Oak Ridge Today

MTAS: ORPD review to be extensive, but not clear who will be interviewed

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Oak Ridge Police Department Review Protest

Protesters who want all officers to be able to speak to a consultant reviewing the Oak Ridge Police Department are pictured above outside the Oak Ridge Municipal Building before the Monday night City Council meeting.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:35 a.m. April 20.

The review of the Oak Ridge Police Department will be extensive, but it’s not clear yet who will be interviewed, an official said Friday.

The proposal submitted by the Municipal Technical Advisory Service and approved by the Oak Ridge City Council in March called for interviewing a randomly selected group of police department employees. It also called for interviewing other city employees and officers and possibly talking to community leaders not directly employed by the city.

But some have expressed concern that others who want to speak, including former officers and city residents, might not be able to under the limited 30-day review and random selection proposed by MTAS.

“These men deserve to be heard, all of them,” said Christen Thomas, wife of Oak Ridge Police Department Officer John Thomas.

The independent MTAS review will use Police Management Consultant Rex Barton, a former administrative captain for the Athens, Tennessee, Police Department. MTAS is part of the Institute for Public Service at the University of Tennessee. [Read more…]

City, schools have Community Wellness Fair on April 22

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The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools will have a Community Wellness Fair on Wednesday, April 22.

The Wellness Fair is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 22 at Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The Wellness Fair includes a wide range of activities that include blood pressure checks, doctor’s chats, exercise tips, shingle vaccines, breast and men’s health, and dental, hearing, and diabetic foot screenings. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Summer Camp registration began April 1

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Registration for the 2015 Summer Camp sponsored by the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department began on Wednesday, April 1. A link to ActiveNet online registration will be available at orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov.

Space is limited and the camp fills up quickly, so early registration is recommended. Online registration will be available 24/7 beginning at 8 a.m. April 1. Payment plans are available to online registrants only. All payments must be completed by June 1. Convenience fees will apply to all credit card payments and payment plans. Walk-in registration, for cash or check payment, will be available during regular Civic Center hours, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., beginning at 8 a.m. April 1. Walk-in registrants should complete an online profile/account before coming in to register. The staff will complete the registration at the front desk. [Read more…]

City, school employees lose average of 7-10 percent in Biggest Loser challenge

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Biggest Loser Weigh-in April 7

City and school officials at Monday’s weigh-out for this year’s Biggest Loser challenge are pictured above. From left they are Chris Marczak, Oak Ridge Schools assistant superintendent; Mark Watson, Oak Ridge city manager; Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools superintendent; Bob Eby, Oak Ridge Board of Education vice chair; and Ellen Smith, Oak Ridge mayor pro tem.

 

They watched their diets, worked out and walked, and monitored their weights to lose an average of 7 to 10 percent. One unidentified city employee lost 18.44 percent of his weight, the highest percentage lost by any of the 79 Oak Ridge city and school employees who participated in this year’s Biggest Loser Challenge.

The weigh-out for the three-month competition was at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Monday. Results, including the name of the city employee who lost the most, will be announced during a Wellness Fair in the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 11. A winner from each organization will be awarded and so will the overall male and female winner, along with a second- and third-place winner.

The city and schools have both had the weight-loss contest before, but this is the first time they’ve teamed up to have a joint competition. It was coordinated by the City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Coordinated School Health.

With one exception, all of those who weighed out on Monday morning had lost weight. [Read more…]

Sweating Saturday at Senior Center on Saturday

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Sweating Saturday

Sweating Saturday at the Oak Ridge Senior Center on Saturday will include a morning workout, followed by an optional walk along the Emory Valley Greenway.

Sweating Saturday is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 11 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center, which is at 728 Emory Valley Road.

Interval training will include 30-second workouts followed by 15-second recoveries. The workout will consist of three rounds of 20 exercises. Organizers said participants should complete them at their own fitness level. [Read more…]

Graduation Celebration is Thursday, May 28

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Graduation Celebration 2014

Graduation Celebration 2014

 

Graduation Celebration—a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge—will host its 18th annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 10 p.m. Thursday, May 28, until 5 a.m. Friday, May 29. It is seeking sponsorships and volunteer help with this community-wide effort to keep youth safe on graduation night.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” said Debbie Magill, chairperson of the event. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.” [Read more…]

Council to consider traffic signals, access at ORHS, Main Street Oak Ridge

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Main Street Oak Ridge Master Plan March 26, 2015

Here is the master plan for Main Street Oak Ridge. (See a larger version of the plan in the link below.) The traffic signal and access would be on Rutgers Avenue in the bottom middle of the map above.

 

The City Council on Monday will consider resolutions that would allow new traffic signals at Oak Ridge High School and Main Street Oak Ridge.

Main Street Oak Ridge is the proposed project that would redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The proposed traffic signal would be on Rutgers Avenue at a new access to Main Street Oak Ridge that the City Council could approve on Monday.

The other traffic signal would be on Oak Ridge Turnpike between Oak Ridge High School and the Civic Center. Council postponed a vote on that stoplight in March. [Read more…]

Man accused of waving pistol at bystanders charged with aggravated assault

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Deshon Marquece Meadow

Deshon Marquece Meadow

An Oak Ridge man accused of waving a pistol at bystanders on Utica Circle on Monday night has been charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to the Utica Circle Apartments at about 11:23 p.m. Monday, April 6, in response to a complaint of a man threatening others with a firearm, a press release said.

“Upon arrival, officers found Deshon Meadow on the premises waving a pistol at bystanders,” the City of Oak Ridge release said. [Read more…]

Nonprofit wants to revitalize Blankenship Field, Jack Armstrong Stadium

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Blankenship Field Overall Plan

An overall view of the proposed renovation of Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium.

 

A nonprofit foundation wants to revitalize Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong stadium and create a world-class gathering place that can accommodate more than 20,000 people in a natural amphitheater for sporting and other events, organizers said.

The Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation has been formed by private residents, and it is led by Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican. Organizers said the foundation is coordinating the revitalization project and fundraising activities in cooperation with the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools.

“In revitalizing Blankenship Field, we hope to honor the historic founders of Oak Ridge, a community dedicated to world-class education, scientific discovery, and a high quality of life,” organizers said. [Read more…]

Three Dog Night to headline Saturday night concert at Secret City Festival

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Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night (Submitted photo)

 

Three Dog Night will headline the Saturday night concert at the Secret City Festival in June.

The band’s hits include “Joy to the World,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song,” “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” “Black and White,” “Shambala,” and “One.”

The 13th Annual Secret City Festival is June 12-13. Three Dog Night will play on Saturday, June 13. [Read more…]

City, schools to discuss budget in joint work session on April 8

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The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools will discuss the budget for the fiscal year that starts in July during a joint work session at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, in the Robertsville Middle School Library.

See an updated budget timeline here: Oak Ridge Schools 2015-2016 Budget Timeline.

ORFD: Sign up for CodeRed Severe Weather Alert System

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Oak Ridge Fire Department

The Oak Ridge Fire Department is encouraging home and business owners to commit to being a leader for weather readiness by signing up on the CodeRed Severe Weather Alert System.

The system is designed to help spread the word about severe weather and make employees and members of the community better prepared, a press release said.

“Know the risks, take action, and be an example by signing up,” a press release said. [Read more…]