Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge String Quartet performs Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association presents the Oak Ridge String Quartet on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association presents the Oak Ridge String Quartet on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge String Quartet will perform on Saturday.

The concert is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 17, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. It’s presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.

The musicians are Karen Kartal, violin; Sarah Ringer, violin; Sara Cho, viola; and Theodore Kartal, cello. They will be performing a piece by Rachel DeVore Fogarty, “At no time was any of this untrue.” [Read more…]

International Festival at Children’s Museum to feature entertainers, food, crafts

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The Knox Accordion-AIRs, Wolfgang Schaber and Linda Warren, will be featured performers at the Children’s Museum International Festival on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Knox Accordion-AIRs, Wolfgang Schaber and Linda Warren, will be featured performers at the Children’s Museum International Festival on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

The Knox Accordion-AIRs will be the featured performer when the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge hosts its annual International Festival on Saturday, February 17. The lively accordion duo will join Native American dancers, Greek and Indian folk dancers, hip hop dancers, and others during the multi-cultural festival, a press release said.

The family-friendly International Festival will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from cultures around the world, with musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day and crafts for children to make and take home. The festival entertainment will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Children’s Museum, which is at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge.

The Knox Accordion-AIRs are Wolfgang Schaber and Linda Warren. Schaber began studying the accordion as a child in his home country of Austria, the press release said. Warren, who describes herself as “a Tennessee girl through and through,” has been playing accordion since she was six. She enjoys squeezing country, rock ‘n roll, and Memphis blues and gospel music on her accordion. Schaber enjoys playing polkas, marches, a waltz or two, folk tunes, and classical music. [Read more…]

Free West African drum, dance performance at ORAU on Thursday

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The public is invited to see the Austin-East High School Drum and Dance Ensemble in recognition of Black History Month at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, at Pollard Auditorium at ORAU. The free West African drum and dance performance is presented by the ORAU Diversity Council. (Submitted photo)

The public is invited to see the Austin-East High School Drum and Dance Ensemble in recognition of Black History Month at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, at Pollard Auditorium at ORAU. The free West African drum and dance performance is presented by the ORAU Diversity Council. (Submitted photo)

 

There is a free West African drum and dance performance at ORAU in Oak Ridge on Thursday in recognition of Black History Month. The performance will feature the Austin-East High School Drum and Dance Ensemble, and the public is invited.

The performance is presented by the ORAU Diversity Council, and it’s scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, February 15, in Pollard Auditorium at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge.

“Focusing on the culture of traditional West African drum and dance, Austin-East students in grades 9-12 have the opportunity to learn not only West African dance but also ballet and modern as part of their performing arts program,” a press release said. “Austin-East students have performed at many venues, including University of Tennessee sports halftime shows, Knox County Schools and other schools in surrounding counties, and the Tennessee Valley Fair, to name a few. The ensemble has been in existence since 1999.”

This press release was submitted by Amy Schwinge.

Missing Oak Ridge man found safe by neighbor after search

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A missing 77-year-old man was found safe Tuesday night after a roughly 2.5-hour search by Oak Ridge and Anderson County authorities, and neighbors.

The man was reported missing just before 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Rivers Run neighborhood in east Oak Ridge.

The man’s family became concerned when he did not return home from his daily walk by dusk, the Oak Ridge Police Department said in a press release. They were unable to find the man during a search of his normal route to Haw Ridge Park, so they called the Oak Ridge Police Department for help.

A team from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to search the surrounding area, the press release said. Crews also called in a scent-tracking dog and handler from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department to aid in the search. [Read more…]

ORNL scientist to describe current understanding of climate change

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Peter Thornton

Peter Thornton

Peter Thornton, deputy director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Climate Change Science Institute and group leader for the Terrestrial Systems Modeling Group in ORNL’s Environmental Sciences Division, will describe the current best understanding of climate change on Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m., a press release said. The public is invited to attend this free program.

Thornton’s presentation will describe evidence regarding historical and modern climate changes, and projections of future climate based on Earth system models, the press release said. His current research involves the development, evaluation, and application of Earth system models for future climate change prediction. His areas of expertise include the interaction of water, energy, carbon, and nutrients within land ecosystems, the interactions of vegetation communities with the atmosphere, and weather observations over land, the release said. (See a brief ORNL summary here.)

The presentation, co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, Climate Coalition Lobby-Knoxville, and the Citizens Climate Coalition at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, will be in the Social Room at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Eby will serve on state school board, leaving Oak Ridge board

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Bob Eby

Bob Eby

Robert “Bob” S. Eby, vice chair of the Oak Ridge Board of Education, is resigning March 31 because Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is appointing him to serve on the Tennessee State Board of Education effective April 1. Eby will represent Tennessee’s Third Congressional District, which includes Oak Ridge, on the state school board, according to his resignation letter.

“This is quite an honor, and I look forward to utilizing all I have learned while serving on the Oak Ridge Board off and on over the past 33 years to serve the governor and the State of Tennessee in the best manner that I can,” Eby said in the February 7 resignation letter, which was written to Oak Ridge Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer but also copied to other school board members and Superintendent Bruce Borchers.

Eby said Tennessee state law does not allow him to serve on the state school board while also serving as a city, county, state, or elected federal official. Members of the Oak Ridge Board of Education are elected to their positions.

“Therefore, to accept this appointment requires me to resign from my Oak Ridge Board of Education position,” Eby said. “I humbly request the Board (the Oak Ridge Board of Education) to formally accept this resignation.” [Read more…]

Little River Band will headline Secret City Festival concert in June

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Secret City Festival Logo Web

The Little River Band will headline the Secret City Festival concert on Friday night, June 8, organizers said Monday.

The headliner was announced during the Oak Ridge City Council meeting.

The Little River Band had multi-platinum albums in the 1970s and 1980s and chart-topping hits that included “Reminiscing,” “Cool Change,” “Lonesome Loser,” “The Night Owls,” “Take It Easy on Me,” “Help Is on Its Way,” “Happy Anniversary,” “We Two,” “Man on Your Mind,” “The Other Guy,” and “It’s a Long Way There,” according to its website. [Read more…]

Rescuers respond to three calls of drivers trapped in high waters

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A car is stuck in flood water on Mountain Road in Anderson County on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff's Department)

A car is stuck in flood water on Mountain Road in Anderson County on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Sheriff’s Department)

 

Rescuers in Anderson County have responded to three calls of drivers trapped in high waters, authorities said Sunday.

There were no injuries reported, but the cars remained in the flooded areas, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said.

One of those rescue calls was on Airport Road just east of Oliver Springs. In that case, a man who called 911 at the Oliver Springs Police Department at about 9 p.m. Saturday was able to escape on his own through flood water reported to be chest-deep.

The other two rescue calls were on Mountain Road and Pumpkin Hollow Road in east Anderson County, said Mark Lucas, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department chief deputy. [Read more…]

Man escapes from vehicle in flood water on Airport Road

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A man escaped from a vehicle in flood water on Airport Road on the east side of Oliver Springs on Saturday night, Feb. 10, 2018, authorities said. The vehicle, reported to be a Jeep, was submerged under flood water at one time, but its top was visible early Sunday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A man escaped from a vehicle in flood water on Airport Road on the east side of Oliver Springs on Saturday night, Feb. 10, 2018, authorities said. The vehicle, reported to be a Jeep, was submerged under flood water at one time, but its top was visible early Sunday afternoon. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—A man escaped from a vehicle in flood water on Airport Road on the east side of Oliver Springs on Saturday night, authorities said.

The vehicle, reported to be a Jeep, was submerged under flood water at one time, but its top was visible early Sunday afternoon.

The man called 911 at the Oliver Springs Police Department at about 9 p.m. Saturday, and the Oliver Springs Police Department responded. Members of the Oliver Springs Fire Department also responded.

But the man was able to escape on his own through flood water reported to be chest-deep, authorities said. [Read more…]

Flooding closes several roads, Arrowhead Park in Oliver Springs

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Flooding has closed several roads in Oliver Springs and Arrowhead Park. The closures were announced Sunday morning, Feb. 11, 2018, by the Oliver Springs Police Department. (Photo courtesy Oliver Springs Police Department)

Flooding has closed several roads in Oliver Springs and Arrowhead Park. The closures were announced Sunday morning, Feb. 11, 2018, by the Oliver Springs Police Department. (Photo courtesy Oliver Springs Police Department)

 

Flooding has closed several roads in Oliver Springs and Arrowhead Park. The closures were announced Sunday morning by the Oliver Springs Police Department.

“Please use caution while driving in Oliver Springs,” the Oliver Springs Police Department said. “Several secondary roads are closed such as Airport Road, Midway Drive, Strutt Street, and Bennett Road. Other roads have debris and standing water, so please be careful.”

There was heavy rain on Saturday, and more than two inches of rain were expected in the area between Saturday afternoon and Sunday night, with more rain possible this week, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

In Oak Ridge, the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Jefferson Circle is closed due to flooding. [Read more…]

High water reported, part of Airport Road closed as more rain expected

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Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—High water was reported in parts of Anderson County and a short section of Airport Road on the east side of Oliver Springs was closed as rain continued to fall Saturday night.

More than two inches of rain was expected in the area between Saturday afternoon and Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

“Please use caution while traveling and allow extra time,” the National Weather Service said. “Remember, never drive through a flooded roadway. Turn around, don’t drown!”

There were reports that a vehicle had driven into the water flowing over Airport Road, but there were no immediate reports of injuries and it wasn’t clear if a rescue had been required. Airport Road floods regularly during heavy rains, and people sometimes try to drive through it and then get stuck. [Read more…]

Two hit in arms during Claxton shooting

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Jacob Lynn Rutherford

Jacob Lynn Rutherford

 

CLAXTON—Two men were hit in the arms during the shooting in Claxton on Saturday evening, January 13, and the Oak Ridge man charged with attempted murder in the case also shot at a woman but missed, according to court records.

The shooting at the home at the intersection of Clinton Highway and Lonesome Dove Road allegedly occurred “during some type of altercation” in a bedroom, according to affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton.

Jacob Lynn Rutherford, 23, of Oak Ridge, has been charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of reckless endangerment in the shooting.

The affidavits, which summarize the alleged facts of the case and are attached to arrest warrants, said Rutherford pulled a handgun from his waistband during the altercation, pointed it at Nathan Phillips, 36, and fired. Phillips had two gunshot wounds to his left upper arm, the affidavits said. [Read more…]