Oak Ridge Today

School board to consider demolition of Blankenship visitor bleachers

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Visitor Bleachers at Blankenship Field

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday will consider whether to demolish the visitor bleachers at Blankenship Field.

The visitor bleachers at Blankenship Field are no longer safe for fans, would cost too much to repair, and should be demolished immediately, a school official said this month.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education will consider the proposed demolition during a Monday evening meeting.

The visitor bleachers would be too much of a liability risk if they continue to be used, said Allen Thacker, maintenance and operations supervisor for Oak Ridge Schools. In addition, the main stairs from the dressing rooms to the field on the home side of Jack Armstrong Stadium/Blankenship Field are seriously aged and suffer from erosion. [Read more…]

Two orthopedic clinics to pay $1.85 million over Medicare billing allegations

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Two orthopedic clinics in East Tennessee have agreed to pay a combined $1.85 million to resolve state and federal False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly billed state and federal health care programs for reimported osteoarthritis medications, known as viscosupplements, federal authorities said.

Tennessee Orthopaedic Clinics, P.C., with headquarters in Knoxville and nine locations in East Tennessee, will pay $1.3 million and Appalachian Orthopaedic Clinics, P.C., with headquarters in Kingsport and three locations in the Tri-Cities area, will pay $550,000, according to a press release from  the U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said in a press release. Killian is U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

The press release said viscosupplements, such as Synvisc and Orthovisc, are injections approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain in the knee. Viscosupplements are reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs at a set rate based on the average sales price of the domestic product. [Read more…]

Aubrey’s fundraiser night benefits Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge

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Girls Inc. at Aubrey's

Girls Inc. girls pictured with Katie Jenkins, Aubrey’s manager, left, are, from left to right, Carly Gelb, Riley Gelb, and Brooklyn Henderson. (Submitted photo)

Aubrey’s of Oak Ridge is hosting a fundraiser night on Monday to support Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge.

Aubrey’s is located at 481 S. Illinois Ave.

“Invite all your friends and family to dine with us at Aubrey’s, and 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Girls Inc.!” a press release said.

The local Girls Inc. at 1798 Oak Ridge Turnpike is part of a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Girls Inc. provides educational programs to millions of American girls, the release said. [Read more…]

Knoxville Opera director, conductor speaks to AAUW on Monday

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Brian Salesky

Brian Salesky

Brian Salesky, executive director and conductor of the Knoxville Opera, will be the featured speaker at an AAUW meeting on Monday.

The luncheon meeting of the AAUW, Oak Ridge Branch, starts at 11:30 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church, Room 102.

Salesky’s presentation is titled “Knoxville Opera: Serving Knoxville with Passion for 36 Years!” [Read more…]

Roane State offering iPad Basics workshop Jan. 30, Oak Ridge campus

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If you received an iPad this holiday season and want to learn how to get the most out of it, then Roane State Community College has a workshop for you.

The college’s Community Outreach and Professional Training Department is offering an iPad Basics workshop on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Ave.

The cost is $69 per person. [Read more…]

UT professor offers tips to help avoid, deal with flu season

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Paul Campbell Erwin

Paul Campbell Erwin

Forty states—including Tennessee—are already experiencing widespread and increasing influenza infections this season, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Paul Erwin, head of the Department of Public Health at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, offers three simple tips that can go a long way in protecting you from getting or spreading the flu:

  • Get vaccinated.

Erwin noted that flu vaccines are still available and effective. [Read more…]

DOE-ORO employees teach Woodland students the fun of math, science

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DOE Environmental Management at Woodland STEM Night

Employees from the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management took part in Woodland Elementary’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) night on Thursday. (Photos by DOE/Lynn Freeny)

Employees from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management participated in Woodland Elementary’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, night on Thursday. Employees volunteered to help students from kindergarten through fourth grade forge a love for math and science and realize the possibilities these disciplines offer.

“It’s rewarding any time you can participate in the education process,” said Jay Mullis, director of the Engineering, Safety, and Quality Division with DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. “These kids are in the stage when learning is new and fun, and it’s the perfect opportunity to lay a great foundation and appreciation of the sciences.”

The event involved numerous local sponsors and community groups that helped design and share fun, educational activities for students at Woodland Elementary in Oak Ridge. Kids had the opportunity to learn through robots, Legos, gummy bear catapults, astronomy, spaghetti and marshmallow tower-building competitions, and math code busters. Specifically, Environmental Management employees taught participants how to create their own lava lamps. [Read more…]

TVA meets winter peak demand record

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KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority met a record-breaking winter demand for electricity Friday morning with an estimated 33,345 megawatts when the average temperature across the region hovered at 7 degrees.

This would be TVA’s highest demand for electricity since the summer of 2007 and third-highest in TVA history, a press release said. The previous winter record was 32,572 megawatts set on Jan. 16, 2009.

Meeting the record demand required the combined efforts of TVA’s employees and generating facilities, coordination with the Valley’s 155 local power companies and large industrial customers, and the cooperation of businesses and households to conserve, the press release said.

The release said TVA received 29 percent of its power from coal-fired plants, 21 percent from nuclear plants, 24 percent from natural gas plants, 12 percent from hydroelectric dams, 2 percent from wind farms, and 12 percent from power market purchases. [Read more…]

Loudon sheriff seeks help in finding woman last seen in Oak Ridge

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Jan Follansbee

The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in finding Jan Follansbee, center, a Collierville resident who was last seen in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office is seeking help in finding a woman who was last seen in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.

Barbara “Jan” Follansbee, 58, left her mother’s home at 102 Dasher Lane in Oak Ridge between 6 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said. Follansbee said she was going to Walmart.

Follansbee has brown hair, is about 5’6”, and weighs about 135 pounds. She was wearing sweat pants and a red sweater and red jacket when she left her mother’s home on Wednesday, according to a report by Loudon County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Detective Jason Smith. She left in a maroon 2008 Honda Accord with a license plate number 718-VXR. [Read more…]

Alexander aide accused in child porn case found dead in apparent suicide

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The former chief of staff for Sen. Lamar Alexander who was arrested in December on child pornography charges was found dead in the basement of his parents’ home in Maryland on Thursday, apparently in a suicide.

Several media outlets, including the New York Times and Washington Post, have reported on the death of Ryan Loskarn, 35, who had been released to live with his parents after his Dec. 11 arrest.

Loskarn had been charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. [Read more…]

Open house on Affordable Care Act at Kern Methodist on Saturday

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Kern Memorial United Methodist Church is having a Saturday open house on the Affordable Care Act and options available to buy health insurance through the new Marketplace.

The open house is from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The church and volunteers will make printed information available as well as computers to get online resources, and they will provide individual help.

The open house will include informational PowerPoint presentations, especially for those who have never had health insurance. Access to websites such as www.healthcare.gov, www.KFF.org, and www.valuepenguin.com will be provided. Paper registration forms for the ACA will be available, as well as the toll-free phone number for getting information and signing up. Light refreshments will be served. [Read more…]

Free flu shots, warm coats available at Jan. 31 Stone Soup meal

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ORUUC Stone Soup Community Meal and Flu Shots

Free flu shots will be available at the Jan. 31 Stone Soup community meal at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. (Submitted photo)

Free flu shots and warm coats will be available at the Jan. 31 Stone Soup community meal at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Everyone is invited to the free community meal, scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, a press release said. The church is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The Stone Soup team will prepare and serve homemade white chicken chili, corn bread, and a cookie and milk.

The Stone Soup Ministry team has partnered with the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, or FMCOR, to provide free flu shots to anyone in need. Nurses who are volunteers at FMCOR will be on hand to give the shots, the press release said. The vaccine is being provided by the clinic. [Read more…]