Oak Ridge Today

League of Women Voters has Anderson, Roane candidate forums in July

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The League of Woman Voters of Oak Ridge will have three candidate forums in July, two for Anderson County candidates and one for Roane County candidates.

The first Anderson County candidate forum will be on Tuesday, July 15. It will feature candidates for Anderson County offices and judicial positions. The second forum will be on July 17, and it will feature Oak Ridge candidates for the Anderson County Commission and Anderson County School Board. Both forums will start at 7 p.m., and they will be held in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater. ORHS is located at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Roane County candidate forum will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, in the Roane State Community College City Room, A111. This forum will feature candidates for Roane County offices and judicial positions and candidates who would represent Oak Ridge districts on the Roane County Commission and School Board. RSCC is located at 701 Briarcliff Ave. in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Land Bank to be discussed Tuesday

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Charlie Jernigan, board chairman of the Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp., will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday.

The meeting will be in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Oak Ridge Land Bank Corp. is a unique governmental organization in Tennessee that grew out of the need to address the problem of blighted housing in Oak Ridge, a press release said. The concept of a land bank was introduced in 2011 as part of the “Not in Our City” plan. It became a reality in September 2013 when City Council approved Ordinance 08-2013. The Land Bank Corp. will work to support economic revitalization through returning vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use, the press release said. [Read more…]

Campaign finance laws, U.S. politics to be discussed Tuesday

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Jon Shefner

Jon Shefner

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss campaign finance laws and U.S. politics during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

Jon Shefner is professor and head of the Sociology Department at the University of Tennessee. He will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday. The meeting will be held in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“The ties between economic interests and political power are repeated throughout American history,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Science, ethics, war to be discussed at Lunch with League on Tuesday

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Jeffrey Kovac

Jeffrey Kovac

A chemistry professor and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee will explore the proper role of scientists in war-related research during a Tuesday meeting in Oak Ridge.

The presentation by Jeffrey Kovac at a Lunch with the League meeting is titled “Science, Ethics, and War—Questions of Conscience.” It starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“Science and the military have had a long and often mutually beneficial relationship, a relationship that is seldom questioned,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Without Republicans, little opposition, few questions at League forum

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David Dunkirk and J. Michael Clement

David R. Dunkirk, left, and J. Michael Clement, Democratic candidates for Juvenile Court judge in the May 6 Anderson County primary election, answer questions during a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday. (Photo by Sara Wise)

Note: This story was last updated at 9:10 a.m.

There was little opposition and only a few questions at a Tuesday night candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

All of the Democratic candidates were at the League forum, which was held in the Pollard Auditorium at Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

But most of the Republican candidates were a few blocks away at their own forum, and none of them attended the League forum. Still, many sent representatives to speak on their behalf.

The dueling forums were held with less than a month remaining before the May 6 primary election. Most of the competition is on the Republican side, with more than one GOP candidate for mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and Juvenile Court judge. The only contested Democratic race is for juvenile judge. [Read more…]

League of Women Voters has membership celebration Monday

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has its annual Spring Membership Celebration on Monday, April 7, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Hearth Room of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. Reservations are not needed. The church is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

The event is open to current and past members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone interested in learning more about the League, a press release said.

“Good food and interesting people to chat with are promised at the event,” the release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County Republicans also have April 8 candidate forum

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The Anderson County Republican Party will have an April 8 forum for GOP candidates running for county offices in the May 6 primary election.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge. It’s expected to last about two hours, a press release said.

“This year’s election is especially important for Anderson County’s future,” said Aaron Wells, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party. “A forum will provide an excellent opportunity to showcase our great candidates and the Republican vision for the county. We invite folks to join us for what should be an interesting and informative evening. ”

The Republican Party forum is scheduled at the same time and the same night as a candidate forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. The League forum is for both Democratic and Republican candidates in the May 6 primary elections. It’s not clear yet if either event might be rescheduled to allow Republican candidates to attend both. [Read more…]

Environmental lawyer to discuss fracking, mountaintop removal

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Anne Davis

Anne Davis

The managing attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center will discuss fracking in the Cumberland Forest, mountaintop removal, and other issues during a Tuesday lunch meeting.

Anne Davis of SELC will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday. Her talk is titled “Southern Environmental Law Center: Tennessee Projects.” The meeting is in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Southern Environmental Law Center has been the leading champion of the South’s air, water, and special places for almost three decades, a press release said.

SELC’s Nashville office brings the expertise, power, and resources of this regional organization to the service of Tennessee, the press release said. [Read more…]

Forum for Anderson County primary candidates on April 8

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has an April 8 forum for candidates in the May 6 Anderson County Democratic and Republican primary elections. The forum will be held from 7-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the Pollard Auditorium.

Candidates facing an opponent in the primary election have been invited to make an opening statement, participate in a question-and-answer session, and finish with a closing statement. Candidates with no opponent in the primary election but facing an opponent in the general election have been invited to make a short presentation. Candidates with no opponent in either the primary election on May 6 or the general election on Aug. 7 will be introduced. After the last candidate has spoken, the audience will be invited to join the candidates for additional discussion and greetings.

The May 6 election involves 14 Anderson County officials: chancellor, circuit court clerk, county clerk, county mayor, criminal and circuit court judge, district attorney general, general sessions judge I, general sessions judge II, juvenile court judge, public defender, register of deeds, road superintendent, sheriff, and trustee. [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators on Monday

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The Tennessee General Assembly is halfway through this year’s legislative session, and important bills are in committee or being brought forward for vote. On Monday, you have a chance to ask local legislators about the issues during the March Breakfast with the Legislators.

The breakfast is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is invited, and a free continental breakfast will be served, a press release said.

Numerous issues impacting the education system are on the legislative agenda, including vouchers, charter schools, Common Core standards, and textbook commission composition, a press release said. Among the bills being considered are changes to lobbying law, the eligibility for TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), and the distribution of information relating to the Affordable Care Act and other child health programs. [Read more…]

Krause to discuss mercury at Lunch with the League on March 18

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“Oak Ridge’s Mercury Saga” will be discussed at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, March 18, at 12 p.m.

Carolyn Krause will speak on the events leading up to mercury contamination in Oak Ridge, the role of the media in making the contamination public, the response of the scientific community to the pollution event, and its influence on decisions about the cleanup. She will talk about the role of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a world center of expertise on mercury in the environment since the 1970s. [Read more…]

Lunch with League: Math and the connection between HIV, AIDS

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The role of mathematical modeling in understanding the connection between HIV and AIDS will be the focus of a March 4 Lunch with the League.

The presentation by Vitaly Ganusov starts at noon on Tuesday, March 4, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains one of the major causes of death due to infectious diseases, with over 35 million people being infected with the virus,” a press release said. “Since its discovery in 1983, our understanding how HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has evolved with different theories being proposed and overturned by alternative theories. Mathematical modeling played an important role in generating support for some of these theories. [Read more…]