Oak Ridge Today

Today: ‘Say No to Drugs’ balloon release in Oak Ridge

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Say No to Drugs Balloon Release

Have you or someone you love ever suffered from drug abuse? Have you ever given thanks that the negative effects of drug abuse haven’t entered into your life?

If so, you are invited to join the family and friends of Clayton Smith along with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition for a special prayer and balloon release at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 9, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The event is being held to honor the recovery efforts of anyone who has suffered from drug addiction and to remember the lives of loved ones lost due to drug abuse. [Read more…]

Guided gratitude mediation offered Saturday morning

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Linda D. Doyle

Linda D. Doyle

A guided meditation of gratitude will be hosted by the Mental Health Ministry of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 8. The meditation, which will be led by licensed clinical social worker and CONTACT volunteer Linda Doyle, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the church fellowship hall.

The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge. The event is free and open to the public, and child care will be provided.

Doyle said in notes about the meditation that it is a type appropriate for all faiths and for the coming holiday season.

“The theme will be gratitude, keeping in mind the upcoming celebration of our country’s national holiday in November,” Doyle said in a press release. [Read more…]

Recycle electronics, other items; shred documents on Saturday

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You can recycle certain electronics and other items and shred documents during a recycling event on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Saturday.

The recycling program is sponsored by Keep Anderson County Beautiful. It is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 8, at the Potter’s Clearance Center next to Willow Ridge Garden Center.

It’s part of the national America Recycles Day, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.

During the local event, Scott Recycling of Knoxville will collect old computers and peripherals, cell phones, rechargeable and button batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs (no tubes), used books (not text books), and eyeglasses. For televisions, there is a charge of $20/TV and $1 per CRT computer monitor because of current expenses associated with recycling CRT screens. No TV cabinetry will be accepted. Scott Recycling from Knoxville will be recycling the electronics. [Read more…]

Daughters of American Revolution chapter meets Saturday in Oak Ridge

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The Clinch Bend Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will meet Saturday afternoon in Oak Ridge.

The meeting starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 8, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

The chapter will be honoring the nation’s veterans with a guest speaker, (retired) Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Johnson, a press release said. Johnson will present “My Life as a Soldier Girl.”

Refreshments will be served. For information, call (865) 945-5605 or visit http://tndar.org/~clinchbend/.

Lunch with League: Immigration, humanitarian crisis in East Tennessee

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Karla McKanders

Karla McKanders

An associate professor in the University of Tennessee College of Law will discuss the migration surge of vulnerable immigrants to East Tennessee during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday, a press release said.

Karla McKanders will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, November 4. The program will be held at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s new location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The press release said vulnerable immigrants are those who have migrated to the United States and are not afforded full protections under national and state laws. [Read more…]

Clinton Church of Christ to give away clothing on Saturday

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The Clinton Church of Christ will be giving away clothing of all types this Saturday, November 8, from 9 a.m. to noon at their building at 500 North Main Street in downtown Clinton, a press release said.

All are welcome to come get as much as they need, the release said.

Contact the church at (865) 457-0803 or churchofchristclinton@gmail.com for more information.

Vote411.org available online as voter information guide

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League of Women Voters Logo

VOTE411.org, an online voter information guide, is available to all citizens of Anderson and Roane counties. Sponsored locally by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, VOTE411 began in 2006 at the national League level. More than 220 Leagues are now participating.

The site allows users to compare candidates for office in their district, select their choices, and create a ballot summary that they can print out, take with them to the polling place, or share. To access the guide, the user should go to www.VOTE411.org and follow the prompts.

After accessing the site, users are prompted to enter their address, which is used to identify their voting district from U.S. Census Bureau GIS data. The races and referenda provided should be identical to those on the ballot for that voting district. The address information and candidate selections provided by users will not be collected or retained. [Read more…]

Kern United Methodist has new Sunday evening service

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Looking for a new way to jump start your week?

Kern United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge is offering an exciting, new Sunday evening service beginning on Sunday, November 2, a press release said.

“We will have a free dinner at 5 p.m. followed by an awesome energizing experience at 6 p.m.,” the release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County partners come together to celebrate tobacco prevention

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Choose Not to Use Tobacco

Kelli Kent, Emma Berry, Reagan Wolfe, Noah Carter, Jake Wade, Sarah Thomas, Hope Hicks, and Courtney Sharp dance as Snow White helps the seven side effects to #ChooseNotToUse tobacco products. (Submitted photo)

 

The Anderson County Health Department and community partners Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County, Anderson County Schools, Clinton City Schools, and Oak Ridge City Schools have made great strides in tobacco prevention since nearly $65,000 was awarded to Anderson County earlier this year.

At the Tobacco Initiative Reception held on Wednesday, October 22, those strides were recognized. Art Miller, director of the Anderson County Health Department, said “this is the first time tobacco settlement funds are being used to fund tobacco prevention.”

More than 40 attendees watched as the ASAP Youth Coalition demonstrated why they “Choose Not To Use” tobacco through a special presentation of a skit they wrote and produced titled “Snow White and the Seven Side Effects.” During the skit, the dangers of tobacco use—such as cigarettes being the leading cause of house fires with more than 7,600 each year in the U.S. and losing teeth after the use of chewing tobacco—were highlighted. [Read more…]

Spooktacular Event Friday at Children’s Museum

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Children's Museum of Oak Ridge

To celebrate Halloween, the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will host a Not-So-Scary Spooktacular Event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, October 31. Young visitors are invited to create their own trick-or-treat bags before visiting the exhibits. Activities are free with admission.

Among events at the museum will be:

  • Trick or treat bag decorating, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Great Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Spider Swamp Maze, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Ghost Bubbles in the Garden, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Flashlight Rainforest Walk, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
  • Spooky Story Time, 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
  • Crazy Costume Parade, 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
  • Mad Scientist Lab, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Glowing Tunnel, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

[Read more…]

Spotlight: Rotary leads fight against polio

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‘We are this close to ending polio’

Rotary International, which includes some 1.3 million members in 33,000 clubs in more than 200 countries around the world, celebrated October 24 as World Polio Day.

Since 1985, Rotary has led the battle against polio, as worldwide cases plummeted from 350,000 per year to several hundred—a 99 percent reduction.

“This is a source of pride to Rotarians everywhere,” says District Governor Jerry Wear of Rotary District 6780, which includes East Tennessee. “In our relentless fundraising efforts and our participation in inoculation days around the world, Rotarians are committed to carrying this important mission to completion.”

Today, polio is endemic in only three countries—Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. When India came off that list in 2012, it was an important step toward eradicating a human disease from the earth for only the second time in history. (The first disease so eradicated was smallpox.) [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren cleanup on Nov. 8

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Cleanup

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will undergo its annual fall cleanup at 9 a.m. Saturday, November 8.  The main cleanup activity consists of exotic invasive plant removal.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the area is one of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee.

The barren is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, Chinese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants. These plants, if allowed to mature, will shade out or overgrow the system’s unique prairie grasses. [Read more…]