Oak Ridge Today

Updated: Fire crews battle brush fire near railroad tracks at Elza Gate

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Fire crews battle a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Fire crews battle a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon, March 22, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:15 p.m.

Fire crews battled a brush fire near the railroad tracks at Elza Gate in east Oak Ridge on Friday afternoon.

The fire was burning in brush on a steep embankment about 20 feet high along the railroad tracks. It had also spread to nearby brush.

Smoke was visible over the east end of Oak Ridge at about 3:30 p.m., in the area east of Elza Gate Park.

Firefighters responded from the Oak Ridge Fire Department, Marlow Volunteer Fire Department, and Oliver Springs Fire Department. The Oak Ridge Police Department, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, and Tennessee Department of Agriculture also responded.

Witnesses told authorities that some railroad equipment had sent sparks flying around the time of the fire, but the City of Oak Ridge wasn’t able to confirm a cause on Friday night. [Read more…]

Student receives award for extinguishing kitchen fire

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The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student, Wesley Alig,a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student, Wesley Alig, a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year.

When a slow cooker in his kitchen caught fire on Halloween, Wesley Alig used skills he learned in Oak Ridge’s Junior Police Academy to successfully operate a fire extinguisher, a press release said. Wesley, a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, is a graduate of the 2018 Junior Police Academy class.

The incident happened at the Alig family’s home on Heritage Drive in Oak Ridge. Wesley told first responders he heard a popping noise coming from the slow cooker, the press release said. When he walked into the kitchen to check, he saw flames on the stovetop. [Read more…]

Women’s Interfaith to focus on protecting youth from opioid crisis

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BeaThomas

BeaThomas

Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge will learn more about the opiod crisis afflicting the nation and its communities during a meeting on Monday, April 1.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Monday, April 1, at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, which is at 101 West Madison Lane.

Reverend Bea Thomas, an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church, will speak on “The Impact of the Opiod Epidemic upon Our Youth and How We Can Protect Them,” a press release said.

Thomas has served as pastor of four churches in the Tennessee Conference of the A.M.E. Zion Church. Since 2016, she has been involved in correctional ministry, first at the Anderson County Jail and currently at Roane County Jail, the press release said. She holds a M.A. in Evangelism and Church Planting from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and is currently completing courses toward a Chaplaincy Certificate in Correctional Ministry through the Institute of Prison Ministry at Christian University GlobalNet. [Read more…]

Beckendorf-Edou of OR Schools selected as superintendent of Washington district

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Tracey Beckendorf-Edou

Tracey Beckendorf-Edou

 

Tracey Beckendorf-Edou of Oak Ridge Schools has accepted the position of superintendent of Cascade School District in Washington state, pending successful contract negotiations, starting in the 2019-2020 school year, a press release said.

Beckendorf-Edou is currently the executive director of teaching and learning for Oak Ridge Schools. She has worked for Oak Ridge Schools since the 2012-2013 school year, the press release said.

Beckendorf-Edou and her husband Kirk have been residents of Oak Ridge since 2010. Before she worked for Oak Ridge Schools, Beckendorf-Edou worked for ORAU, the press release said.

“Tracey thanks Bruce Borchers, the School Board, the entire staff of Oak Ridge Schools, and the Oak Ridge community for their support and friendship,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Funeral is Saturday for Williams, who fought to integrate CHS in 1956

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Alfred Williams

Alfred Williams

 

Alfred Williams, one of the Clinton 12 students who fought for the integration of Clinton High School in 1956, died Thursday, March 14. He was 83. His funeral is Saturday.

“On behalf of the Green McAdoo Cultural Organization, the City of Clinton, and the State of Tennessee, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr. Alfred Williams,” Green McAdoo Cultural Organization said in a statement. “Alfred passed away at The Waters Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility on March 14, 2019, surrounded by family. He was one of the Clinton 12 students that fought for the integration of Clinton High School in 1956, blazing a trail for all black students to achieve equal education under the law. He went on to work in the city school system and became one of the friendly faces of Clinton Elementary School and the ‘candy man’ until his retirement. He will be missed by family, friends, and all those blessed to know him.” [Read more…]

Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference is in Oak Ridge in April

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Tennessee Mountain Writers will celebrate their 31st Annual Conference with the theme “Just Write” from Thursday, April 4, to Saturday, April 6.

The conference will be at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. It will include workshops, writing contests, networking, manuscript evaluations, publishers, editors, book signings, a bookstore, vendors, and more, a press release said. [Read more…]

Next Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

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McNally-Ragan-Calfee-at-Breakfast-with-Legislators-April-25-2016

Pictured above at a Breakfast with the Legislators on April 25, 2016, are, from left, Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, March 25. The meeting will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served, a press release said.

Tennessee senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about this session of the Tennessee General Assembly, and respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience, the press release said. The public is invited to attend.

“The popular community event offers firsthand information on upcoming legislation and House and Senate committee activities, while prompting dialogue among legislators and citizens, and providing a great networking opportunity for members of the community,” the release said. [Read more…]

Learn about Roane State’s new Chemical Engineering Technology program

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Roane State Community College students taking chemical engineering technology course practice in the lab at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. An information session about the new program will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2019, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Ave. (Submitted photo)

Roane State Community College students taking chemical engineering technology course practice in the lab at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. An information session about the new program will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2019, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Ave. (Submitted photo)

 

An information session about Roane State Community College’s new two-year Associate of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering Technology will be held on Thursday, March 28, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, which is at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

Check-in will be held in the lobby of the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building. The event is free and open to the public, a press release said.

Established with the assistance of UCOR, CNS, Tate and Lyle, and additional partners, Roane State’s chemical engineering technology program trains students to work as chemical operators. A chemical operator monitors, controls, and troubleshoots automated chemical processes. [Read more…]

Hofman leads Roane State’s new chemical engineering technology program

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Laura A. Hofman

Laura A. Hofman

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Laura A. Hofman had been on the job for just over one month, and the phone in her office was ringing off the hook.

She oversees Roane State Community College’s new two-year Associate of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering Technology. Prospective students are inquiring about the new program, which the Tennessee Board of Regents approved in December.

An information session about the new program will be held on Thursday, March 28, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, 701 Briarcliff Avenue. Check-in will be held in the lobby of the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building. [Read more…]

ORCSGirls joins attempt to set world record for number of girls coding

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Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls, or ORCSGirls, is on a mission to inspire girls in the community to explore the possibilities of technology and computer science. After reaching more than 500 girls in 2017, the organization is ready to do it again, covering topics from Python and virtual reality to information graphics, robots, cyber security, and much more. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls, or ORCSGirls, is on a mission to inspire girls in the community to explore the possibilities of technology and computer science. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls (ORCSGirls) is joining the TechGirlz code breakers event on March 30 to set the world record for the number of girls coding.

ORCSGirls will be running events on March 30 from noon to 3 p.m. at two locations: Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge and at the Blount County Public Library in Maryville. Both workshops will teach participating middle school girls the basics of website development, a press release said.

During the workshop, girls from around the country will be connected through video chat to set this world record. [Read more…]

Volunteers sought for cleanup of Historic Emery Road

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Seventy-five-year-old asphalt pavement found in the overgrowth adjacent to the bridge on Historic Emery Road. (Submitted photo)

Seventy-five-year-old asphalt pavement found in the overgrowth adjacent to the bridge on Historic Emery Road. (Submitted photo)

 

Volunteers are seeking help for a March 30 cleanup of the Historic Emery Road in Oak Ridge.

“The Emery Road is both the best kept secret of Oak Ridge and a national treasure,” a press release said. “Even though the century-and-a-half old Emery Road Rock Pillar Bridge is in the heart of the downtown area, few are aware of this monument to the past, nor that the oldest road in the state passed through the center of our town. This colonial settlement trail should have been formally recognized long ago, just as the Natchez Trace has been. A grassroots group of citizens seek to change this oversight, first by cleaning up the parkland surrounding it, where the invasive underbrush catches all the blowing litter from the surrounding businesses, and then by getting it recognized as a proper heritage park.

“If you think our deeper heritage as a community is important, come join us in the cleanup on March 30, 2019, at the Midtown Community Center (Robertsville Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.” [Read more…]

TVA to lower level of Melton Hill Reservoir for annual shoreline maintenance

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The Tennessee Valley Authority will temporarily lower the water level of Melton Hill Reservoir from Sunday, March 24, through Sunday, April 7, to allow property owners to repair docks, stabilize shoreline, and pick up litter, a press release said.

The reservoir’s water level will be held between 790 and 792 feet above sea level—about two to four feet below its current level—during this period, the press release said. The exact rate of the drawdown will depend on weather conditions and may vary with rainfall amounts. Melton Hill will be returned to its normal winter elevation of 794 feet by April 7.

“As in the past, the drawdown targets and dates are subject to change due to weather constraints,” the press release said. “Recent heavy rains could result in greater than usual debris and erosion in some areas.” [Read more…]