Oak Ridge Today

‘Secret City Girls’ featured at AAUW luncheon Monday

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Taking a cue from the book, “The Girls of the Atomic City,” by Denise Kiernan, the Monday luncheon program of the AAUW Oak Ridge Branch will feature a panel of Girls of the Secret City, a press release said.

Colleen Black, Lynn Fortenbery, Cleva Marrow, and Dot Wilkinson will share their experiences about how they came to Oak Ridge from various states and the early days in the new community and their varied jobs, the release said. They will talk about their first impressions of Oak Ridge and happenings in their new home town. [Read more…]

Clinton Christmas Parade on Dec 7; registration deadline is Dec. 4

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Clinton’s traditional Christmas Parade of bands, floats, and many other processional entries will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, a press release said.

This year’s theme is “A Christmas To Remember.” Businesses, churches, schools, and other marching groups are encouraged to register and participate in the parade, the release said. The parade entry fee of $10 is payable to the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce. The deadline to register is 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4. There will be no late entries. [Read more…]

Big Ed’s owner’s wife releases statement on David Neusel’s death, funeral

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Big Ed's Pizza

David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Jackson Square, died Thursday. The front of the landmark restaurant is pictured above.

Melissa Neusel, the wife of Big Ed’s Pizza owner David Neusel, released a statement Saturday on his death, funeral plans, and the future of the restaurant.

She said her husband, who was 60, died at 1:30 p.m. Thursday of heart and kidney failure at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. That was caused by a virus that had settled in and weakened his heart about two years ago, Melissa Neusel said.

She said Big Ed’s Pizza will remain open and continue operating normally, other than on funeral day(s). [Read more…]

Chemistry experiment waste starts trash can fire in ORHS classroom

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Oak Ridge High School Trash Can Fire

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day. (Photos courtesy of Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The fire occurred just before 9 p.m. Friday. The classroom was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived, but they were able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in a fire-resistant wastepaper container, which was inside a locked classroom, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Gatti’s Pizza, Market House restaurants close

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Gatti's Pizza

A sign posted on the door of the former Gatti’s Pizza next to the Oak Ridge Mall says the business has been sold.

A longtime pizza restaurant and a newer “farm-to-table” diner have closed in Oak Ridge.

A sign posted on the front door of the former Gatti’s Pizza earlier this month said the business has been sold.

Meanwhile, the owners of The Market House at Jackson Square posted on their Facebook page on Oct. 14 that they will no longer be open but will continue to fulfill any private party obligations.

Oak Ridge Today has not been able to reach the owners of either business to elaborate. [Read more…]

Big Ed’s Pizza owner David Neusel dies; restaurant still open

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Big Ed's Pizza

David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Jackson Square, died Thursday. The front of the landmark restaurant is pictured above.

David Neusel, the owner and operator of Big Ed’s Pizza in Oak Ridge, died Thursday in Nashville, longtime friend Randy Tedford said.

The cause of Neusel’s death and his age weren’t immediately available. It also wasn’t immediately clear who would now own and operate the landmark restaurant in the city’s historic Jackson Square area. (Note: More information on Neusel’s death, funeral, and the future of the restaurant is available in this newer story here.)

But Big Ed’s, which was recognized as one of America’s 51 great pizza parlors in 2010, is still open, server Kim Paluso said Friday morning. As far as she knows, the popular pizzeria will continue operating as usual.

“It was pretty hard for everybody,” Paluso said of Neusel’s death. “A lot of people showed up last night for support.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Mall plan receives key endorsement from city board

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Oak Ridge Mall TIF Public Hearing

Ray Evans, right, Oak Ridge economic development consultant, explains an economic impact plan for the proposed $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall. Also pictured seated at left are Tim Sittema, a partner in Crosland Southeast, a North Carolina commercial real estate company, and James Murphy, center, a Nashville attorney.

The $85 million redevelopment of the Oak Ridge Mall received a key endorsement Thursday when a city board unanimously recommended a plan that would allow new property tax revenues generated at the site to be used to help pay for development costs.

It’s known as a tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement, and it could be worth $13 million and last 20 years. In an 8-0 vote during a special meeting Thursday, the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board recommended the plan to the Oak Ridge City Council and Anderson County Commission, which could consider it in November.

Tim Sittema, a partner in Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that has had a purchase contract on the mall since January, said the commercial real estate firm doesn’t have signed leases for the proposed redevelopment yet but is focused on 20 or 30 larger potential tenants.

If all goes well, the sale of the mall could close in the middle of next year, and demolition could then start immediately and last three to four months. Construction could last about 1.5 years, Sittema told the IDB. That means the redeveloped property, which would be named Freedom Park, could open in 2016. [Read more…]

Mall TIF could be worth $13 million, last 20 years

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Oak Ridge Mall Concept Plan Featured

The proposed tax financing agreement to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall could be worth up to $13 million and last 20 years, and when complete, the 60-acre site in the center of the city could include a mix of mostly retail and some office space, a hotel, and up to 50 multi-family residential units.

The proposed tax financing agreement to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall could be worth $13 million and last 20 years, and when complete, the 60-acre project in the center of the city could include a mix of mostly retail and some office space, a hotel, and up to 50 multi-family residential units.

The developer, C4 Investments LLC of North Carolina, could spend more than $85 million converting what is now a mostly empty enclosed mall into an open-air, retail-driven, mixed-use property.

The redevelopment plan calls for about 400,000 square feet of retail space and roughly 60,000 to 100,000 square feet of office space, according to an economic impact plan to be discussed at a public hearing at 5 p.m. today (Thursday) and considered during a special meeting of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board. [Read more…]

ADFAC annual meeting Monday features auctions, presentation on ‘Bow Tie Fund’

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ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties Inc.) is ready to celebrate with the community another year of “Neighbors Helping Neighbors.”

This year’s annual meeting is free to the public, and it’s sure to be a treat (no tricks!) for all who attend, a press release said. The meeting will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday and will be held at the New Hope Center at the front entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex. [Read more…]

Girls Inc. room gets makeover by Leadership Oak Ridge, tennis court project next

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Girls Inc. Tennis Court

The middle school room at Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge has received a makeover from Oak Ridge Leadership Class of 2013, which also wants to resurface the tennis courts, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

It was in need of renovations, and the middle school room at Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge has received a makeover from the Oak Ridge Leadership Class of 2013, a press release said.

The Leadership Class had selected Girls Inc. as their 2013 community project, and members repainted the walls of the middle school room, made wall-mounted tables with raised plugs for electronic devices, created a study area, and added new pillows, organizer bins, tables, lamps, and chairs, the release said. [Read more…]

Mentors needed for tnAchieves, a statewide scholarship and mentoring program

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tnAchieves, a statewide scholarship and mentoring program, has accepted 521 scholarship applications from the Class of 2014 in the three local high schools.

The mission of tnAchieves is to increase higher education opportunities for Tennessee students by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor support. Last year, the program worked with 345 students in Anderson County alone.

Eliminating the funding barrier is important, but tnAchieves believes that the mentoring component is truly the heart of the program. Due to the increase in applicants this year, the program needs more volunteer mentors than ever. Mentors provide encouragement and structure to students as they navigate the college-going process. Current mentors report that the time commitment is only about 10 hours annually.

For more information, visit www.tnachieves.org or contact Graham Thomas at (615) 604-1306 or graham@tnachieves.org.

Trunk Sale features jewelry, art; benefits Habitat for Humanity

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Bombay by Design Trunk Sale Flier

A Trunk Sale at Grove Center this weekend will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, and it will feature items ranging from exquisite jewelry and exotic beads to apparel and linen, organizers said.

The sale is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 105 Randolph Road.

Other items will includes accessories, handicrafts, and tribal and bohemian art, organizers said. Merchandise is designed and crafted by banjara (gypsies) and artisans in India.