Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will host the February PFLAG meeting on Monday, February 6. Upcoming Tennessee legislation affecting the LGBTQ community will be the topic, a press release said.
Social time will begin at 6:45 p.m. The meeting will be from 7 to 8 p.m.
ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike (close to traffic light #2.) The community is invited to attend, the press release said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
A benefit, all-day spaghetti dinner will be held on Saturday, February 11, at Main Street Baptist Church in Rocky Top for Oak Ridge Police Department Officer David Ridenour.
Last year, Ridenour, while building his new home, had an accident with a nail gun that caused a serious injury to his eye.
Despite numerous surgeries and other treatments to try and save the eye, it had to be removed on January 24. [Read more…]
A conceptual site plan for a new preschool at Elm Grove Park on East Tennessee Avenue in east Oak Ridge. Officials said the plan would keep the park and the walking trail. (Image courtesy Studio Four Design/City of Oak Ridge)
Oak Ridge municipal and school officials could start selecting a site for the new preschool as early as this month. There are two options being considered: Elm Grove Park and Scarboro Community Center.
Financing for the project, which would include bonds, could be included in the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
In the meantime, a petition drive has been started to oppose building the preschool at Elm Grove Park.
The park had previously been announced as the preferred site for the new preschool, which has been on the city’s wish list for many years. Elm Grove Park is a city-owned parcel in east Oak Ridge off East Tennessee Avenue. It’s the site of a former school, it’s relatively flat, and it has city-owned utilities. Also, there aren’t many obstacles that would affect construction, and site borings have already been done, city officials said last week. [Read more…]
A man and dog were injured after shots were fired at a home on Wednesday night, authorities said.
The shooting was reported at 325 Louisiana Avenue at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The resident, 27-year-old Dylan Squires, told officers that he heard a knock on his front door. When he opened the door, Squires said, he observed a man, dressed in all black clothing and a ski mask, approaching his porch. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge High School Fusion Orchestra will perform on the “Blue Plate Special” on WDVX FM 89.9 on Friday.
The show is scheduled from 12-1 p.m. Friday, February 3, at the Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge. It’s free.
The groundbreaking fusion orchestra is now in its second year at ORHS, and it is the brainchild of ORHS Orchestra Director Doug Phillips, a press release said. According to Phillips, the class is a result of his doctoral studies during the past seven years at one of the top music universities in the world: Boston University. [Read more…]
Several readers have asked why sirens went off in Oak Ridge early Friday, January 20.
On Tuesday, Oak Ridge National Laboratory said three sirens at the lab were unintentionally activated for about 45 seconds during the daily alarm test just before 6 a.m. Friday, January 20. Only the sirens on the ORNL site were affected, ORNL spokesperson David Keim said.
The sirens at other DOE sites and within the city were unaffected, but ORNL immediately notified the city and other U.S. Department of Energy sites of the false alarm at the lab, Keim said. [Read more…]
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will be discussed at a February 11 meeting. It’s a meeting of the Clinch Bend Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
The guest speaker will be Frank Graham from the National Park Service.
The meeting starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 11, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge.
Call (865) 567-8250 if you are interested in DAR or have questions.
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Melton Hill Dam is pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)
The Tennessee Valley Authority will temporarily lower the water level of Melton Hill Reservoir from Friday, February 17, through Monday, March 6, to allow property owners to repair docks, stabilize the shoreline, and pick up litter.
The reservoir’s water level will be held between 790 and 792 feet above sea level—approximately two to four feet below its current level – during this period. Melton Hill will be returned to its normal winter elevation of 794 feet beginning on March 7, a press release said.
Information on the river system and specific reservoirs is available on TVA’s website at http://www.tva.com/Environment/Lake-Levels and on TVA’s free app for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices. Links to download the apps are available on the Lake Level webpage.
Photo courtesy Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge
Due to renovation work and concern for visitor safety, the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is closed Tuesday, January 31, and Wednesday, February 1.
The Museum apologizes for any inconvenience.
The Museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive, will reopen Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
The Oak Ridge Senior Center welcomed guests to its new temporary location at the Civic Center with a free Chili Cook-Off on Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
The Oak Ridge Senior Center welcomed guests to its new temporary location at the Civic Center with a free Chili Cook-Off on Monday, January 30.
Around 70 people sampled chili and soup from area restaurants and assisted living facilities, a press release said. Participants providing food included Brookdale Senior Living, Greenfield Senior Living, Canterfield Assisted Living, Morning Pointe of Clinton, The Soup Kitchen, Pizza Inn, and Razzleberry Lab.
Lunch guests were able to check out the Senior Center’s new facility inside the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike and register for door prizes before sampling and voting for their favorite dish, the press release said. The winner was chili from Greenfield Senior Living, represented by Leah Dailey and Mark Roseberry. [Read more…]
More than 100 students from 35 schools and home school groups in East Tennessee competed in the Tennessee Chess Association regional tournament at Oak Ridge High School on January 28.
Forty-two of the 115 participants represented schools in Oak Ridge: Jefferson Middle School, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, Robertsville Middle School, St. Mary’s, Willow Brook Elementary School, and Woodland Elementary School. Those who qualified for the state tournament to be held February 18 at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville are: [Read more…]
Jaclyn Johnson
The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association has a new choral director, Jaclyn Johnson.
A press release said Johnson has made it her life goal to share her passion for music with ensembles and audiences around the world. Before completing her doctoral degree in choral conducting at the University of Michigan, Johnson had a thriving career as a high school choral educator and church musician, the press release said.
Ensembles under her direction have received numerous honors and awards, including performances at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference (2011), Western Division Conference (2010), and Central Division Conference (2014), the press release said. In 2014, Johnson represented the United States as an international exchange conductor to China. She is currently the associate director of choral activities at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
“I am honored to be the new choral director for ORCMA and to work with such brilliant individuals,” Johnson said in the press release. “Oak Ridge has a rich and unique musical history, and I aspire to further this excellence with inspiring and exciting programs. We welcome any new members who have a passion for singing!” [Read more…]
