Oak Ridge Today

Bradshaw, Whitson to be honored at Oak Ridge Chamber Luncheon on Thursday

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David Bradshaw

David Bradshaw

Stephen Whitson

Stephen Whitson

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will honor two area businessmen—David Bradshaw and Stephen Whitson—at its annual program of work kickoff luncheon to be held on Thursday, March 19, at the Riverside Grille.

Bradshaw and Whitson will receive the Chamber’s most prestigious awards at the event, the One Voice—One Vision Luncheon, a press release said.

Bradshaw, president of the Oak Ridge branch of CapitalMark Bank and Trust, will receive the Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given to a nominee who has truly distinguished himself or herself and embodies the essential values of volunteerism, community service, and dedication to the economic vitality of our community. It is the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s preeminent award given to honor the memory of the late Eugene L. Joyce. [Read more…]

Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k is Sunday, May 3

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The Suck It Up Buttercup KTM 5k is Sunday, May 3, in Oak Ridge.

The race is in memory of Kerry Trammell. Proceeds from the 2015 race will go to the Aven Crane Cancer Foundation and the Colton Stout Scholarship Foundation.

Th race starts at 8 a.m. May 3 on the peninsula of the Oak Ridge Marina on Melton Lake Drive. [Read more…]

First Oak Ridge Schools on the Run 5k is Saturday, March 21

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The first Oak Ridge Schools on the Run 5k is on Saturday, March 21. Organizers want to make it an annual event.

The 5k is sponsored by Oak Ridge Schools Office of Coordinated School Health. The race will take place on March 21 at Melton Lake Park. Race-day registration will open at 6:30 a.m. at the Melton Lake Pavilion, and the race will begin promptly at 8 a.m. Organizers encourage race participants to arrive about 30 minutes before the start of the race to ensure smooth registration.

Registration is $10 for students and $20 for school and city employees, and standard registration is $25. The price includes a race‐day T‐shirt and a participation ribbon. [Read more…]

Signups for Boys, Girls Club youth baseball extended through next week

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Signups for youth baseball at the Boys and Girls Club have been extended through next week.

Youth baseball is for boys and girls from ages five to 12. Signups are held at the club’s front desk from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Children must be five years old prior to May 1. There is a $25 activity fee, and an active $15 club membership is required for children ages six to 10.

See the registration form here: Baseball Registration 2015.

Locally Grown Artists Gallery has grand opening April 11

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Locally Grown Artists Gallery, a coop of more than 20 local artists and craftsmen, will be holding their grand opening at their new location on Saturday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The grand opening will feature door prizes, refreshments, and demonstrations.

The gallery has recently moved to new and expanded space at 109 Towne Road in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited to celebrate their new expansion with them.

Democratic Women’s Club to hear about Selma anniversary on Monday, March 23

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The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club will hear about the recent 50th anniversary observance of the Selma-to-Montgomery March at its meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, at Shoney’s Restaurant at 204 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Heidi Brenner, who attended the Selma anniversary with about 20 members of the Oak Ridge United Universalist Church, will be the guest speaker. Other local organizations that sent members to Selma, Alabama, included Organizing for Action, the NAACP, and the Oak Ridge Sportsmen’s Club. [Read more…]

Cumberland Trail work/hike scheduled for Saturday, March 21

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Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will sponsor a day of trail work and hiking on Saturday, March 21, on the segment of the Cumberland Trail State Park between Rock Creek Campground and Alley Ford at the Obed Wild and Scenic River. TCWP adopted this 2.5-mile section of the trail in 1998.

“We will concentrate on routine trail maintenance such as cleaning out clogged water bars, removing down logs and limbs, brushing the area along the trail, and finishing up at Alley Ford to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Obed River,” a press release said.

Participants should wear sturdy shoes or boots and bring work gloves, shovels, mattocks or pulaskis, loppers, clippers, and small bow saws or folding saws (Please, no chainsaws). Some hand tools and work gloves will be available at the event. Please bring clothing appropriate for weather conditions, and plenty of water, snacks, and a lunch. [Read more…]

Hospitality Houses keep family close during son’s medical crisis

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Hospitality Houses

One of the Hospitality Houses is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

Part of being a parent is letting your children go. You want them to grow up, become independent adults, get a job, “leave the nest.” But when the unthinkable happens, when your independent, self-supporting, adult child is critically ill or hurt, you instantly become that protective parent of bygone years, and your only wish is to be with them and to offer comfort, support, care, and love.

So when Pauline and Sammie Gary got a call from their son Myron saying he’d passed out twice and was going to the emergency room at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, they did what any parent would do, they got in their car and drove the five hours from their home in Aiken, South Carolina.

On their way to the hospital, the Garys were able to speak with Myron’s doctor and nurse, and they learned that their 26-year-old son’s heart had stopped and that he would require a pacemaker. They needed to be by their son’s side during this difficult and scary time, and that’s all they could focus on as they made the trip to Oak Ridge.  [Read more…]

AC Commission meeting wrap-up

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission met for the first time since January on Monday night and voted unanimously to release the $20,000 in funding that had been held back from the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department and place them back in the rotation (beginning next year) for county purchase of a new fire truck after the department abandoned its controversial and wildly unpopular subscription program and returned to all-volunteer status.

Commissioner Phil Warfield said that the department “went above and beyond what Commission asked of them” as far as making things right with county leaders and more importantly the citizens they serve.

Commissioners were also introduced to the new fire chief, Del Kennedy. [Read more…]

Repair work done, Johnson Gap Road bridge open again

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Johnson Gap Road Bridge

The repair work is down, and the Johnson Gap Road bridge re-opened last week. (Photo by Robert McKamey)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The bridge on Johnson Gap Road in Anderson County’s Dutch Valley community re-opened last week, a year and a half after it was shut down due to safety concerns.

State inspectors ordered the 100-year-old wooden bridge closed in July 2013 after finding that the wooden support structures were compromised and posed a safety hazard.

The bridge is owned by CSX Railroad, and it is the primary shortcut that Dutch Valley residents use to get to and from Clinton and Oak Ridge, and the shutdown frustrated many.

Work to repair the bridge finally got under way last month.

THP: Man killed, boy injured in Wednesday crash

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Information from WYSH Radio

A Heiskell man was killed and a 12-year-old boy was injured in a single-vehicle crash last week, according to a report released Sunday by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Ronald Henderson, 65, of Heiskell was not wearing a seat belt when his 1994 Ford Mustang ran off the road and struck a utility pole Wednesday morning, according to the THP. The investigating trooper indicated in his report that a seat belt could have saved Henderson’s life. [Read more…]

Main Street Oak Ridge developers aim to close on property in June

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Main Street Oak Ridge James Downs

James Downs, Crosland Southeast partner, gave an update on the Main Street Oak Ridge project, the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall, during a Monday evening work session.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:20 p.m.

The North Carolina company that wants to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall as Main Street Oak Ridge could close on the property in June, an executive said Monday.

The mixed-use project could include retailers, restaurants, and residential units, as well as a hotel. Belk and JCPenney, the two remaining anchor stores at the mostly empty mall, would remain, said James Downs, partner in Crosland Southeast, the North Carolina company that has proposed the long-awaited redevelopment of the roughly 60-acre site.

Downs said Main Street Oak Ridge will include a total of about 325,000 square feet of retail space, or about 200,000 square feet of retail space more than what Belk and JCPenney have now. There would then be a total of about 600,000 square feet in the area. [Read more…]