Oak Ridge Today

Friends of Oak Ridge Library has book sale through Sunday

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Friends of the Oak Ridge Library (FOL) is having its Winter 2018 Book Sale from Thursday, Feb. 1, to Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium. (Submitted photo)

Friends of the Oak Ridge Library (FOL) is having its Winter 2018 Book Sale from Thursday, Feb. 1, to Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium. (Submitted photo)

 

Friends of the Oak Ridge Library is having its Winter 2018 Book Sale from Thursday, February 1, to Sunday, February 4, in the Oak Ridge Public Library Auditorium.

The sale includes fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, audiovisual materials, and other publications covering almost every subject. Most titles are 50 cents or $1 each, a press release said. Titles withdrawn from the Library are half-price Thursday through Saturday.

There was a Thursday evening preview sale for members, and memberships were available at the door ($5/individual; $10 family). (Please contact Friends of the Library for more information about memberships.)

The Silent Auction began on Thursday evening, and it ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Friends of the Oak Ridge Library can now accept Visa and MasterCard during its sales, the press release said.

The sale opens to the general public on Friday, February 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday’s sale (February 3) is from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with all non-auction titles selling for half price. Sunday (February 4) is the Buy-A-Bag-of-Books sale from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. with each bag (provided by Friends of the Oak Ridge Library) costing $3. [Read more…]

Smoke alarms help residents escape fire that destroys home

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Smoke alarms helped four people escape from a fire that destroyed a two-story home just west of Clinton on Tuesday morning, Jan. 30, 2018, authorities said. The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. Tuesday at 1604 Hidden Hills Drive, just north of State Route 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton. (Photo by Bill Gallaher)

Smoke alarms helped four people escape from a fire that destroyed a two-story home just west of Clinton on Tuesday morning, Jan. 30, 2018, authorities said. The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. Tuesday at 1604 Hidden Hills Drive, just north of State Route 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton. (Photo by Bill Gallaher)

 

Smoke alarms helped four people escape from a fire that destroyed a two-story home just west of Clinton on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. Tuesday at 1604 Hidden Hills Drive, just north of State Route 61 between Oak Ridge and Clinton.

Firefighters determined that the fire started on a porch, although the cause is unknown, said Stephanie Fox, chief of the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.

All four people inside the home escaped with no injuries, Fox said. Smoke alarms went off and woke up the residents, Fox said Wednesday.

By the time firefighters arrived, the front porch and roof were on fire, or “fully involved,” Fox said. Firefighters fought the fire from outside the home in what is known as a defensive attack. [Read more…]

Rep. Fleischmann says he’s OK after train collides with truck

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Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Note: This story was last updated at 1:35 p.m.

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge, said he is okay after a train collided with a large truck in Virginia while carrying Republicans to a retreat on Wednesday morning.

“I was standing up when the accident happened,” Fleischmann said on Twitter. “A little bit shaken up, and praying for all of my fellow colleagues.

“I am ok, and working with doctors that have arrived.”

An Amtrak spokesman said the train hit a vehicle on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Virginia, northwest of Charlottesville, according to The New York Times. There were no immediate reports of injuries to passengers, crew members, lawmakers, or their staff, but one person reportedly died in the train crash and another was seriously injured. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools names teachers of the year

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From left to right, top row, are Lauren Blair, Lisa Buckner, Linda Dalton, Donna Gilbert, and Donna Grove, and from left to right, bottom row, are Michael Martin, Bob O'Connor, Steve Reddick, and Leslie Shelton.

From left to right, top row, are Lauren Blair, Lisa Buckner, Linda Dalton, Donna Gilbert, and Donna Grove, and from left to right, bottom row, are Michael Martin, Bob O’Connor, Steve Reddick, and Leslie Shelton.

 

Oak Ridge Schools has named its teachers of the year.

Here are the teachers of the year:

  • Oak Ridge Schools Preschool—Linda Dalton
  • Glenwood Elementary School—Lauren Blair
  • Linden Elementary School—Lisa Buckner
  • Willow Brook Elementary School—Donna Grove
  • Woodland Elementary School—Michael Martin
  • Jefferson Middle School—Steve Reddick
  • Robertsville Middle School—Bob O’Connor
  • Secret City Academy—Donna Gilbert
  • Oak Ridge High School—Leslie Shelton

Here is more information about the teachers and their schools from Oak Ridge Schools: [Read more…]

Atomic Heritage Foundation launches new audio, visual program on Oak Ridge

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Bill Wilcox 90th Birthday Party

Oak Ridge City Historian Bill Wilcox, who died in 2013, was a longtime advocate for preserving the city’s history, including parts of its federal facilities. Wilcox is pictured above at his 90th birthday party in the spring of 2013.

 

Submitted

“There was construction going on everywhere you looked,” Bill Wilcox remembered, describing his first impressions of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. “Trucks and people just crawling all over the place, hammers and banging. Wooden structures going up everywhere. Nothing was paved, and there weren’t any sidewalks.”

Wilcox was one of the thousands of people who moved to the new “Secret City” of Oak Ridge to work on the Manhattan Project, the top-secret World War II effort to develop an atomic bomb.

The Atomic Heritage Foundation has launched a new online interpretive program on Oak Ridge with 16 audio/visual vignettes. This beta program is part of AHF’s “Ranger in Your Pocket” series on the Manhattan Project, which focuses on former Manhattan Project sites and features vignettes with eyewitness accounts and expert commentary. AHF welcomes feedback and will improve and expand upon the program over the next year, a press release said.

In September 1942, Manhattan Project director General Leslie Groves designated “Site X,” approximately 59,000 acres of land on the Clinch River in rural eastern Tennessee, as the site for the project’s uranium production facilities. Approximately 3,000 people living in the area in five small farming communities were forced to leave their homes and land with minimal compensation. Construction of a new city began at breakneck speed. By the end of World War II, some 75,000 people would call Oak Ridge home, making it the fifth-largest city in Tennessee. [Read more…]

CWU presentation to focus on domestic violence

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Church Women United will meet Friday, February 2, at United Way of Anderson County, located at 728 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. The meeting will initiate the 2018 Blankets+ Campaign to collect bedding and support for those who have lost their homes locally and worldwide, a press release said.

In addition, Rachel Thompson, domestic violence victim advocate for Knox and Anderson counties, will be the guest speaker in a public program, the press release said. Thompson is a culturally specific domestic violence advocate for the African American community. She will talk about domestic violence, how it impacts victims in the African American community, and resources offered through the YWCA for victims of domestic violence, the press release said. [Read more…]

Claxton firefighters receive pet rescue equipment

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Claxton resident Leo York, right, presents Claxton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dusty Sharpe with a pet rescue kit used to treat small animals and house pets suffering from smoke inhalation and other medical emergencies. (Submitted photo)

Claxton resident Leo York, right, presents Claxton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dusty Sharpe with a pet rescue kit used to treat small animals and house pets suffering from smoke inhalation and other medical emergencies. (Submitted photo)

 

Claxton firefighters are better equipped to handle emergencies involving house pets thanks to a donation from a local resident and pet owner.

Leo York donated the pet non-rebreather oxygen masks to the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department after viewing a video of firefighters in Bakersfield, California, reviving a small dog suffering from smoke inhalation, a press release said.

“While it is understood that human life will always be the most pressing priority, having the tools to aid our fur friends will make our fire station even better equipped to serve the community” said York, who donated the rescue kit, which contains masks for both small and large pets. [Read more…]

Centennial Golf Course names new general manager

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Mike Callender (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Mike Callender (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has completed its management transition at Centennial Golf Course and has announced the new general manager: Mike Callender.

Callender has 18 years of experience in the golf industry, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. He is a certified Class A PGA Professional with 10 years as a head professional and is certified in golf operations, the release said.

“I am very excited to make Centennial Golf Course the place to go in East Tennessee, not just for golf, but also for business meetings, casual outings, and eventually dining,” Callender said.

“Our goal is to establish Centennial as one of the premier public golf courses in the region, and the addition of Mike Callender to the team as general manager will help us get there,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said. “With his leadership and the ongoing reinvestment by the city, we are now poised to provide a quality experience for all golfers in the greater Knoxville region.” [Read more…]

Regular operations resumed at Manhattan Project Park when shutdown ended

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National-Park-Service-Employees

National Park Service employees are pictured above at the American Museum of Science and Energy. (Submitted photo)

 

The three-day federal government shutdown ended Monday, and staff at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, resumed regular operations, officials said.

Congress passed a short-term spending bill on Monday that will fund the government through February 8, and President Donald Trump signed it Monday night.

On Tuesday, the National Park Service said employees of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park are “happy to be back at work, serving the American people and welcoming visitors to their national parks.”

The Park Service said it appreciated the support of local partners who “stepped up to offer support and continue to serve our visitors over the last few days,” and the NPS thanked the following partners: [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators on Monday

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League Women Voters Oak Ridge Logo

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will have this year’s first Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, January 29. 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.

Tennessee 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, a 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…]

Demolition starts at Applewood Apartments

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Demolition work by Brady Excavating and Demolition of Crab Orchard, Tenn., was under way on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 25, 2018, at an Applewood Apartments building on Hunter Circle in the Highland View neighborhood in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Demolition work by Brady Excavating and Demolition of Crab Orchard, Tenn., was under way on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 25, 2018, at an Applewood Apartments building on Hunter Circle in the Highland View neighborhood in Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m.

After years of court cases and codes enforcement battles, demolition work has started at the Applewood Apartments in Oak Ridge.

Demolition work started Tuesday at the 13-building apartment complex on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle in the Highland View neighborhood, just north of Oak Ridge Turnpike in central Oak Ridge. Two of the buildings had been knocked down as of Thursday afternoon.

Brady Excavating and Demolition of Crab Orchard, Tennessee, plans to demolish two buildings per week, weather permitting. It could take 2.5 months or so to complete the job. The demolition company is working for First Place Finish of Oak Ridge.

Asbestos abatement work started earlier this month at the vacant buildings. [Read more…]

Owner/director of Pierce Physical Therapy giving talks to seniors; first talk today on winter exercise

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Ray Pierce, owner and director of Pierce Physical Therapy, in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Senior Center, will be giving informative talks for seniors throughout the year of 2018. A talk will be given every third Thursday of the month.

The first talk will be on Thursday, January 25, at 10:30 a.m. The title of the talk is “The Importance of Winter Exercise.”

For more information, please call the Oak Ridge Senior Center at (865) 425-3999.