Oak Ridge Today

Two JMS students competing in Junior Olympics this week

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Josie Fellers, Muskaan Vohra, and Zoe Marczak with Coach Sam Roberts

Zoe Marczak of Jefferson Middle School, second from right, was one of three Oak Ridge seventh-grade girls who competed in the state middle school cross country championships in Knoxville in October 2014. Zoe and her twin sister Maxine are competing in the Junior Olympics from Aug. 3-8, 2015, in Norfolk. Va. Also pictured above are Josie Fellers of Robertsville Middle School and Muskaan Vohra of Jefferson. At right is Coach Sam Roberts. (File photo by Shellie Fellers)

 

Maxine and Zoe Marczak, two students from Jefferson Middle School, are running in the Junior Olympics in Norfolk, Virginia, this week.

They are the daughters of Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak and his wife Sheila. Maxine and Zoe compete in cross country and track, and they are eighth-grade students at Jefferson.

The identical twins are running the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter runs in the Junior Olympics this week. That’s about one and two miles each.

Chris Marczak said the two ran the 1,500-meter on Tuesday morning. Maxine, or “Max,” placed 37th in the country in the 14-year-old category with a time of 5:34.24, while Zoe finished 60th with a time of 6:11.06. [Read more…]

Smith of ORFD named Roane State paramedic student of year

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Joey Smith Roane State Paramedic Student of Year

Roane State paramedic student of the year Joey Smith (center) is congratulated by Roane State President Chris Whaley (left) and Roger Brooksbank with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine. (Photo by Roane State Community College)

 

Joey Smith of the Oak Ridge Fire Department has been named Roane State Community College’s paramedic student of the year.

Roger Brooksbank with TeamHealth Emergency Medicine presented the award to Smith during Roane State’s annual Knoxville paramedic program luncheon. Students completing the paramedic program were recognized at the event, which was sponsored by TeamHealth.

Smith has been an emergency medical technician for eight years. He decided to go back to school last fall to become a paramedic. Smith said he appreciated the support he’s received from the Oak Ridge Fire Department and from his family as he has juggled work and school. [Read more…]

Methodist offers a new weapon in fight against lung cancer

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Methodist Medical Center Main Entrance

Cigarettes bring together more than 50 chemicals that are known to cause cancer. In fact, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States and worldwide.

In the U.S., lung cancer is responsible for 29 percent of cancer deaths, more than those from breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Statistically, lung cancer caused by smoking is responsible for nearly 135,000 U.S. deaths per year.

Early detection [Read more…]

OREPA has events in Oak Ridge, Knoxville on 70th anniversary of WWII bombings

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Ralph Hutchison

Ralph Hutchison

The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance has a series of events in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week on the 70th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, during World War II.

The events will recall the bombings and address present-day nuclear weapons production, a press release said.

The events kicked off with an evening with Gar Alperovitz, author of “The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb,” at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville on Sunday and continued on Monday with faith leaders speaking about the bomb in Market Square in Knoxville.

They continue today (Tuesday, August 4.) Here’s the schedule: [Read more…]

ORPD in second day of Operation Safe Start, helping to keep schools safe

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Operation Safe Start at Oak Ridge Schools

Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi is pictured with a mother and daughter at Woodland Elementary School on Tuesday, August 5, 2015, during Operation Safe Start. (Photo by Oak Ridge Police Department) 

 

Oak Ridge students returned to school on Monday, August 3, and the Oak Ridge Police Department kicked off Operation Safe Start, an effort to keep schools zones safe during arrival and dismissal.

“It’s back to school time and ORPD reminds the community that when it comes to the safety of our youth, there can be no margin for error,” Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said. “Motorists are urged to drive safely in all school zones, especially during arrival and dismissal times. The beginning of the school year is a time when there is a greater risk of transportation-related injuries to children.”

Operation Safe Start continued on Tuesday morning. Akagi said it includes participation from every division of the Police Department. [Read more…]

Community tour of Oak Ridge Schools on Aug. 25; 20 spots available

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There will be a community tour of Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday, August 25, and 20 slots are available.

“Come visit elementary, middle, and high school classrooms,” a press release said. “See how Oak Ridge teachers and students are teaching and learning while school is in session.”

The tour is scheduled from 8 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Tuesday, August 25.

The day will begin at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, then will proceed through an elementary, middle, and high school for classroom visits. Lunch will be provided. [Read more…]

Reminder: Job Fair today at Anderson County High School

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Reminder: There is a job fair today (Tuesday, August 4) at Anderson County High School at 130 Maverick Circle in Clinton.

Employers include: [Read more…]

Warrants: Robbery suspect allegedly hit worker on head with gun before taking cash

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Kianna D. Hill

Kianna D. Hill

The two Georgia residents accused of robbing a check cashing store in Oak Ridge in June allegedly ordered employees to the rear of the store at gunpoint and demanded that a male manager open the safe, authorities said. When the manager didn’t move fast enough, authorities said, the male suspect allegedly hit the employee on the head several times with the handgun while the female suspect yelled at the male suspect, “Just shoot him!”

One of the two suspects, Kianna Denise Hill, 21, of East Point, Georgia, was brought to the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Friday. She faces three counts of aggravated robbery and one count of especially aggravated kidnapping.

The other suspect is Arvenzio Clyde Miles, 22, of Riverdale, Georgia. He apparently hasn’t been extradited yet; he is not listed as an inmate at the Anderson County jail.

Hill and Miles are accused in an armed robbery at Check Into Cash at 361 South Illinois Avenue at about 3:15 p.m. Friday, June 26. Authorities said the store was allegedly robbed by two suspects armed with handguns. Hill and Miles were arrested in East Point, Georgia, southwest of Atlanta, on Wednesday, July 8. [Read more…]

Magic at the Grove features magicians, family entertainment on Saturday

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Magic at the Grove

Magic at the Grove on Saturday, August 8, will feature magicians that will entertain the entire family, a press release said.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater in Grove Center, and beverages and snacks will be available for sale.

Tickets can be purchased through www.brownpapertickets.com or at the door.

The featured magicians are: [Read more…]

Edgemoor Road closed, Lifestar lands as rescuers work to save woman

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

Edgemoor Road was briefly closed and a University of Tennessee Lifestar medical helicopter landed at a boat launch after police and fire units responded to a reported shooting at Centennial Village Apartments in east Oak Ridge on Friday evening.

It wasn’t immediately clear to emergency workers whether the shooting was self-inflicted or whether there was a shooter involved, and they didn’t have information on where the weapon was located. But they were able to determine that the area was clear, and patrol officers concluded that it was an attempted suicide, Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi said Saturday.

Police recovered a firearm at the scene, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release on Monday.

The shooting was reported around 7:42 p.m. Friday behind a building on Waterview Drive, and a Lifestar helicopter landed at a boat launch across from the apartment complex a little after 8 p.m. [Read more…]

Community Band has free concert at A.K. Bissell Park today

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Oak Ridge Community Band July 2014

The Oak Ridge Community Band performs in July 2014. (Photo by Larry Perry)

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform in a free concert in A.K. Bissell Park on Sunday evening, August 2, at 7 p.m.

“This is an excellent opportunity for Oak Ridgers, especially school students, to enjoy just one more summertime event before starting school on Monday,” a press release said.

It said band leader Dale Pendley and assistant conductor Lisa Michaels have planned another outstanding program for Sunday evening featuring show tunes, Broadway, marches, swing, and Latin rhythms. [Read more…]

Anderson, three other counties join Retire Tennessee program

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Retire Tennessee

Anderson, Carter, Sumner, and Unicoi counties align with 15 established communities 

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Department of Tourist Development Commissioner Kevin Triplett announced last week that Anderson, Carter, Sumner, and Unicoi counties have been added to Retire Tennessee, the state’s retiree recruitment marketing program. That brings the total number of active Retire Tennessee counties to 19, a press release said.

“It’s great to officially add four new counties to this important state program,” Triplett said. “Tennessee has much to offer people making retirement decisions based on quality of life and cost of living. Our state has the lowest cost of living in the Southeast and second lowest in the nation, no state income tax, and low property tax. Add to that, the state’s breathtaking scenic beauty and unparalleled hospitality, and it’s only natural Tennessee would rank high among the population relocating after retirement.”

The four counties join Cumberland, Franklin, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Loudon, Maury, Putnam, Rhea,  Roane, Robertson, Sullivan, Warren, and White counties as Retire Tennessee counties. Now in its ninth year, Retire Tennessee inspired more than 10,000 inquiries from potential retirees last year. Tennessee is one of only four states with retiree recruitment as a formal program and continues to gain momentum as a potential retirement destination for more than 78 million baby boomers. [Read more…]