Oak Ridge Today

Part of Robertsville Road to close Wed.-Fri. for Kroger utility work

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A short stretch of Robertsville Road will be closed from Wednesday to Friday this week for underground utility work for the new Kroger Marketplace shopping center.

The work will be done on Robertsville Road between Oak Ridge Turnpike and Raleigh Road. The street closure is subject to weather that could cause a delay in the work, a city press release said.

“No through traffic will be permitted on this portion of Robertsville Road during the closure,” the release said. “Local traffic will be permitted to access the Unitarian Church, and the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Heritage and Preservation Association from the Robertsville Road/Raleigh Road intersection. Motorists should use caution while traveling near the closure area.”

Questions or comments concerning this closure can be directed to the Oak Ridge City Engineer at (865) 425- 1807. Visit www.oakridgetn.gov for more information.

Weekly update: Sewer rehabilitation work continues

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More rehabilitation work of the city’s sewer collection pipes is scheduled to continue this week.

The work is being done by Hurst Excavating and Morgan Contracting under contract with the city of Oak Ridge. It includes rehabilitating sewer collection pipes within city easements in yards and in roadways, a press release said.

Residents should already have received color-coded letters and door hangers (orange for Hurst Excavating and purple for Morgan Contracting) providing general information and each contractors’ contact information.

All construction work is subject to change based on such unknowns as weather, equipment, and access issues, the press release said. The construction work schedule for the week beginning Feb. 10 is as follows: [Read more…]

Nashville singer will perform at campaign fundraiser for Myers

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Randy Myers

Randy Myers

Rising Nashville music star Brad Blackwell will sing at a March 1 fundraiser for the Randy Myers for Sheriff Campaign, a press release said.

The fundraiser will be held on March 1 from 1 to 4 p.m., and it is sponsored by Smoky Mountain Biker Gear, the press release said.

Blackwell was named East Tennessee’s Best Local Artist by the Knoxville News Sentinel, the release said. He has opened for artists such as Darius Rucker, Thompson Square, and Edwin McCain and sold out Knoxville’s historic Bijou Theater in only his first time headlining a show there.

The March 1 fundraiser will be on Clinton Highway across from Claxton Elementary School. Food will be provided by Slappy’s BBQ.

Animal Shelter adoption fee reduced for Valentine’s Special this week

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Valentino at Oak Ridge Animal Shelter

Submitted

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, all dogs and cats at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter will be available for the adoption price of $55. This special Valentine’s fee is in effect Tuesday, Feb. 11, through Saturday, Feb. 15.

Come meet your perfect match and be ready to fall in love! We have many beautiful, loving animals that need a home.

The normal adoption fee is $110. The Valentine’s special price of $55 includes a veterinarian physical wellness check, spay/neuter, vaccinate, rabies shot, microchip, tattoo, flea/tick treatment, and nail trim. [Read more…]

Career Coach Computer Center at Public Library on March 4

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Oak Ridge Public Library Career Coach

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Are you looking for work? Do you need help with your resume? Online applications? Are you worried you don’t know where to find the most recent job listings?

The Career Coach, sponsored by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Employment Security Division, will be coming to the Oak Ridge Public Library parking lot for one more session, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4. Come by anytime during those hours and receive job assistance. With access to their state-of-the-art computer workstations and well-trained team, you can successfully navigate online job searching and get on track to find the job you want. [Read more…]

Roane State has book sale in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Wednesday

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The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host its annual “Love Your Library” book sale on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. each day.

The sale will include paperbacks, textbooks, cookbooks, computer software books, children’s books, craft books, and more. Only cash and checks will be accepted. Checks need to be payable to the Roane State Foundation. Prices range from $1-3.

The campus is located at 701 Briarcliff Ave. For more information, contact Christi Moss at (865) 354-3000, ext. 4739, or mosscl@roanestate.edu.

Driver dies after SUV hits utility pole on Hillside Road

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Hillside Road Fatal Crash

The Oak Ridge Police Department investigates a fatal Sunday morning crash near the intersection of Hillside Road and Pennsylvania Avenue as the Oak Ridge Electric Department replaces a utility pole hit by the driver’s SUV.

Note: This story was updated at 11:17 a.m.

A driver died after an SUV hit a utility pole on Hillside Road at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, authorities said.

The driver is not being identified until family members have been notified, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

Before the crash, an ORPD officer had observed the white SUV traveling at high speed near Highland Avenue and Hillside Road, a press release said. [Read more…]

Guest column: Remember to vote on school calendar Monday evening

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By Donato “Dan” DiGregorio

To staff of the Oak Ridge Schools and parents of students:

The thoughts and views expressed below are mine and may or may not reflect the thoughts and views of the other Board of Education members.

Currently, our Oak Ridge School system operates on two different calendars, the “Willow Brook (WB)” calendar and the “traditional” calendar. Consideration is being given to unifying the school calendar. Two proposed calendars, “the traditional” calendar and “balanced” calendar, are the options. The decision will be left to the Board of Education after much input. Included in this input are staff and parent preferences.

The main question that I hope folks ask themselves is: Of these two calendars, which will be the most helpful to promote student learning?

This coming Monday (Feb. 10) evening at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, Oak Ridge Schools parents and staff will have the opportunity to express their preferences for a possible new school calendar from the two proposed calendars. See this story for Dr. Chris Marczak’s brief description of each and how the telephone “vote” will occur. You may also view these calendars in more detail and how the telephone “vote” will take place by visiting the Oak Ridge Schools website. [Read more…]

Monday ceremony will welcome soldier returning home from Afghanistan

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Friends of a solider returning home from a 10-month tour in Afghanistan have organized a Monday morning welcome-home ceremony in Oak Ridge.

The family of U.S. Army Sgt. Neal Martin is expected to arrive in Oak Ridge at about 8 a.m. Monday.

The family is coming from Gatlinburg and plan to arrive in Oak Ridge on Pellissippi Parkway before driving down Lafayette Drive, then down New York and Vermont avenues in a newer-model Nissan Rogue with license plate number M33-23P, organizers said.

Organizer Valarie Emery said several businesses and emergency workers are participating in various ways. Among other things, she is trying to get local businesses to change their signs to welcome Martin home. She is asking those who are interested in participating in the welcome-home ceremony on Monday to meet at New York Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike, or New York and Vermont avenues, or Vermont and Venus Road. [Read more…]

State comptroller approves $13 million agreement for Oak Ridge Mall

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Oak Ridge Mall

The Tennessee Comptroller has approved the use of a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall. The L-shaped mall is pictured at center above.

The Tennessee Comptroller has approved a $13 million tax financing agreement that could be used for the $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall.

The approval was announced in a Wednesday letter from Tennessee Comptroller Justin P. Wilson to Nashville law firm Bradley, Arant, Boult, and Cummings, which is working with Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that wants to redevelop the mostly empty mall.

The 20-year tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement, would use new property tax revenues generated at the 59-acre site to help pay for development costs, possibly including tearing down the existing space between the two remaining anchor stores, JCPenney and Belk, as well as for replacing aging infrastructure and building new roads. [Read more…]

Roane State faculty members plan record-breaking underwater stay

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Jessica Fain Diving

Jessica Fain, an adjunct instructor at Roane State Community College, emerges from the moon pool at Jules’ Undersea Lodge. Fain has logged more than 100 hours in underwater habitats and labs. (Photos courtesy RSCC)

HARRIMAN—Two Roane State Community College faculty members plan to live and work under the surface of the sea for 72 days this fall.

While underwater, associate professor of biology Bruce Cantrell and adjunct instructor Jessica Fain will offer the most unique educational experience in the college’s history and raise awareness of issues affecting the oceans. During their stay, Cantrell and Fain will also set a world record for the longest time spent living underwater.

Roane State and the Marine Resources Development Foundation in Key Largo, Fla., are partnering on the Classroom Under the Sea project. Cantrell and Fain plan to start their underwater adventure Oct. 4 and resurface on Dec. 15. They will live in Jules’ Undersea Lodge, which is in the lagoon at the Marine Resources Development Foundation’s facilities.

“Roane State professors have taught in a variety of locations as part of our mission to bring higher education to the communities we serve,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “What Bruce and Jessica are planning is certainly new territory. While their project is unique, their expertise, spirit of adventure and passion for teaching are representative of what make community colleges so special.” [Read more…]

Judge Murch will seek re-election

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Ron Murch

Ron Murch

Judge Ron Murch has announced he is running for re-election as General Sessions Court judge for Division II, a press release said. Murch has served in the office since 1993.

After graduating from the University Of Tennessee School Of Law in 1976, he was in the private practice of law and was an attorney with the City of Oak Ridge for 17 years until becoming a judge, the release said.

Murch has been a member of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference and has served on the conference’s Education Committee since going on the bench. That committee is responsible for setting the continuing education agenda for all general sessions court judges during their annual conferences. [Read more…]