Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge egg hunt is March 19

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Egg Hunt

Hundreds of children hunt about 15,000 eggs during the annual Egg Hunt at Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Saturday, April 12, 2014. (File photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2016 Egg Hunt at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 19.

Hundreds of children are expected to participate in this annual spring event. More than 15,000 candy and prize-filled eggs will be hidden in Bissell Park with a first-, second-, and third-place prize egg in each age group.

This event will be held rain or shine, so participants should dress for the weather, a press release said. If severe weather prevents hiding the eggs outdoors, they will be given away in the gym, and a drawing will be held for the prizes. [Read more…]

Trees down, power outages, flooding reported in Oak Ridge, Anderson County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Nebraska-Avenue-Tree-Down-Feb-24-2016

A tree was down on Nebraska Avenue on Wednesday morning, Feb. 24, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:15 p.m.

Officials reported that trees were down across Oak Ridge and Anderson County on Wednesday morning, there were several power outages in Oak Ridge, and flooding was reported at some spots in Anderson County.

The flooding, fallen trees, and power outages were reported after a round of storms came through Wednesday morning.

Crews from the city and county are responding. [Read more…]

Vann abruptly resigns as Oliver Springs mayor

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

In a move that caught town officials by surprise, Oliver Springs Mayor Jerry Vann abruptly resigned Thursday night, shortly after the Town Council’s meeting began.

Just after the roll was called, Vann addressed the Council and others in attendance, telling them that after speaking with doctor and his family he has decided to resign due to health concerns.

After his message, Vann shook the hands of his fellow Council members, the city manager, and the city judge and left the Council meeting room. Officials told our partners at BB-TV that the announcement caught them by surprise.

The Council will have to appoint someone to serve as mayor through the next municipal election.

Home improvements begin soon under TVA Extreme Energy Makeover

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Gary M. Gilmartin

Gary M. Gilmartin

Oak Ridge officials could start accepting applications at the end of this month for a program that will modify homes with high electrical consumption, with a goal of saving energy.

The modifications are possible under a $2.9 million grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority Extreme Energy Makeover Program. There is no local match required. TVA announced the grant award in September 2015.

Under the program, officials will use energy retrofits to reduce electrical consumption by 25 percent and save a total of 1,000 megawatt hours per year for older homes. The energy retrofits will be offered to 229 qualified residents in Oak Ridge homes that are at least 20 years old.

The targeted implementation date is April 1. [Read more…]

Next breakfast with legislators is Monday; community invited

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

This year’s next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday.

It’s organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 22, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to give updates on what’s happening in the Tennessee General Assembly during the breakfast. Members of the audience can ask questions and give opinions. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge. The public is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]

Anderson County Democratic Party to select convention delegates on March 5

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Democratic Party will help select Tennessee’s delegates to the Democratic Presidential Convention during a March 5 meeting in Oak Ridge.

The Democratic Party County Delegate Convention will be in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room on Saturday, March 5, a press release said. The doors will open at 11:45 a.m. and close promptly at 1 p.m. EST.  No one will be admitted after the doors are closed. Those who are in the room and in the process of registering will be allowed to finish. The gavel will fall and the convention will convene at precisely 1:05 p.m. EST, as directed by the Tennessee Democratic Party, the press release said.

The event is open to all registered voters in the county, supporters of the Democratic Party, and those who agree to support the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2016 Presidential election, the release said. The Party welcomes all to attend who wish to participate in selecting Tennessee’s delegates to the Democratic Presidential Convention.

Information about becoming a Democratic National Committee (DNC) delegate and the rules governing the DNC Delegate Selection Process may be obtained from tndp.org, or from the Tennessee Democratic Party, 1900 Church Street, Suite 203, Nashville, TN 37203, telephone, (615) 327-9779.

AC mayor has public forum on financial management change on Tuesday, Feb. 16

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Terry-Frank-Jan-29-2016

Terry Frank

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has scheduled a Tuesday evening public forum on a proposed change in the county’s financial management system.

The public forum will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 16, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The mayor has issued a notice of veto to Anderson County Commission on the proposed change to the 1981 Act. The Tuesday forum comes before a County Commission vote on Monday, February 22.

See the mayor’s column on the proposed change here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Opinion: County mayor objects to financial management change; schedules public forum

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Terry-Frank-Jan-29-2016

Terry Frank

The financial story of Anderson County in the last three years has been one of stability and progress. For the first time since 2006, Anderson County was removed from high-risk audit status in 2013, and placed on low-risk status. That held for 2013, 2014, and 2015.

As we closed out the books on 2015, our Accounts and Budgets and Schools cheered zero audit findings in our Comprehensive Annual Financial Report by the State of Tennessee’s Division of Local Government Audit.

Through partnership of our Budget Committee and County Commission, we saw three consecutive years of growth in fund balance, improved cash flow position, and a commitment to raising the bar on dipping into the fund balance by requiring a supermajority approval (12 of 16 members.) In 2013, we raised the supermajority requirement to $3.5 million, in 2014 to $4 million, and in 2015 to $4.5 million.

We kept new debt to a minimum, and for two consecutive years also modified existing debt agreements to save taxpayer money over the life of the bonds without extending the maturity dates of the debt. [Read more…]

No major problems reported after snow Friday; Key Springs Road temporarily closed

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Edgemoor-Road-On-Ramp-Feb-12-2016

The Edgemoor Road exit ramp off South Illinois Avenue is pictured above after snow fell on Friday morning, Feb. 12, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Authorities reported no major problems when snow fell in Oak Ridge and Anderson County on Friday morning, although some area school districts closed.

Key Springs Road in north Oak Ridge was temporarily closed at the request of the Oak Ridge Police Department after a tractor-trailer got stuck coming up the steep, curvy road.

It wasn’t necessarily weather-related, and it wasn’t clear how long the road would be closed, said Pat Fallon, Oak Ridge Public Works division manager.

Four trucks with snow plows were out clearing roads and spreading salt. No problems had been reported for at least an hour, Fallon said at about noon Friday. [Read more…]

Early voting starts today in Tennessee

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Vote Logo

Note: This story was last updated at 1:30 p.m.

Early voting for the March 1 presidential preference primary, or “SEC Primary,” begins today (Wednesday, February 10).

In this election cycle, voting early may be an important option because of unpredictable winter weather, state officials said in a press release. The number of presidential candidates as well as the number of delegates could also create incredibly long ballots for some voters.

Six Southern states will join Tennessee to help decide who could be the next president of the United States. The Volunteer State’s clout could mean more primary interest than in years past. [Read more…]

Video: Free group guitar lessons at Oak Ridge Senior Center

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wendall Cook teaches free group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. from January through the first week of October at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Freelance contributor Savanna Schubert talks to Cook, a few of his students, and Senior Center Manager Linda McGhee in the video below.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center is at 728 Emory Valley Road. Call (865) 425-3999 for more information.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Cook teaches guitar, love of music at Oak Ridge Senior Center

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak-Ridge-Senior-Center-Guitar-Lessons-Wendall-Cook-Feb-5-2016

Wendall Cook teaches free group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. from January through the first week of October at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. (Photo by Savanna Schubert)

 

Wendall Cook has been playing guitar for more than 60 years. It began when he was growing up, listening to Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Cook started playing and singing with the help from his father, and it began with three chords on the guitar.

Now Cook has a class of his own. He has been giving group guitar lessons every Friday at 9 a.m. for more than 11 years. His group has grown from a small jam session of three people to four classes of more than 60 students ranging from beginner to advanced.

“We started from three people and they kept inviting people in—by the end of the year we had seven or eight,” Cook said. “I never have been a professional teacher, but I like to share.”

Cook’s passion for teaching can be seen just by sitting in on one class. His love for the music and the students are unparalleled. We spoke with a couple of Cook’s students about why they got started and how the group lessons have grown. [Read more…]