Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during storms, city says

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Fallen Tree House April 2017 Storms 1

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said Monday, April 24, 2017. That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Oak Ridge received more than 6.3 inches of rain during the storms this past weekend, officials said.

That amount of rain made the ground extremely soggy and caused large trees to start falling all across the area, the city said. Several homes and cars were damaged, and there were reports of power outages.

Power was nearly 100 percent restored, but the cleanup was still under way Monday afternoon. [Read more…]

Anderson County trustee offered statewide job

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Rodney Archer

Rodney Archer

Anderson County Trustee Rodney Archer has been offered an executive director job with the County Officials Association of Tennessee, a press release said.

The County Officials Association of Tennessee promotes more efficient county government throughout all Tennessee counties, the press release said. It consists of members from county clerk, court clerk, register of deeds, and county trustee associations in the state.

“I am proud to have been offered the position of executive director of COAT, but I have not seen a contract or details, as I was only offered the position late last night,” Archer said in a press release Monday. “Once the details are laid out before me and I accept, the COAT board will meet on May 9 to approve my hiring. If the board approves my hiring, I would not assume my new role until later this summer. If all that occurs, then I will resign as trustee and provide for a smooth transition for whomever the county commission appoints as the new trustee. My goal in this process will be to leave the trustee’s office in the best possible hands possible for the people of Anderson County.”

If Archer accepts the position to lead COAT, Archer would be expected to direct training and guidance to county governments in an effort to replicate those successes across the state. [Read more…]

Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k in memory of Kerry Trammell on May 7

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Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k Bibs May 7 2017

The Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k in Oak Ridge on Sunday, May 7, will be in memory of Kerry Trammell.

The run is presented by Road Kill Timing and United Way of Anderson County.

Kerry Trammell was an active member of the Oak Ridge and Anderson County community. He was involved in almost everything around town, a press release said.

“He was passionate about senior services, emergency response and the beautiful greenways and parks,” the press release said.

The funds raised will help United Way fund programs that were important to Trammell and to which he dedicated his life. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line to bring new film ‘The Listeners’ to Oak Ridge

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Trainee Kortney Rist in the call room at Headquarters Counseling Center., from a scene in the documentary The Listeners. (Photo submitted by CONTACT Care Line)

Trainee Kortney Rist in the call room at Headquarters Counseling Center., from a scene in the documentary The Listeners. (Photo submitted by CONTACT Care Line)

 

Special one-time screening of a new documentary about suicide hotline volunteers; screening requires 80  tickets to be sold by Thursday, April 27

CONTACT Care Line will be hosting a one-time screening of “The Listeners” in Oak Ridge on Thursday, May 4.

“The Listeners” follows a cadre of new volunteer trainees in crisis and suicide prevention as they learn to answer suicide hotlines, a press release said.

“Through their eyes—and more importantly, their ears—the film examines mental health and suicide prevention strategies, volunteerism, and the life-saving power of empathy,” the press release said.

The event includes a brief introduction to the work of CONTACT Care Line and concludes with a 15-minute opportunity for questions.

The film is being screened through Tugg.com, a platform that helps organizations to host screenings in their local theaters. Tickets can be purchased at www.tugg.com/events/the-listeners-xxbt. [Read more…]

USW, UCOR offer hazardous waste response training to local high school students

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Students from three Morgan County high schools receive certificates after completing 40-hour HAZWOPER training. Also pictured are Joseph Miller, Director of the Morgan County Career and Technical Center, and Sarah Seavers, counselor. (Photo by UCOR)

Students from three Morgan County high schools receive certificates after completing 40-hour HAZWOPER training. Also pictured are Joseph Miller, Director of the Morgan County Career and Technical Center, and Sarah Seavers, counselor. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Students from three Morgan County high schools are now trained in hazardous waste emergency response thanks to a 40-hour class offered by the United Steel Workers in partnership with URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, a press release said.

Participants in the class, commonly called HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response), were from Coalfield High School, Sunbright School, and Wartburg Central High School. Twenty students attended the training, which was held at the Morgan County Career and Technical Center in Wartburg from March 27 to April 3.

“We were very excited to participate with USW and UCOR to offer this hazardous waste training class,” said  Joseph Miller, director of the center. “As a result of this training, our students have earned a credential that will allow them to more easily transition from school to the work force.” [Read more…]

Anderson, Roane schools closed Monday; Briceville Highway closed due to ‘slide issues’

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State Route 116 in Anderson County, also known as Briceville Highway, is closed at Hawkins Road due to “slide issues,” the Tennessee Department of Transportation said Sunday. Also Sunday, Anderson County Schools and Roane County Schools both announced they will be closed Monday.

TDOT said traffic on Briceville Highway is being diverted to county roads.

“Use caution in this area,” TDOT said.

Hawkins Road is southwest of Rocky Top (the former Lake City) and northeast of Briceville.

Briceville Highway had earlier been reported to be closed in Briceville due to sinking pavement on Sunday afternoon. [Read more…]

Emergency workers respond to car crash, fallen trees, flooding

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Oak-Ridge-Flooding-Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-Illinois-Avenue-April-22-2017-Slider

Floodwaters rose close to road level at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue after heavy rains fell in Oak Ridge on Saturday afternoon and evening, April 22, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge emergency workers responded to a car crash that injured two people, two fallen trees, and a possible apartment complex evacuation due to flooding during the severe thunderstorms on Saturday.

Heavy rain from the storms led to widespread flooding in Oak Ridge starting late Saturday afternoon. The water appeared to have receded in places a few hours later, or by early Saturday night.

Emergency workers made preparations Saturday evening to possibly evacuate apartments on Royce Circle, where water covered part of the roadway and rose near the first floor of an apartment complex at the northeast end of the circle. The apartments, which are next to Robertsville Road and just east of Willow Brook Elementary School, are in a low-lying area between two creeks that flow down along Jefferson Avenue and intersect with East Fork Poplar Creek, which was swollen with floodwaters on Saturday.

Authorities had made preparations to see how many people lived on the first floor of the Royce Circle apartment complex in case the residents had to be evacuated, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said. Of the 10 people there, all but one had another place to go, he said. Authorities were watching the water, Kerley said.

“We think it’s receding,” he said Saturday night. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots alliance competing in robotics championship in Houston today

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The Secret City Wildbots are captain of an alliance—Alliance 5—competing in the First Robotics World Championships in Houston today (Saturday, April 22, 2017). (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots are captain of an alliance—Alliance 5—competing in the First Robotics World Championship in Houston today (Saturday, April 22, 2017). (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots are captain of an alliance—Alliance 5—competing in the First Robotics World Championship in Houston today (Saturday, April 22).

The Wildbots, Team 4265, selected Team 8 (Paly Robotics of Palo Alto, California) and Team 3624 (Hardin Valley’s RoHawkTics), with Team 3140 (Farragut Flagship) as backup.

The quarterfinals were scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. The Secret City Wildbots are scheduled for the fourth match.

Information and photo from Angi Agle.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

ORAU awards two teachers with $5,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover grants

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Donna Widner and her students at Oliver Springs Middle School received a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. (Photo by ORAU)

Donna Widner and her students at Oliver Springs Middle School received a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. (Photo by ORAU)

 

Oliver Springs Middle School in Roane County and Shannondale Elementary School in Knox County have been announced as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition during surprise classroom visits, according to a press release on Friday.

ORAU made surprise visits to the two schools and their students and teachers, and presented each with a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the competition.

April Lamb, a STEM teacher at Shannondale Elementary School in Knox County, and Donna Widner, a math teacher at Oliver Springs Middle School in Roane County, will use the grants to outfit their classrooms with new technology. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $25,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover to Rutledge Middle School

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Kyle Roach and his students at Rutlege Middle School are pictured above after being announced winner of the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover on Thursday, April 20, 2017. (Photo by ORAU)

Kyle Roach and his students at Rutlege Middle School are pictured above after being announced winner of the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover on Thursday, April 20, 2017. (Photo by ORAU)

 

Kyle Roach, seventh-grade math teacher at Rutledge Middle School, believes that every student should be taught the necessary skills to empower them as they pursue a higher education. This vision, along with the idea that the school’s current technology is outdated, was the main theme in a video submitted for the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover Contest.

Roach’s goal of having the necessary tools to help empower students and excite them about math-related subjects was realized Thursday as ORAU President Andy Page presented Roach with a $25,000 technology makeover during a surprise assembly announcement. The funding is part of ORAU’s annual Extreme Classroom Makeover competition, now in its ninth year, a press release said.

In the winning video, Roach and his students made a case for purchasing laptops and computer software to update their “archaic communication devices,” better known as whiteboards. Roach explained that he would use the computer software to create interactive math manipulatives to assist students in learning difficult skills.

“Our nation’s teachers have the difficult but important task of educating the next generation STEM workforce,” Page said in the press release. “ORAU believes that through programs like the Extreme Classroom Makeover, we can help standout teachers like Mr. Roach by providing them with necessary materials to engage and excited students in the areas of science, engineering, technology, and math.” [Read more…]

Soccer: So far, Oak Ridge undefeated in district

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Oak Ridge senior forward Austin Vinyard (9), battling Daniel Van Buren (25) of Powell here, scored two goals against the Panthers in a 6-0 win at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Pictured at right is freshman forward Warren Stetzl (23). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge senior forward Austin Vinyard (9), battling Daniel Van Buren (25) of Powell here, scored two goals against the Panthers in a 6-0 win at the Oak Ridge Soccer Complex on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Pictured at right is freshman forward Warren Stetzel (23). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

With two district games remaining, the Oak Ridge Wildcats are undefeated in District 3-AAA. The Wildcats improved to 8-3-2 overall at Karns on Thursday and to 6-0 in District 3-AAA.

Oak Ridge defeated Karns 4-1 on Thursday and, in their previous district game, beat Powell at home 6-0 on Tuesday, April 11.

The two remaining district games are at Central on Monday, April 24, and at Campbell County at 6 p.m. Monday, May 1.

In the meantime, Oak Ridge plays Hardin Valley Academy at home in a rescheduled non-district game that starts at 7 p.m. today (Friday, April 21). [Read more…]

Photos: Secret City Wildbots competing in First Robotics Championship in Houston

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The Secret City Wildbots Team 4265's robot, Luna, successfully climbs at the end of the second qualifying match of the day at the First Robotics Championship in Houston on Thursday, April 20, 2017, with the drive team in background. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots Team 4265’s robot, Luna, successfully climbs at the end of the second qualifying match of the day at the First Robotics Championship in Houston on Thursday, April 20, 2017, with the drive team in background. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots Team 4265 are competing in the First Robotics Championship in Houston this week.

Qualifying matches started Thursday, and there are matches scheduled for today (Friday, April 21).

Here is a schedule sent by Angi Agle, with Team 4265 playing at the following times and with corresponding match numbers, in case the matches run off schedule: [Read more…]