Oak Ridge Today

Science, ethics, war to be discussed at Lunch with League on Tuesday

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Jeffrey Kovac

Jeffrey Kovac

A chemistry professor and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee will explore the proper role of scientists in war-related research during a Tuesday meeting in Oak Ridge.

The presentation by Jeffrey Kovac at a Lunch with the League meeting is titled “Science, Ethics, and War—Questions of Conscience.” It starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“Science and the military have had a long and often mutually beneficial relationship, a relationship that is seldom questioned,” a press release said. [Read more…]

United Way of Anderson County’s annual meeting on Thursday

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United Way of Anderson County Meeting Invite

Reservations due Monday

The United Way of Anderson County will have its annual meeting on Thursday morning at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Reservations are due Monday, April 14.

A light breakfast will be available at the annual meeting, which is scheduled from 7:30-8:30 a.m. Thursday.

“The community is invited to attend the annual meeting and campaign announcement,” a press release said. “It is a time for UWAC to share with donors the lasting change their contributions make in Anderson County and an opportunity to thank and recognize the volunteers that lead the effort. [Read more…]

ORCMA ‘Double Feature’ show on Saturday includes dinner, concert

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oak-ridge-symphony-double-feature-0414-300x250

A “Double Feature” concert on Saturday will include favorite movie themes played by the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra.

It’s the orchestra’s final performance of the season, and it will feature conductor Dan Allcott directing music themes from “Gone with the Wind,” “Star Trek,” “007,” and much more, a press release said. The music starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

The orchestra’s Pop’s Concert is presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

The concert will be preceded by a fundraising dinner that will benefit the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Concert series, the Oak Ridge Chorus, education outreach by ORCMA, and the Coffee Concerts. The dinner is sponsored by ORCMA, and it starts at 5:30 p.m. at the ORHS Performing Arts Center. [Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from April 10-16

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting Thursday, March 10, and continuing through March 16.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau:

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Research Park spring nature walks begin Sunday

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Four nature walks hosted by the Oak Ridge Research Park are scheduled this spring in various areas of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

The public is invited to join these walks, which showcase the rich flora and fauna diversity, as well as the sustainable management and conservation practices of the area.

The schedule for the spring nature walks is as follows: [Read more…]

ASAP helps Anderson County students ‘Kick Butts’

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ASAP of Anderson County Kick Butts Day

Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up, and seize control against tobacco. This year, national Kick Butts Day was March 19, which Anderson County students celebrated the week of March 24 due to Spring Break.

Through partnerships between Anderson County Coordinated School Health, Clinton City Coordinated School Health, Oak Ridge Coordinated School Health, the Anderson County Health Department, and Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) of Anderson County, this Kick Butts Day was an amazing success, a press release said.

“We were very excited to partner with other school systems and organizations for Kick Butts Day,” said Kim Guinn, ACS coordinated school health director. “By working together, we were able to make a larger impact on our community. We all want to accomplish the same goal and see our students choose not to use tobacco.” [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Young Child Celebration on April 11

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Backwoods Rambling Puppets

Wood and Strings Theatre will bring the rich folklore and toe-tapping tunes of the Appalachian Mountains to life with a puppet performance of “Backwoods Ramblin’” on Friday, April 11, for the Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The celebration, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., will be a tribute to Selma Shapiro, who led the museum for 32 years before her retirement at age 80 in 2004. She expanded the museum from a group of small exhibits established by Girl Scouts into a nationally recognized regional center of learning and play, and continued to volunteer at the museum until her death in 2011.

Wood and Strings Theatre’s marionettes play fiddles, smoke corn cob pipes, dance jigs, and sing mountain tunes as they take the audience to the front porch of storyteller Grandpa Will’s cabin. He spins tall tales based on “Jack Tales,” authentic Appalachian folk tales compiled by Richard Chase. Grandpa Will’s family, friends, and hound dog all join in the lively entertainment. [Read more…]

Farmers Markets to open this weekend in Knoxville, Oak Ridge

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Farmers Market

The longest continuous operating farmers markets in East Tennessee will open for the season on Friday, April 11, in Knoxville, and Saturday, April 12, in Oak Ridge. The second Knoxville market location will open on Wednesday, April 16. 

“After a long winter, it’s always a welcome sign of spring when the farmers markets open and we see the first of the spring harvest coming in,” said Steve Colvin, president of the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. “We’re hoping the final cold snaps won’t take too much of a toll on the early crops.”

FARM operates markets on Fridays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike at Cherokee Boulevard. On Wednesdays, the FARM Market operates at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 1001 Ebenezer Road near Westland Avenue. The Saturday market is held from 8 a.m. until noon in the parking lot adjacent to historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Sustainability Report: Comparison of European and U.S./Vermont practices

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Dodd Galbreath and PV Panels

Dodd Galbreath, right, with students and photo-voltaic panels. (Submitted photo)

There will be a presentation on sustainability practices by Dodd Galbreath, head of the Institute for Sustainable Practice at David Lipscomb University, on Thursday, April 10. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge.

It’s co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning and the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board, and the program is free and open to the public.

Sustainability is more often associated with European than American culture. This presentation will showcase photographs and technical information documented by the founding director of the Institute during a tour of European sustainability sites, as well as lessons learned during his four years of leading travel courses in Vermont and New England. Topics to be covered will include history and practices involving food, energy, waste, water, transportation, land, building, communities, and culture.

For more information, call or write TCWP Executive Director Sandra K. Goss at (865) 583-3967 or sandra@sandrakgoss.com.

Get your clearance for Casino Night 2014: Secrets, science, and swing

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MMC Casino Night

By Methodist Medical Center

Shhhhh! Can you keep a secret? The year is 1943; the town, unmarked on any map, is nestled between river and ridge and full of mystery, matchmaking, and mud.

Join the Methodist Medical Center Foundation for an old-fashioned evening honoring the early days of Oak Ridge at Casino Night 2014: Secrets Science and Swing on Saturday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the New Hope Center at Y-12.

Swing to the live music of Soul Candy and the Traffic Jam, feast in the officers’ dining hall, visit the PX auction where you’ll find some “can’t-miss deals,” and enjoy the gaming tables with your friends.

Tickets are $75 per person or $125 per couple. Profits from Casino Night will benefit the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center, which provide free, temporary lodging to cancer patients and their families who must travel for treatment at Methodist Medical Center, as well as others seeking long-term treatment as space allows. The houses have been serving the patients of Methodist Medical Center since 1997. Now, so that these houses may always be available to those who need them, the Foundation is establishing a $1.5 million endowment to support the Hospitality Houses in perpetuity. [Read more…]

Emory Valley Center hires new development director

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Janet Wood

Janet Wood

Emory Valley Center, a nonprofit agency serving children and adults with disabilities since 1955, has hired Janet Wood as its new development director.

Experienced within the fields of marketing, community relations, and nonprofit fundraising, Wood most recently served as the public relations and special projects coordinator with Alzheimer’s Tennessee in Knoxville. While there, she was lead coordinator for the Five County Walk held in Oak Ridge and the Foothills Walk held at Maryville College. She also coordinated volunteers in their fundraising efforts for both of these walks and provided support in additional fundraising and public relations endeavors for the organization. Wood also has years of experience in print, broadcast, and media relations, having previously been employed by The Oak Ridger newspaper for 10 years, a press release said.

“We are so excited to have Janet on our team and look forward to all the great work she will do on behalf of the Center,” said Jennifer Enderson, Emory Valley Center president. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Legal Aid Society announces new hire at Oak Ridge office

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Michelle Darsey

Michelle Darsey

Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, Tennessee’s largest nonprofit law firm, has welcomed Michelle Darsey to the Oak Ridge office location as receptionist.

Darsey brings more than 10 years of client service and office support experience to her new role. She has served in public interest positions through the AmeriCorps/Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, program as a homeless outreach specialist for United Neighborhood Health Services and as a prisoner reentry liaison for the San Diego County District Attorney’s office.

“Michelle is a service-oriented individual who is dedicated to her work and to helping others,” said Janet Mynatt, managing attorney for the Oak Ridge office of Legal Aid Society. “She previously excelled in a legal office setting and we are certain she will do the same with Legal Aid Society. We are happy to welcome her to the firm.” [Read more…]