Oak Ridge Today

Kern Church has Pancake Breakfast, Plant and Rummage Sale on Saturday

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Kern Church Pancake Breakfast

The Kern Church United Methodist Men, assisted by Kern Youth, will host a Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 11, 8 a.m. until noon in the church Family Life Center. Alora, left, and Haley Rejman are pictured getting ready to enjoy the breakfast. A Plant and Rummage Sale will also be held that day. (Submitted photo)

 

The Kern United Methodist Men’s group, assisted by Kern Youth, will host their annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 11, in the church Family Life Center. Pancakes with sausage, juice, and coffee will be served from 8 a.m. until noon for the cost of $5 for adults, $3 for children 3-12 years, and under 3 free.

The Men’s Group will also take orders for carpenter bee traps and beautiful handcrafted desk pen holders made from Tennessee red cedar donated and harvested by Kern members. Proceeds from the Pancake Breakfast finance the valuable work the Men’s Group does around the church.

In conjunction with the breakfast, a Plant and Rummage Sale will be held. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $25,000 for Extreme Classroom Makeover

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Charlie Arp 2015 Extreme Classroom Makeover Grand Prize

2015 Extreme Classroom Makeover grand prize winner Charlie Arp and his students. (Photo by ORAU)

 

The idea that technology has the ability to drastically change students’ lives was the focus of one regional middle school teacher’s video submission for the 2015 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. His dream of satisfying students’ hunger for technology in the classroom was realized Thursday as ORAU President Andy Page presented Brown Intermediate School science teacher Charlie Arp with a $25,000 technology makeover during a surprise school-wide assembly.

The funding is part of ORAU’s annual Extreme Classroom Makeover competition, now in its seventh year.

In his winning video Arp, explains that when it comes to teaching with technology, the sky is the limit. He describes many new and interactive approaches to teaching math and science, and he insists that, with this grant, he can satisfy his students’ hunger for technology in their day-to-day learning environment. Brown Intermediate School serves students from the city of Sweetwater in the fifth and sixth grades. [Read more…]

Council to consider traffic signals, access at ORHS, Main Street Oak Ridge

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Main Street Oak Ridge Master Plan March 26, 2015

Here is the master plan for Main Street Oak Ridge. (See a larger version of the plan in the link below.) The traffic signal and access would be on Rutgers Avenue in the bottom middle of the map above.

 

The City Council on Monday will consider resolutions that would allow new traffic signals at Oak Ridge High School and Main Street Oak Ridge.

Main Street Oak Ridge is the proposed project that would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The proposed traffic signal would be on Rutgers Avenue at a new access to Main Street Oak Ridge that the City Council could approve on Monday.

The other traffic signal would be on Oak Ridge Turnpike between Oak Ridge High School and the Civic Center. Council postponed a vote on that stoplight in March. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum hosts Celebration of Young Child April 17

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Ron Anglin Acrylic Ball

Ron Anglin delights young and old with his juggling and comedy program, “Quite a Catch.” He will present his juggling feats on Friday, April 17, for the Celebration of the Young Child at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

His show will be at 10 a.m., and the celebration will take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.

Before and after the show, children may create “make and take” crafts with the Florence Crittenton Agency, be “Kids in Motion” with the National Fitness Center, learn about fire safety from the Oak Ridge Fire Department, experience healthy living with a “Balance and Nutrition” program by the Anderson County Health Department, and taste healthy snacks presented Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Agape House offers homeless a temporary home

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Jim Henry Power Washing an Agape Property

Jim Henry washing an Agape property. (Submitted photos)

 

The Agape House…has been a sanctuary for us and made us feel normal again. I cannot believe we are finally coming out of this unbelievable nightmare we have been living…You have taken tattered lives and sewn them back together with love and kindness. I will carry you in my heart forever. — A temporary resident of Agape House

The Agape House resident who wrote this letter was a military veteran who became seriously ill just as her husband lost his job. Facing medical bills without health insurance led to bankruptcy and left the couple homeless, an unexpected situation that created their unbelievable nightmare.

After one month in the temporary residence established to help the homeless get their lives in order, the couple began to stitch their lives back together again. They were among nine individuals or families who found temporary shelter at Agape House of Oak Ridge in 2014, when the nonprofit began offering shelter for the homeless. Each of them is now permanently housed.

“They are struggling, yes, because these things don’t get fixed in six months. But they are housed, plugged into the resources they need and working toward self-sufficiency,” said Michael McCutcheon, who with his wife Lynn Ross founded Agape House in 2013. [Read more…]

Police raising money for Officer Winningham for medical bills, other expenses

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Winninghams

Chris Winningham is a veteran member of the Oak Ridge Police Department, but he’s currently on leave and unable to work for an undetermined amount of time due to complications with pneumonia and pleurisy, friends say.

Officer Winningham has also been diagnosed with an enlarged heart and diabetes, and doctors are concerned that he may be going into congestive heart failure, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help raise money for his family.

The diagnoses affecting Officer Winningham come on the heels of the loss of his daughter Courtney to cancer in January, the page said. [Read more…]

Big Ed’s Memorial Golf Tournament on April 24 helps Community Mediation

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CMS Big Ed's Golf Tournament

Pictured above from left are Katy Jett, Enrichment Federal Credit Union; Jon Harris, Big Ed’s Pizza; Valerie Hansen, Golf Committee; Melissa Neusel, Big Ed’s Pizza; and Willow Reed, Community Mediation/Golf Committee. (Submitted photo)

 

Golfers! Spring is finally here, and so is the 14th Annual Big Ed’s Memorial Golf Tournament on Friday, April 24.

Online registration is available through the website: www.peacefulresolution.org. Registration forms are available by calling (865) 463-6888 or e-mailing info@cms-tn.org. Early registration is due by Thursday, April 16.

The Big Ed’s tournament is a 14-year-long tradition in Anderson County. It combines a great day of golf at the beautiful Oak Ridge Country Club with an active commitment to youth and families in our area, a press release said. The Tournament honors the community spirit and caring of “Big Ed” Neusel, founder of Big Ed’s Pizza, and David Neusel, and their belief in giving to others while seeking recognition from no one. [Read more…]

Support local restaurants, ADFAC with ‘Dine and Donate’

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Soup Kitchen

The Soup Kitchen—specializing in homemade soups, breads, sandwiches, and salads—has been an Oak Ridge favorite for decades. Located at 47 E. Tennessee Avenue, the Soup Kitchen will be open from 11 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Dine and Donate on Monday. (Submitted photo)

 

On Monday, April 13, seven local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

Launched in 2013, “Dine and Donate” is a yearlong event, with different restaurants participating on the second Monday of each month.

“We have truly enjoyed watching Dine and Donate grow over the past year and a half,” said ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay, who also chairs the Dine and Donate committee. “It has been wonderful to see so many families and individuals enjoying meals to support ADFAC’s work in the community!” [Read more…]

Pinnacle Financial Partners to acquire CapitalMark Bank and Trust

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CapitalMark Bank and Trust Oct. 9, 2012

The front of CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Oak Ridge is pictured above on Oct. 9, 2012. (File photo)

 

David Bradshaw will continue to serve as Oak Ridge president

Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc., the second-largest bank based in Tennessee, on Tuesday announced an agreement to acquire CapitalMark Bank and Trust, which has a location in Oak Ridge. The merger is expected to close late in the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter of 2015.

David Bradshaw, CapitalMark’s Oak Ridge president, will become Pinnacle’s city president for Oak Ridge. CapitalMark clients will continue to work with their banker teams, which in Oak Ridge includes Bradshaw and Andy Boyer.

“CapitalMark is excited to partner with an organization that shares our commitment to excellent client service and has demonstrated strong operating performance and a long-term track record of growth,” said R. Craig Holley, CapitalMark’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer. “I strongly believe that, collectively, the two franchises can accomplish more, grow more efficiently, and realize more value for our shareholders together than independently. Since CapitalMark’s founding in 2007, we have focused on businesses and their owners, and we will continue that tradition with Pinnacle.” [Read more…]

Y-12, UT scientists develop patented chemical sensor

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Y-12 UT ChIMES Team

ChIMES uses chemical recognition materials called molecular recognition phases to detect chemical and biological warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, waterborne and airborne pollutants, explosives, and illegal drugs, just to list a few. The tiny white cylinders are the MRPs. The magneto elastic wire that runs through the MRPs wirelessly sends data to interpreting software. (Photo by Y-12 National Security Complex)

 

A three-year collaboration of scientists from Y‑12 National Security Complex and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville resulted in the innovation of a patented chemical sensor that is unique in several aspects: it’s inexpensive, tiny, and portable; it promises virtually limitless applications; and it allows readings through barriers.

The sensor, named ChIMES (Chemical Identification by Magneto-Elastic Sensing), received one patent last fall, and scientists anticipate approval this spring of a second patent for applications outside national security.

ChIMES is based on chemical recognition materials called molecular recognition phases, or MRPs. Using strategically selected MRPs, sensors can be made that detect chemical and biological warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals, waterborne and airborne pollutants, explosives, illegal drugs, food pathogens, and exhaled gases that indicate disease or illegal drug use, just to name a few possibilities. In fact, the list of applications for the sensor is virtually unlimited, said Y‑12’s Vincent Lamberti, who managed the project. [Read more…]

DOE awards contract for sludge buildout project

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Transuranic Waste Processing Center

The Transuranic Waste Processing Center in west Oak Ridge, south of Bethel Valley Road on Highway 95, is pictured above. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy/Oak Ridge Office)

 

Federal officials have taken the first step in treating 2,000 cubic meters of transuranic sludges stored in Melton Valley storage tanks.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management announced it had awarded a contract to CH2M Hill Constructors Inc. for the Sludge Processing Facility Buildouts Project at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center. The center is in west Oak Ridge, south of Bethel Valley Road on Highway 95.

The transuranic waste comes from past operations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, said Mike Koentop, executive officer of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM. The sludge is stored safely and securely now, but there are regulatory milestones to meet, Koentop said. [Read more…]

Man accused of waving pistol at bystanders charged with aggravated assault

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Deshon Marquece Meadow

Deshon Marquece Meadow

An Oak Ridge man accused of waving a pistol at bystanders on Utica Circle on Monday night has been charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to the Utica Circle Apartments at about 11:23 p.m. Monday, April 6, in response to a complaint of a man threatening others with a firearm, a press release said.

“Upon arrival, officers found Deshon Meadow on the premises waving a pistol at bystanders,” the City of Oak Ridge release said. [Read more…]