Oak Ridge Today

Panel on Monday to discuss building welcoming, inclusive community

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Anne Backus

Anne Backus

A Monday panel will focus on building a welcoming and inclusive community, a press release said. The discussion will be hosted by Women’s Interfaith Dialogue, and the panel will meet at 11 a.m. Monday, March 5, at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge.

The Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge is at 101 West Madison Avenue.

“The meeting will feature a panel discussion of issues impacting LGBTQ members of our community and efforts to make our community more welcoming and inclusive,” the press release said.

The panel will include three Oak Ridgers: John Jaruzel, Anne Backus, and Jessica Ammendolia.

Here is more information from the press release: [Read more…]

ORISE, Rotary Club plan to package 20,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger

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More than 100 volunteers from the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge will package 20,000 nutritious meals for Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization, in a few hours on Thursday, March 8.

The event is marking the expansion of a warehouse on ORISE’s south campus by helping feed people around the world.

“Volunteers will follow an assembly-line process to package highly nutritious dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables, and 23 essential vitamins and minerals,” a media alert said. “Rise Against Hunger will distribute the meals primarily to school feeding programs in developing countries around the world.”

ORISE is managed by ORAU, a nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Park Service to discuss TVA role in powering Tennessee Valley, supporting war effort

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Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

 

The National Park Service will have a talk on the Tennessee Valley Authority on Sunday while celebrating the 82nd anniversary of the completion of the TVA Norris Dam. During the program, the Park Service will discuss how the Tennessee Valley Authority changed the landscape and supported the war effort in East Tennessee, a press release said.

The Sunday program is free, and it is being offered by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a unique three-site park that includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The program is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

The American Museum of Science and Energy is located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. The National Park Service visitor desk is located at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge at 461 West Outer Drive. For more information or directions, call (865) 482-1942.

Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos were part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

Richard Cook to speak at Friends of Library annual meeting on Sunday

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Richard Cook (Submitted photo)

Richard Cook (Submitted photo)

 

The annual meeting of the Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library (FOL) will be held Sunday, and the guest speaker will be Richard Cook, author of “Ignored Heroes of World War II: The Manhattan Project Workers of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.”

The meeting is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 4, in the Oak Ridge Public Library auditorium. There is no charge. Everyone is invited to attend, a press release said. New board members will be elected during the meeting.

Cook, who has lived in Oak Ridge since 2000, said his work is an oral history of Oak Ridge, the press release said. His wife, Katy (Orrick), was born and raised in Oak Ridge.

Cook wrote an op/ed column for The Oak Ridger from 2003-2005, the press release said. He has written more than 130 op/ed columns, which have appeared in The Oak Ridger, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, and The Tennessean website, the release said. His book has been profiled locally on WBIR, WATE, and PBS. [Read more…]

Borchers to give update on school system & changes on Tuesday

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Oak-Ridge-Schools-Bruce-Borchers-March-28-2016

Bruce Borchers

 

Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, will discuss the state of the Oak Ridge school system during a lunchtime talk on Tuesday.

His presentation is expected to provide an update on the school system and changes that have been implemented since his last address to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, a press release said.

The Lunch with the League meeting is scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Borchers has served as Oak Ridge Schools superintendent since 2013, the press release said. He began his career as an elementary physical education teacher in Sioux City, Iowa. He later worked as an assistant principal and principal in Iowa City and Mankato, Minnesota, and as an associate superintendent of secondary schools for the Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota, school district, the release said. Prior to coming to Oak Ridge, he was superintendent of the Rockwood (Missouri) School District. [Read more…]

Y-12, Pantex donate $1.1 million to local United Way campaigns

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

United Way contributions at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge totaled about $1.1 million.

The contributions were announced last week by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, the contractor that manages and operates the two sites. Contributions from employees, retirees, and the corporation were gathered during the sites’ recent campaigns, CNS said in a press release.

Corporate gifts of $150,000 also added to the total, CNS said. Funds also were raised through special events, such as silent auctions, and the sales of jewelry, books, and food items. This year, both sites’ employees added to their United Way activities by raising funds and supplies for local veteran resource centers, the press release said. [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

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Pictured above at a Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, April 25, 2016, are, from left, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, February 26. The meeting will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served, a press release said.

State senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about the legislative outlook for this session of the Tennessee General Assembly and respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience, the press release said. The public is invited to attend.

The popular community event offers firsthand information on upcoming legislation and House and Senate committee activities, while prompting dialogue among legislators and citizens, and providing a great networking opportunity for members of the community, the press release said. [Read more…]

Prevention of child abuse to be discussed during Tuesday lunch

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Susan Moore

Susan Moore

The speaker featured at Lunch with the League on Tuesday will discussion the prevention of child abuse in Oak Ridge and Anderson County.

The speaker will be Susan Moore, regional program manager of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, February 20, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Moore’s educational background is in business administration and elementary education, a press release said. For the past 20 years, she has been involved in education and children’s issues, and she has served as East Tennessee programs manager for Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee for five years. She is interested in the effects of childhood trauma on brain development, and in making “our community and the greater East Tennessee region more trauma informed,” the release said. [Read more…]

Movie screening, discussion to raise awareness of opioid epidemic

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Flyer_Chasing the Dragon_FINAL_Feb 20th_CMS

A movie screening and discussion on Tuesday will help raise awareness of the opioid epidemic in the community, a press release said.

The documentary “Chasing the Dragon” will be shown starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 20, in the Clinton Middle School auditorium. The screening and discussion are scheduled until 8 p.m. Parents, teachers, schools administrators, students, and other interested community members are invited to attend, the press release said. Students in grades 7-12 may attend with an adult.

The press release said there were 256 drug-related death cases in Knox and Anderson counties in 2016, according to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center. And the number continues to increase, the press release said.

“In an effort to combat the growing epidemic of prescription drug and heroin abuse, ASAP of Anderson, in cooperation with Anderson County EMS and in coordination with community partners in Anderson County, are hosting a screening of ‘Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict,’” the release said. “The FBI and DEA have released this documentary aimed at educating students, young adults, parents, and other community members about the dangers of dependence and addiction.” [Read more…]

Education Foundation has book project to celebrate 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge Schools

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The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is planning to publish a commemorative book to mark the 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge Schools, complete with color photos, stories, and memories as told by teachers and alumni from each class from 1944 to 2018. The book's cover art is by Jim Dodson. (Submitted image)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is planning to publish a commemorative book to mark the 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge Schools, complete with color photos, stories, and memories as told by teachers and alumni from each class from 1944 to 2018. The book’s cover art is by Jim Dodson. (Submitted image)

 

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is planning a special book project to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Schools.

The book will be a collection of memories as told by teachers and alumni across all classes from 1944-2018. The Foundation has identified people to serve as anchor authors for each of the 75 classes, a press release said. Anchor authors have the option to share their memories, and they will help collect memories from classmates. Each class will submit two to three pages for publication in the book.

“This is a timely project to still be able to tell first-hand stories from the early beginnings and to cross-pollinate and historically savor and preserve the collected experiences from the first 75 years,” said Benita Albert, Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation board member. Albert, a retired math teacher, has found it to be very rewarding interviewing alumni and researching stories from the earliest years, the press release said. [Read more…]

AC Chamber to host opening presentation for revitalization of downtown Clinton

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The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host the opening presentation for the revitalization of downtown Clinton on Monday.

The presentation will be by Gianni Longo Associates LTD, which has redesigned Chattanooga’s riverfront; downtown Franklin, Tennessee; and Market Square in Knoxville, a press release said.

Here is more information about the two presentations: [Read more…]

This evening: Author of Atomic City novel to visit AMSE for book launch event

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The cover of "The Atomic City Girls" novel by Janet Beard is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The cover of “The Atomic City Girls” novel by Janet Beard is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

The author of a new novel inspired by the experiences of the Americans who fueled the World War II-era Manhattan Project will visit the American Museum of Science and Energy on Thursday, February 15. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Janet Beard, whose grandmother worked on the Manhattan Project, will give a presentation on her writing process for “The Atomic City Girls,” which was informed by many captivating oral and written histories, a press release said. Beard also will read excerpts and sign copies of her book. Copies will be on sale at the AMSE gift shop beginning February 6.

Through its fictionalized tale of 18-year-old June Walker, her romance with a young physicist, and her search for the truth about the goals of the Manhattan Project, “The Atomic City Girls” brings to life the previously untold story of thousands who moved to East Tennessee in the 1930s and 1940s to join the effort to win the war and highlights the role women played at a pivotal moment in the country’s history and Oak Ridge’s founding. [Read more…]