Oak Ridge Today

Second annual Parkinson’s Walk in Oak Ridge on April 13

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Parkinson's Walk

Parkinson’s Walk 2012
(Submitted photo)

On Saturday, April 13, the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group of East Tennessee, PK Hope Is Alive, will host its second annual walk at at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge. The local walk will be in conjunction with the 19th annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York City.

Registration starts at 9 a.m., and the walk, which will help raise funds for Parkinson’s Disease research, will take place between 10 a.m. and noon. Last year, PK Hope Is Alive raised more than $17,000 and was the No. 8 fundraising organization in the country. [Read more…]

Section of East Drive closed Wednesday, Thursday

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A section of East Drive will be closed Wednesday and Thursday for underground sewer line repairs. The work is expected to last throughout the night, a city press release said.

The road will be closed just south of the intersection of East Drive and Eaton Lane. The work will be done by Hurst Excavating, which will repair three sections of gravity sewer main. The road closure is expected to last throughout the night, but it could be delayed by bad weather. [Read more…]

Guest column: Anderson County Dental Clinic helps those in need

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Anderson County Dental Clinic

Pictured above, from left, are Anderson County Commissioner Robin Biloski, Dental Assistant Nancy Hamilton, and Dr. Tim Bible. (Submitted photo)

The Anderson County Dental Clinic has been held monthly in Oak Ridge for 30 years and is operated solely by volunteers. This necessary outreach was started by Jeanie Bertram.

“The waiting list has held a constant number of 150 to 200 names for our free services.  Last year we treated 232 patients, with 101 of them being brand-new,” said Bertram. “We extracted 661 teeth last year for a production value for $97,484. Last year we did receive some patient fees and donations from the public totaling $10,000, and we put that right back into our services.”

Dr. Tim Bible, a longtime volunteer dentist, said: “This is so important; these individuals simply have no means to pay for dental care, which is desperately needed. Our clinic currently has five general dentists, two oral surgeons, the University of Tennessee General Dentistry Department volunteers, 12 registered dental assistants, three clinic support staff, and five front office staff who rotate through the clinic in any given year. We are so proud of this wonderful service we provide to our residents.” [Read more…]

Learn more about high-tech mechatronics at Roane State on Thursday

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Anyone interested in Roane State Community College’s new high-tech mechatronics program is invited to information sessions on Thursday, March 21, at the college’s Oak Ridge Campus.

The information sessions will be held at 1 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. in the City Room. Visitors only need to attend one of the sessions. [Read more…]

Council approves Aldi rezoning, waterfront crosswalk signs, kayak rentals

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The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved a rezoning that could allow an Aldi grocery store on South Illinois Avenue, solar-powered pedestrian warning signs on Melton Lake Drive, and a program to rent bicycles and kayaks at Melton Lake Park.

The Aldi could open on about 1.4 acres in the Woodland Town Center near Panera Bread and Aubrey’s restaurant this fall.

The pedestrian signs, as well as new pavement markings, could be installed at three crosswalks at Amanda Drive, Emory Valley Road, and Rivers Run on Melton Lake Drive. [Read more…]

Commission sends ‘In God We Trust’ back to committee for design work

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Anderson County Commission and In God We Trust

Anderson County Commissioner Jerry Creasey, standing, says a proposal to put the national motto on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton is dividing commissioners, and the county and Oak Ridge. Also pictured from left are commissioners Whitey Hitchcock, Zach Bates, Tracy Wandell, and John Shuey.

CLINTON—Questions about designs were unresolved Monday, and the Anderson County Commission sent a proposal to put the national motto “In God We Trust” on the county courthouse in Clinton back to a committee that has already considered it once.

The Anderson County Operations Committee recommended last week in a 5-3 vote to install black metal signs with white lettering and the national motto above the courthouse’s four entrances.

But the full 16-member commission discussed putting the national motto in granite lettering during a Monday night meeting, among other things.

[Read more…]

Arte Musica to perform Friday at Roane State

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Arte Musica

Crossover band Arte Musica will play in the City Room at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus on Friday. From left are Wade Darnell, Rudolph Nemeth, and Travis Witherington. (Submitted photo)

Crossover band Arte Musica will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

The concert is free and open to the public. “Visitors can enjoy Arte Musica’s blend of classical, jazz, blues, and rock in the campus’s refurbished City Room, which features new seating,” a press release said.

“Crossover is an interesting style combination,” said pianist and Roane State adjunct professor Rudolph Nemeth. “It blends different genres and different instruments in new and exciting ways.”

[Read more…]

Telephone service, suicide prevention hotline has Saturday fundraiser

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A telephone service and suicide prevention hotline is having an annual Flea Market fundraiser on Saturday, and the organization is accepting donations through Thursday.

The CONTACT Care Line Flea Market is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]

Alternatives to jail featured at ‘Lunch with the League’

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The director of Anderson County’s alternatives to jail program will be the featured speaker during “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday.

The presentation by Mike Baker will focus on alternatives to incarceration and the benefits to those affected, including their families and the community. The program starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

[Read more…]

County Commission considers ‘In God We Trust’ signs after legal, design review

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Anderson County Operations Committee National Motto

Anderson County Commisisoner Robert McKamey, left, who has made motions to put the national motto “In God We Trust” on the County Courthouse in Clinton, and Commissioner Whitey Hitchcock, who has voted against the proposals.

They’ve already approved a proposal to put “In God We Trust” on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton, and county commissioners this evening will consider a committee’s recommendation to install the national motto on black metal signs above the courthouse’s four entrances.

The Anderson County Operations Committee endorsed the signs in a 5-3 vote last week. They would have white lettering that says “In God We Trust,” and they are expected to cost $500 or less.

The County Commission agreed to put the motto on the courthouse in a 12-4 vote last month, but members asked the Operations Committee and Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager to review legal, liability, and design issues. The committee has now referred the specific sign proposal back to the full commission.

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Clinton Council again considers appointing school board member

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton City Council will meet this afternoon at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Among the items on the agenda will be a second try at appointing a new school board member to replace R.C. Hutchins. Last month, Council voted to have the city attorney determine if there would be a conflict of interest if Curtis Isabell were to be appointed to the seat vacated by Hutchins’ retirement.

[Read more…]

Kayaks, bikes could be rented at Oak Ridge Marina

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Melton Lake Park Marina Dock

An Oliver Springs company could replace an existing dock at the Oak Ridge Marina with a kayak dock under a five-year lease that could follow a pilot program. (Submitted photo)

An Oliver Springs company could rent kayaks and bicycles to the public at Melton Lake Park under a contract to be considered by Oak Ridge City Council on Monday.

Adventures Outdoors would use temporary space on Houseboat Row at Melton Lake Park as well as the bar area in the former New China Palace restaurant to rent and store the recreational equipment as part of a pilot program that could lead to a lease agreement.

It’s the next step in implementing a waterfront development plan approved by Oak Ridge City Council in December 2009, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Director Josh Collins said in a memo to City Manager Mark S. Watson. That plan included key features such as a new picnic pavilion, walking trails, new playground, permanent restrooms, enhanced lighting and landscaping, outdoor casual dining, and recreational equipment rental.

[Read more…]