Oak Ridge Today

Today: 12th Annual ‘Say No to Drugs’ Balloon Release

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Have you or someone you love ever suffered from drug abuse? Have you ever given thanks that the negative effects of drug abuse haven’t entered into your life?

If so, you are invited to join the family and friends of Clayton Smith along with the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition for a special prayer and balloon release at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 15, at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.

The event is being held to honor the recovery efforts of anyone who has suffered from drug addiction and to remember the lives of loved ones lost due to drug abuse. [Read more…]

Family escapes, pets rescued from Delaware Avenue fire

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Randy Word and Jessica Millette Family at Delaware Avenue House Fire on Nov. 14, 2015

A family escaped from a house fire on Delaware Avenue on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 14, 2015, and dogs and a sugar glider were rescued. Pictured above from left are Zaresa, Demetrion, Randy Word, and Akeyrha. Also pictured are two of the three dogs that live at the home, Scale, front, and Breezy, back. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:13 p.m.

A family escaped and pets were rescued from a house fire on Delaware Avenue on Saturday afternoon.

The fire was reported at 12:09 p.m. Saturday.

Resident Jessica Millette said a neighbor banged on the door and yelled: “Get out! Get out!”

She went to investigate and saw flames at the back door of the house at 401 Delaware Avenue.

“I yelled, ‘Get out! Get out!,'” Millette said. “There’s fire!” [Read more…]

Update from ORPD: Two victims wounded by gunfire in Scarboro

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Tuskegee Drive Shooting Nov. 13, 2015

Two people were taken to the hospital, including one in a Lifestar helicopter, after a shooting was reported in Scarboro on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The two people wounded by gunfire on Friday were victims of a shooting in Scarboro, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at about 11:57 a.m. Friday near the intersection of South Dillard Avenue and South Fisk Avenue, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a press release.

The victims left the scene in a vehicle and traveled to a nearby fire station, Oak Ridge Central Fire Station on Tuskegee Drive, where they summoned a passing police officer, the press release said.

Both victims were treated at the scene and transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Their conditions are unknown at this time, and officers haven’t identified them.  One, reported to be a female, was flown out by a UT Lifestar medical helicopter, and the other was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. [Read more…]

Two taken to hospital after shooting reported on Tuskegee

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Tuskegee Drive Shooting Nov. 13, 2015

Two people were taken to the hospital, including one in a Lifestar helicopter, after a shooting was reported on Tuskegee Drive on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:36 p.m.

Two people were taken to the hospital after a shooting was reported on Tuskegee Drive in central Oak Ridge on Friday.

One person was taken by ambulance, and another, reported to be a female, was flown out on a UT Lifestar medical helicopter, which landed on Tuskegee Drive in front of the Oak Ridge Central Fire Station.

There was a report that a person of interest had been detained.

The shooting was reported at about 12 p.m. Friday. The Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Police Department were on the scene investigating, and Tuskegee Drive was temporarily closed until about 1:30 p.m. One vehicle, a four-door sedan, was towed away, although it’s not clear why. [Read more…]

Neighborhood Watch Hosts Pancake Breakfast Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will host a pancake breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Applebee’s, 1213 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge.

Tickets are $5 per person. Tickets for the all-you-can-eat breakfast may be purchased from Neighborhood Watch district leaders in advance and at the door the day of the event.

Proceeds from the breakfast will support Neighborhood Watch, a program that supports groups of neighbors who organize and partner with the Police Department to report suspicious activity and keep watch on neighbors’ homes. The program helps police reduce crime and keep neighborhoods safe, and it helps neighbors improve the quality of life in their communities.

The breakfast will raise funds to help new Neighborhood Watch groups get started and for signs, literature, and other Neighborhood Watch expenses.

Neighbors are helping police reduce crime throughout Oak Ridge in dozens of blocks and neighborhoods that have organized Neighborhood Watch groups.

 

Photos: Oak Ridge celebrates new national park

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Ed Westcott and National Park Staff at Celebration on Nov. 12, 2015

Ed Westcott, left, the official government photographer in Oak Ridge during World War II, is pictured above with National Park Service staff members during a celebration of the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This post was last updated at 8:05 a.m. Nov. 13.

Oak Ridge residents and officials celebrated the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park on Thursday, two days after the park was formally established in a signing ceremony in Washington, D.C. Here are photos of Thursday’s celebration at Oak Ridge High School and Jackson Square by John Huotari of Oak Ridge Today.

We will add captions to the photos as we can.

The new park includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons in World War II, before Germany could. The new park is the first of its type to commemorate the Manhattan Project, which is considered one of the top scientific achievements of the 20th century.

The new park includes four buildings in Oak Ridge: the Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the footprint of the former K-25 Building at East Tennessee Technology Park, and Building 9731 and Building 9204-3, or Beta-3, at Y-12 National Security Complex. The Alexander Inn, which is not a U.S. Department of Energy building, is also eligible for inclusion.

See a story on the establishment of the park on Tuesday here, and see a story on Thursday’s celebration here.

Colin Colverson, Tracy Atkins, and Warren Gooch at Manhattan Project Park Celebration on Nov. 12, 2015

From left above at a celebration for the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, are Colin Colverson, Oak Ridge Reservation lead for the park in the DOE Oak Ridge Office; Tracy Atkins, project manager for the agreement between DOE and the National Park Service; and Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge celebrates new national park

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National Park Celebration at Jackson Square on Nov. 12, 2015

The iconic “War Ends” photo is recreated in part on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, with a “Park Opens” photo that celebrates the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:20 a.m. Nov. 13.

Federal officials established the new national park that includes Oak Ridge on Tuesday. Oak Ridge residents celebrated on Thursday.

The new park, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, commemorates the Manhattan Project. That was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II, before Germany could.

Oak Ridge was the main production site for the Manhattan Project, and uranium enriched at the Y-12 National Security Complex fueled the first atomic bomb used in wartime. It was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, shortly before the war ended. [Read more…]

Bridges Out of Poverty training is Dec. 4, 11

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Bridges Out of Poverty Training Poster

Register by November 30

The Compassion Coalition is presenting Bridges Out of Poverty, a two-day training program for those who serve people who are homeless, in poverty, or in need.

“When you work with someone in need, do you wonder why they make certain choices?” the Compassion Coalition asks. “Do you wish they would experience faster success?  Do you give them ‘the look’ when they just don’t get it? If so, this training is for you.”

Bridges Out of Poverty training will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on two Fridays, December 4 and 11, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. This training class is in two parts, and participants must attend both sessions.

The interactive training explores how the economic environment in which people grow up impacts their ability to not only get by, but also get ahead in life. Registration is required by November 30, and the cost is $25 for the book and training materials. Agape House of Oak Ridge, a nonprofit organization that provides transitional housing for the homeless, is underwriting the cost of bringing the training to the community. [Read more…]

Photos: Alexander Guest House ribbon-cutting, open house

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Pictured above during a ribbon-cutting and open house at the Alexander Guest House on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, are former Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, left; Rick Dover of Dover Development, the East Tennessee company that converted the historic two-story hotel into an assisted living center; and Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, November 5, celebrated the conversion of the former Alexander Inn, a historic two-story hotel in central Oak Ridge, into an assisted living center called Alexander Guest House.

The ceremony, which was organized by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, included an open house. Guests toured the new 64-apartment assisted living center, which is located at 210 East Madison Road in Jackson Square.

Preserving the former Alexander Inn had been a dream for years, and those who have toured the two-year, $8 million conversion, completed by Dover Development of East Tennessee, have described it as “lovely” and “absolutely tremendous,” among other superlatives. [Read more…]

Photo: OS band at ORNL for Veterans Day

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Oliver Springs High School Band at Oak Ridge National Laboratory Nov. 11, 2015

The Oliver Springs High School band marches down Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Central Avenue on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. (Photo by Rachel Brooks/ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory observed Veterans Day on Wednesday with a parade and concert by the Oliver Springs High School Bobcat Band, among other activities.

Other activities includes a presentation of the colors by the Carson Newman University Color Guard and a keynote speech by Lieutenant General George Fisher, U.S. Army (retired).

TN House minority leader to speak to Democrats at fundraising dinner

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Craig Fitzhugh

Craig Fitzhugh

Craig Fitzhugh, Tennessee House minority leader, will speak to Anderson County Democrats at their fall fundraising dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 12, at the Clinton Community Center.

Fitzhugh has represented Tennessee’s 82nd legislative district as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives since 1994, a press release said. He is the former chairman of the House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee and of the Council on Pension and Insurance. Fitzhugh currently serves as House Democratic leader.

The Thursday dinner is $25 per person, and reservations are required. You can RSVP to Beth Hickman at (865) 964-0611 or Jean Hiser at (865) 272-3077, the press release said. For general information about the dinner contact Catherine Denenberg; see contact information above.

The Clinton Community Center is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Reminder: Oak Ridge to celebrate new national park on Thursday

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Jonathan-Jarvis-Manhattan-Project-National-Historical-Park-Nov-10-2015

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis shares a story about the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which became the 409th park in the National Park System on November 10, 2015, after Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz signed a memorandum of agreement on operation of the park during a ceremony at the South Interior Building in downtown Washington, D.C. The park was authorized by Congress in December 2014. The park will have three sites in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Hanford, Washington; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (NPS Photo by Anthony DeYoung)

 

Reminder: Two events in Oak Ridge on Thursday will celebrate the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

The park was formally established in a federal signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, November 10. That signing followed more than a decade of work by historic preservation groups, local leaders and governments, and federal officials and federal legislators representing communities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.

The Manhattan Project, which included the city that became Oak Ridge, was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. It is considered one of the top scientific achievements of the 20th century, and it credited with helping to end the war. The new park, the nation’s 409th, is the first of its type to commemorate the Manhattan Project. [Read more…]