Oak Ridge Today

Two Oak Ridge residents part of Knoxville tennis team that wins national title

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Pictured above are, from left to right in front, Melanie Dodson (Knoxville), Barbara Miller (Knoxville), Kim Lee (Oak Ridge), and Cindi Mooney (Knoxville); and left to right in back, Bill Padgett (Alcoa), Trips Dawson (Loudon), Tony Lee (Oak Ridge), and Jay Huffman (Knoxville). (Photo credit: Juan O’Campo)

Pictured above are, from left to right in front, Melanie Dodson (Knoxville), Barbara Miller (Knoxville), Kim Lee (Oak Ridge), and Cindi Mooney (Knoxville); and left to right in back, Bill Padgett (Alcoa), Trips Dawson (Loudon), Tony Lee (Oak Ridge), and Jay Huffman (Knoxville). (Photo credit: Juan O’Campo)

 

Knoxville team crowned national champions at USTA League Mixed 40 and Over 6.0 National Championships

SURPRISE, ARIZ.—A tennis team from Knoxville, representing the USTA Southern Section, captured the national title at the USTA League Mixed 40 and Over 6.0 National Championships held at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Arizona.

The Knoxville team defeated a team from Arcadia, California, 2-1 in the Championship match. Earlier in the day, the Knoxville team defeated a team from Concord, California, 3-0 in the semifinals. They advanced that far by winning their round-robin flight contested during a weekend in the fall.

The team is captained by Jay Huffman and features Barbara Miller, Melanie Dodson, Cindi Mooney, Tony Lee, Kim Lee, Trips Dawson, Katherine Evans, Timmy Cuesta, Bill Padgett, and Justin Chaniott, and plays at the Cedar Bluff Racquet Club. The Lees live in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Forty-nine Atomic City Aquatic Club swimmers compete in Knoxville

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Atomic City Aquatic Club coaches pose with young swimmers. (Submitted photo)

Atomic City Aquatic Club coaches pose with young swimmers. (Submitted photo)

 

Forty-nine Atomic City Aquatic Club, or ACAC, swimmers competed in the Tennessee Aquatics January Classic Invitational this past weekend in Knoxville.

ACAC trains year-round for a series of meets where they can test their achievement and developments. This past meet was meant to measure improvements from holiday training plans, and see how the swimmers have handled their increased training load.

Abigail King, 12, headlined the event for ACAC with an outstanding meet that included four team records: 400 IM, 50 Fly, 200 Fly, and 100 Back. She made Southeasterns in all five races for which she could qualify, and also swam age group qualifying times in the 200 Fly and 400 IM.

In total, 40 of the 49 ACAC athletes entered achieved best times, and nine swimmers acquired Southeastern Time Standards throughout the weekend: [Read more…]

Authors speak about delights, frights along Cumberland Trail on Feb. 2

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Ben Larry Pounds Book Cover

Well-known botanist Larry Pounds and his son, local journalist Ben Pounds, spent a month in 2012 hiking all 200 miles of the Cumberland Trail that existed then. Combining Larry’s extensive botany experience and Ben’s training as a writer, they documented their experiences in a book, “Wildly Strolling Along,” a press release said.

The public is invited to an informational program about their Cumberland Trail experience in a 7 p.m. program on Thursday, February 2. The Pounds will share slides of their favorite sights along the Cumberland Trail and provide basic information about the trail, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge receives Blankenship Field grant, primarily for synthetic turf

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Blankenship Field Overall Plan

An overall view of the proposed renovation of Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium. (File image from April 2015)

 

Oak Ridge has received a state grant of just under $500,000 that will be used primarily for synthetic turf at Blankenship Field. But it is also expected to help pay for track improvements, upgraded restrooms, fencing between the football field and track, and improvements to the Cedar Hill trailhead behind the visitors bleachers at Jack Armstrong Stadium, city officials said Thursday.

The Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant requires a 50 percent match. The match is supposed to be provided by the nonprofit Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation, and it can be a mix of cash and in-kind contributions, although the precise percentage of each—cash versus in-kind contributions—isn’t clear yet. The foundation has been chaired by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate Randy McNally.

Officials expect to know more after four of them—City Manager Mark Watson, City Council member Rick Chinn, Recreation and Parks Director Jon Hetrick, and Allen Thacker of Oak Ridge Schools—attend mandatory grant training in Nashville in February.

After that, the Oak Ridge City Council could accept the grant, possibly as early as the February 13 meeting. [Read more…]

Photos: Work on eighth rowing lane

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Eighth Rowing Lane Jan 18 2017

The view from the water of the new wall installed for the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course. Calhoun’s restaurant is in the background at center right. (Photo by Laurel Patrick)

 

Laurel Patrick of First Place Finish Inc. in Oak Ridge has been posting pictures on Twitter showing the progress on work on the eighth lane of the Oak Ridge rowing course.

Here are pictures by Patrick starting November 16, used here with her permission. We have posted them below in chronological order.

First Place Finish Inc. received a $548,350 contract to add the eighth lane during a special Oak Ridge City Council meeting in September. The work includes a precast concrete block retaining wall and associated dredging and site work.

Oak Ridge officials announced in late October that the speed limit on a section of Melton Lake Drive would be temporarily reduced for at least three months starting Monday, October 31, while the eighth rowing lane is built, and part of the Melton Lake Greenway will be closed as necessary. [Read more…]

Photos, videos: Oak Ridge, Halls basketball game

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Oak Ridge Higgins Dunk Halls Jan 23 2017 Web

Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins (5) had two powerful dunks, including this one in the second half, during a 108-56 win over Halls at Wildcat Arena on Monday, Nov. 23, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge topped 100 points and senior Tajion Jones scored 32 as the Wildcats beat Halls 108-56 at home on Monday. Here are photos by Luther Simmons and videos by Myles Hebrard. [Read more…]

Wildcats top 100 points, Jones scores 32 in win over Halls

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Oak Ridge Jones Halls Jan 23 2017 Web

Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones (3) scored 32 points as the Wildcats topped 100 points during a 108-56 win over Halls at Wildcat Arena on Monday, Nov. 23, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge topped 100 points and senior Tajion Jones scored 32 as the Wildcats beat Halls 108-56 at home on Monday. It was the fifth-highest point total for an Oak Ridge game in program history, according to broadcaster David Clary. The record of 137 was set in 1971.

It was an apparent career high for Jones. Eighteen of his points came from six three-point shots, and he had 24 points in the first half alone.

“He’s shooting well,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Senior Tyshawn Young, who has had some high-scoring games in the past month, added 27 points, and senior Anthony Gibson had 17.

The seniors racked up all those points in the first three quarters, before reserves came in for Oak Ridge. Bench players added 21 points in the fourth quarter. That included three three-point shots by sophomore Joe Kesterson. [Read more…]

Roane State to celebrate Nesbit’s 25 years of coaching

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Head Coach Randy Nesbit and Roane State’s 1992-93 Men’s Basketball Team. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

Head Coach Randy Nesbit and Roane State’s 1992-93 men’s basketball team. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

Roane State Community College is celebrating 25 years with Men’s Basketball Head Coach Randy Nesbit on Saturday, January 28, when the Roane State Raiders take on Dyersburg. The game is at 4 p.m., with a reception to follow.

A 1980 graduate of the Citadel, Nesbit began his Roane State coaching career in the fall of 1992 after serving as assistant to Citadel’s Head Coach Les Robinson. A three-year starting point guard on Robinson-coached basketball teams, Nesbit was a key member of The Citadel’s 1979 team that won 20 games, a first for the college. Captain of the 1980 team, Nesbit was selected to the 1979 and 1980 All-Southern Conference second team and paced the 1978 team with a 54.0 field goal percentage and a 92.5 free throw percentage in 1980, which was the second-best in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. He tied a school mark with 13 assists in a 1979 game against Marshall, and established the school’s season record of 120 dishes that season, holding the school’s record for most career assists (324). Nesbit played only three years after having transferred from Gulf Coast Community College. [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School ski, snowboard club supports Gatlinburg residents

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Photo courtesy Scott Linn

Photo courtesy Scott Linn

 

By Scott Linn

As have so many across the country and throughout Tennessee, students and teachers from Jefferson Middle School express their sadness over the recent fires that burned through Gatlinburg, destroying a number of buildings and homes.

JMS ski and snowboard club members have been taking after-school trips to Ober Gatlinburg for more than 20 years on Wednesday afternoons each winter.

This year, to show support for the area and those who are working to rebuild, the students are wearing Smokies Strong T-shirts for their ski trips to Ober Gatlinburg. The shirts were a gift from an anonymous donor who provided the club with 50 shirts.

“When our club showed up in our Smokies Strong shirts on our first trip of the season, it had an impact on the workers up there, and I’m just really glad the club could play even a small part in helping lift their spirits,” said seventh-grader Allison Myers.

The Red Cross, the Dollywood Foundation, and Friends of the Smokies will benefit from proceeds of the sales of the shirts. [Read more…]

Registration open for lifeguard certification course

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Civic-Center-Indoor-Pool

Registration is now open for a Lifeguard Certification Course being offered by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department over spring break. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

Registration is now open for a lifeguard certification course being offered by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department during spring break.

The course will be held Monday, March 20, through Friday, March 24, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center’s indoor pool facility. The class begins at 10 a.m. each day, and it is scheduled to run until 2:30 p.m.

There are some pre-requisites for the course. Registrants must be at least 15 years old and be able to pass the pre-swim test for admission. The test will be held on the first day of class. [Read more…]

Temporary Civic Center, Senior Center closures announced

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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Civic Center Recreation Building will be closed to the public on Wednesday, January 25, and Thursday, January 26, for an Electric Department training event.

As a reminder, the Senior Center will also be closed between Monday, January 23, and Saturday, January 28, as it transitions to the Civic Center Recreation Building. The Senior Center will reopen Monday, January 30, at the Civic Center. [Read more…]

Russell is new softball coach at ACHS

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Information from WYSH Radio

Anderson County High School has promoted softball assistant coach Allen Russell to head softball coach. He succeeds Travis Freeman, who resigned after last season to spend more time with his family.

Russell has been on the coaching staffs of the Mavericks’ baseball and softball teams since 2004.

WYSH Radio is an Oak Ridge Today news partner.