Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County Commission meeting Monday

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission will meet for its regular monthly session on Monday, June 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

Commissioners will be considering appointments of commissioners to the newly-created Budget and Purchasing Committees brought about by the recent change in financial management systems. The Nominating Committee met this week and recommended that Commissioners Chuck Fritts, Whitey Hitchcock, Myron Iwanski, Theresa Scott, and Jerry White serve on the Budget Committee. The Nominating Committee members also recommended that Commissioners Tim Isbel, Angeleque McNutt, Steve Mead, Theresa Scott, and Philip Warfield serve on the Purchasing Committee.

The full Commission will discuss and possibly vote upon the Operations Committee’s recommendation to move forward on a project to refurbish the Glen Alpine Convenience Center in Clinton. The Commission will also discuss a five-year lease extension at a cost of $1,000 per month for the land housing the Wolf Valley Convenience Center in Claxton. [Read more…]

Amateur Radio Club demonstrates World War II-era military radio at Secret City Festival

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Sterling Edmunds of the Roane County Amateur Radio Club explains historical communication to visitors during the Secret City Festival. In the background are working, restored military “morale” radios and receivers from WWII and the Cold War. (Submitted photo)

Sterling Edmunds of the Roane County Amateur Radio Club explains historical communication to visitors during the Secret City Festival. In the background are working, restored military “morale” radios and receivers from World War II and the Cold War. (Submitted photo)

 

By Kathryn King

The Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club demonstrated World War II-era military radio communications Friday and Saturday as part of the Secret City Festival. The group also hosted communications as part of the National Parks on the Air Program, celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service and the newly established Manhattan Project National Historical Park. A special event radio call sign, N4M, was issued for this event. The concurrence of these three events represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local amateur radio operators.

Approximately 200 people visited the exhibit, which, along with live, on-the-air radio operations, also featured replays of historic broadcasts, such as news programs from World War II, including the announcement of the existence of Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project. [Read more…]

Summer Solstice evening hike on Cumberland Trail on Friday, June 17 

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Get a jump on the June 20 Summer Solstice with a Summer Solstice Outing on the Alley Ford section of the Cumberland Trail on Friday evening, June 17. The outing will include a 2.5-mile walk roundtrip, with one short uphill, then mostly level trail with a few ups and downs.   Participants should bring a supper snack and something to sit on while eating. Weather permitting; there will be nice views from the overlook and Nemo Bridge, a press release said.

Participants can meet for carpooling in the Gold’s Gym/Books-A-Million parking lot in Oak Ridge (at the end close to South Illinois Avenue, near Salsarita’s) at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or meet at the Nemo parking area at 6:15. [Read more…]

Kids in the Creek outing on Emory River on Saturday, June 25

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Photo courtesy Tiffany Foster

Photo courtesy Tiffany Foster

 

Looking for a fun and educational summertime activity for the kids? On June 25, a Kids in the Creek outing will be held at Reister Access on the Emory River. The event will start at 10 a.m. with a welcome and safety talk, followed by two breakout sessions on fish and insects, and will conclude between noon and 12:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to all kids who are rising third-graders or older. Children must be accompanied by adults at all times; no unaccompanied minors will be permitted, a press release said.

Adults must be prepared to sign liability waivers on behalf of children. Participants should be prepared to get wet, and should wear shoes that are river-ready. Snacks are advisable, along with dry clothes, sunscreen, and bug spray. [Read more…]

City Clerk’s Office accepting applications for four city boards

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The Oak Ridge City Clerk’s office is currently accepting applications to fill vacancies on four city boards.

The Anderson County Economic Development Association (ACEDA) and the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau (CVB) have one vacancy each. The Environmental Quality Advisory Board (EQUAB) has three vacancies, one of which is for a high school representative. The Traffic Safety Advisory Board (TSAB) has one vacancy for a high school representative.

The terms of offices are as follows:

 City Board Term of Office
ACEDA Balance of an unexpired term ending on December 31, 2017
CVB Balance of an unexpired term ending on December 31, 2018
EQAB Balance of an unexpired term ending on December 31, 2016, and an unexpired term ending on December 31, 2018. The term for the high school representative is a one-year term commencing at the time of appointment
TSAB One-year term commencing at time of appointment

[Read more…]

Roane County Emergency Services has new emergency notification program

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Roane County Office of Emergency Services Logo

The Roane County Office of Emergency Services has a new community emergency notification program. It will help authorities contact individual community members in the case of a community emergency such as severe weather, active shooter, or other event.

“We are requesting that everyone visit the Hyper-Reach website and input your preferred means of communication, including email and text alerts,” a press release said. “The purpose of this sign-up page is that 911 data only includes landline numbers.”

Cell phones, emails, and special needs technology, like TDD for the hearing-impaired, are not included in the regular Accu-Reach data unless the individual involved signs up for messages from these other-than-landline sources. There is an easy sign-up form specific for every user. It’s simple and only takes a minute. [Read more…]

Drug Awareness Day at Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Saturday

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2016 Drug Awareness Day

The Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks will be hosting the fourth annual Drug Awareness Day at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool located at 172 Providence Road, on Saturday, June 18.

Drug Awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. inside the pool area. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, swim noodles, beach balls, and Frisbees.

This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, and the Tennessee Meth and Pharmaceutical Task Force. [Read more…]

Small business center offers workshops in June, July, August

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The Tennessee Small Business Development Center is offering workshops in June, July, and August.

Here is a schedule of workshops:

Topic: Small business start-up

  • Date: Friday, June 24
  • Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • Location: Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

This workshop discusses all steps in starting up a new business, to include legal forms of business and financing options.

There is no fee to attend, but registration is required. To sign up, call TSBDC at (865) 483-2668 or email jbangs@tsbdc.org.

Topic: Search Engine Optimization for websites—introduction

[Read more…]

Anderson Co. budget: Special meeting scheduled June 23

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A special meeting of the Anderson County Commission has been scheduled for June 23 for budget-related discussions.

During the meeting, department heads, residents, and elected and appointed officials can talk to the commission about the proposed budget that has been recommended by the Anderson County Budget Committee and presented by Mayor Terry Frank.

Also, there could be discussion, amendments, and adoption of the budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1, including any resolutions required or related to the budget and/or tax rate, a meeting notice said. [Read more…]

Roane Co. budget: Public hearing, work session on June 27

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Roane County officials will have a public hearing and work session on June 27 for the budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The public hearing starts at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 27, in the Qualls Commission Room in the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston.

The Roane County Budget Committee will meet immediately after the public hearing, also in the Qualls Commission Room. [Read more…]

Norris Council rejects tax hike

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Norris City Council has reversed course on a property tax rate increase.

Last month, the Norris City Council voted on first reading to adopt a budget that included a seven-cent property tax rate increase to address possible needs in the future.

But last week, during a public hearing, dozens of Norris taxpayers spoke out against the increase. Council members apparently listened, as Monday, they voted to keep the property tax rate at its current level. [Read more…]

Plans could change, but for now, Calhoun’s plans to open Wednesday

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Calhoun's-Restaurant-April-17-2016-Slider

The new Calhoun’s Restaurant in Oak Ridge could open on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, although plans are subject to change. Above, the restaurant was under construction in mid-April at the former site of Riverside Grille on Melton Lake Peninsula in east Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Plans could change, but for now, the new Calhoun’s Restaurant in Oak Ridge plans to open Wednesday, the company said Thursday.

The restaurant will be on Melton Lake Peninsula in east Oak Ridge, where Riverside Grille and Flatwater Grill used to be.

Oak Ridge Today first reported on the new restaurant in March, after Calhoun’s applied for a beer permit from the Oak Ridge Beer Permit Board.

The restaurant is owned by the Copper Cellar Corporation, which purchased the property from businessmen and developers Rick and Ryan Chinn in February. [Read more…]