Oak Ridge Today

Contractor, businessman seeking seat on City Council

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Rick Chinn

Rick Chinn

Rick Chinn, a lifetime resident of Oak Ridge, is seeking a seat on the Oak Ridge City Council in the upcoming November 4 election.

Chinn, who is a licensed contractor and local businessman, serves on a number of nonprofit boards and has been active as a civic leader in working to improve the quality of life for all Oak Ridge families, a press release said.

Chinn explained his reasons for seeking to serve on City Council.

“A lot of people in Oak Ridge have invested their time and energy over the years to help me better understand and appreciate how rewarding it is to live and work in Oak Ridge,” he said in the press release. “I have worked hard to continue that tradition of excellence by volunteering my time and resources over the past 20 years. I want to ensure that my children have the same opportunities in the future that have been provided to me. I am ready to work hard for the future of Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

CASA’s Evening with the Arts is Friday

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CASA’s fifth annual Evening with the Arts is Friday, October 10.

It’s scheduled from 7-10 p.m. at Melton Lake Park.

“(The park) will be transformed from the Oak Ridge riverfront to New Orleans!” a press release said.

Tickets include wine and New Orleans-style food—including shrimp and grits. [Read more…]

Updated: Anderson County building commissioner faces charges in TBI case

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David Lynn Crowley

David Lynn Crowley

Note: This story was updated at 3 p.m.

Anderson County Public Works Director David Lynn Crowley was arrested Thursday morning by agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on five charges of violating state laws dealing with having the proper licenses to perform building inspections.

In a press release, the TBI said Crowley, 62, of Clinton, is accused of performing building inspections he wasn’t certified to do. Crowley was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury. He is charged with five misdemeanor counts of violating the state’s building official certification law.

Crowley was booked into the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton at 9:45 a.m. Thursday and released on a $1,000 bond a little more than an hour later. [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic receives $10,000 grant for prediabetic program

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Free Medical Clinic

The American Medical Association Foundation has awarded a $10,000 “Healthy Communities/Healthy America” grant to the Free Medical Clinic in Oak Ridge. The grant will be used to support a two-year program that identifies and provides early intervention for prediabetic patients, a press release said.

By completing the lifestyle intervention program, participants should lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and improve their overall health, the release said. The prediabetes initiative will run in conjuction with the “Healthy Habits, Healthy Lives” wellness program that the clinic began this fall. The wellness program is supported by a three-year grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation. [Read more…]

Lincoln’s able to sell beer again while appeal pending

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Lincoln's Sports Grille

Lincoln’s Sports Grille on South Illinois Avenue is pictured above on Monday evening.

 

They weren’t able to sell beer for more than a month, but an agreement reached with a city board in September, modified on Thursday, and approved by a judge on Friday allows Lincoln’s Sports Grille to resume selling the alcoholic beverage for now.

The Oak Ridge Beer Permit Board revoked Lincoln’s beer permit on August 28. The revocation went into effect immediately.

But Lincoln’s has appealed that decision and had asked that the revocation be put on hold while the legal case is pending. On September 16, the Beer Board agreed in a 5-2 vote.

The board’s agreement was initially conditioned upon a list of 13 items. One of the conditions, which would have required an owner to be present at all times, has since been removed. (The board approved the removal in a 4-0 vote on Thursday after a pair of split 2-2 votes.) [Read more…]

DFET: Meet the candidates on Thursday

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A local organization is sponsoring a Meet the Candidates event from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, October 9, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Gymnasium. It’s been organized by Democracy for East Tennessee, and residents of Anderson and surrounding counties are invited, a press release said.

Candidates for the following offices have been invited: Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Tennessee House of Representatives 33rd District, State Senate 5th District, 3rd U.S. Congressional District, and U.S. Senate.

The election is November 4. The October 9 event will offer residents a chance to become better informed and acquainted with candidates by meeting with them on an individual basis at a single event, a press release said. [Read more…]

Presidential museum, Baker Center director featured at AMSE meeting Thursday

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Alan Lowe

Alan Lowe

Alan Lowe, director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, will be the featured speaker this week in the third of a series of community meetings on the future of the American Museum of Science and Energy.

The community meeting is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, October 9, at AMSE.

Lowe was previously founding director of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Thursday’s meeting has been organized by the City of Oak Ridge and the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation. Lowe’s presentation is titled “The Path Forward for AMSE: Lessons Learned from a Life in Museums.” [Read more…]

Engineering design contractor running for City Council

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Gary Love

Gary Love

Gary Love, an engineering design contractor, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

“I am a proud native of Oak Ridge—and I am ready to roll up my sleeves to work with the people to make this community an even better place to live in the 21st century,” Love said in a press release.

Love said he grew up in the Woodland Community and graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1974. After graduating from East Tennessee State University in 1979 with a degree in biology, he went to work for the city of Chattanooga.

Later, he extended his education with a two-year degree in computer engineering and joined the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, where he spent 18 years as a power design engineer, the press release said.

“I’m glad to be back in Oak Ridge, where I live with my wife, Toni,” Love said. “We have three grown children, including my son, who now works with me at Tennessee Valley Authority, where I work as a contractor in engineering design. We also have a teenage granddaughter.” [Read more…]

AP prep football poll: Anderson County still No. 3, Oak Ridge moves into Top 10

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Note: This story has been updated to correct the date of the Oak Ridge-Anderson County football game.

Information from WYSH Radio

The Associated Press high school football polls for this week were unveiled Monday.

Here is a look at the teams from East Tennessee who are ranked this week.

In Class 6A, Maryville remains #1, with Science Hill at #6 and Dobyns-Bennett #9.

In Class 5A, Knoxville West (5-1) stays in first place, while the Anderson County Mavericks (7-0) remain at #3. South Doyle (6-0) is #7 in Class 5A, and Oak Ridge (6-0) made its debut in the poll this week at #10. [Read more…]

Girls Inc. has fundraising electronics raffle

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Girls Inc. Fundraiser Electronics Raffle

 

Girls Incorporated of Oak Ridge is raffling off 20 incredible prizes to help fundraise for their organization this fall, a press release said.

From August 1 until November 3, Girls Inc. will be selling entry tickets to win one of 20 electronic prizes.

The prizes include a 47-inch flat screen television, an Apple iMac 21.5-inch computer, Yamaha outdoor speakers, an HP Laptop, Xbox 360 with Kinect, PlayStation 4, Nikon D3100 Camera, and many more, the press release said.

Entry tickets are just $5 per entry and can be purchased through November 3. Twenty lucky winners will be drawn on November 3 at Girls Inc. by the 2013-2014 Girls’ of the Month, the release said. [Read more…]

Boys and Girls Club president running for School Board

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Aaron Wells

Aaron Wells

Aaron Wells, a lifelong Oak Ridger and president of the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge, is running for Oak Ridge Board of Education in the November 4 municipal election, a press release said.

“Over the last two decades, I have spent countless hours coaching, mentoring, and fundraising for the youth in our town,” Wells said in the release. “After much prayer and discussion, my wife Melissa and I made the decision that I would run for school board.”

If elected, Wells said he will focus on achieving four priorities.

“First and foremost, I commit to truly listen to our teachers and integrate their feedback into all of my decisions,” Wells said. “Teachers are the lifeblood of our schools, and they know better than anyone how to make our students successful. We can no longer afford to ignore their invaluable feedback and concerns. The Board of Education must fight to restore to them the freedom they need to do what they do best—inspire and educate our children.” [Read more…]

Developer, businessman running for City Council

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Eric Tobler

Eric Tobler

Local developer and businessman Eric Tobler is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 election.

“I love Oak Ridge,” Tobler said. “I have committed myself to do all I can, to help Oak Ridge reach its full potential. I’m all in, personally and financially.”

Tobler is probably most well-known for the Crossroads at Wolf Creek subdivision, which if located off Illinois Avenue. It provides Oak Ridge with a big part of the new housing inventory for the area, a press release said.

Tobler graduated from Oak Ridge high school in 1983. He is also a graduate of Roane State, with two degrees, one in contemporary management and the other in technology. He has also received a bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College in business administration.

Professionally, he is the chief executive officer of Tobler Enterprises and the managing partner for the CRWC partnership. He is a licensed general contractor and a licensed real estate agent, with Linda Brown Realty. [Read more…]