Oak Ridge Today

Manhattan Project National Park celebrates Girl Scout Week on Saturday

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Photo by Ed Westcott

Photo by Ed Westcott

 

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is partnering with the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge and the Girl Scouts of USA to celebrate National Girl Scout Week on Saturday, March 11.

Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Children’s Museum, individual Girl Scouts and/or troops are welcome to participate in hands-on activities until 3:30 p.m., a press release said. Admission to CMOR will be free on that day for any Girl Scout in uniform and their families. Girl Scouts can earn the “Our Girl Scout Story” history patch and a MAPR Junior Ranger patch by participating in a historical scavenger hunt. The historical scavenger hunt activity information will be made available from March 11 through March 25 at the National Park Service desk at the American Museum of Science and Energy. [Read more…]

Eighth rowing lane complete in time for spring training

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The eighth lane on the Oak Ridge Rowing Course has been completed on schedule and under budget, just in time to welcome teams for spring training and the season’s first regatta, the City of Oak Ridge said Friday.

“Previously, the course utilized seven rowing lanes, taking Oak Ridge out of the running for any event requiring eight lanes for competition,” a city press release said. “Part of the waterway was widened, and a retaining wall installed in order to create the additional lane.”

Spring training started in late February, and Oak Ridge has already welcomed dozens of teams to town, the press release said. The first regatta on this season’s schedule, the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, kicks off Saturday, March 11. Approximately 12 teams will compete in the event before it wraps up on Sunday, March 12.

First Place Finish Inc. was selected to carry out the project back in September. The $548,350 contract was awarded to the company during a meeting of Oak Ridge City Council. A partial closure of Melton Lake Greenway and a temporary speed limit reduction along part of Melton Lake Drive were both lifted this week. [Read more…]

Six East Tennessee women, two from Oak Ridge, to be honored with Peacemaker Awards

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Six long-time advocates for peace and justice, including two women from Oak Ridge, will be honored with the 2017 Peacemaker Awards in Knoxville on Saturday, March 11, a press release said.

Since 1999, the Peacemaker Awards, sponsored by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, have recognized people who have distinguished themselves by speaking, acting, and working for social justice in East Tennessee, the press release said.

This year’s honorees are Shigeko Uppuluri and Marese Nephew of Oak Ridge, Caroline Best of Maryville, and MaryAnne McNutt, Judy Ross, and Sarah Scott of Knoxville. [Read more…]

Snow possible Saturday night

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Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

Road crews on Friday prepared roads for possible winter weather, including a potential snow, on Saturday, March 11, 2017. This picture was taken on Wisconsin Avenue on Friday afternoon, March 10. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

On Friday, crews prepared roads for possible winter weather this weekend in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee, potentially including snow on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said winter will return this weekend with snowfall expected Saturday night across most of the region. Snow accumulations of one to three inches are possible across the Tennessee Valley and Cumberland Plateau, and three to six inches are possible in the Great Smoky Mountains. [Read more…]

Warrants: Driver who crashed stolen car into river had slurred speech, trouble staying awake

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Darrell Wayne Bouck

Darrell Wayne Bouck

 

CLAXTON—The Knoxville man who crashed a car reported as stolen into Bull Run Creek on Wednesday, prompting a nighttime search of the water with the help of divers, had slurred speech and trouble staying awake, authorities said.

Darrell Wayne Bouck Jr., 38, of Byington Solway Road, has been charged with driving under the influence; theft of more than $1,000; stolen plate; no driver’s license; and a due care violation, according to traffic citations, arrest warrants, and a preliminary crash report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The license plate and the vehicle, identified as a 2003 Honda Civic in the traffic citations, had been reported stolen in Knox County, according to the warrants, which were filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 7:53 p.m. Wednesday on New Henderson Road in Claxton, near Bull Run Park. [Read more…]

Photos: Secret City Wildbots at Palmetto Regional

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The Secret City Wildbots, an Oak Ridge team, competed in the FIRST Robotics Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots, an Oak Ridge team, competed in the FIRST Robotics Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots, an Oak Ridge team, competed in the FIRST Robotics Palmetto Regional in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, last week.

The Wildbots, Team 4265, lost in the semifinals, but will likely face many of the same teams at Smoky Mountain Regionals from March 22-25, said Angi Agle, an Oak Ridge Board of Education member who was at the Palmetto Regional.

“The Wildbots made some significant improvements and adjustments in the later rounds, resulting in a robot that is capable of competing consistently at a high level,” Agle said.

The three-day competition was from March 2-4. There were practice matches on Thursday, and qualification rounds on Friday and Saturday. Elimination rounds were Saturday afternoon.  [Read more…]

Farragut Food & Wine Festival is May 5

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Food_&_Wine_Poster

The Eighth Annual Farragut Food & Wine Festival will be Friday, May 5. It’s presented by TDS and hosted by the Farragut Business Alliance and Town of Farragut.

The festival includes food, drink, and fun, a press release said.

“Eight super-sized tents, three generators, one stage complete with band, 60 volunteers, over two dozen restaurants, and eight purveyors of adult beverages help to create one of the most exciting evenings eagerly anticipated every year,” the press release said. “The Farragut Food and Wine Festival has proved to have a regional draw of more than 1,000 food and fun lovers.”

The festival is scheduled from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, on the lawn of Renaissance—Farragut at 12700 Kingston Pike, with the help of a dozen business sponsors, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State NASA scholars named for spring 2017

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Four Roane State Community College students have received NASA scholarships worth $2,850 to support their pursuit of degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields.

NASA provided funding for the scholarships through a $499,689 grant it awarded to the Tennessee Community College Space Grant Consortium. Roane State, Cleveland State Community College, Columbia State Community College, Northeast State Community College, and Pellissippi State Community College are part of the consortium.

The recipients are Jose Coronilla of Philadelphia (pre-engineering), Gregory Eaton of Kingston (pre-engineering), Ronnie Lewis of LaFollette (mechatronics), and Horace Parrott of Jellico (mechatronics).

To learn more about STEM majors at Roane State, visit roanestate.edu/stem.

See the 2017 Secret City Festival schedule here

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Secret City Festival Flyer 2017

See the Secret City Festival schedule of events above. The events start Friday, June 2, and end June 17.

Sponsorship and vendor opportunities are available. For more information, contact sponsor@celebrateoakridge.org.

Woodland student Caleb Johnson wins first-place award at Dogwood Arts

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Student art work by Caleb Johnson (Photo submitted by Mary Katherine Chin)

Student art work by Caleb Johnson (Photo submitted by Mary Katherine Chin)

 

Woodland Elementary School art student Caleb Johnson recently won first place in his grade level at the Dogwood Arts Festival.

“This is huge,” said Woodland Elementary School teacher Mary Katherine Chin. Hundreds of works of art are sent in, Chin said.

“But only a select few are chosen,” she said. “Even fewer get awards.”

The Dogwood Arts SYNERGY art exhibition features the work of gifted students from local schools (grades K-12). The exhibit is alongside an exhibit by East Tennessee’s finest K-12 art teachers and current art interns/student-teachers from public and private schools and academies, a press release said. Awards and scholarships are presented to encourage further development of these art students’ artistic aptitude.

Jefferson Middle School art teacher Jim Dodson is a committee chair. (You can see him featured in a video on the site, as well as student work from prior years, at this link.) [Read more…]

ORHS Youth Ambassadors travel to Capitol for substance abuse prevention day

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ASAP-on-the-HILL-2-1

Submitted photo

 

Eleven Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Youth Ambassadors from Anderson County, Clinton, and Oak Ridge high schools traveled to the State Capitol to take part in Prevention Alliance of Tennessee’s Day on the Hill. On this day, coalitions from all across the state come together to advocate for substance abuse prevention in Tennessee. By joining forces with The Prevention Alliance of Tennessee (PAT), the ASAP Youth Ambassadors are able to further the mission to prevent and reduce substance abuse in Anderson County, a press release said.

During the visit, these students had the opportunity to have private meetings with Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, Representative John Ragan, and Representative Dennis Powers to educate them about the issues that are important to them. Currently, these issues include the desire to have tobacco-free parks in Anderson County, the risks involved with legalizing medical or other uses of marijuana, and support for opioid abuse reduction. [Read more…]

Roane State to host ACT workshops March 18, April 1 at main campus in Harriman

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For college-bound high school students, it’s the biggest test to date of their academic careers: the ACT exam. The test evaluates students’ readiness for college, and scores can determine whether they are admitted to the college of their choice.

Roane State and the private education institution, SailAway Learning, are offering workshops on preparing for the ACT on two Saturdays, March 18 and April 1.

The workshops, titled “Hidden Rules of the ACT Prep,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days on Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. Check-in will be from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. [Read more…]