Oak Ridge Today

Suspicious fire probed in Oliver Springs

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Information from WYSH Radio

For the second time this month, Anderson County investigators are probing a fire at a vacant, foreclosed house.

The most recent incident happened Wednesday afternoon at a home on Cove Lane in Oliver Springs. The Oliver Springs Fire Department was called to the house at around 2 p.m. Wednesday, and firefighters reported that the structure was fully engulfed by flames. No injuries were reported, and the fire is being investigated as suspicious since there was no electricity hooked up to it at the time of the blaze.

Kiwanis Club meeting next week features ADFAC director

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Annie Cacheiro

Annie Cacheiro, right, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, is pictured above with Liz Herbes, director of ADFAC’s social services program.

A meeting next week of the Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge will feature Annie Cacheiro, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

The Tuesday, Aug. 27, meeting be in the Golden Oak Grill Buffet’s smaller meeting room. The program will start at noon.

Cacheiro will talk about ADFAC activities that include social services and affordable housing programs, as well as ADFAC’s efforts to help local, lower-income families by providing assistance that leads to self sufficiency, a press release said. Those programs include helping with basic needs, housing rehabilitation, and new home construction. For more information about ADFAC, visit the website at www.adfac.org. [Read more…]

Razzleberry’s picked for Small Business Counts cash mob on Wednesday

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John Schroer, Tom Beehan, and Mark Watson at Razzleberry's

Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer, left, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan, center, and City Manager Mark Watson outside Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab and Kitchen in October 2012.

ORNL Federal Credit Union has picked Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab and Kitchen for its second Small Business Counts “cash mob.”

Razzleberry’s was originally a small ice cream parlor, and it is owned by Waldek and Ilona Kaczocha, who moved their business from Pompano Beach to Jackson Square in Oak Ridge more than seven years ago, a press release said.

“Since then, the little neighborhood spot has slowly grown into a full restaurant serving lunch and desserts daily (and breakfast on Saturdays), while also featuring a number of homemade international food products and unique gift items,” the release said. [Read more…]

Corker returns from Middle East, visits East Tennessee on Tuesday

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Bob Corker Meets Nouri Al-Maliki

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, left, a Tennessee Republican, meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, second from right. (Submitted photos)

After a week-long trip to the Middle East that ended Saturday, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said the recent expansion of violence there threatened the region’s security and America’s national interest.

Corker is a Tennessee Republican and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From Aug. 10-17, he visited with U.S. and foreign officials in Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan. The trip focused on regional political and security issues important to the United States, including the violence in Egypt, the conflict in Syria, and the threat of sectarian violence and terrorism in the region, a press release said.

Corker will be in East Tennessee on Tuesday, with stops in Knoxville and Maryville. He spent the first week of the Senate’s August recess in Middle Tennessee and will be making stops throughout Tennessee this coming week. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle, ATLC home-building project receives labor award

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ORNL Volunteers and Horizon Award

Oak Ridge National Laboratory volunteers receive the Horizon Award from the Tennessee Labor Management Foundation. From left are Angela Gaylon, Dale McBee, Steve Jones, Mike Day, team captain Ann Weaver, and Jeff Reasor. (Submitted photo)

Team UT-Battelle’s all-volunteer project to build homes for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties has earned the 2013 Horizon Award from the Tennessee Labor Management Foundation.

The award, which recognizes labor management partnerships that benefit the Tennessee community, will be presented to UT-Battelle and the Atomic Trades and Labor Council at the foundation’s summer conference in Nashville. UT-Battelle is the managing contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]

Community-wide, 100-mile potluck at First Presbyterian on Sunday

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Farmers Market

Vegetables from the Farmers Market in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

First Presbyterian Church will host a 100-Mile Potluck meal from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday on its soccer field off Lafayette Drive. The field is behind the sanctuary building at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Everyone in the Oak Ridge community is invited to bring a dish for six to eight people, a press release said. Attendees are encouraged to bring plates and utensils, as well as lawn chairs or comfortable blankets to sit on. Drinks will be provided. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge launches new GIS website

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The City of Oak Ridge recently released a new and improved geographic information system, or GIS, website. A press release said it functions like Internet map applications such as Google Maps or Bing Maps.

[Read more…]

‘One Earth, Our Choice’ concert, rally features ORNL scientist, Al Gore show

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One Earth Our Choice

A free concert and rally in Knoxville at noon Saturday features Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist Virginia Dale, right, and a new “Climate Reality” show by Al Gore. (Submitted image)

A free “One Earth, Our Choice” concert and rally today (Saturday) features an Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist who will discuss Tennessee’s changing climate and a presentation of Al Gore’s new show, “The Climate Reality Project.”

The concert and rally for climate action starts at noon at SEEED at 1617 Dandridge Ave. in Knoxville, a press release said.

It’s part of a weekend of events that includes climate activist Bill McKibben speaking at Oak Ridge High School on Sunday and at Thompson-Boling Arena on Monday. Organizers called it an “attention-getting weekend for climate action.” Those involved in today’s concert and rally include Secret City Sustainability, a student-led initiative in Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]

What’s happening in Oak Ridge Aug. 16-21

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Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting this evening, Aug. 16, and continuing through Aug. 21.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau: [Read more…]

Streets being resurfaced in north Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton Public Works Department has announced a street resurfacing project that is beginning in the residential areas of north Clinton.

The work will continue through mid-September and will require temporary street closures and detours. The city’s contractor, Rogers Group, has one crew performing street preparation ahead of a second crew that is applying asphalt. [Read more…]

Five-county Alzheimer’s Walk coming to Oak Ridge

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The five-county Alzheimer’s Tennessee Walk will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Participants will include volunteers and donors from Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Roane, and Scott counties to support those living with Alzheimer’s disease and honor those who have lost their battle with it. Registration opens at 9 a.m. on the 14th, with opening ceremonies, door prizes, and pre-walk contests on the schedule for 10 a.m. and the ribbon-cutting and walk at 11 a.m. [Read more…]

Nuclear safety board to discuss aging Y-12 buildings, new Uranium Processing Facility

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Y-12 National Security Complex Aerial View

The federal Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will meet in Knoxville in October to discuss, among other things, the risks associated with continuing to operate old buildings involved in weapons work at the Y-12 National Security Complex, pictured above, and the progress made in the past year to incorporate safety into the design of the multi-billion dollar Uranium Processing Facility.

The federal Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board will meet in Knoxville in October to discuss, among other things, the risks associated with continuing to operate old buildings involved in weapons work at the Y-12 National Security Complex—and the progress made in the past year to incorporate safety into the design of the multi-billion dollar Uranium Processing Facility.

The day-long meeting, which is open to the public, will include two sessions on Oct. 22 at the Knoxville Convention Center. [Read more…]