Oak Ridge Today

2014 Blacks in Government scholarship luncheon Thursday

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In celebration of Black History Month, the Oak Ridge Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG) is sponsoring the 20th Annual BIG Scholarship Luncheon from 11-1 p.m. Thursday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Keynote speaker Derrick Johnson will speak on the 2014 Black History Month theme “Civil Rights in America.”

Johnson serves as state president for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP, and executive director of One Voice, Inc. He recently served as a Mel King Community Fellow with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, and a bachelor’s degree from Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss. Johnson serves on the NAACP national board of directors, the boards of the Mississippi ACLU and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and on the Advisory Council of the Mississippi Economic Policy Center. Additionally, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court as a commissioner to the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. [Read more…]

Free community meal at ORUUC on Friday

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Stone Soup Ministry Community Meal

Sister and brother Lilly and Logan Swain help serve food at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s Stone Soup Ministry meal in November 2012. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church has a free community meal on Friday, part of its monthly Stone Soup Ministry.

Everyone is welcome to attend, a press release said. Dine-in or takeout will be available from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Social Hall of the church, which is at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The menu includes homemade potato corn chowder, a sandwich, and cookies. [Read more…]

Rock to Bach Music Festival is Saturday at New Hope Center

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Kukuly Fuego

Kukuly and Gypsy Fuego will perform gypsy and American swing jazz at the Oak Ridge Rock to Bach Music Festival on Saturday, March 1, at New Hope Center. (Submitted photo)

The fourth annual Oak Ridge Rock to Bach Music Festival is Saturday.

Rock to Bach is an all-day music festival presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association as a benefit for ORCMA music organizations, such as the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and the world-class Chamber Music Series.

Eighteen groups will perform this Saturday, playing pop, rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, jazz, Celtic, patriotic, Dixieland, swing, klezmer, and classical music.

The festival is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the New Hope Center near the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex. The New Hope Center is next to Scarboro Road, just across from the intersection with Union Valley Road.

Among the performing groups and performers are the Tennessee Schmalz, Knoxville Youth Jazz Orchestra, Early Bird Special Band, Liz and Tim, Jack Russell and the Terriers, Kukuly and Gypsy Fuego, Walker Marema, Silver Winds Choir, and singers with the Oak Ridge Chorus who will perform selections from musicals, operas, and operettas. [Read more…]

Free screening of ‘Inequality for All’ to honor International Women’s Day

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Robert Reich

Robert Reich

Local organizations are offering a free March 7 screening of “Inequality for All,” a documentary that features former U. S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, in honor of International Women’s Day 2014.

Reich’s award-winning documentary focuses on the widening income gap in America, a press release said.

The screening is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m., Friday, March 7, in the City Room (A-111) of Roane State Community College at 702 Briarcliff Ave. It’s sponsored by Women’s Interfaith Dialogue, the League of Women Voters, Altrusa International, and the Sisterhood of the Jewish Congregation, all of Oak Ridge.

The release said Reich uses humor and a wide array of facts to explain how income inequality and the shrinking middle class affect everyone and have implications for the future of democracy, the economy, and the nation. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Special Jury Prize. It was recently released in theaters nationwide and has now been made available for educational screenings. [Read more…]

Lunch with League: Math and the connection between HIV, AIDS

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The role of mathematical modeling in understanding the connection between HIV and AIDS will be the focus of a March 4 Lunch with the League.

The presentation by Vitaly Ganusov starts at noon on Tuesday, March 4, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains one of the major causes of death due to infectious diseases, with over 35 million people being infected with the virus,” a press release said. “Since its discovery in 1983, our understanding how HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has evolved with different theories being proposed and overturned by alternative theories. Mathematical modeling played an important role in generating support for some of these theories. [Read more…]

ORNL FCU donates sweepstakes winnings to Girls Inc.

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Girls Inc. with ORNL Federal Credit Union Sweepstakes Winnings

ORNL Federal Credit Union collected thousands of dollars worth of electronics and household goods during the Credit Union Magic Minute Loyalty Dash sponsored by PSCU,  and the credit union donated its winnings to Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge on Thursday, Feb. 6.

PSCU, the nation’s leading Credit Union Service Organization, or CUSO, conceived and fully sponsored the Credit Union Magic Minute Loyalty Sweepstakes as a way to give their member-owner credit unions, including ORNL FCU, the shopping thrill of a lifetime, a press release said.

ORNL FCU members were encouraged to register their contact information on their credit union’s CURewards loyalty program website, the press release said. By using their ORNL FCU credit or debit card during the sweepstakes eligibility period, members’ names were automatically entered in a series of eight weekly drawings. [Read more…]

Local physicians compete in Doc Rock battle of the bands

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Submitted

Join area physicians and health professionals for a rockin’ good time at “Doc Rock for Health” on Saturday, March 1, in Knoxville’s Old City at “NV” at 125 E. Jackson Ave. (across from Barley’s). Doc Rock features six bands that represent several area hospitals. Each band will play a 45-minute set and compete to win cover charge proceeds, which will benefit their favorite health-based charity.

The local physician band Second Opinion will be playing to support Methodist Medical Center’s Hospitality Houses. These houses primarily provide free lodging to families and patients who travel to Methodist for cancer treatment. The Hospitality Houses have been home to nearly 4,000 guests since opening in 1997.

Second Opinion’s Doc Rock performance will include Methodist Medical Center physicians: gastroenterologist Ken Luckmann, MD; and retired otolaryngologist John Jernigan, MD; plus Parkwest radiologist Daryl Harp, MD; along with friends of Methodist: Melissa Carter, Tim Comer, David Lynch, Larry Sheumaker, and Todd Wright. [Read more…]

Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday

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The second Breakfast with the Legislators of 2014 is on Monday morning.

The Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville has been in session since Jan. 14, a press release said.

“Bills dealing with election laws, Common Core Standards, Medicaid expansion, charter schools, Hall Income Tax, and the Affordable Care Act are being considered,” the release said. “Breakfast with the Legislators provides a forum to get to know key legislative decision makers and to ask questions on issues moving forward in state government.”

Monday’s monthly breakfast is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served. [Read more…]

Get rid of your unused medicines on Saturday morning

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You can get rid of your unused medicines in a Saturday morning drop-off at the Oak Ridge Police Department.

Operation Medicine Cabinet is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon at the Oak Ridge Police Department at the Municipal Building at 200 S. Tulane Ave.

“Come and drop off your old and expired drugs,” organizers said. “No names given.”

It’s being promoted by the ORPD and Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County, or ASAP. For more information, call ORPD Officer Brandan Sharp at (865) 556-6696 or visit www.asapofanderson.org.

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from Feb. 21-26

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting Friday, Feb. 21, and continuing through Feb. 26.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren work day on Saturday

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

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There will be a work session to remove exotic invasive plants and learn about cedar barren ecology at a small unique area in the heart of Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, a state natural area, will be the focus of the event on Saturday, March 1. The public is invited to attend.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this rare barren was spared from development in 1988 through efforts spearheaded by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, sponsor of this event, and was subsequently registered as a Tennessee Natural Area. Maintenance of the barren is a joint project of TCWP, the City of Oak Ridge, and the Tennessee Division of Natural Areas. [Read more…]

CASA receives national certification for work quality

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CASA of the Tennessee Heartland—which serves Anderson, Blount, and Scott counties—has been awarded certification by the National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association. This certification recognizes that CASA of the Tennessee Heartland is in compliance with National CASA’s high standards for quality child advocacy.

“The National CASA quality assurance process is very rigorous and reflects our commitment to ensure every child we serve has the most powerful volunteer advocate working on their behalf,” said Michael Piraino, chief executive officer of the National CASA Association. “This certification says CASA of the Tennessee Heartland has demonstrated to us a strong capacity to provide excellent services to the abused and neglected children within their community.”

CASA of the Tennessee Heartland was started in Anderson County in 1988, has been serving Scott County for 13 years, and is entering the second year of service in Blount County. [Read more…]