Oak Ridge Today

Learn about secrecy, security, spies during Manhattan Project on Friday

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Turnpike Checking station

The Turnpike Gatehouse on Oak Ridge Turnpike in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

A program in west Oak Ridge on Friday, May 20, will give visitors some insight into what life was like in the city during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the concern for spies, a press release said.

The program will be presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. It starts at 3 p.m. May 20 at the Turnpike Gatehouse, which is located at 2900 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Visitors that are taking the U.S. Department of Energy public tour are encouraged to attend the program after the tour, the press release said.

This program is free and open to the public. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible. [Read more…]

Wanted by TBI, Rogersville fugitive captured in Hawkins County

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Gary Simpson

Gary Simpson

A Rogersville man who was added to the TBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list Thursday was captured later that afternoon in Hawkins County, authorities said.

Gary Simpson, 57, was wanted by the Rogersville Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for especially aggravated kidnapping.

On May 4, Simpson kidnapped 9-year-old Carlie Marie Trent from school, the TBI said. He had no custodial rights to Carlie.

Simpson was the suspect of the AMBER Alert issued this month for Carlie Trent. [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School wins one of twenty 2016 Shape the State grants

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Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School is one of 20 recipients this year of a Shape the State grant that includes the highly touted SPARK curriculum and its accompanying equipment for physical education courses. The grant includes an additional $1,000 for desired improvements to the wellness/nutrition/PE program.

Jefferson Middle School PE teachers will receive curriculum training on-site on September 19 and 20.

Robertsville Middle School received a similar grant last year, so this year’s grant will ensure all Oak Ridge middle school PE teachers have had the opportunity for the training, a press release said. [Read more…]

Knoxville Opera’s Salesky brings program to Oak Ridge on Tuesday

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Brian Salesky

Brian Salesky

Maestro Brian Salesky, executive director and conductor of Knoxville Opera, will present a dynamic program illustrating the history of opera and musical theater at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, May 17. The program starts at noon Tuesday in the sanctuary of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 309 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Salesky will be joined by two opera singers in his exposition of Opera 101, soprano Sarah Fitch and baritone Kevin Doherty. Both have performed roles in Knoxville Opera’s productions at the Tennessee Theatre and are graduates of the University of Tennessee, a press release said.

Opera 101, which can be adapted for different age groups, is one of several in the Knoxville Opera Education Program. In information provided for the upcoming program, Salesky said Knoxville Opera annually presents 75-100 education events for the community, including the recent Rossini Festival, Knoxville Opera Goes to Church, African-American Voices Series, and in-school operas, reaching up to 100,000 people. [Read more…]

Running for Office Workshop on Thursday at Oak Ridge Chamber

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is offering a free workshop for anyone interested in running for local office on Thursday, May 19. The workshop is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. May 19 in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce. It’s open to the public.

The workshop will be conducted by Bob Eby, who has successfully run four campaigns over four decades and currently serves on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. He will share advice that he has received from elected officials over the years as well as his own observations and experiences during the past 30 years. Eby will share his list of things you must do, the things to avoid, and things to consider in order to run a successful campaign. There will be an opportunity for participants to ask questions and discuss issues. [Read more…]

Learn about gravitational waves at ORION astronomy lecture

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Michael Guidry

Michael Guidry

Learn about gravitational waves during an ORION astronomy club meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting will feature Mike Guidry, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Tennessee and an adjunct staff member with Oak Ridge National Laboratory Physics and Computer Science departments.

On September 14, 2015, the event detectors from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO, facilities in Washington and Louisiana recorded data that was consistent with the merging of two black holes, a press release said. Together, the recorded data form the event known as GW150914. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School has Honors Night for Class of 2016

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Oak Ridge High School

The main entrance at Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

 

Oak Ridge High School will celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s graduating senior class on Monday, May 23. The celebration will start at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

Those members of the senior class who have earned a “B” average and above through the end of their junior year will receive a cord and certificate to commemorate their outstanding achievement. [Read more…]

Car, Truck, Motorcycle Show to benefit Emory Valley Center at Calvary Baptist

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2015-Winner_Ken-Wetherinton_1923-Model-T

2015 Winner—Ken Wetherinton—1923 Model T (Submitted photo)

 

Calvary Baptist Church will host its second annual Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Show on Saturday, May 14. The show is scheduled from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and it’s free. It’s open to the public, and it will include fun for the entire family, a press release said.

“Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out and enjoy the variety of cars, trucks, and motorcycles featured—this event is open to all vehicles,” the press release said.

The pre-registration entry fee per vehicle is $10, and the registration fee the day of show is $15 per vehicle. Proceeds from donations and registration fees will be donated to support Emory Valley Center. In the case of rain, the event will be moved to Saturday, May 21.

For more information, please contact John Ellis at john.ellis@calvaryor.org. [Read more…]

St. Brendan’s Orthodox Celtic Festival is Saturday in Oak Ridge

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St. Brendan Celtic Festival

You can celebrate Celtic orthodoxy, Celtic heritage, and the Celtic roots of East Tennessee on Saturday, May 14, in Oak Ridge.

The Celtic heritage of East Tennessee and Appalachia runs deep, sharing so much in common—from food to language, music, and dance, and the sense of the sacred, a press release said. The peoples of the British Isles were Orthodox Christians for more than a thousand years, producing many of the world’s most-loved saints, and a spiritual heritage second to none.

The St. Brendan’s Orthodox Celtic Festival at St. Anne Orthodox Church in Oak Ridge on Saturday is a celebration of Celtic and Appalachian culture and folkways, of our common spiritual heritage of Orthodox Christianity, and of great music, food, and dance, the press release said.

Food

  • Irish fare from St. Andrews Square
  • Big O’s BBQ
  • Ice cream from Razzleberry’s

Music and Dance

  • 11-12—Oak Ridge Folk Dancers
  • 12-1—Myrrh-bearers Dancers
  • 1-2:30—Rowena Irish Dance School
  • 3-4:00—Red-Haired Mary
  • 4-5—Shamrock Road

[Read more…]

County veterans invited to community breakfast

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Military veterans from Anderson County will come together this weekend for the first Veterans Breakfast.

The first breakfast, hosted by Anderson County citizens and sponsored by County Mayor Terry Frank, will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Clinton Community Center, a press release said. There will be a brief program at 9 a.m. All of the Veterans Breakfasts will recognize and honor local veterans and their families for their service to the United States.

Anderson County residents and community volunteers are working together to make the breakfast a free monthly event that will allow veterans to fellowship and share stories together. The City of Clinton is recognized as a special sponsor for hosting the monthly location and setup, the press release said. [Read more…]

Vehicular homicide charge added to DUI charge after passenger dies

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Scott Allen Gray

Scott Allen Gray

 

A Knoxville man who admitted to drinking for two days straight and taking two Klonopins has now been charged with vehicular homicide, in addition to driving under the influence, after his 23-year-old passenger, Jessica Miner Taylor, of Heiskell, died about one week after a two-vehicle crash on Clinton Highway in Anderson County in April, authorities said.

Scott Allen Gray, 26, was initially charged with vehicular assault and DUI (second offense) after the two-vehicle crash injured three people at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Mehaffey Road on Thursday, April 28.

The vehicular homicide charge was added after Jessica Miner Taylor, who had been trapped in the car, died this month.

The THP said Gray was driving north on Clinton Highway in a 1993 Eagle Vision sedan on April 28 when he turned into the path of a southbound 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle driven by Kimberly Williamson, 32, of Knoxville.

The SUV driven by Williamson hit the car driven by Gray. [Read more…]

Explore Oak Ridge to co-locate with Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

Explore Oak Ridge (the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau) will be moving its operations from its current location at 102 Robertsville Road to co-locate with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in July, according to an agreement reached by the two organizations earlier this week.

The Chamber building is located at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near Oak Ridge High School and across from the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The initial lease is for three years, with two additional one-year extension options. It will position the Chamber, Explore Oak Ridge, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, and the Roane State Tennessee Small Business Development Center in one facility, a press release said. [Read more…]