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Free food tastings, classes offered Saturday at Winter Farmers’ Market

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Children 12 and under who taste two bites of a vegetable get $2 to spend on fruits and vegetables at the Winter Farmers’ Market in the free Power of Produce Club. (Submitted photo)

The Winter Farmers’ Market, located in the gym at St. Mary’s School, 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge, is offering a series of free market workshops on healthy eating and gardening this winter.

On Saturday, January 25, at 11 a.m., Dr. Elaine Bunick will present “Healthy Eating on a Budget,” with a variety of healthy foods to sample and recipes to share. Bunick is a retired endocrinologist who has helped hundreds of patients manage diabetes and other lifestyle-related diseases, a press release said. Bunick says she wants “kids and adults to see how good healthy eating can be.”

The UT Extension Service will also be at the market, offering healthy recipes and food tastings as well. The market is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., through March. 

For children, the Anderson County Health Department’s public health educator Sabrina Greene will present an “All About Veggies” activity. Plus, the market’s popular Power of Produce Club will offer free vegetable tastings for children 12 and under. Those who take two bites get $2 to spend on fruits and vegetables in the market.

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ASAP, which works to prevent substance abuse, moves into new office

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ASAP of Anderson, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent substance abuse in Anderson County, has moved into a new office in Clinton that was provided by county school officials. ASAP dedicated the new space with a ribbon-cutting and open house on Oct. 24, 2019. (Photo courtesy ASAP of Anderson)

ASAP of Anderson, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent substance abuse in Anderson County, has moved into a new office in Clinton that was provided by county school officials.

ASAP dedicated the new space with a ribbon-cutting and open house on October 24.

ASAP, which celebrated 10 years of prevention last year, started out in a small space at the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, but its operations quickly grew. The organization next occupied space within District Attorney General Dave Clark’s office in Clinton, and the ASAP staff eventually landed, in 2011, on the fourth floor of the Robert Jolley Building on Main Street in Clinton. That space was provided by the Anderson County schools director at the time, Larry Foster.

In August, ASAP moved into a building not far from their original offices. The big difference? A space all their own, a press release said. A space where they can host their own coalition meetings, community trainings such as responsible alcohol sales classes and opioid overdose trainings, and host meetings for other community agencies.

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Drug Take Back Day is Saturday in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, Rocky Top

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Anderson County is participating in the 16th Annual DEA Rx Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 26. Community members can bring their expired or unused medicines to one of the Anderson County Take Back locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Collection sites will be located at the police departments listed below. Each department will be set up outside in their respective parking lots to receive the expired or unused medicines.

  • Clinton Police Department, 125 West Broad Street, Clinton
  • Norris Police Department, 9 West Circle Road, Norris (will begin at 8 a.m.)
  • Oak Ridge Police Department, 200 South Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge
  • Rocky Top Police Department, 104 Lawson Street, Rocky Top

The National Rx Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue, a press release said. According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans misused controlled prescription drugs, and that number has continued to climb in recent years. Studies show many of the misused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. The Take Back Day provides an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths in the community and communities across the United States.

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ORPD has car seat checkpoint at Preschool on Wednesday

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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department, in partnership with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, will conduct a free drive-through car seat check again on Wednesday.

There was a car seat check on Tuesday, October 22, and another on Wednesday, October 23, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Officers will be set up across the street from Oak Ridge Preschool, located at 304 New York Avenue, a press release said. Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by with no need to pre-register, the press release said.

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ASAP to celebrate move with Oct. 24 ceremony

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ASAP of Anderson will celebrate its move to a new office building in Clinton with a building dedication ceremony on Thursday, October 24.

ASAP had been in the Robert Jolley Building on Main Street in Clinton for 10 years, a press release said.

The building dedication ceremony is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. October 24 at 131 South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in Clinton. Everyone is invited, the press release said.

The ceremony will include coffee and light snacks, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and open house for community members to explore the new space, the press release said.

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Two churches plan forum on local opioid crisis

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Michael Yates

Michael Yates

Abuse of addictive prescription pain pills and other opioids, as well as deaths from overdoses, are plaguing the nation, state, and local communities. In 2018, nearly 200 Americans every day died from drug overdoses.

What are the consequences of opioid use and abuse in Anderson County? What are the overt and hidden costs to our local communities?

To begin to address the need for local understanding of this mental health issue and public health crisis, two Oak Ridge churches—First Presbyterian and Oak Valley Baptist—will co-sponsor a public forum on three Sunday afternoons in September on the crisis of drug addiction in Anderson County.

The forum sessions will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the fellowship hall of the Sanctuary building at First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the corner of Lafayette Avenue.

David Clark, district attorney general of Anderson County, will speak on September 8 on criminal justice and the opioid epidemic. [Read more…]

Safety training helps Oak Ridge employee save life

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Eric Glenn
Eric Glenn, a radiological control technician at Isotek, used his training to help save a life on his lunch break. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management)

Information and photo from U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management

The U.S. Department of Energy said its Office of Environmental Management and its contractors know the importance of training to ensure safety.

Recently, that training helped save a life in an unlikely place, DOE said in a story published Tuesday.

While eating lunch at a local restaurant, Eric Glenn, a radiological control technician at Isotek, noticed a man choking on his sandwich.

“I just heard a man coughing and he did the choking sign, so I ran over and gave him the Heimlich maneuver six or seven times,” Glenn said.

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Free Medical Clinic has Boot Scootin’ Bash on Saturday

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Phil and Ann Carter

By Carolyn Krause

The best party in town, many attendees have said! A lively dance contest, line dancing lessons, delicious dinner and drinks, as well as delightful auction items. Dance music by popular disc jockey Dave King. Casual attire. 

It’s the Boot Scootin’ Bash of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, complete with a Western theme (think boots, saddles, wagon wheels, horses, cowboys, cowgirls, rodeos, and saloons). The bash is the annual fun fundraiser for Free Medical Clinic, which provides no-charge primary care and wellness services to low-income, uninsured residents of Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties who otherwise would not have access to the medical care they need.

Elaine Graham, the entertaining emcee and 2016 dance contest winner, will run the show. Free Medical Clinic volunteers and staff will present the Boot Scootin’ Bash on Saturday, August 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Parish Life Center of St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 327 Vermont Avenue.

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ORISE beryllium lab recertified by College of American Pathologists for 6th consecutive time in 10 years

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Lab increases capacity to meet more demand

The College of American Pathologists, or CAP, has accredited the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Energy beryllium laboratory in Oak Ridge for the sixth time since the laboratory’s first accreditation in 2009.

The laboratory is one of only three labs nationwide that performs the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test. This test determines if a patient has developed a sensitization to beryllium, which could evolve into chronic beryllium disease. Exposure to the lightweight metal is often encountered by inhaling beryllium dust particulates in an industrial workplace setting.

The biannual CAP accreditation process requires an onsite inspection of all procedures and processes as well as the laboratory’s records, a press release said. During this process, inspectors thoroughly examine staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and its records, and overall management. They follow lab personnel through each stage, from unpacking the blood specimens through the processing of these samples to the final analysis to determine if any of the samples show a sensitization to beryllium, the press release said. [Read more…]

Lavender Festival features herbs, crafts, food, music Saturday

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2017 Lavender Festival (Image Credit: Shawn Millsaps)

Tennessee’s only Lavender Festival returns for its 21st year in Historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 15. The festival is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Celebrating all things herbal, crafts, local foods, and more, the Lavender Festival is free to customers, and last year attracted an estimated crowd of 11,000,” a press release said. “In addition to free admission, Lavender Festival also offers plenty of free parking in city and business lots surrounding Jackson Square.”

The festival is full of tradition and fun, and it always features something new, the press release said. For example, a traditional bagpipe player will open the festival at 8 a.m., playing from upper Blankenship Field into Jackson Square. Also keeping with tradition, Alan McBride will follow with the hammered dulcimer in the bandstand, the release said. A complete music schedule is included below.

The highlight of Lavender Festival will be the group of 150 artisan, herb, and floral vendors that will line the covered walkways of Jackson Square, the parking lot, and both sides of Broadway Avenue, which will be closed to traffic.

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Sen. Alexander has surgery on left leg

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Lamar Alexander
Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, had surgery on his left leg at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Wednesday morning, his office said in a statement.

Surgeon Herbert S. Schwartz at the Vanderbilt Department of Orthopaedic Surgery said he successfully removed an atypical lipoma from Alexander’s left leg.

“The surgery went as planned, and I will consult with my team and Senator Alexander to determine whether additional treatment is necessary,” Schwartz said in the statement, which was provided by David Cleary, Alexander’s chief of staff.

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Eight inmates treated at MMC after Morgan County fight

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Morgan County Correctional Complex (Photo courtesy Tennessee Department of Correction)

Eight inmates were treated at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge after a Monday night fight at the Morgan County Correctional Facility near Wartburg, officials said.

The Tennessee Department of Correction described the injuries as minor.

“All eight were treated, released, and returned to the facility a short time later,” TDOC said in a statement provided by spokesperson Robert A. Reburn on Tuesday. “Leadership at the facility have enacted measures that restrict the movement of inmates in the involved housing units until the conclusion of the investigation.”

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