Children’s Museum, at 461 West Outer Drive, is offering free admission from 1-5 p.m. Sunday to support the concert. Children are invited to come early for paper puppet making and instrument making beginning at 2 p.m. at the museum. [Read more…]

Earthquake lecture: Can ‘the big one’ happen here?

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Robert D. Hatcher Jr.

Robert D. Hatcher Jr.

Could we have a major earthquake in East Tennessee? Do we live in an active seismic zone?

These and many other questions will be answered by Robert Hatcher, University of Tennessee distinguished scientist, at a lecture sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society on Thursday, January 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

Due to popular demand, Hatcher is again returning to address these and other questions about earthquake activity in our area, a press release said.

Hatcher will discuss whether earthquakes are frequent in our area, and he will also discuss the chances of experiencing a strong quake. [Read more…]

Barbeque and Bluegrass Bash on Feb. 21 helps abused, neglected children

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Ridge City Ramblers

The Ridge City Ramblers will play at the 12th Annual Barbeque and Bluegrass Bash, a February 21 fundraiser for CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. (File photo)

 

The 12th Annual Barbeque and Bluegrass Bash in February will feature food, music, and entertainment, and it will raise money to help abused and neglected children in Anderson, Blount, and Scott counties.

It’s a fundraiser for CASA of the Tennessee Heartland. This year’s bash is at 6 p.m. Saturday, February 21, at a new venue—205 Main Street in Clinton.

A full barbecue buffet dinner will be provided along with decadent desserts, a press release said. Silent and live auctions will include vacation packages, Raku Pottery from Bill Capshaw, fine jewelry, and many baskets and packages of interest. [Read more…]

Superintendent Borchers at Lunch with League on Tuesday

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

During a lunchtime meeting Tuesday, Superintendent Bruce Borchers will review areas of focus for Oak Ridge Schools and share data on the past year’s achievements of students and staff members.

Borchers will also highlight future plans and programs, including the plan to transform Oak Ridge Schools into the premier preK-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) school district in the nation. There will also be an update on the status of the recommendations for the Preschool and the School Administration Building, a press release said.

Borchers will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 20. The program starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

KnoxWorx hosts community job fair Tuesday

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KnoxWorx Logo

KnoxWorx, a workforce development initiative of Knoxville Leadership Foundation, is hosting a community job fair on Tuesday with help from area churches.

The job fair is at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday, January 20. The church is at 9132 Kingston Pike.

“Knoxville Leadership Foundation’s KnoxWorx program will host a community job fair and motivational seminar on January 20,” a press release said. “Several motivational speakers who have ‘been there, done that’ on the road to their career will give words of wisdom to attendees and advice on creative ways to land the job of their dreams. More than 30 local employers and HR representatives will be on hand to accept resumes and answer questions.” [Read more…]

Photos: Community leaders sleep outside to raise awareness of homelessness

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Pastor Steve Sherman with Homeless Sign

Pastor Steve Sherman of First Christian Church is pictured above at a camp-out on a cold Thursday night at First United Methodist Church that was intended to raise awareness of homelessness. (Photos by James Lewis) 

 

Several community leaders camped out Thursday night at First United Methodist Church to raise awareness of homelessness. The volunteers also collected linens and personal care items for the upcoming Warming Center project and brought attention to the need for volunteers to help with the Point in Time Count.

Here are photos by James Lewis.

The community was invited to come out to support the sleep-out participants from 6-7 p.m. Thursday (January 15), and local homeless providers were expected to talk about their agencies and what they are providing to homeless individuals in the community. [Read more…]

Relay for Life kickoff scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 29

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American Cancer Society Relay for Life

The kickoff for this year’s Relay for Life of Oak Ridge is scheduled for Thursday evening, January 29.

During the kickoff, volunteers and participants will launch fundraising efforts for 2015. The kickoff will be at the Holiday Inn Express at 114 Tulsa Road from 5:30-7 p.m. January 29.

Anyone interested in learning more about this event and current team captains/members is invited to attend, a press release said. [Read more…]

Free family concert Sunday features ‘Peter and the Wolf,’ ‘Spring’

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Martha Damiano

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra will present “Peter and the Wolf” and Vivaldi’s “Spring” in a free family concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, January 25, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Children are invited to come early for paper puppet making and instrument making beginning at 2 p.m. at the museum at 461 West Outer Drive. The museum is offering free admission from 1-5 p.m. Sunday to support the concert.

Puppets from the “Peter and the Wolf” story are in the Anna Cebrat Puppet Room at the museum, where children may act out the story in the puppet theater in the week leading up to the concert. [Read more…]

Library has limited tax forms this year

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Submitted

The Oak Ridge Public Library has supplied the community with federal and state tax forms for the past several years. This year, the United States Internal Revenue Service is severely limiting the amount and types of forms the library and other institutions can order for the public.

For tax year 2014, only the 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ forms will be available at the Library. No instruction booklets or other forms or schedules will be received for the public. No employer tax forms will be available at the Library, including W-2, W-3, W-4, and instructions for these forms. Form 1096, Annual Summary, and Transmittal of U. S. Information Returns, and Form 1099, Miscellaneous Income, will not be available at the Library.

Most tax forms not available at the Library can be printed for the cost of 10 cents a page from the IRS website at www.irs.gov. [Read more…]