Oak Ridge Today

Local rower earns invitation to USRowing Youth National Championships

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Sarah Kate Rogers and Marc DeRose

Rower Sarah Kate Rogers, who has been invited to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships in June, is pictured above with coach Marc DeRose. (Photo by Suzanne Rogers)

 

By James H. Rogers

Oak Ridge’s Sarah Kate Rogers has earned an invitation to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships by virtue of her first-place finish in the women’s youth sculling singles (WY1x) at the USRowing Southeast Youth Championships earlier this month. Competing against other young women from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, she swept through the heats and won the 2,000-meter final in a time of 8:26.257, more than eight seconds ahead of any other sculler.

At next month’s national championship, which is from June 12-14 in Bradenton, Florida, Rogers will compete against as many as 27 other scullers through both heats and repechage for a coveted spot in the grand finals.

“The competition is incredibly tough,” Rogers said of the national event. “We all train and work as hard as we can to get to this point, and leave nothing on race day.”

Her competitors qualify from 11 separate national regions, and represent powerhouse rowing programs from the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest. Rogers is unique in this regard, rowing as an unaffiliated rower under the watchful eyes of her coaching team, Shannon Moore and Marc DeRose. [Read more…]

Council approves $22K ORPD review, could be complete in October

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Oak Ridge Police Department Cars

Note: This story was last updated at 9:58 a.m. May 22.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Thursday approved a review of turnover and morale in the Oak Ridge Police Department that could cost close to $23,000 and not be complete until October.

The review by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service at the University of Tennessee could include interviews with about 125 people, including roughly 76 current ORPD employees as well as several dozen former workers who have left in the roughly four years since Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi started.

The review, which will also study administrative policies, was initially expected to be free, last 30 days, and use interviews with a random pool of workers. But the City Council expanded the scope of the inquiry during a special meeting in April, and MTAS said it would now have to charge $50 per hour for the work.

Each of the MTAS interviews could take about one hour, city officials said during a special Oak Ridge City Council meeting on Thursday. [Read more…]

Kids Day at the Oak Ridge Farmers’ Market on Saturday

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Kids Day at the Oak Ridge Farmers Market

Photo by East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing

 

Don’t miss Kids Day at the Oak Ridge Farmers Market in Jackson Square this week. This free event on Saturday, May 23, will feature live farm animals, crafts, games, music, and a chef at the Market offering samples of the season’s best produce.

Kids Day activities are from 9-11:30 a.m., while the market is open 8 a.m.–noon. The highlight of the morning is a kids FARM Market Scavenger Hunt. Children will hunt for live farm animals and other interesting items brought by the farmers from their homes. Among the items they’re bringing are small farm animals, beekeeping gear, a sheep fleece, an anvil, and more!

Entertaining songs for kids and kids-at-heart will be provided by Tom Beehan, banjo player and former mayor of Oak Ridge, and several of his musical friends.

Children will have a chance to learn about healthy eating with a “My Plate” craft activity led by Anne Brock, author of the popular blog FlourSackMama.com. [Read more…]

JMS Atomic Eagles win Rising Star award at Razorback Invitational

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JMS Atomic Eagles at Razorback Invitational

The Jefferson Middle School Atomic Eagles, a FIRST LEGO League team, are pictured above at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from May 14-17. (Photo by Yvonne Dalschen)

 

The Atomic Eagles, a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team from Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, received the Rising Star award at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on May 14-17.

This competition hosted 72 FLL teams from around the world. Thirteen different nations and 31 different states were represented.

The Rising Star award is given to the team that the judges notice and expect great things from in the future.

Thomas Proffen, the team mentor, received the second-place adult mentor award. This award goes to the mentor whose wisdom, guidance, and devotion are most clearly evident in the team’s discussion with the judges. He has been volunteering with the Atomic Eagles since 2013, when Lego League was restarted at Jefferson Middle School by coaches Janie and Harold Shanafield. Proffen is the director of the Neutron Data Analysis and Visualization Division in the Neutron Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]

Education Foundation to award $93,894 in grants at Wednesday ceremony

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Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation

As part of its “Making the Critical Difference” campaign, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $93,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony this Wednesday, May 20.

Oak Ridge alumni and WBIR Anchor Moira Kaye will be the featured speaker at the event for what she has described as her career’s “last personal appearance.” The ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given after the formal ceremony.

The 2015 grant recipients are as follows: [Read more…]

Altman scores three as Hilltoppers end Wildcats’ season, move on to state

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Blake Clowers and Science Hill Elliot Fry

Oak Ridge’s Blake Clowers fights Science Hill’s Elliot Fry for possession. (Photo credit: Dave Ongie/Johnson City Press)

 

Junior midfielder Lucas Altman scored three goals as Science Hill ended Oak Ridge’s season in a 3-1 win in a sectional playoff game in Johnson City on Saturday. The Hilltoppers move on to play in the state tournament in Murfreesboro next week.

The Wildcats (15-5-2) scored first on a goal from senior forward Blade Kimbro less than 10 minutes into the game.

“Blade gave us everything he had,” Oak Ridge coach Jeff Trombly said. “He played really well.”

But Science Hill (19-2-2) tied it 1-1 about halfway through the first half on the first of three goals, a hat trick, by Altman. Altman scored again with about 8:15 left in the first half.

“We started off well,” Trombly said. “After that, we sort of lost our composure for about 10 minutes, and they scored two goals. It was hard for us to come back for us after that.” [Read more…]

Photos: Tennessee Para Cycling Open in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Tennessee Para Cycling Open in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Saturday, May 16, 2015

Tennessee Para Cycling Open in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Saturday, May 16, 2015 (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Tennessee Para Cycling Open is in Oak Ridge this weekend. It’s a racing event featuring competitors who are paraplegics, amputees, or otherwise physically challenged.

Here are photos by Julio Culiat from the Saturday morning races.

The event features different categories of racers competing on conventional or adapted race bikes or hand cycles.

More than half of the competitors are wounded warriors who were injured while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, some of whom race for the Paralyzed Veterans Racing, which is affiliated with Paralyzed Veterans of America, a major sponsor of the event. There are two racers from Cuba and Colombia. [Read more…]

Parents, teachers, students show support for ‘venerated’ teacher under investigation

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Eddie Anderson

Eddie Anderson

Note: This story was last updated at 12:05 p.m.

About 200 people turned out at a school board meeting on Wednesday to show support for longtime teacher and track coach Eddie Anderson, who has been suspended without pay pending a police investigation, and to challenge some of the accusations made against him. Some objected to the process used by the school system, saying the reputation of a fantastic teacher has been sullied.

Anderson, an Oak Ridge High School chemistry teacher hired in 1979, was suspended without pay on April 30 while the Oak Ridge Police Department investigates an allegation of inappropriate contact with a former student. In the letter announcing the suspension, Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak said the allegation was being turned over to the ORPD as a criminal investigation.

No additional details about that allegation have been released. Anderson’s attorney, Dennis Francis, declined to comment last week, and the Oak Ridge Board of Education and Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent’s Office have been advised to not comment until the investigation is complete. City officials have also not commented on the ongoing investigation by the Police Department.

In the meantime, most of the public discussion has focused on an April 11 track meet, the Taco Bell Invitational in South Carolina. School administrators said, among other things, that Anderson knew ahead of time that a hotel the team was going to stay in was “unacceptable and dangerous,” that he did not inform parents of the specifics of the trip and did not answer the phone when they called, and did not double-check student room assignments, which led to a girl entering a boys’ room through an adjoining door and engaging in “inappropriate contact.” [Read more…]

Hawks edge Wildcats 1-0, but Oak Ridge headed to state sectional on Saturday

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Blade Kimbro Oak Ridge Wildcats and Hardin Valley

Wildcats senior forward Blade Kimbro (9) battles against Hardin Valley Academy during the Region 2-AAA championship at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:05 p.m. May 16.

Hardin Valley Academy’s soccer team made the short trip to Oak Ridge on Thursday evening for a matchup against the Wildcats in the Region 2-AAA championship.

The Hawks, now 17-0-2, looked to not only earn a win, but also the chance to host their next game. The Wildcats, now 15-4-2, were looking to do the same.

There was a packed house and a full student section on hand as the match kicked off underneath an overcast sky.  Hardin Valley opened up the game up with a couple of good looks before Oak Ridge narrowly missed on an opportunity less than six minutes into the first half.

Senior goalie Jake Livengood had a very nice performance for the Wildcats in the first half, and after 40 minutes of action, the two teams went to the half scoreless. [Read more…]

Tennessee Para Cycling Open comes to Oak Ridge this weekend

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Jason Kimball

Pictured above is racer Jason Kimball, an Iraq war veteran who will compete at the Tennessee Para Cycling Open in Oak Ridge this weekend (May 16-17). Kimball will also coach the Learn to Race Class on Friday morning in Oak Ridge. Jason was wounded multiple times in combat and was severely injured during Special Forces training, and races in the C3 disability class. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge is fast becoming known as a “human-powered sports” Mecca, and a new event scheduled for May 16 and 17 is serving to underscore that reputation.

The city will play host to the Tennessee Para Cycling Open, a racing event featuring competitors who are paraplegics, amputees, or otherwise physically challenged. There will be different categories of racers who will compete on conventional or adapted race bikes or hand cycles.

More than half of the competitors will be wounded warriors who were injured while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, some of whom race for the Paralyzed Veterans Racing, which is affiliated with Paralyzed Veterans of America, a major sponsor of the event. Two racers—one from Cuba and one from Colombia—will lend an international flavor, a press release said. [Read more…]

Kimbro scores two as Wildcats beat Farragut, advance to Region 2 championship

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Blade Kimbro of Oak Ridge Wildcats against Farragut

Senior forward Blade Kimbro (9) scored both goals for Oak Ridge in a 2-1 overtime win during a Region 2-AAA semifinal game at home against Farragut on Tuesday. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:50 a.m. May 13.

Oak Ridge senior forward Blade Kimbro scored both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over Farragut in a regional semifinal game at home on Tuesday.

The Wildcats advance to play Hardin Valley Academy in the Region 2-AAA championship at home on Thursday. Win or lose, Oak Ridge will play in a sectional game on Saturday, although the outcome of Thursday’s game will determine who gets home-field advantage.

Kimbro scored both goals on Tuesday with help from junior forward Jose Rodriguez.

On the first goal, Rodriguez passed from the left side of the field to Kimbro, who was in front of the net and kicked the ball in to the right of Farragut goalkeeper Eli Lewis. That goal tied the game 1-1 at about 63:15. [Read more…]

Ten ORHS students to compete in 10 track, field events at state

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Malik Hardy 200-meter Dash

Senior Malik Hardy of Oak Ridge, right, finished first in the 200-meter dash during a Class AAA sectional track meet at Hardin Valley on Saturday. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Ten Oak Ridge High School students will compete in 10 track and field events at the state meet in Murfreesboro in May after finishing in the top four in a sectional meet at Hardin Valley on Saturday.

Senior Malik Hardy will compete in three events: the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the long jump. Senior Lauren Smallwood will also compete in three events: the 200-meter dash, the 4×100-meter relay, and the 4×200-meter relay.

Senior Wesley Robinson will compete in two events—the 1,600-meter run and the 4×800-meter relay—and junior Tyler Boullie will also compete in two: the 800-meter run and the 4×800-meter relay.

Boullie finished first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.27 during the sectional on Saturday, and Hardy finished first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.11. [Read more…]