Oak Ridge Today

State selling award-winning ‘green’ house in Norris

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

New Norris House

The state of Tennessee is selling the award-winning “green” New Norris House in Norris. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—The state of Tennessee is selling one of the greenest homes in the state—the New Norris House.

Sealed bids will be taken through 1:30 p.m. (CST) on May 5. An open house will be held April 12, 2-4 p.m., at 143 Oak Road in Norris.

The New Norris House was completed in 2011 after a student-led team at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville worked for three years to bring the concept, first conceived in a classroom, to a modern and appealing home.

The house is a technologically advanced reinterpretation of the historic homes first built by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933 as part of the Norris Dam project. It has become a nationally recognized model for efficient and sustainable living. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Leadership Anderson County visits state government in Nashville

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Leadership Anderson County Nashville Trip

The Leadership Anderson County Class of
2014 recently visited Nashville on a state government trip.
Rep. John Ragan, Sen. Randy McNally, and Rep. Dennis Powers are also in the photo with the class. (Submitted photo)

Leadership Anderson County Class of 2014, a program of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, and members of the Leadership Anderson County board of directors, visited Nashville for their state government trip in March.

The class, shown at left with Rep. John Ragan, Sen. Randy McNally, and Rep. Dennis Powers, participated in a mock session, visited the Tennessee Fusion Center, toured the Capitol and Supreme Court, and met with Comptroller Justin P. Wilson and Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 class. For more information, contact the Chamber at (865) 457-2559 or visit www.andersoncountychamber.org.

Nolan, a state House candidate, has meet-and-greet on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan, a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives, has a meet-and-greet on Thursday in Clinton.

It’s scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at 364 Market St. in Clinton.

Nolan is challenging the incumbent, Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge, in the Aug. 7 Republican primary in the state’s 33rd District. The 33rd District includes Oak Ridge, Clinton, and most of Anderson County.

Visit www.caitlinnolan.com for more information.

Kix Brooks to headline Secret City Festival in June

Posted at
By 4 Comments

Kix Brooks with Mic

Country artist Kix Brooks performs at the Great Eastern Exposition in West Springfield, Mass., on Sept. 27. (Submitted photos)

Kix Brooks—one-half of the bestselling country duo Brooks and Dunn—will headline the Saturday night concert at the Secret City Festival in June.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14. Country-rock band Phoenix Drive will open.

“Kix Brooks enjoyed early career success as a songwriter before teaming up with Ronnie Dunn to form the highest-selling duo in the history of country music,” a press release said. “During their 20-year run together, Brooks and Dunn sold more than 30 million records, won more than 75 major industry awards, and celebrated 23 No. 1 hits.”

Brooks is now hosting the long-running syndicated radio program, American Country Countdown, where every week he counts country music’s Top 30 songs. Brooks has received many awards for his broadcasting abilities—including CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year Award in 2009, 2011, and 2013—making him the first person to ever win a CMA Award in both the artist and broadcast categories. [Read more…]

Tennessee House gives Rocky Top go-ahead

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

On Monday, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted unanimously to allow Lake City to change its name to Rocky Top. The House bill sponsored by Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge passed 89-0.

The name change is seen as a necessary first step toward turning the former coal mining town into a tourist destination, taking advantage of its two exits off of I-75. Plans currently call for an interactive 3-D theater, a restaurant, a water park and a hotel, as well as other attractions.

The state Senate has yet to schedule a vote on the companion bill to the House version, which is being sponsored by Sen. Randy McNally of Oak Ridge. If the Senate approves the measure as expected, the Lake City Council will have to vote again on the name change to ratify the private act that was endorsed Monday by the state House. [Read more…]

TVA builds pedestrian bridge over embayment at Kingston ash spill site

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

KINGSTON—The Tennessee Valley Authority will be building a pedestrian bridge over the East Embayment as part of TVA’s commitment to restore the Swan Pond area near the Kingston Fossil Plant to as good as or better than it was before the 2008 ash spill, a press release said.

For the safety of the public and work crews, access to the East Embayment by boat will be temporarily closed beginning today (Monday), the release said. Signs will be posted on the shoreline and buoys will be installed across the embayment to restrict boating access.

Bank fishing still will be available on the East Embayment and can be reached by walking trails at Lakeshore Park. The main river channel on the Emory River also will remain open. [Read more…]

Juvenile Court judge candidate Bannach has Thursday reception

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Victoria "Vickie" Bannach

Victoria “Vickie” Bannach

Victoria “Vickie” Bannach, a Republican candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, will have a Thursday reception at Faith Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.

Bannach is a candidate in the May 6 Republican primary in Anderson County.

The Thursday reception will allow citizens to “meet the candidate and discuss important issues and concerns that are occurring with our children and families within the community,” a press release said. It is scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday. [Read more…]

Anderson County Republicans also have April 8 candidate forum

Posted at
By 19 Comments

The Anderson County Republican Party will have an April 8 forum for GOP candidates running for county offices in the May 6 primary election.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge. It’s expected to last about two hours, a press release said.

“This year’s election is especially important for Anderson County’s future,” said Aaron Wells, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party. “A forum will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase our great candidates and the Republican vision for the county. We invite folks to join us for what should be an interesting and informative evening. ”

The Republican Party forum is scheduled at the same time and the same night as a candidate forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. The League forum is for both Democratic and Republican candidates in the May 6 primary elections. It’s not clear yet if either event might be rescheduled to allow Republican candidates to attend both. [Read more…]

Household trash pickup starts Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The citywide household trash pickup program starts Monday, March 31. Household rubbish, old appliances, and minor remodeling materials will be picked up. Compressors must be removed from refrigerators and air conditioners.

City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible, a press release said. The proposed schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably from the actual schedule due to weather conditions and/or the amount of participation by residents.

The city asked residents to follow a few guidelines: [Read more…]

Sewer rehab work continues this week

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

More rehabilitation work of the city’s sewer collection pipes is scheduled to continue this week.

The work is being done by Hurst Excavating and Morgan Contracting under contract with the City of Oak Ridge. It includes rehabilitating sewer collection pipes within city easements in yards and in roadways, a press release said.

Residents should already have received color-coded letters and door hangers (orange for Hurst Excavating and purple for Morgan Contracting) providing general information and each contractors’ contact information.

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are urged to use extra care and caution when traveling on the streets with sewer work areas, a press release said. Temporary road repairs will be made, and loose gravel should be expected until the patches are permanently paved. [Read more…]

Library celebrates National Library Week with contests, helps with donation drives

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Library is preparing to celebrate National Library Week from April 13 to April 19.

The festivities begin early with the Design a Bookmark contest for the Summer Reading Program. This contest began on March 17 and runs through April 17. This contest is open to children in grades K-5, and one winner will be chosen from each grade. Winning bookmarks will be selected in May and will be printed and distributed during the 2014 Summer Reading Program.

During National Library Week, the Biscuit Guessing Contest will be held. A jar of dog biscuits will be at the main desk of the Library, and the three participants who guess closest to the number of biscuits in the jar will receive free DVD rentals.

Join with the Oak Ridge Library to help the community by donating supplies to Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC). [Read more…]

Library offers one-on-one Kindle help

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Submitted

Navigating the evolving technological world can be challenging. Websites, devices, and programs are constantly upgraded, changing their appearance and often confusing us in the process.

Joan Kearney, a Kindle enthusiast, has worked at the Oak Ridge Public Library for 30 years and owns different generations of Kindles. Kearney will be available for one-on-one-Kindle-tutorials by appointment. She can help walk you through the checkout process on your Kindle device, whether it’s a first generation Kindle, a Kindle app, or the latest version, so you can explore the library’s electronic collection.

This is a free program for the community and only requires that you bring your Kindle, your library card number, and PIN, and the email address and password associated with your Amazon account. If you do not have a library card, call the Circulation Desk at (865) 425-3455 prior to your Kindle appointment to learn what is needed to create a library account.

For more information about this program, call the Library at (865) 425-3455 or email the Circulation Librarian at CircLib@oakridgetn.gov.