Oak Ridge Today

ADFAC celebrates 30 years with city, ORUD

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ADFAC Board Member, Cande Seay (left), presenting a 30th Birthday cake to the ORUD employees including (L-R) Polli Wright, Ben Andrews, Emily Rios, Raeshell Maples, Sasha Benjamin, David Bunch and Jeff Patterson.

ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay (left), presents a 30th birthday cake to ORUD employees, including, from left to right, Polli Wright, Ben Andrews, Emily Rios, Raeshell Maples, Sasha Benjamin, David Bunch, and Jeff Patterson. (Submitted photo)

 

ADFAC (Aid To Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties Inc.) is celebrating its 30th birthday all year long, a press release said. Birthday cakes will be delivered throughout the community to partners who have helped in the mission of helping neighbors be as self-sufficient as possible, the press release said.

Jane Palmer, ADFAC’s 30th chairperson, said: “It’s just our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the community for 30 years of supporting us. And who doesn’t love cake? It’s a great way for us to not only say thank you but to spread the word about the great work going on at ADFAC.”

Most recently, ADFAC representatives visited all four utility companies that serve ADFAC’s service area including Oak Ridge Utility District, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Clinton Utilities Board, and Powell-Clinch Utility Board. ADFAC presented cakes to these groups as a way to say thank you for the many years of supporting Project SAFE and Project ASSIST, the press release said. [Read more…]

Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference set for April 6-8

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Carol Aebersold, keynote speaker at the awards banquet, native Oak Ridger, and author of "The Elf on the Shelf." (Submitted photo)

Carol Aebersold, native Oak Ridger, and author of “The Elf on the Shelf.” (Submitted photo)

“Write Here, Write Now” is the theme of the Tennessee Mountain Writers’ 29th Annual Conference, scheduled Thursday through Saturday, April 6-8, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The conference will include writing contests, workshops, networking, manuscript evaluations, publishers, editors, book signings, a bookstore, vendors, and more, a press release said.

Native Oak Ridger Carol Aebersold will be the keynote speaker at the awards banquet, the concluding event of the conference. Aebersold is the award-winning co-author of the acclaimed book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” as well as several board books.

Aebersold serves as a spokeswoman for the North Pole, traveling nationally—and sometimes internationally—in support of her books, providing kids with a direct line to Santa, the press release said. She is also a co-founder of The Elf on the Shelf’s publishing company, Creatively Classic Activities and Books (CCA and B, LLC), where she serves as owner and partner. Her book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition” has been on the best-seller lists of USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly almost yearly since its 2005 launch. [Read more…]

Call for nominations for annual Naida Finane Award for Courage, Tolerance

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Nominations for the fourth annual award to honor the legacy of educator Naida Finane are currently being collected by the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Board of Trustees.

Any resident of Anderson or Roane counties who has demonstrated a superior act of compassion, love, and/or justice is eligible to be nominated for the Naida Finane Award for Courage and Tolerance, a press release said. The recipient shall have been at the forefront as a “voice for a more compassionate and inclusive greater Oak Ridge with the action(s) recognized having occurred in the greater Oak Ridge area and restricted to human issues.”

“Naida braved the world of Oak Ridge High School, where there was no club for GLBT students and took on the leadership for the first club. She was a memorable person for many students’ lives,” said her friend and fellow educator Jinx Watson.

“Naida’s infectious enthusiasm and openness, coupled with her originality, energy, and humor, captured the imaginations of students fortunate enough to find themselves in her classrooms during her 38-year teaching career, the majority of which was spent teaching English at Oak Ridge High School. A gifted and devoted teacher, an extraordinary person, whose innate joy and determination spilled out onto her family, friends, coworkers, and others, including her students,” words taken from her obituary. She died in February 2011. [Read more…]

Health care employers invited to participate in Roane State job fair

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Employers are invited to participate in a March 29 job fair at Roane State Community College for students who are pursuing careers in health care and plan to graduate this year.

The fair is planned for Wednesday, March 29, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue. Setup begins at 11 a.m. in the Coffey-McNally building.

Employers are asked to register by March 24. There is no registration fee. To register, visit www.roanestate.edu/jobfair. Limited space is still available. [Read more…]

Regional symposium for community college leaders, educators

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The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship, the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, and the Appalachian Regional Commission will co-sponsor a regional symposium for community college leaders and educators in Appalachia who are interested in enhancing economic growth in their areas.

The summit, “Leveraging Assets in Your Local Community to Promote Economic Development,” will be held March 30-31 at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville.

The keynote speaker for the event is Randy Boyd, former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.

Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College, and Anthony Wise, president of Pellissippi State Community College, are among those scheduled to present at the symposium. [Read more…]

Seminar on how to do business with the government

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College is offering a free seminar on how to do business with the government.

The seminar is from 9 a.m. to noon April 4 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

To register, call (865) 483-2668 or send an email to jbangs@tsbdc.org.

Free seminar on government contracting, GSA schedule

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Roane State Community College is offering a free seminar on how to get on the GSA Schedule to do business with the government.

The seminar is from 1-4 p.m. April 4 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

To register, call (865) 483-2668 or send an email to jbangs@tsbdc.org.

Some JCPenney stores closing, but not Oak Ridge

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jcpenney-main-street-oak-ridge-oct-14-2016

The JCPenney in Oak Ridge is not among the 138 stores closing across the country, the company said Friday, March 17, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:30 p.m.

The JCPenney in Oak Ridge is not among the 138 stores closing across the country, the company said.

Three Tennessee stores are closing. One is at Knoxville Center, another is at Greeneville Commons, and the third is at County Market Place in Union City.

JCPenney said the closures are “part of a continuing effort to advance sustainable growth and long-term profitability.”

Parker Hardy, president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, said JCPenney is a “linchpin” store for the new Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall.

“JCPenney has been a very important part of our retail mix—particularly for apparel—ever since Mr. Penney participated in the original grand opening,” Hardy said Friday. “Penney always has been a draw for Oak Ridgers and for customers who live outside the city but inside our broader retail trade area…The fact that Penney is staying with Oak Ridge while closing stores in nearby cities says something strong about their confidence in Main Street, their confidence in our market, and their confidence in our business climate.” [Read more…]

Slides: See more information on the Oak Ridge Airport project

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Oak Ridge Airport Funding Sources March 15 2017

A Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority committee on Wednesday approved a layout plan for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport. The plan will now be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration for review and approval.

As reported in a Wednesday story, there are additional steps and approvals required. But if all goes well, construction on the airport could start in late 2018 or early 2019, officials said Wednesday.

Slides included in this story include more information about the proposed airport. We encourage you to read the earlier story as well.

The airport could cost an estimated $35 million to $40 million, officials said Wednesday. It would be funded with a mix of federal funding, state aeronautical commission funding, and local funding from the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, or MKAA. [Read more…]

New Sears Hometown Store opens in Oak Ridge

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A Sears Hometown Store has opened in Oak Ridge. The store is at 142 Fairbanks Road, near the corner of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Florida Avenue. Pictured above in December 2016 are owner Leslie Agron, left; employee Dave Hetes, second from left; Bill Heavilin, right; and Lore Heavilin, second from right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A Sears Hometown Store has opened in Oak Ridge. The store is at 142 Fairbanks Road, near the corner of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Florida Avenue. Pictured above in December 2016 are owner Leslie Agron, left; employee Dave Hetes, second from left; Bill Heavilin, right; and Lore Heavilin, second from right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A Sears Hometown Store has opened in Oak Ridge. The store is at 142 Fairbanks Road, near the corner of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Florida Avenue.

Sears Hometown Store will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18. During the grand opening, customers can enjoy an additional discount of 10 percent off almost everything in the store* plus special giveaways, including a $10 gift card for the first 20 customers on Friday, March 17.

Unlike most retail concepts, Sears Hometown Stores combine the value, selection, and services associated with larger retail stores, but they are owned and operated by a member of the local community, a press release said.

“As a native Oak Ridger, I am very happy to be bringing Sears back to Oak Ridge,” said Sears Hometown Store owner Leslie Agron. [Read more…]

Lunch with the League to feature the ‘alphabet soup’ of health care

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Matt Tillery

Matt Tillery

A guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday will help decipher the “alphabet soup” of health care, a press release said.

Guest speaker Matt Tillery, director of community services for Cherokee Health Systems, will give a brief history of the Affordable Care Act, Tennessee’s Medicare and Medicaid programs, and resources available to those who are eligible for these services, the press release said.

Tillery will speak specifically on community mental health clinics and federally qualified health care centers, and what these types of service locations mean to community members, the press release said. The program will start at noon Tuesday, March 21, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Harlem Ambassadors basketball show to benefit Habitat for Humanity

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Habitat for Humanity Harlem Ambassadors March 17 2017

Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County will host the Harlem Ambassadors basketball show at Oak Ridge High School on Friday evening. Oak Ridge firefighters have volunteered to be the opposing team.

The show is a benefit for Habitat for Humanity. It starts at 7 p.m. Friday, March 17, at Wildcat Arena.

“Please join us for an evening of entertainment, fun, and zany basketball,” organizers said. “The Ambassadors also bring the message ‘Stay in School, Stay off Drugs and Don’t be a Bully.'”

Tickets are only $5, and there will be plenty of food at the concession stand, organizers said. Advance tickets are available in Oak Ridge at TNBank at 401 South Illnois Avenue and at the Habitat ReStore at 105 Randolph Road. They can be purchased at the door on Friday night. [Read more…]