Oak Ridge Today

Third annual Parkinson’s walk fundraiser on April 5

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The Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of East Tennessee, or PK Hope Is Alive, will host its third annual walk on Saturday, April 5, to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research. The walk will be held at A.K. Bissell Park at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, with registration starting at 9 a.m. The walk will take place between 10 a.m. and noon.

Last year, PK Hope Is Alive raised more than $21,000.

The local walk will be in conjunction with the 20th annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York City organized by the Parkinson Alliance, a nonprofit umbrella organization dedicated to raising funds to help finance the most promising research to find the cause and cure for Parkinson’s Disease. All the funds raised will be distributed to seven major U.S. Parkinson’s Disease foundations, including the Michael J. Fox Foundation. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge talent showcase, pub quiz benefit Grove Theater on March 28, 29

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High Places Community Church

An Oak Ridge talent show and pub quiz night will benefit the historic, renovated Grove Theater on March 28 and 29.

An Oak Ridge talent show and pub quiz night will benefit the historic, renovated Grove Theater on March 28 and 29.

On Friday, March 28, the new nonprofit organization Friends of the Grove Theater will have a showcase titled “Oak Ridge Has Talent.” It will benefit the Grove, a legacy of the Manhattan Project era that is celebrating 70 years of history and a decade since its re-opening by High Places Community Church, a press release said.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

All proceeds from the March 28 show at the Grove will be used to maintain the facility as a performing arts center for Oak Ridge and East Tennessee organizations, the press release said. The show starts at 7 p.m., and it will include performances from community partners and other locals who want to support the Grove. Comedian and humorist Tyler Gooch will entertain between acts. [Read more…]

Shelton seeks re-election as register of deeds

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Tim Shelton

Tim Shelton

Anderson County Register of Deeds Tim Shelton recently announced he will seek re-election to the position he has held for 12 years, a press release said.

“The people of Anderson County have placed a great deal of trust in allowing me the opportunity to hold the position of register of deeds, and for that I am truly thankful,” said Shelton, who has served three terms. “With that trust, comes the responsibility of working to make this the best office it can possibly be. In looking back over the past 12 years, I believe we have done just that.”

In a press release, Shelton outlined his accomplishments while serving as register of deeds and stressed the importance of creating an environment that is welcoming to the public. [Read more…]

Wildcats’ lead slips away in fourth quarter of state championship

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Oak Ridge Wildcats 2014 State Runner Up

The Oak Ridge Wildcats were named Class AAA State Runner-Up after a 60-58 loss to the Blackman Blaze in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge Wildcats gave up an 11-point lead in a series of turnovers in the fourth quarter before losing to the Blackman Blaze 60-58 in a state championship game in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

Wildcats senior Jaylin Henderson had a game-high 24 points in the Class AAA final, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the combined scoring of four Blaze players who scored 10 or more each. The Wildcats were named 2014 State Runner-Up.

Oak Ridge (32-8) looked like it was headed to victory in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but the Blaze (28-6) stepped up the pressure and the Wildcats weren’t able to protect the ball.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said a series of five fourth-quarter turnovers, including back-to-back steals, shifted the momentum. Many of the Wildcats’ turnovers led to easy layups, and the Blaze went on a 14-0 scoring run at the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. [Read more…]

AC Commission to consider workhouse designation for jail

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Anderson County Detention Facility Expansion

The 212-bed expansion of the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton is pictured above under construction in December.

When it meets on Monday, the Anderson County Commission will consider a resolution declaring the Anderson County Jail as a county workhouse.

The proposal was unanimously approved on Monday by the county’s Operations Committee. If approved Monday by the full Commission, it will give judges more options when sentencing certain offenders. Additionally, some inmates could get time taken off their sentences in exchange for days spent on county work details.

The resolution declaring the jail a workhouse will allow some offenders to serve their jail sentences at night after being allowed to go to their jobs or in some cases to take care of their families during the day. [Read more…]

State high court declines to hear appeal in Rogers, Clinton suit

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Information from WYSH Radio

Last week, the Tennessee Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against the city of Clinton and a road-paving company, effectively ending a nearly 20-year-old legal battle.

A grassroots organization called Citizens for Safety and Clean Air made up of Norris residents formed to fight plans by the Rogers Group to reopen a rock quarry and build an asphalt plant on land in the Bethel community annexed several years ago by the city of Clinton. The group filed a lawsuit in Anderson County Chancery Court to stop those plans from going forward, alleging that the city’s rezoning of the property for heavy industrial use constituted illegal spot zoning and that the project would cause increases in heavy truck traffic and air and noise pollution.

Chancellor William Lantrip dismissed the suit, saying that zoning is essentially a legislative matter and not the domain of the courts. An appeals court agreed last fall, and last week, the state’s high court declined to hear the case, essentially clearing the way for the project to move forward.

State awards Aisin, Eagle Bend training grants

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Burns Phillips

Burns Phillips

Information from WYSH Radio

Two Clinton manufacturing facilities have been awarded Incumbent Worker Training grants by the state of Tennessee.

On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips announced that a $25,000 grant has been awarded to Eagle Bend Manufacturing and that Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee Inc. received the same amount.

The Eagle Bend grant will provide 76 employees with training in repair/welder qualification and re-qualification, advanced product quality planning (APQP), and FANUC (handling tool operation and programming).

The Aisin grant will provide 10 of that company’s employees with training in mechanical class and maintenance. [Read more…]

Parents, staff again choose balanced school calendar

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

A majority of Oak Ridge parents and school staff again favored a move from the traditional school calendar to a new balanced calendar that gives students about nine weeks of classroom instruction at a time, officials said.

The first vote was conducted through the Skylert callout system about one month ago in February, and the second vote was Thursday.

See this guest column by Chris Marczak, Oak Ridge Schools assistant superintendent, for more information on the Thursday night vote. [Read more…]

Guest column: Parents, staff again choose balanced school calendar

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

By Chris Marczak

The second calendar voting for the Oak Ridge 2015-16 results have been counted.

Parents and staff members were called on March 13 and asked if they preferred a balanced calendar or a traditional calendar for all schools including Willow Brook and the PreSchool for the 2015-16 school year. The first vote callout took place Feb. 10.

The traditional calendar is the calendar that most of the Oak Ridge Schools have had for quite a while. Students come to school in the middle of August, have a one-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, a one-week spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and an 11- to 12-week summer.

The balanced calendar is a new calendar that Oak Ridge has never had before. It is called a balanced calendar due to the balance that it gives for instructional time in the classroom—about nine weeks at a time. Students typically arrive for school the first week in August, have a two-week fall break, two weeks off for winter, two weeks off for spring break, dismissal at the beginning of June, and a seven- to eight-week summer. The balanced calendar is not like the Willow Brook Elementary or PreSchool calendar where students start school in mid-July and have three-week breaks. [Read more…]

Wildcats will play for state championship after beating Arlington 57-56

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Arlington Tigers

The Oak Ridge Wildcats found a scoring formula that worked well on Friday: get the ball inside to senior Isaac Merian (#33) and let him fake out a defender before shooting in double and triple coverage.

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team will play for a state championship for the first time in 51 years after beating the Arlington Tigers 57-56 in a semifinal game in Murfreesboro on Friday. It was a victory decided by a tie-breaking free throw with only a few seconds remaining.

The Wildcats (32-7) will now battle the Blackman Blaze (27-6) in the Class AAA state tournament finals in Murfreesboro on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Isaac Merian overcame double and triple teams on Friday to lead all scorers with 21 points. He often faked a shot, let a defender go by, and then fired.

“I just kept playing my game, and my shots kept falling,” said Merian, a 6-foot-6 power forward who also had three blocks. “It’s probably one of the most memorable games. I’ll tell this one to my kids.” [Read more…]

Clinton businessman seeks Republican nomination for register of deeds

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Bill Gallaher

Bill Gallaher

Clinton businessman Bill Gallaher will seek the Republican nomination for Anderson County Register of Deeds in the May 6 primary election, a press release said.

Gallaher, a local business owner and insurance executive with more than 30 years of professional management, is “excited to bring his executive experience to county government,” a press release said.

Gallaher served as president of Clinton Tire and Oil Co. Inc. from 1980 until 2005. He supervised hundreds of employees and managed more than a half-million-dollar annual payroll for more than two decades, and he was in charge of project development resulting in a $3.2 million annual business, the press release said.

Gallaher is now employed with Madison Insurance Group in its commercial division. [Read more…]

Lunch-4-Literacy on Tuesday features Denise Kiernan, raises grant money

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Denise Kiernan

Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City,” is the featured speaker at the 2014 Lunch-4-Literacy luncheon.

A Tuesday luncheon will feature Denise Kiernan, author of “The Girls of Atomic City,” and it will raise money for literacy grants.

Lunch–4-Literacy has been organized by Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. It starts at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Oak Ridge High School.

“The purpose of the joint effort is to provide grants to help improve literacy in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties,” a press release said. “Each year, the grants are awarded to selected recipients. In 2013, $23,532.99 was awarded.”

Tickets are $40 each, and they are available from Altrusa and Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club members or they can be purchased at The Ferrell Shop at Jackson Square and Mr. K’s used book store next to Big Kmart in Oak Ridge. Tickets will also be available at the door. All tickets include a catered lunch. All proceeds from the event go to support local literacy programs, the press release said. [Read more…]