Oak Ridge Today

Warrants: Anderson County man allegedly carjacked two vehicles in Clinton, tried to steal third

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Justin Wade Welch

Justin Wade Welch

 

An Anderson County man is facing 13 charges that include carjacking and robbery after allegedly taking two cars by force and trying to take another in Clinton on Thursday, and then fleeing from officers and resisting arrest, according to arrest warrants.

Justin Wade Welch, 30, remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Tuesday morning. His bond has been set at $500,000.

Welch has been charged with two counts of carjacking and one count of attempted carjacking. He’s also been charged with three counts of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery.

The Clinton Police Department also charged him with two counts of vehicular assault.

And the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department charged him with evading arrest, resisting arrest, and driving on a suspended license.

Arrest warrants filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton said Welch allegedly carjacked one vehicle at Clinton Towers on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard in downtown Clinton, tried to carjack a second vehicle several blocks south at Food City on South Charles G. Seivers Boulevard, and carjacked a third vehicle on Highland Drive next to Food City. [Read more…]

Anderson County Commission allocates $10,000 to Friendship Bell fund drive

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Anderson County Commissioners present a $10,000 check for the new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell to Shigeko Uppuluri, left, and Pat Postma, right. Commissioners are Theresa Scott and Steve Emert, Commission chair, front; and in back from left, Jerry Creasey, Myron Iwanski, Phil Yager, Whitey Hitchcock, and Steve Mead. (Submitted photo)

Anderson County Commissioners present a $10,000 check for the new Peace Pavilion to house the International Friendship Bell to Shigeko Uppuluri, left, and Pat Postma, right. Commissioners are Theresa Scott and Steve Emert, Commission chair, front center; and in back from left, Jerry Creasey, Myron Iwanski, Phil Yager, Whitey Hitchcock, and Steve Mead. (Submitted photo)

 

Several Anderson County Commissioners recently gathered at the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge to present a $10,000 check for the new Peace Pavilion that will become the Bell’s new home in Bissell Park.

The Commission voted unanimously earlier this year to allocate $10,000 to help replace the pavilion housing the Bell after structural beams in the original pavilion deteriorated and the structure had to be demolished in 2014.

“We have to preserve the Bell,” said County Commission Chair Steve Emert. “It is important for tourism, for history, and especially for its message of friendship.”

“The Bell will be a key part of the story that the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is going to tell. This benefits the whole county, not just Oak Ridge,” added County Commissioner Myron Iwanski. [Read more…]

Sister City Support Organization, Oak Ridge Schools select middle school exchange delegation

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Sister City Support Organization in cooperation with Oak Ridge Schools has selected the 2017 delegation for the middle school exchange with Oak Ridge's sister city, Naka-shi, Japan. Delegates for the 2017 exchange are front, from left to right, Jordan Oxendine, Aidan Seay, Henri Scott, Mateo Cacheiro, Thomas Schultz, and Savanna Maddux; and back, RMS Chaperone Julie Kinder-McMillan, Bert Everitt, Alex Dahl, Alex Shanafield, Allison Myers, and JMS Chaperone Kristina Casalenuovo. (Submitted photo)

The Sister City Support Organization in cooperation with Oak Ridge Schools has selected the 2017 delegation for the middle school exchange with Oak Ridge’s sister city, Naka-shi, Japan. Delegates for the 2017 exchange are front, from left to right, Jordan Oxendine, Aidan Seay, Henri Scott, Mateo Cacheiro, Thomas Schultz, and Savanna Maddux; and back, RMS Chaperone Julie Kinder-McMillan, Bert Everitt, Alex Dahl, Alex Shanafield, Allison Myers, and JMS Chaperone Kristina Casalenuovo. (Submitted photo)

 

The Sister City Support Organization in cooperation with Oak Ridge Schools has selected the 2017 delegation for the middle school exchange with Oak Ridge’s sister city, Naka-shi, Japan.

The 10 rising eighth-grade students, representing both Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools, will be accompanied by two teacher chaperones. The group will travel to Japan in July and welcome the Naka students to Oak Ridge in August. This is the 26th year of the U.S.-Japanese exchange.

This press release and photo were submitted by Jerry Luckmann.

County veterans invited to community breakfast on Saturday

Posted at
By 4 Comments

CLINTON—Military veterans from Anderson County are once again invited to come together this weekend for a community Veterans Breakfast, a press release said.

The breakfast, hosted by Anderson County citizens, is sponsored this month by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12051 of Oak Ridge. The breakfast will be held this Saturday, April 8, at the Clinton Community Center. “Chow line” opens at 8:30 a.m., and there will be a brief program at 9 a.m.

All of the Veterans Breakfasts recognize and honor local veterans and their families for their service to the United States, the press release said. [Read more…]

Military Appreciation Night at Clinton-Oak Ridge baseball game on April 18

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Military Appreciation Night

The Clinton High School Baseball Booster Club has a Military Appreciation Night at the Clinton-Oak Ridge baseball game on Tuesday, April 18.

The junior varsity game starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at the Clinton Fairgrounds.

Vernon’s Burnins will be served at 5:30 p.m. for veterans and active military, an event flyer said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Civic Ballet to present ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘The Firebird’ on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association will present “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Firebird” on Saturday, April 8, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. (Photo by ORCBA)

The Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association will present “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Firebird” on Saturday, April 8, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. (Photo by ORCBA)

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association will present “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Firebird” on Saturday.

You will also have a chance to meet “Belle” and her royal friends at the Princess Tea Party on Saturday.

Both events are at Oak Ridge High School. The Princess Tea Party is Saturday morning, April 8, and the shows are Saturday afternoon and evening.

“Beauty and the Beast,” is the classic tale of an arrogant prince who is turned into a hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return, a press release said. Directed and choreographed by Sharon Nicklow-Cousins and Sarah Jett, the talented dancers of the Civic Ballet bring to life Belle, the Beast, and their castle servants.

“The whole family will enjoy the ballet as our gifted dancers enter the world of ‘Beauty and the Beast,’” said Christy Rickman, ORCBA president. [Read more…]

Roane State’s Anderson County Middle College students excited about graduation day

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane State Middle College students, from left, Miranda Vanover, Braelee Givens, and Emily Pooler will graduate from Roane State Community College before they graduate from high school. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Middle College students, from left, Miranda Vanover, Braelee Givens, and Emily Pooler will graduate from Roane State Community College before they graduate from high school. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

A group of bright high achievers from Anderson County will be wearing commencement’s traditional caps and gowns twice this spring.

Members of the first graduating class of Middle College students from Anderson County will receive associate degrees from Roane State Community College on May 6.

Then, they’ll be graduating from their respective high schools later that month.

Middle College is a two-year Roane State program where area high school sophomores with qualifying grades and test scores are invited as juniors to attend college in the mornings and return to their high schools in the afternoon.

Middle College gives participants a huge leg up in terms of college credits, and they’ll start the rest of their collegiate careers with two years of higher education classes under their belts. [Read more…]

DOE’s public bus tour began in March, continues through November

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

DOE Public Bus Tour

A U.S. Department of Energy public bus tour in August 2012. (File DOE photo/Lynn Freeny)

 

Visitors see Oak Ridge’s past and present

The U.S. Department of Energy’s 2017 Oak Ridge facilities public bus tour began March 3 and continues through November 27. The tour offers visitors a first-hand look at the DOE’s Oak Ridge facilities and provides historical commentary on the transformation of the Oak Ridge Reservation during the past 70 years, a press release said.

The reservation-wide tour is a popular destination for tourists visiting the area, the release said. Since its inception in 1996, the DOE public tour program has attracted more than 40,000 visitors from all 50 states. The three-hour tour allows visitors to see the Oak Ridge Reservation and learn historical facts and updates on the world-class missions underway in Oak Ridge.

The bus tour itinerary includes: [Read more…]

St. Mary’s student participates in National Honor Choir in Minnesota

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anna Kasemir, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge, participated in the American Choral Directors Association 2017 National Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir in March in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was accompanied by her music teacher, music teacher, Carol Villaverde. (Photo courtesy St. Mary's)

Anna Kasemir, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge, participated in the American Choral Directors Association 2017 National Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir in March in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was accompanied by her music teacher, Carol Villaverde. (Photo courtesy St. Mary’s)

 

Anna Kasemir, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge, recently participated in the American Choral Directors Association 2017 National Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir.

More than 4,400 singers auditioned to participate in the three conference honor choirs. Of the 298 singers selected to sing in the Junior High/Middle School choir, Kasemir was the only singer from the state of Tennessee.

The ACDA National Conference was hosted at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from March 8-11. The event involved more than 5,000 attendees, in which all fifty states were represented as well as 30 foreign countries, a press release said.

The Junior High/Middle School Honor Choir performed in two concerts on Saturday, March 11. [Read more…]

UT professor to discuss last year’s wildfires on April 13 in Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Henri Grissino-Mayer

Henri Grissino-Mayer

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss the devastating wildfires in the Southeast in 2016 during a talk in Oak Ridge on April 13.

The featured speaker will be UT professor Henri Grissino-Mayer, a renowned expert on ecosystems, a press release said. He will address the devastating fires, their cause, and what the future may be, a press release said.

The talk is titled “The 2016 Wildfires in the Southeastern U.S.: What Comes Next after Gatlinburg?” It will be presented by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

It’s scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in the UT Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Grissino-Mayer is a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and director of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Science. [Read more…]

Registration for 2017 Summer Camp began April 1

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Registration for the 2017 Summer Camp sponsored by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department began on Saturday, April 1. Online registration is available at https://apm.activecommunities.com/oakridgerecandparks/Home.

Space is limited, and the camp will fill up quickly, a press release said. Early registration is recommended.

In addition to online registration, walk-in registration for cash or check payment will be available during regular Oak Ridge Civic Center hours (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). Walk-in registrants should complete an online profile/account before coming in to register. The staff will complete the registration at the front desk, the press release said.

The first session of camp will begin on June 5 and run for eight consecutive weeks, Monday through Friday. There will be no camp on Tuesday, July 4. Campers must be six to twelve years of age, or have completed kindergarten, the press release said. [Read more…]

Information about plans for new Friendship Bell site to be shared Monday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

oak-ridge-international-frienship-bell-interior-scaled

Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

Submitted

Peace. Can it be attained in 2017?

“My Faith’s Traditions/Teachings on Personal and World Peace” will be the topic of a panel discussion held by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge, or WIDOR, on April 3 at 11 a.m. at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, the Beth El Center, at 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited, a press release said.

The first speaker on the panel, Shigeko Uppuluri, will present on the peaceful intentions of those who arranged to bring the Friendship Bell to Oak Ridge from Japan and share information about the plans for its new site, the press release said. [Read more…]