Oak Ridge Today

Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday

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The second Breakfast with the Legislators of 2014 is on Monday morning.

The Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville has been in session since Jan. 14, a press release said.

“Bills dealing with election laws, Common Core Standards, Medicaid expansion, charter schools, Hall Income Tax, and the Affordable Care Act are being considered,” the release said. “Breakfast with the Legislators provides a forum to get to know key legislative decision makers and to ask questions on issues moving forward in state government.”

Monday’s monthly breakfast is scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served. [Read more…]

Tuesday: Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Free Medical Clinic

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Tanya Vargas

Tanya Vargas

Dr. Tanya Vargas, co-medical director of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, will discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the clinic during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

Vargas will be the guest speaker during the lunchtime meeting in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. Vargas’ presentation is scheduled to start at noon Tuesday.

The Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge was established to provide free healthcare and to promote a healthy lifestyle to low-income clients in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties who lack health insurance and cannot afford medical care, a press release said.

“Vargas will discuss the issues that are faced by the segment of the Tennessee population that is eligible for neither the Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies nor TennCare,” the release said. [Read more…]

First Breakfast with the Legislators of 2014 is Jan. 27

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Tennessee Legislators

From left are senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee.

The first Breakfast with the Legislators of 2014 is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 27, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

“While a good breakfast is considered to be the best way to start the day, attending Breakfast with the Legislators may be the best way to get to know key legislative decision makers and to ask questions on issues moving forward in state government,” a press release said.

The hour-long breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served. [Read more…]

Borchers to discuss Oak Ridge Schools at Lunch with League

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Superintendent Bruce Borchers will discuss Oak Ridge Schools at Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The meeting starts at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Borchers will focus on the theme “Building on Excellence: Where we were, where we are, and where we are going.” He will highlight achievement data, changing demographics, and initiatives that will help Oak Ridge students be successful in the 21st Century, a press release said. [Read more…]

League of Women Voters to conduct free workshop on parliamentary procedures

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has a Saturday morning workshop on parliamentary procedures as governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.

“Anyone interested in learning how to make your organization’s meetings stay on track, accomplish goals, and give participants a feeling they’ve had a chance to express themselves is welcome to attend,” a press release said.

The workshop is free and open to the public, and it is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center. [Read more…]

Tuesday presentation by UT professor to focus on science, ethics, war

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Jeffrey Kovac

Jeffrey Kovac

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss science and war-related research during a Tuesday presentation in Oak Ridge. (Note: This presentation was canceled due to the weather and could be rescheduled later.)

Jeffrey Kovac, a UT chemistry professor and director of undergraduate studies, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday.

“Science and the military have had a long and often mutually beneficial relationship, a relationship that is seldom questioned,” a press release said. “But because scientists are simultaneously professionals, citizens of a particular country, and human beings, sometimes with strong religious convictions, they are subject to conflicting moral and practical demands. In this presentation, Dr. Kovac will examine the question of whether scientists should engage in war-related research and, if so, under what circumstances.” [Read more…]

League of Women Voters to mark Bill of Rights Day on Sunday

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League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will join with chapters across America to mark the 222nd anniversary on Dec. 15 of the adoption of the Bill of Rights with a call for improved political discourse and greater civic participation in our community.

The Bill of Rights—the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution—is generally considered to be the mainstay of our constitutional freedom, a press release said. They are said to guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. The League of Women Voters believes the best way to honor this historic document is to protect the freedom it guarantees.

For more than 90 years, the League of Women Voters of the United States has defended civil liberties and promoted balanced civic discourse on important community issues. Its mission is to increase civic participation—to help individuals recognize the critical importance of protecting and honoring our most cherished constitutional rights because they impact our everyday lives. [Read more…]

UT economics professor to discuss virtues, limits of free markets

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Marianne Wanamaker

Marianne Wanamaker

An assistant economics professor at the University of Tennessee will discuss the virtues and limits of free markets during a noon lecture Tuesday.

Marianne Wanamaker will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at lunchtime Tuesday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. Her presentation is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Wanamaker is an assistant professor in the Department of Economics in the University Of Tennessee’s College of Business Administration. [Read more…]

World-wide polio eradication to be discussed at Lunch with League on Tuesday

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Brenda Thornburgh in India

Brenda Thornburgh, left, president of Galbraith Laboratories Inc. and past President of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, marks a child’s left pinkie with a purple marker during a polio eradication mission in India in 2012, indicating that the child has received the immunization. (Submitted photo).

Brenda Thornburgh, president of Galbraith Laboratories Inc. and past President of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, will discuss the worldwide effort to eradicate polio during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The meeting starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

For most Americans, paralytic polio is a disease of the past, a press release said. However, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of confirmed cases across the world in 2013, primarily in non-endemic countries such as Somalia, Kenya, and the Syrian Arab Republic. [Read more…]

Watson to discuss ‘State of the City’ at Lunch with the League

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will give an update on the state of the city during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The meeting starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Watson became Oak Ridge city manager in August 2010. He is the chief administrative officer of the city, and his responsibilities include planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and evaluating the operations of the municipal government in order to implement Oak Ridge City Council policies in an effective and economic manner, a press release said. [Read more…]

Knoxville attorney to discuss women’s suffrage

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Wanda Sobieski

Wanda Sobieski

Knoxville attorney Wanda Sobieski will discuss women’s suffrage during a presentation next week.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, is titled “The Legacy and Challenges of Women’s Suffrage.” It starts at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7, at Grace Covenant Church at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge.

Sobieski, who has been deeply involved in the effort to recognize and honor the early 20th century suffragists that won for women the right to vote, will show images from that time and discuss their struggles, relating them to the important contributions of Tennessee women, a press release said. [Read more…]

Fight for immigrant rights to be discussed at Lunch with the League

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A representative of a Nashville law firm will discuss immigration during Lunch with the League on Oct. 1.

R. Andrew Free of Ozment Law will be the guest speaker. The meeting starts at noon Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. [Read more…]