Oak Ridge Today

Farmers Markets to open this weekend in Knoxville, Oak Ridge

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Farmers Market

The longest continuous operating farmers markets in East Tennessee will open for the season on Friday, April 11, in Knoxville, and Saturday, April 12, in Oak Ridge. The second Knoxville market location will open on Wednesday, April 16. 

“After a long winter, it’s always a welcome sign of spring when the farmers markets open and we see the first of the spring harvest coming in,” said Steve Colvin, president of the East Tennessee Farmers Association for Retail Marketing, or FARM. “We’re hoping the final cold snaps won’t take too much of a toll on the early crops.”

FARM operates markets on Fridays from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike at Cherokee Boulevard. On Wednesdays, the FARM Market operates at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 1001 Ebenezer Road near Westland Avenue. The Saturday market is held from 8 a.m. until noon in the parking lot adjacent to historic Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Significant snowfall possible, forecasters say; one to five inches locally

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A major winter storm hitting the Southeast on Tuesday and Wednesday could dump three to five inches in the Tennessee Valley and southern Cumberland Plateau, and six to nine inches in the mountains, the National Weather Service in Morristown said.

Accumulations in Anderson and Roane counties could range between one and five inches from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning. Knoxville and Knox County are expected to get between three and five inches.

The forecast near Oak Ridge calls for a 20 percent chance of snow as early as Tuesday night, with a low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wednesday’s forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of snow all day, with a high of 36 and a low of 27. The chance of snow falls to 20 percent on Thursday, with a high of 43.

A local winter storm watch is in effect from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday. [Read more…]

Sen. Corker in Oak Ridge on Tuesday

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U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., will be in East Tennessee on Tuesday, and he will make stops in Knoxville and Oak Ridge.

Corker is scheduled to be at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday afternoon. His brief visit to the Chamber will be with Millennium Partners only.

“At events in Knox and Anderson counties, Corker will discuss his work to solve the big problems facing our country,” a press release said. “In Knoxville, Corker will address family business owners and entrepreneurs at an event hosted by The Legacy Centre, an organization working to grow companies through educational programs, peer advisory groups and professional resources. Later, Corker will address business and community leaders at an event hosted by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.” [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line celebrates 40th anniversary Friday

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Deborah Patterson

Deborah Patterson

For 40 years, volunteers with CONTACT Care Line have provided a listening ear to East Tennesseans in crisis, and the Oak Ridge-based nonprofit is inviting the public to a Friday evening of bluegrass music to celebrate its milestone anniversary.

The public is also recognizing CONTACT, with both the city of Oak Ridge and Rep. John Ragan from Tennessee’s District 33 proclaiming November as “CONTACT Care Line Month,” a press release said.

“A lot has changed in 40 years,” said Deb Patterson, CONTACT’s executive director, “but six of our volunteers have been with us from Day One, and what hasn’t changed is that lonely people, people with mental illnesses, the elderly—all of us, really—need someone to talk to every once in a while. It’s going to be special to reach the 40-year milestone and to thank all our telephone workers.”

The 40th Ruby Anniversary Balloon Pop Concert featuring the Ridge City Ramblers will be held from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Pollard Conference Center in Oak Ridge. The Ramblers will provide a fun mix of bluegrass and Americana music, and there’ll be a prize in every balloon, the press release said. [Read more…]

UT professor receives more than $880,000 in DOE funding for carbon cycle research

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UT Students Measure Soil Carbon Flux

Doctoral candidate Jessica Bryant, left; Associate Professor Aimee Classen, middle; and University of Tennessee undergraduate student Kelsey Richesin use Li-Cor 6400, a machine that measure carbon flux from soil. (Photo courtesy UT)

KNOXVILLE—Carbon dioxide is key to life on Earth, but too much of the good thing can overheat the Earth’s surface and hurt the very things it supports. Thus, understanding how carbon cycles through the atmosphere is crucial to predicting its effects.

A University of Tennessee professor in Knoxville has received more than $880,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate often-overlooked carbon cycle players.

Aimee Classen, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and her team, which includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory staff members, will examine factors that influence carbon cycling below the ground and are not included in today’s carbon-cycle models.

“We know that tiny things that live in soil, like fungi, can regulate carbon processes in forests. However, our current soil models don’t consider what role fungal and plant root activity may play in soil carbon dynamics. Our project aims to fill this knowledge gap,” Classen said. [Read more…]

Roane Alliance President Leslie Henderson retiring in March

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Leslie Henderson

Leslie Henderson

KINGSTON—Roane Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Henderson has announced she will retire at the end of March.

She has been the president and CEO of The Roane Alliance, the county’s economic development organization, since Feb. 16, 2004. Henderson announced her retirement in a Tuesday letter to Sharon Templeton, Roane Alliance board chair.

“Although I struggled with this decision, I feel now that it is the right time to start on the next phase of my life and start working on some of that bucket list—travel, writing, project work, family time, and maybe even some business ventures of my own,” Henderson said in the letter.

“As for The Alliance, I think the time is also right, as the staff is not only one of the best I’ve ever worked with, but is also well-positioned to do great things for Roane County going forward. Each of them is very competent and capable,” Henderson said. “All I do is keep them focused and provide the tools they need. I could not be more proud of their successes.” [Read more…]

Knoxville Mayor Rogero to speak at Democratic Women’s Club meeting

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Madeline Rogero

Madeline Rogero

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will discuss the Democratic Party in East Tennessee during a Sept. 23 meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club.

Rogero is guest speaker at the meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room. A meet-and-greet will take place from 5:30-6 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m., followed by Rogero’s comments, a press release said. [Read more…]

KPD: Doctor arrested on drug, weapons charges after officers find pipes, pot, pills

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Michael Lapaglia

Michael LaPaglia

Note: This story was last updated at 12:02 p.m.

An East Tennessee doctor with ties to Oak Ridge and Anderson County was arrested Tuesday morning at his Knoxville home on drug and weapons charges after officers allegedly found about 125 marijuana pipes and bongs, more than two pounds of high-grade marijuana, and pills and vials containing liquids commonly used in hospitals, with the medicines ranging from Valium and amphetamine to oxycodone, propofol, and morphine, authorities said.

The Knoxville Police Department arrested Michael A. LaPaglia, 42, after responding to a report of a domestic dispute at a home on Fox Cove Road about 11:46 p.m. Monday, spokesman Darrell DeBusk said. When police entered the home, they said they noticed a strong marijuana smell throughout the house. They also saw several Mason jars with marijuana residue as well as bongs, or water pipes used to smoke marijuana, according to a KPD statement. [Read more…]

Norris Dam, Museum of Appalachia among Top 10 on USA Today’s I-75 Guide

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Norris Dam

A USA Today travel guide recommends the view from the west entrance overlook at Norris Dam, a cliffside perch off the left side of this picture. (Photo courtesy TVA)

Norris Dam and the Museum of Appalachia were among the Top 10 attractions published by USA Today in an I-75 guide to the best stops between Detroit and Atlanta.

Reporter Ellen Creager of the Detroit Free Press drove 890 miles between Detroit and Atlanta during a four-day period and stopped at 32 places suggested by readers. The stops had to be within 2.5 miles of the freeway, which eliminated some potential places to visit such as Chattanooga. [Read more…]

Tips lead to arrest of Clinton man after alleged bank robbery

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Information from WYSH Radio

Following up on a story from earlier this week, tips from citizens led to the arrest of a 38-year-old Clinton man on charges that he robbed the Enrichment Federal Credit Union branch on Schubert Road in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon.

A television viewer recognized Charles Edward Harmon from broadcast footage from the bank security camera and called in a tip, which led to Harmon’s arrest on Wednesday. Harmon spent five months behind bars after he robbed a Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Clinton in 2006.

Peace Corps recruiting Knoxville-area residents Aug. 22

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Taylor Atchley

Taylor Atchley

On Aug. 22, from 6 to 7 p.m., the United States Peace Corps will be interviewing Knoxville-area residents who would be interested in using their education, work, and volunteer experience to help those who live in developing countries.

The organization needs 1,000 new volunteers to replace current volunteers who are completing their two-year commitment.

The agency’s Southeast Regional Recruitment Office will be visiting Knoxville to answer questions about the opportunities it has for citizens of all ages and backgrounds. [Read more…]

In cities surrounded by good bear habitat, wildlife officials generally let bears keep moving

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Black Bear at Grill

A black bear investigates a backyard grill in north Oak Ridge in May 2012. To encourage bears to move on, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency recommends trying to eliminate outdoor food sources such as dog and cat food, bird seed, and grease traps. (Photo by George Ostrouchov)

Oak Ridge and Knoxville are surrounded by very good bear habitats—including the largest black bear preserve in the world—and it’s not unusual to see up to a half-dozen bears come through the Oak Ridge area each year and at least that many in the Knoxville area, Tennessee wildlife officials said this week.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Sgt. Roy Smith of Morristown said the bear seen in Oak Ridge on Monday was not the first in the area this summer, and there have also been a few in Anderson County.

“It’s not an isolated incident,” Smith said. “We have bears moving through Oak Ridge from time to time.” [Read more…]