Oak Ridge Today

Guest column: Changing the future of our community, one child at a time

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There are some exciting things on the horizon for our local Boys and Girls Clubs! The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley operates two campuses: the Lawrence A. Hahn Club in Oak Ridge and the Roane County Club located at Harriman Middle School.

Each club offers affordable after-school and summer programming, and the Oak Ridge Unit offers the city’s only independent athletic leagues. The clubs charge a nominal annual membership and weekly fee; however, no child is turned away for an inability to pay.

The organization’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. [Read more…]

NAACP’s Oak Ridge/Anderson County unit meets Tuesday

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The monthly meeting of the NAACP Oak Ridge/Anderson County unit will be held Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m. in the Scarboro Community Center at 148 Carver Avenue.

Past events and upcoming projects will be discussed, a press release said.

The local unit continues to solicit members to serve on its standing committees so the organization can effectively address community-wide concerns. A sign-up sheet will be placed in the back of the meeting room, defining committees with the designated chairperson. Volunteers are needed to meet several concerns throughout the Anderson County area, the release said.

In addition to upcoming projects, David Mosby will provide his reflections on his trip to Selma, and Ella Dubose will provide an overview on her doctoral thesis, “Genisizing of Our Black Communities.”

ORNL’s Kalinin awarded Royal Microscopical Society medal

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Sergei Kalinin

With scanning probe microscopy, ORNL’s Sergei Kalinin explores nanoscale phenomena in new materials for energy and data storage to accelerate their discovery, design, and deployment. (Photo courtesy ORNL) 

 

Materials scientist Sergei Kalinin of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been awarded the inaugural Medal for Scanning Probe Microscopy, or SPM, by the Royal Microscopical Society, or RMS.

Kalinin is director of ORNL’s Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials, which melds capabilities in imaging, high-performance computing, and materials theory to guide the design of advanced materials for energy applications. He is also a theme leader at the  Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at ORNL, and an adjunct associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Central Baptist has Easter Resurrection Celebration, Egg Hunt on March 28

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Central Baptist Church will have its Easter Resurrection Celebration and Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 28, at 1:30 p.m. There will be carnival games, bouncy houses, an egg hunt, prizes, and snacks, a press release said. The children will be told the story of the resurrection.

The celebration and egg hunt are for children two and older.

Central Baptist Church is at 130 Providence Road in Oak Ridge. Call (865) 483-7495 for more information.

Second Breakfast with Legislators on Monday

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

Ken Yager

Ken Yager

Submitted

The Tennessee General Assembly has now been in session for more than two months. According to LegiScan, an impartial and non-partisan legislative tracking and reporting service, 195 of the 3,192 introduced bills were completed by mid-March, a press release said. Legislative committees are dealing with hundreds of bills ranging from education, environment, and healthcare to firearms, digital currency, and controlled substances.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about the legislative activities of this session of the Tennessee General Assembly and to respond to questions from the audience at the this year’s second Breakfast with the Legislators. It starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday, March 23, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

WVLT-TV meteorologist Haley to discuss ET weather on Saturday

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Heather Haley

Heather Haley

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Are you interested in our ever-changing weather in East Tennessee? Do you often wonder what contributes to some of our extreme weather?

Bring your questions and learn more from meteorologist Heather Haley of WVLT-TV Local 8 Now on Saturday. She will talk about our interesting weather phenomena and explain how she delivers her message to viewers at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21, in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, a press release said. Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, this talk is open to people of all ages. [Read more…]

Girls Inc.: ‘Fore’ the girls!

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Girls Inc. Golf Classic

Girls Incorporated of Oak Ridge is hosting its 18th Annual Golf Classic on Friday, May 1, at the Oak Ridge Country Club.

This year’s Golf Classic will feature a Hole-In-One Car Prize sponsored by Sexton Automotive, first and second place team prizes, division prizes, prizes for closest to the pin, longest drive, and a putting contest, a press release said.

“Our fun day on the course will include refreshments and snacks as well as a fabulous dinner from the Oak Ridge Country Club,” the release said. [Read more…]

Expert to present wildflower talk on Thursday

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University of Tennessee Arboretum Society Logo

Dennis Horn, one of the country’s most renowned wildflower experts, will present a talk on wildflowers on Thursday evening in Oak Ridge.

The talk is presented by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society. It’s scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

ORUUC has live, silent auctions on Friday, March 20

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ORUUC Auction Quilt

This quilt is one of the items in a live auction on Friday, March 20, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. (Submitted)

 

Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is having its annual silent/live auction on Friday, March 20.

The auction starts at 6 p.m. at the church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It is $5 to participate in the live auction starting at 8 p.m. with auctioneer Bear Stephenson. The quilt pictured at left is one of the live auction items. Organizers said there will be 25 more items, mostly by local craftspeople as well as cabin rentals and more.

There will be food and live music from 6-8 p.m. during the silent auction, which starts at 6 p.m. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens April 18

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East TN Farmers Association Logo

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market opens for its 39th season in Historic Jackson Square on Saturday, April 18.

The market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

The market will also be open on Wednesdays beginning May 6.

Here’s what’s new at the market this year:

  • Senior Day every Wednesday! Seniors over the age of 60 get 5 percent off their purchases at the Oak Ridge Farmers’ Market.
  • FARM Fan Club—Members receive text reminders and shopping rewards. To sign up, visit the website at www.EastTNFarmMarkets.org.
  • Kids’ Day, May 23, from 9-­11:30 a.m., with live farm animals, crafts, games, and a FARM scavenger hunt for children ages 5 to 12!

The Oak Ridge Farmers’ Market will also host live music and workshops on topics such as herb gardening and composting all summer long. [Read more…]

Planning for Manhattan Project Park, National Park Service, DOE to visit Oak Ridge on March 26

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Warren L. Gooch

Warren L. Gooch

It took years to win approval of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and now that the park bill has been signed into law, planning is starting.

As part of that process, officials from the National Park Service and U.S. Department of Energy will visit Oak Ridge next week. The visit will include a Thursday morning open house hosted by the City of Oak Ridge. The open house is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, March 26, in the A/B Room at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It’s open to the public, and reservations are not required.

The team of NPS and DOE officials are visiting Oak Ridge to begin planning for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The planning team is expected to include senior National Park Service representatives from Washington, D.C., the Southeastern Regional Office in Atlanta, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Big South Fork. [Read more…]

Bobby Osborne, Rocky Top X-press to headline Rocky Top Bluegrass Festival

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Bobby Osborne

Bobby Osborne (Submitted photo)

 

Bobby Osborne and Rocky Top X-Press will headline the inaugural Rocky Top Bluegrass Festival.

The festival is scheduled for 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 24, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the George Templin Memorial Athletic Field located at 214 North Main Street in Rocky Top (formerly Lake City).

“Mr. Osborne contacted us because the Osborne Brothers were the first to perform and record ‘Rocky Top,’ and he wanted to be the first to perform the song in our newly named town of Rocky Top, Tennessee”, said Mike Lovely, Rocky Top mayor. “As a result of his interest, we decided to have a festival featuring some of the top groups in bluegrass.” [Read more…]