Oak Ridge Today

Dodson, Hope, Vogel lead in early voting for City Council

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jim Dodson Cropped

Jim Dodson

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:15 p.m.

Jim Dodson, Chuck Hope, and Hans Vogel lead in early voting in Anderson County for Oak Ridge City Council, according to unofficial results posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website on Tuesday evening.

Dodson, running for City Council for the first time, had 4,088 early votes. Hope, the only incumbent, had 3,398. Vogel, who is also making his first run, received 2,544.

There are three open seats on the seven-member City Council. Two incumbents, Trina Baughn and Charlie Hensley, did not seek re-election.

Dodson, Hope, and Vogel also have a lead in early voting in Roane County, according to unofficial results posted at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday. Hope led with 853 early votes, Dodson had 786, and Vogel had 762. [Read more…]

Tree workshop dedicated to Pat Imperato to be held at UT Arboretum

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Pat Imperato

Pat Imperato

A tree workshop at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Saturday, November 12, will be dedicated to Pat Imperato, a tireless champion of environmental issues, a press release said. Her advocacy was evident in her long history of contributions to the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board and Keep Anderson County Beautiful, the release said.

The workshop will be presented by the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board in partnership with the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 12, at the UT Arboretum Auditorium, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Imperato, 69, died in October, but she spent the last several years spearheading work on a “Tree Plan” for Oak Ridge. Imperato was also an outspoken proponent for proper stewardship of city and private lands, and she was interested in community education and outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

U.S. Homeland Security seeks faculty, students for summer 2017 research

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seeking faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students interested in participating in one of its 10-week programs in summer 2017, including its Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, and its Homeland Security—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (HS-STEM) Summer Internship Program.

The deadlines for applying for both programs occur in December 2016.

Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions [Read more…]

Cedar Barren clean-up scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

 

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will again be the site of exotic invasive plant removal as Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning conduct its fall cleanup, its third and final cleanup of the year.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the Barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is the home to three state listed plants: prairie goldenrod, fewleaf sunflower and Torrey’s mountain mint.

The Barrens are subject to invasion by bushy lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system¹s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

Early voting update: More than 16,000 have cast ballots in Anderson County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

There are now just over three days left in the early voting period in Tennessee for next Tuesday’s presidential and county general elections. Turnout at the polls has been impressive, and that string of robust participation continued on Monday.

In Anderson County on Monday, another 1,356 people voted, bringing the 11-day total, including paper ballots, to 16,370. Anderson County residents can cast ballots at the Clinton Community Center, the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge, and at the North Anderson Government Office in the Anderson Crossing Shopping Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today (Tuesday, November 1) through Thursday, November 3. For more, visit www.acelect.com or call (865) 457-6238. [Read more…]

Check out this video of Nebraska Avenue Halloween House

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

By City of Oak Ridge

Have you seen the Nebraska Avenue Halloween House? We stopped by today as the Scott family was putting the finishing touches on their elaborate attraction.

It takes them three solid months of work to get all these decorations in place. They give out tons of candy and see thousands of people pass through every Halloween.

In a week or so, it’ll all come down so they can start putting up their Christmas display. [Read more…]

Rocky Top donates to Family Drug Treatment Court of Anderson County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

rocky-top-donates-to-family-drug-treatment-court

Pictured left to right are Rocky Top Police Chief Jim Shetterly, Mayor Michael Lovely, Stephanie Strutner of ASAP, and City Manager Michael Foster. Rocky Top City officials presented a $500 check to ASAP of Anderson County to support the Family Drug Treatment Court. (Submitted photo)

 

At the Rocky Top City Council meeting last week, Mayor Michael Lovely, Police Chief Jim Shetterly, and City Manager Michael Foster presented a check for $500 to Stephanie Strutner, executive director of Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County Inc., to support the Family Drug Treatment Court of Anderson County.

“The Family Drug Treatment Court has been under development for a number of years based on best practices from effective programs from across the country,” Strutner said. The program is geared toward rehabilitating not only adolescents through the Juvenile Court system, but their family unit as well, a press release said.

“This program offers the possibility to break the generational cycle of substance abuse many of our juvenile offenders experience,” Juvenile Court Judge Brian Hunt said. “It also offers hope—hope that these adolescents can stay out of jail as adults and become contributing members of their community.” [Read more…]

Public safety meeting on Nov. 10 to discuss pedestrian safety improvements on Turnpike

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-South-Tulane-Dec-10-2015

A $433,000 grant awarded to the City of Oak Ridge would be used to make traffic signal and pedestrian improvements at two intersections on Oak Ridge Turnpike, including at South Tulane Avenue. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

There will be a public meeting in November to discuss pedestrian safety improvements on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, November 10, at the Central Services Complex at 100 Woodbury Lane (behind the Hobby Lobby/Kmart shopping center). The meeting will include a project overview and public input session, a City of Oak Ridge press release said.

The pedestrian safety improvements are being designed for Oak Ridge Turnpike (State Route 95) at Tulane Avenue and East Division/Tennyson roads.

“These upgrades are necessary to improve accessibility and provide a safe transportation link for people in the area,” the press release said.

The press release said the intersection improvements will include: [Read more…]

Survey: Do you support or oppose term limits, a smaller county commission, electing law director?

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Note: This story was updated at 3:55 p.m.

Among the issues in the campaign for Anderson County Charter Commission are whether term limits should be implemented for Anderson County commissioners and the Anderson County mayor, whether the County Commission should be reduced in size, and whether the law director should be elected.

We are curious what Oak Ridge Today readers think so we set up some poll questions to ask you. They are below.

Nothing can officially be proposed, debated, or recommended to voters in the November 2018 election until after the Charter Commission is elected this November 8.

There have been proposals this campaign season to enact a two-term limit for commissioners and the mayor and reduce the County Commission from its current 16 to a minimum of nine. There have been other proposals as well, including making the mayor’s position part-time, making the law director’s position part-time, and appointing a mayor rather than electing the mayor. [Read more…]

Some periodic park, greenway closures for fall deer hunts

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Haw Ridge Park Parking Lot

Part of the Melton Lake Greenway is pictured above at the Haw Ridge Park parking lot.

 

Haw Ridge Park, North Boundary Greenway, and Gallaher Bend Greenway will be closed periodically for Oak Ridge Wildlife Management Area managed quota hunts this fall, a press release said.

The closure on Haw Ridge includes the portion of Melton Lake Greenway adjacent to the park, from the lake to the parking lot on Edgemoor Road, the press release said.

The hunts, which are open only to those pre-selected in a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) quota drawing, will take place on the following dates: [Read more…]

Speed limit to be reduced, part of greenway closed as construction starts on eighth rowing lane

Posted at
By 2 Comments

SIRA-Regatta-April-17-2016-6

Officials and referees used Oak Ridge Rowing Association boats to monitor the races on the seven-lane course at the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive will be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary, city officials said.

The speed limit will be reduced from 45 miles per hour to 25 mph along Melton Lake Drive between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. The change will remain in place for a minimum of three months beginning Monday, October 31. Signs will be installed to warn drivers of the reduced speed limit.

The project will also require about 500 feet of greenway to be removed and replaced at the end of construction, the press release said. As a result, a section of Melton Lake Greenway between Amanda Drive and Palisades Parkway will be temporarily closed.

Due to site preparation work, the greenway will close Friday, October 28, but will reopen for the weekend. The closure will be put back in place for the duration of the project on Monday, October 31, the press release said. [Read more…]

Term limits: Who could no longer serve if two-term limit was in place now?

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Jerry Creasey

Jerry Creasey, an Anderson County commissioner from Oak Ridge, could no longer serve if a two-term limit were in place now. Now in his seventh term, Creasey is the longest-serving commissioner. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:15 p.m.

If the proposed two-term limit was in place now, Jerry Creasey, the longest-serving Anderson County commissioner, could no longer serve.

Neither could Mark Alderson, who is in his fifth term; Chuck Fritts or Jerry White (both are in their fourth terms); or Whitey Hitchcock, Robert McKamey, or Tracy Wandell (all three are in their third terms).

Creasey is in his seventh term, according to information from the Anderson County Election Commission.

It’s not clear if Myron Iwanski would be term-limited at this point. Iwanski is in his sixth term, but those terms were interrupted by his service as interim Anderson County mayor from January 2011 to August 2012—after former mayor Rex Lynch resigned and before current mayor Terry Frank was elected. Whether Iwanski would be term-limited would depend upon whether term limits, assuming a two-term limit was enacted, were consecutive or lifetime limits.

Assuming Iwanski was term-limited, though, that would mean that eight of the 16 commissioners, or half of them, would be past their second term and not able to serve if a two-term limit were in place.

No term limits are in place now, and they can’t officially be proposed, debated, or recommended to voters until after the eight-member Anderson County Charter Commission is elected November 8. Whether they are even considered is likely to depend upon which candidates are elected. The Charter Commission is not obligated to consider term limits, but it will have the authority to do so. (See a story on the Charter Commission process here.) [Read more…]