Oak Ridge Today

American Centrifuge Manufacturing donates $60,000 to United Way

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

United Way of Anderson County Donation

Ronnie Gardner and a team representing American Centrifuge Manufacturing LLC, a joint company between B&W and USEC, present Tom Hilton, United Way of Anderson County’s 2012 Campaign Chairman, with a check for $60, 554 from a recently completed 2012 United Way Campaign. (Submitted photo)

American Centrifuge Manufacturing LLC recently donated $60,554 to United Way of Anderson County, a press release said.

American Centrifuge Manufacturing is a joint company between B&W and USEC, the release said.

The money was raised during the company’s recently completed 2012 United Way Campaign on behalf of the 136 employees of B&W and USEC who work for American Centrifuge Manufacturing, the release said.

[Read more…]

Christmas tree lighting at Civic Center on Dec. 7

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Woman's Club

Members of the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club pictured above are, from left, Betty Eason; Evelyn Moyers, civic affairs chair; Barbara Wantland; and Kathy Wilson, ORWC president. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will sponsor the annual Christmas tree lighting and reception on Friday, Dec. 7.

The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Secret City Commemorative Walk on the east side of the Oak Ridge Library parking lot.

A reception will follow in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium. Participants will enjoy refreshments and seasonal music, a press release said. The entertainment will include the Jefferson Middle School Orchestra, a Linden Elementary School chorus, and the Oak ridge Community Band.

[Read more…]

More than 600 run in Secret City Half Marathon, results online

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Secret City Half Marathon

About 560 runners competed in the Secret City Half Marathon, which started and ended on Briarcliff Avenue Sunday morning. (Photo courtesy of Frank Chmielewicz)

More than 600 adults and children ran in the Secret City Half Marathon and Relay in Oak Ridge on Sunday, organizer Frank Chmielewicz said.

It was the third year for the race, and final fundraising totals should be available in a few weeks, Chmielewicz said.

Race results are available at the Secret City Half Marathon website. They include overall results and finishes by age group and relay team results.

Top local finishers in the half marathon included Ed Wright of Oak Ridge (No. 3) and Jeremy Sexton of Clinton (No. 5).

[Read more…]

Two Anderson County properties receive preservation awards

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

CapitalMark Bank and Trust Preservation Award

Pictured is David Bradshaw, second from right, with an East Tennessee Preservation Award for CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge, and Todd Morgan, left, chair of the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance’s advocacy committee, state historic preservation officer Patrick McIntyre, and ETPA President Scott Brooks. (Photo by Ethiel Garlington.)

Two Anderson County properties have received preservation awards from the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance.

The Anderson County award winners were CapitalMark Bank and Trust, and Jon Overton Log House.

The 2012 East Tennessee Preservation Awards were announced during a recent preservation conference at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, a press release said. About 100 people from all parts of East Tennessee attended the conference.

[Read more…]

Council to hear updates on animal shelter, railway museum

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge City Council will hear updates tonight on the animal shelter, where two of three employees recently resigned, and the proposed Southern Appalachia Railway Museum, which has been in danger of losing a $480,000 state grant.

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi is scheduled to give an overview of the animal shelter during a City Council work session at 7 p.m. today at the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane. This morning, Akagi said the city has hired two new animal control officers.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and City Attorney Ken Krushenski are scheduled to give the updates on the railway museum.

[Read more…]

Voices of the Manhattan Project website launched Friday

Posted at
By 2 Comments

The Atomic Heritage Foundation and the Los Alamos Historical Society launched a new website Friday titled “Voices of the Manhattan Project.”

“This is the first step in creating a national repository or directory for oral history collections of Manhattan Project veterans and their families,” the Atomic Heritage Foundation said. “With the Congress considering legislation to establish a Manhattan Project National Historical Park, this website, with its first-hand accounts of this top-secret project, will be an important resource for scholars, students and members of the public.”

Oak Ridge played a key role in the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program to build the world’s first nuclear weapons during World War II, and the website includes interviews with several people who worked in Oak Ridge during the war.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fireballs win dodgeball tournament

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dodgeball Champs

Dodgeball tournament champions Oak Ridge Fireballs are pictured above, from back, Molly Landmesser, Ryan Pointer, Coach Lisa Summers, Mihir Mehta, Juan Fernandez, and from front left, David Laubach, Catherine King, Monil Mehta, and Andreas Sauter. Not pictured are Daniel Colburn and Drew Stokes. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board hosted a Youth Dodgeball Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 10. After three rounds of pool play, the Oak Ridge Fireballs faced off against Evan’s Shadow in the championship match, with the Fireballs winning 3-1.

It’s one of several events the Youth Advisory Board has scheduled this year. The board is co-hosting a Breakfast with Santa at Grove Theater on Dec. 1, and reservations are now available.

For more information about future dodgeball events, stop by the Oak Ridge Civic Center or call (865) 425-3450. You can also visit the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department website at www.orrecparks.org.

New outdoor classrooms at Dutch Valley and Fairview elementary schools

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Construction has been completed on outdoor classrooms at Dutch Valley and Fairview elementary schools in Anderson County, and students, officials, and volunteers will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

The classrooms were built with a $20,000 grant awarded to Keep Anderson County Beautiful in the spring of 2012. The grant was from Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation.

The new outdoor classrooms each include an 18-foot by 36-foot concrete pad with a covered pavilion and picnic tables that allow students to see and study nature in all seasons and different weather, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Grants program for school classroom projects discussed Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A board member of a local nonprofit organization that helps schools will give a Tuesday presentation on a program that uses grants to fund classroom projects in Oak Ridge.

The presentation by Cathy Toth of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“We are well aware of the ORPSEF efforts in the renovation of Oak Ridge High School,” Toth said in a press release. “Most of us are not aware that ORPSEF has quietly been making a difference with a grants program that has funded dozens of classroom projects in every school in Oak Ridge. The grants provide resources beyond what can be provided by tax dollars to help make the critical difference between adequate and outstanding academic experiences and performance.”

[Read more…]

Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 1, reservations available

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The 13th Annual Breakfast with Santa will be at the Grove Theater on Dec. 1.

The breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board and Grove Theater.

Organizers suggest a $5 donation per participants from ages 3 and up, payable at the door. The activities include a breakfast buffet, Christmas crafts, holiday movies in the theater, and photos with Santa.

[Read more…]

This weekend: arts and crafts, ballet, theater, half-marathon

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

There is much to do in Oak Ridge this weekend, ranging from arts, crafts, and theater to ballet, disc golf, and a half marathon.

We’ve already posted stories about some of the events, including today’s cash mob and “The Wiz” at Oak Ridge Playhouse. We’ve also written about the Secret City Half Marathon and free Turkey Bowl Disc Golf on Sunday.

But we’ve also added several new events to our new events calendar. They include an arts and crafts fair at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, Girls Inc. Parade of Trees at Pollard Auditorium, Folk Art Nativities at Oak Ridge Art Center, and “The Nutcracker” ballet at Oak Ridge High School. Those are all happening today, although there is another performance of “The Nutcracker” tomorrow (Sunday).

Please check out our events calendar for more details on these and other events.

German World War II veteran speaks at Roane State today

Posted at
By 2 Comments

A German veteran of World War II will speak today at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus and at the main campus in Harriman.

Gerhard Hennes will speak in the City Room at the Oak Ridge campus at 12:30 p.m. He will lecture at 4:30 p.m. at the Roane County campus in room O-202 in the O’Brien Humanities Building. Each event is free and open to the public.

The lectures are presented by the Roane State-Bethel University 2+2 education program.

Hennes served as an officer in the German signal corps and fought in the Polish invasion, the Battle of France, and in the North Africa campaign.

In North Africa, Hennes was stationed at the Army headquarters of Erwin Rommel and worked with the famed Panzer leader personally.

He surrendered with the Afrika Korps in 1943 and then spent the rest of the war in 16 POW camps, including more than a year in Crossville.

After the war, he was deported to Germany in 1945, but immigrated back to the U.S. in 1953 and became a citizen in 1958.

At 90 years old, he resides in Fredericksburg, Va., and has written four books, including two on his wartime experiences.

For more information, contact Roane State history professor Casey Cobb at cobbcc@roanestate.edu or (865) 481-2000, ext. 2205.