Oak Ridge Today

Second annual Wildcat Day to feature pep rally, pizza, fireworks

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Wildcat Day 2014

The second annual Wildcat Day on Saturday, August 23, will feature a pep rally, free pizza and hot dogs, and fireworks, a press release said.

The 2014 Oak Ridge High School football squad will also be introduced.

Wildcat Day starts at 7 p.m. August 23 at Ben Martin Track at Oak Ridge High School. It’s been organized by members of the Oak Ridge Quarterback Club.

“Although the planning window is short, the organizers hope to recreate the success of last year’s community pep rally that drew over 3,000 Wildcat fans,” said Len Hart, president of the Quarterback Club. “The Quarterback Club has been busy this summer with fundraising efforts, including the recent success with the Temptations concert. We just wrote a check to complete the grading and reseeding of the bank at Blankenship’s north end zone. Before we knew it, Wildcat Day was upon us—something Coach Gaddis assured us he wanted to do the week before the first football game.” [Read more…]

TORCH has Brew Review, a beer-tasting fundraiser

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Torch Logo

A nonprofit organization that helps homeless people and low-income families has a new fundraiser, a Brew Review.

It’s a one-of-a-kind fundraiser for Trinity Out-­Reach Center for Hope, or TORCH. The Brew Review will be Friday, September 12, from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater located at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge.

“The evening will include beer tasting, finger foods, silent auction, and live music,” a press release said. “Guests can mingle in the lobby with their food and beer, dance to live music in the auditorium, and bid on fantastic items in the silent auction.”

Beer is being provided by Cheeroke Distributing, Alliance Brewing Co., Yazoo, and Downtown Brewery, with more breweries to be announced closer to the event, the release said. Hard cider will also be available for those who cannot drink beer or would like to try something different.

The silent auction items include signed Lee Child and Tess Gerritsen books, a Jackie Collins autographed picture, gift cards, a Keurig Platinum K-Cup, gift baskets, crafts, a two-night stay in Pigeon Forge, and many other exciting items, the release said. [Read more…]

Mahathy running for Oak Ridge school board

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Mike Mahathy Campaign Photo

Mike Mahathy, left, a candidate for Oak Ridge Board of Education, is pictured with his family. (Submitted photo)

Mike Mahathy, who has served on two school-related councils, is running for Oak Ridge Board of Education.

It wasn’t an easy decision, Mahathy said in a press release.

“I labored over it for weeks, as I am not a politician,” said Mahathy, a health physicist at ORAU. “I’m just a citizen, a husband, a father, yet that is why I decided to run, for my children and more importantly for yours.

“When I leave this life, I hope that it can be said that Mike Mahathy made a difference for children, at least in a little way.”

The press release said Mahathy co-founded a charity that provides assistance to orphans of the Yunnan Province, China. And he now serves as volunteer Caring Kids Coordinator for another adoption, helping with daily life needs, education, and transitioning to adult life. Mahathy also assists in a children’s ministry at his church.

Mahathy said he served as an officer on the Oak Ridge Preschool advisory council in 2005 and 2006, and he has served on the Oak Ridge Schools superintendent’s PTA/PTO council since 2005. In addition, he helps, as his time allows, the parent-teacher organizations at his daughters’ schools. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge unveils three new fire engines on Sept. 5

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New Oak Ridge Fire Engines

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and Chief Darryl Kerley will unveil three new Sutphen fire engines during a September 5 ceremony.

The 3 p.m. ceremony will be at Fire Station 3, which is in central Oak Ridge at 333 Tuskegee Drive. Light refreshments will be served.

See this story for more information on the decision to buy the new trucks last fall.

Paine running for Oak Ridge school board

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Laurie Paine

Laurie Paine

Laurie Paine, who led the recent protests to restore bus transportation to students, has announced she is running for the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Paine said she is running because she wants children to be the top priority in the community.

“I am the proud mother of three children currently in the Oak Ridge school system: Kaitlan, Tyler, and Tristan,” Paine said in a press release. “My daughter Alexis recently graduated from Oak Ridge High School and is now attending the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.”

Paine said she has lived in Oak Ridge for 26 years and has witnessed many changes, “some good and some bad. It’s time for change again and that change needs to start at the top with the leadership on the Board of Education.”

In her campaign and as an elected representative, Paine said she will continue pursuing the following: [Read more…]

Roane Alliance expands Chamber program, hires two, adds member benefits

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Paulette Ray

Paulette Ray

The Roane County Chamber of Commerce now has two full-time employees, bringing more attention to members and adding member benefits through additional products and programs, a press release said.

Paulette Ray, director of Chamber operations, has returned to the Alliance to work “hand-in-hand with businesses to help them grow and succeed,” the press release said. Ray previously worked as the Chamber membership coordinator from 2007 to 2009 and has continued to work with the Alliance as a volunteer while running her own business, South Eastern Clogging Company, a dance and exercise studio in Kingston, which she owned for 28 years. A graduate of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives, she has also completed her first year of Institute for Organizational Management, and is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Roane County.

Ray is a longtime resident of Roane County, a 1990 graduate of Roane County High School, and she attended Roane State Community College. In her spare time, she continues to teach, judge, and choreograph clogging and is also a ZUMBA fitness instructor in the county. She resides in Kingston with her husband, Daniel, along with four of their five children. Ray also has a married daughter living in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, with her husband who is currently serving in the Army. [Read more…]

Thursday deadline to qualify for municipal elections across Anderson County

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Vote Logo

Thursday is the deadline to qualify for municipal elections across Anderson County, and so far, there appears to be a mix of incumbents and newcomers in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Rocky Top (Lake City), Norris, and Oliver Springs.

Eleven people, including the four incumbents, have expressed an interest in running for four seats on Oak Ridge City Council in November, and seven candidates have qualified so far.

Meanwhile, three people, including one incumbent, have qualified to run for three seats on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. A total of nine potential candidates, including the three who have qualified, have picked up petitions to run for Oak Ridge school board.

The November 4 election is the last in a series of three elections this year. The deadline to qualify is noon Thursday, August 21. A candidate needs 25 verified signatures on a nomination petition to qualify.

Those who have qualified to run for Oak Ridge City Council are: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge hit-and-run suspect crashes motorcycle in Knox County

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An Oak Ridge hit-and-run suspect is in the hospital after crashing his motorcycle on East Emory Road in Knox County this morning, authorities said.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office was alerted by the Oak Ridge Police Department to be on the lookout for hit-and-run suspect James F. Mitchell, 43, of Oak Ridge, on Friday morning, according to the initial investigation.

A KCSO officer saw Mitchell traveling eastbound on West Emory Road at 7:42 a.m. The officer got behind Mitchell and activated his emergency equipment, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said. Mitchell tried to negotiate a curve too fast and ran off the right side of the road into a ditch at 9638 East Emory Road at 7:43 a.m. He was thrown from the motorcycle, authorities said. [Read more…]

Reminder: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ at After Dark tonight

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The Amazing Spider Man

This summer’s After Dark entertainment series ends tonight with a dusk screening of “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie.

It’s Hero Night, and organizers plan to celebrate civic heroes and superheroes.

“Go ahead and get your cape ready,” said the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, which has presented this year’s first-time series. “The fun starts at 7 p.m., and the movie starts at dusk. Come dressed as your favorite hero, meet our friendly Oak Ridge firefighters, and settle in for a dusk screening of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man.'”

The park opens at 7 p.m. No glass containers or alcohol are permitted on site. You may bring blankets and chairs. [Read more…]

Museum of Appalachia announces line-up for Tennessee Fall Homecoming

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Museum of Appalachia Wilson Barn Stage

A performance at a previous Fall Homecoming at the Museum of Appalachia near Norris. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

NORRIS—The best bluegrass, gospel, and old-time music in the South will resonate across the beautiful grounds of the Museum of Appalachia this coming October 10-12. This year’s line-up includes more than 70 national, regional, and local musicians performing on five unique outdoor stages throughout the pastoral museum setting.

In celebration of 35 years of this award-winning festival, organizers have put together the strongest lineup in event history, including Grammy award winner and multi-talented Marty Raybon and Full Circle, International Bluegrass Music Association male vocalist of the year Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice, Jeff Brown and Still Lonesome, Grammy-nominated Della Mae, “Entertainers of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” The Gibson Brothers, and the multi-award winning group Lonesome River Band.

Appearing again this year are Grammy-nominated Blue Highway, “Broadcaster of the Year” Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, the award-winning Darrell Webb Band, the highly recognized Blue Moon Rising, Grits and Soul, Jesse Gregory and Faultline, and the legendary Paul Williams and the Victory Trio. Joining these top artists is one of the most successful bluegrass bands of all time, seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association “Vocal Group of the Year” with multiple Grammy and Dove award nominations and IBMA Hall of Fame inductee Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. [Read more…]

USEC: ORNL extends American Centrifuge demonstration program into 2015

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American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photos courtesy USEC)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has exercised an option to extend the American Centrifuge demonstration program into 2015, USEC announced Wednesday.

The announcement was included in a report on second quarter results, when the uranium enrichment company had a net loss of $28 million. USEC, which has operations in Oak Ridge, is undergoing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is turning over its gaseous diffusion plant in Paducah, Kentucky, to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Funding for the next-generation American Centrifuge activities was previously provided under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. Under that cost-sharing agreement, DOE provided 80 percent of the funding, and USEC provided 20 percent for research, development, and demonstration work performed from June 1, 2012, through April 30, 2014, when the agreement expired.

On May 1, USEC signed a new agreement with UT-Battelle, which manages and operates ORNL for DOE. The agreement was called the American Centrifuge Technology Demonstration and Operations, or ACTDO, agreement, and it allows for continued cascade operations and the continuation of core American Centrifuge research and technology activities and the furnishing of related reports to ORNL, USEC said in its quarterly report.

On July 31, ORNL exercised its option to extend the period of performance for the ACTDO Agreement by an additional six months to March 31, 2015. The agreement also provides ORNL with one additional option to extend the agreement by six months to September 30, 2015. [Read more…]

‘Davy Crockett’ at ORHPA meeting on Thursday

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Davy Crockett at David Hall Cabin

“Davy Crockett” at David Hall Cabin in Claxton. (Submitted photo)

Walk in the footsteps of Tennessee and American history

Lynn Fox, a living history exhibitor, will be the featured speaker at a Thursday night meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It’s a living history presentation, and all ages will enjoy it, a press release said. Artifacts of the frontier period will be on display.

ORHPA’s celebration of Davy Crockett comes on the same week as the Crockett Birthday event in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, August. More information on that event can be found on the East Tennessee Historical Society website.

The presentation on Thursday, August 14, starts at 7 p.m. at the Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. The meeting is open to the public, and it is especially designed to appeal to young children and adults alike.

“For more than 29 years, Lynn Fox has kept the spirit of Tennessee and America’s heroes alive,” the press release said. “He has walked their footsteps on the Overmountain Victory Trail, and re-enacted events in their lives through entertaining and educational living history programs. [Read more…]