Oak Ridge Today

Traffic Safety, Environmental Advisory board member running for City Council

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Aditya "Doc" Savara

Aditya “Doc” Savara

Aditya “Doc” Savara, a member of two city boards, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

In a press release, Savara said he has been involved in local politics during the past two years and served on the Traffic Safety Advisory Board and the Environmental Quality Advisory Board. Savara said he has attended and commented during public comment periods at City Council meetings, is knowledgeable about the issues facing the city, and has been vocal about them.

“In 2012-2013, an ordinance came before Oak Ridge City Council regarding whether property owners Jack and Myra Mansfield could build a single home on their property in a neighborhood zoned as R1, for single-family dwellings,” Savara said in the release. “Adjacent homeowners asserted property values would drop if the Mansfields were allowed to build a home on the open space. I pointed out that the neighbors could have bought the open property themselves if they wanted to keep it as open space. I stated that the neighbors didn’t want to buy the cow, but wanted to have the milk for free, and that it was not too late for the neighbors to make the Mansfields a fair offer. [Read more…]

Clinton 5k on Saturday raises money for splash pad playground

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The Clinton 5k race scheduled for Saturday morning in Clinton will raise money for a splash pad playground to be built in the City of Clinton.

The Clinton 5k and One-Mile Fun Run start at 9 a.m. Saturday, October 25, at Lakefront Park in Clinton.

Organizers said the 5k and one-mile race are walker-friendly. [Read more…]

Reception will honor three BOE members for their service

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Oak Ridge School Board and Superintendent

Three of the four Oak Ridge Board of Education members pictured above will be honored for their service during a Nov. 3 reception. Two of the three, Dan DiGregorio (second from left) and Jenny Richter (center), are not seeking re-election in the Nov. 4 municipal election. Bob Eby (right) is. (File photo/August 2014)

 

A reception in early November will honor three Oak Ridge Board of Education members for their service.

The reception will honor BOE members Dan DiGregorio and Jenny Richter, who are not seeking re-election in the November 4 municipal election, and Bob Eby, who is. It will start at 5 p.m. Monday, November 3, in the board room of the Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue.

The reception will take place prior to the regularly scheduled board meeting that begins at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend, an Oak Ridge Schools press release said.

Animal Shelter: 51 animals euthanized due to distemper; donations needed

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Oak Ridge Animal Shelter

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on Belgrade Road is pictured above.

Fifty-one animals have been euthanized at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter due to distemper, and donations are needed, Oak Ridge officials said Thursday.

“This has truly been a heartbreaking situation for our staff and volunteers,” the city said in a short statement Thursday afternoon.

The Shelter needs donations of cat litter (non-clumping only), blankets, towels, dry food, and canned food. The donations can be dropped off at the Pet Supplies Plus located at  254 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Adoptable cats and kittens will be also be at Pet Supplies Plus from 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 25.

“Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to heal from this devastating blow,” the city said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Lionfish invasion, sharks to be featured in ‘Classroom Under the Sea’

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Lad Akins Lion Fish

The invasion of the lionfish will be one of the topics covered during the October 23 broadcast of “Classroom Under the Sea.” Lad Akins, director of special projects for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF), shows a lionfish. (Submitted photo)

 

One of the most destructive forces in the ocean today is a fish. One of the most misunderstood fish in the ocean is known for its destructive force.

The lionfish and the shark will be the topics of the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two educators living underwater for 73 days.

The live program start at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 23. Viewers can watch at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain from Roane State Community College in East Tennessee are living and working in an underwater habitat—Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys—for 73 days. While in the habitat, Fain and Cantrell are hosting “Classroom Under the Sea,” presented by Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation on Key Largo. [Read more…]

Chamber Primetime networking event is Thursday; public invited

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Parker Hardy at Primetime

Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Parker Hardy cooks hot dogs at a Primetime business-to-business exposition in October 2011. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Fall Primetime networking event will be held on Thursday, October 23.

More than 60 Chamber-member organizations have already reserved exhibit space for the event titled “Primetime Tailgate Party,” a press release said. The event will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. under the tent in the parking lot of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Primetime is one of the Chamber’s biggest networking events of the year. Anyone—Chamber member or not—is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]

Animal Shelter closed temporarily after canine distemper confirmed

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Oak Ridge Animal Shelter

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on Belgrade Road is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter is temporarily closed after canine distemper tests came back positive.

All dogs in the Animal Shelter that tested positive have been euthanized to prevent the disease from spreading, and the shelter staff is taking measures to prevent widespread infection within the canine community, a City of Oak Ridge press release said. Those preventive measures include cleaning and disinfecting.

The canine distemper tests were conducted by the University Of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine. The Animal Shelter could reopen at 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 28.

The Animal Shelter had a distemper outbreak in March of this year, and the staff started taking precautions by vaccinating all animals on intake, the press release said. However, this time the animal was turned into the Animal Shelter already infected with distemper. [Read more…]

DOE comment period on K-33 land transfer ends Thursday

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ETTP ED11 and K-33 Notice of Document Availability Oak Ridge, TN

The public comment period for the transfer of about 136 acres at the East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) ends Thursday, October 23.

The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed transferring the land, known as the Former K-33 Area at the ETTP Heritage Center, for mixed-use economic development purposes.

The Former K-33 area is located in the northwest portion of the Heritage Center and includes the site of the now-demolished K-33 Building. No buildings are included in the transfer. [Read more…]

Heritage tourism expert to speak at AMSE community meeting Thursday

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Lee Waddell Curtis

Lee Waddell Curtis

The last in a series of four community meetings on the American Museum of Science and Energy will feature a state heritage tourism expert.

Lee Waddell Curtis, director of program development and legislative liaison for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, will discuss the growth and significance of heritage tourism in Tennessee during a Thursday evening meeting at AMSE.

The community meetings have been sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge and the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation. They are designed to gather input on the future of AMSE operations.

A press release said Curtis has an extensive background in cultural and heritage tourism, and her responsibilities include overseeing and developing the Tennessee Civil War Trails program and serving as the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development’s heritage tourism contact. In addition, she represents the department on several national and statewide organizations, and served as a board member of the state’s Sesquicentennial Commission. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools ‘STEMposium’ convenes educators from across country

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Discovery Education and Oak Ridge Schools will host a STEMposium on Thursday. It will be an interactive discussion focused on best practices for providing students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, a press release said.

The release said the event will convene educators from some of the most innovative school districts across the country, including Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Grand Prairie Independent School District in Texas, Baldwin County Public Schools in Alabama, Richland School District Two in South Carolina, and the New York City Department of Education.

They will discuss best practices for building a culture around STEM education, the release said. That includes exploring how to implement innovative STEM instructional strategies, and the use of digital content and curricula to drive student achievement. [Read more…]

OREA has ‘Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators’ at ORHS today

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The Oak Ridge Education Association is having a “Meet the Candidates, Meet the Educators” event at the high school this afternoon.

It’s scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, October 22) at the Oak Ridge High School amphitheater.

“Because of the plethora of candidate forums in recent weeks (and the number of candidates), our event will not be so much a traditional candidate forum as much as a ‘conversation’ about public education,” a press release said. “Each candidate will have the opportunity to speak for three-five minutes on their views on educational issues pertinent to the office that he/she is seeking. Once each candidate has spoken, the event will transition into a ‘meet and greet,’ during which you can chat with individual candidates about questions that you have. [Read more…]

Fuji Japanese Steakhouse could open in January

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Fuji Japanese Steakhouse

The Fuji Japanese Steakhouse could open in January at the former Mr. Gatti’s Pizza, pictured above.

 

A new Japanese steakhouse could open at the former Mr. Gatti’s Pizza in central Oak Ridge by early January, a development company said Monday.

The new restaurant will be named Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, and it will serve Hibachi-style cuisine and freshly made sushi, Cappiello Real Estate and Development Company said in a press release.

The 3,600-square-foot building on Wilson Street is being converted into a Japanese steakhouse with Asian décor, and the former kitchen space is being renovated.

It’s a new undertaking by restaurateur Chris Li of Cookeville, who currently operates a quick service and take-out restaurant in Cookeville near Tennessee Tech, Cappiello Real Estate said. [Read more…]