Oak Ridge Today

English classes for speakers of other languages to start Wednesday

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English classes for speakers of other languages will be offered free of charge at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge beginning Wednesday.

The classes will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. A key orientation and assessment session is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7. It’s required and will place students at appropriate class levels, a press release said.

Grace Lutheran is participating in the classes as a member of the newly formed ESOL Community and Clinch Valley Collaborative, the release said. [Read more…]

Tuesday presentation by UT professor to focus on science, ethics, war

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Jeffrey Kovac

Jeffrey Kovac

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss science and war-related research during a Tuesday presentation in Oak Ridge. (Note: This presentation was canceled due to the weather and could be rescheduled later.)

Jeffrey Kovac, a UT chemistry professor and director of undergraduate studies, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday.

“Science and the military have had a long and often mutually beneficial relationship, a relationship that is seldom questioned,” a press release said. “But because scientists are simultaneously professionals, citizens of a particular country, and human beings, sometimes with strong religious convictions, they are subject to conflicting moral and practical demands. In this presentation, Dr. Kovac will examine the question of whether scientists should engage in war-related research and, if so, under what circumstances.” [Read more…]

Business owner to speak to Altrusa Club on enduring value of antiques

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Angela Galen

Angela Galen

Angela Galen, owner of the Antique Market of Clinton, will be the guest speaker at the Altrusa Club luncheon meeting on Wednesday  at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge, and she will discuss how to keep antiques alive for future generations.

Galen will also play a lively round of “What in the world is it?” using some antiques she will bring along, a press release said. The audience will have the opportunity to speculate as to the intended function of the object.

Instrumental in organizing the Antique Merchants Guild of Clinton, Galen has held the office of president for a total of four years, and for the past three years has been one of the main organizers of the Clinch River Spring Antique Fair, which draws thousands of people to Anderson County each May, the release said. [Read more…]

Painter, archaeologist to discuss growing up in Oak Ridge, 1951-1976

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Nick Fielder

Nick Fielder

A painter and former state archeologist will discuss his experiences growing up in Oak Ridge from 1951 to 1976 during a Thursday evening meeting.

Nick Fielder served as the Tennessee State Archeologist from 1983 to 2008. His Thursday evening presentation to the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association is titled “Growing up radioactive in Oak Ridge: My adventures from 1951 to 1976. A slide-illustrated lecture by Nick Fielder.”

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday at the American Museum of Science and Energy. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools have Monday press conference on Keys to College and Career Readiness

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers and his staff will have a Monday afternoon press conference on a program called the Keys to College and Career Readiness.

The press conference starts at 2 p.m. Monday in the Oak Ridge High School lobby. (Update: This press conference has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday due to the weather.)

“Improving the college and career readiness of all Oak Ridge students will provide for a better foundation of knowledge and skills, allowing them to be prepared for a more technologically sophisticated and internationally competitive working world,” a press release said.

The Keys to College and Career Readiness program was developed by interviewing and surveying Oak Ridge students, parents, staff, and community during a three-month period the release said. More than 1,400 responses were logged and shaped into the seven “keys.” The keys will be used to drive school and district initiatives for the coming years, the release said.

Hunt running for juvenile court judge

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Brian Hunt

Brian Hunt

Attorney Brian Hunt has announced that he is running for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge.

Hunt now serves as a judge advocate general at the rank of captain in the U.S. Army Reserves and has served as Lake City municipal judge since 2006, a press release said.

Hunt grew up in Clinton, attending Clinton Elementary School and Clinton Middle School, and he graduated from Clinton High School in 1996. He later received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2000 from The University of the South-Sewanee in Tennessee. He graduated from Ohio Northern University Law School in 2003 and began practicing law in 2003. [Read more…]

Snow, bitter cold from Sunday night through Tuesday; some schools closed

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Weather forecasters are calling for snow and bitterly cold conditions across the region from Sunday night through Tuesday, and they said Monday night could be the coldest night in more than 10 years.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said a cold front will approach the area Sunday night, and rain will transition to snow in the late evening, with arctic air moving in behind the front.

Low temperatures from Monday night into Tuesday will range from -6 degrees Fahrenheit to around 5 degrees across the region. Dangerously cold wind chills are expected Monday through Tuesday morning. Wind chills will drop to 15 to 25 degrees below zero across the plateau and mountains, and between 5 and 15 degrees below zero over the valley. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Today upgrading server Saturday afternoon

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Note: This story was updated at 7 p.m.

Oak Ridge Today will be moving to a new server on Saturday afternoon, and we will temporarily be unable to update our website.

The migration is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. today. We’ll let you know when it is complete. (Update: The server migration has been completed. Please let us know if you notice any issues.)

The migration should not affect your ability to read Oak Ridge Today. [Read more…]

Oliver Springs man charged with aggravated kidnapping, assault

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An Oliver Springs man was jailed on aggravated domestic assault and aggravated kidnapping charges early Wednesday morning after he allegedly locked a woman in a room on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, hit her in the face, and choked her.

Reginald D. Holland, 46, of Wilson Lane, remained jailed Saturday morning. The alleged assault and kidnapping occurred just after midnight on Jan. 1.

The victim, who also lives in Oliver Springs, had “deep red marks on both cheeks and long red marks around her neck, consistent with someone striking (her) in the face and holding them down by the neck,” Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Christopher Bayless wrote in arrest warrants. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation names new director

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Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation Jenna Whitney and Lila Metcalf

Lila Metcalf, left, former director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, welcomes the new foundation director, Jenna Whitney. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation has named a new director.

Jenna Whitney started Jan. 1, the foundation’s board of directors announced this week. Whitney has more than 15 years of general management experience in the professional services industry and the U.S. government.

Whitney replaces the foundation’s first director, Lila Metcalf, who has announced that she is leaving the position after almost 10 years with the foundation. She will return full-time to her nursing career.

Whitney recently served as a program manager at a defense contracting firm with oversight of more than $59 million in U.S. government contracts, and she has directed a portfolio of engineering and technical support contracts, a press release said. She has worked overseas for the U.S. State Department, managing financial operations and leading strategic and technical initiatives. [Read more…]

Brummitt resigns from Oliver Springs Council

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Information from WYSH Radio

During Thursday’s meeting of the Town Council, Oliver Springs Mayor Chris Hepler asked council members to accept a letter of resignation from Alderman James Brummitt, who has decided to resign his seat on the Council, effective immediately.

Brummitt, who also serves as chairman of the Roane County Commission, had served three terms on the Oliver Springs Town Council.

The mayor did not offer any specific reason for Brummitt’s decision to step down, but it’s been clear to many observers that he and new City Manager Tina Treece have differed on several policies and procedures since she replaced David Bolling. [Read more…]

IHOP briefly closed after cooking equipment sets off sprinkler system

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IHOP restaurant in Oak Ridge was briefly closed Thursday afternoon after heat from cooking equipment set off the sprinkler system, authorities said.

On Thursday afternoon, employees said they expected the restaurant to reopen at about 5 p.m.

Oak Ridge Fire Department Battalion Chief Marty Griffith said heat from a cooker (a deep fryer) that had been moved out from under a hood Thursday afternoon melted what’s known as a fusible link in a sprinkler head, setting off the sprinkler. There was no active fire, but there was minimal water damage, Griffith said.

He said the water would have to be cleaned up, and the health department would have to inspect the restaurant.