Oak Ridge Today

Roane County executive to speak at Lunch with the League

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Ron Woody, Roane County

Ron Woody

Ron Woody, Roane County executive, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, April 19. The program will begin at noon in the Social Hall at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Woody will address issues of importance to the county such as where your tax dollars go, problems the county has solved, and problems it is still facing, according to information provided by his office. Among the topics he will address or update in his presentation, “The State of Roane County,” are education, property appraisal, business recruitment, and development of tourism and funding of public services.

What happens in Roane County is of importance to Oak Ridge since a significant portion of Oak Ridge is located in Roane County, and present and future planning affect the lives and wellbeing of these residents and, consequently, all of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Today: Roane County Recovery Court team will discuss work at Lunch with League

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Roane-County-Drug-Court-Team

Roane County Recovery Court for drug-related offenders has now been in operation for six weeks. The drug court team, led by General Sessions Court Judge Dennis Humphrey, will discuss their work with the court in the second part of a two-part program at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday, March 15.

The first part of the program was presented on March 1. The Tuesday meeting starts at 12 p.m. March 15 in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Humphrey will be accompanied by District Attorney General Russell Johnson, Public Defender Kim Nelson, community relations for the district attorney Charlene Hipsher, Probation/Corrections Officer Chanel Finnell, Recovery Court Coordinator Ashley Freeberg, WestCare treatment staff Janeece Foust, and law enforcement liaison Lieutenant Rick Baker.

Lunch with the League is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Next breakfast with legislators is Monday; community invited

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This year’s next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday.

It’s organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, February 22, in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to give updates on what’s happening in the Tennessee General Assembly during the breakfast. Members of the audience can ask questions and give opinions. A light continental breakfast is provided at no charge. The public is encouraged to attend. [Read more…]

Lunch today: ORNL Climate Change Science Institute, impact of climate on society

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Melissa-Allen

Melissa R. Allen, post-doctoral research associate, Computational Science and Engineering Division at ORNL (Submitted photo)

Joseph Kennedy and Melissa Allen of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will discus the lab’s Climate Change Science Institute and the impact of climate on society during a lunchtime meeting today (Tuesday, February 16).

Kennedy and Allen will be the guest speakers at the Lunch with the League. Kennedy is a postdoctoral research associate and computational glaciologist at the Institute. Allen is a post-doctoral research associate in the Computational Science and Engineering Division. 

Presented by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, the program will be held at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in  the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is invited, and no reservations are necessary. Lunches are provided on a first-come basis for $8 or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.

Also at the meeting, there will be a formal announcement and details of an ORNL CCSI and a League partnership on climate change issues, a press release said. League member Chris Iversen, who leads the climate change action group for the LWVOR, has been working extensively with ORNL to develop this partnership. ORNL is already working with the city of Knoxville on similar partnership. [Read more…]

Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday morning

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This year’s first Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday morning. It’s scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Monday, January 25,  in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

Senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to discuss the legislative outlook for this session of the Tennessee General Assembly and to respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience. The public is encouraged to attend. A free continental breakfast will be served.

The breakfasts are organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. They are held at the same time and place on the fourth Monday of each month. This year, that will be February 22, March 28, and April 25, or as long as the General Assembly is in session. [Read more…]

Borchers to discuss school improvement, STEM, Access Oak Ridge in Tuesday lunch

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will discuss school improvement, STEM, and Access Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Oak Ridge Schools officials have previously said they would like to transform the school system into the premier preK-12 STEM school district in the nation. Borchers is expected to highlight that plan and other programs during a Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 19, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Access Oak Ridge is the program that has, so far, provided convertible laptop computers to every middle school student. Borchers is expected to give an update on that program during the Tuesday meeting, which starts at noon.

Borchers will also review areas of focus and strategic initiatives for school improvement, a press release said. The public is invited. [Read more…]

Public invited to League’s holiday luncheon on Sunday

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Stewart Clifton

Stewart Clifton

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has a holiday luncheon on Sunday, December 6, and the public is invited, a press release said. The luncheon is at Burchfield’s at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The invitation is being extended to anyone interested in learning how the LWVOR and other League chapters across the state strive to make democracy work for Tennessee residents, the press release said.

The invited guest speaker, Stewart Clifton, will discuss the League’s work in Tennessee on issues such as education, climate change, homelessness, hazardous waste, mental health, immigration, and others that affect our families and communities, the release said. [Read more…]

BOE vice chair to discuss education in Oak Ridge on Tuesday

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Bob Eby

Bob Eby

Robert Eby, vice chair of the Oak Ridge Board of Education, will discuss education in Oak Ridge at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, December 1.

Lunch with the League starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Eby is currently serving his fourth term on the board. He was chairman from 1991-1995. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School. [Read more…]

DOE director’s presentation to include discussion of proposed landfill near Y-12

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Laura Wilkerson

Laura Wilkerson

A Tuesday presentation by federal official Laura Wilkerson will include information on the proposed new Environmental Management Disposal Facility, a landfill that would be on the west side of the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Laura Wilkerson is a portfolio federal project director for the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. She will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday, November 17, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Her presentation will focus on environmental management and waste management in Oak Ridge.

Lunch with the League is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. In a press release, the League said it has a position on waste disposal that addresses full disclosure of intent and public participation in the decision-making process.

“The League position is to protect the health of the community and environment,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Watson to discuss State of the City on Tuesday

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will give his perspective on issues facing the city at the next Lunch with the League on Tuesday, November 3. The program will be held at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Lunch with the League is open to the public. There is no cost to attend, and reservations are not needed. Box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for $8, or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.

In August 2010, Watson was selected as the city manager of Oak Ridge after a 30-year career in local government. Prior to coming to Oak Ridge, he served as city manager of six cities in Texas, Montana, and Arizona. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public administration, a press release said. [Read more…]

Tuition equality in Tennessee higher education to be discussed Tuesday

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Eben Cathey

Eben Cathey

Tuition equality in Tennessee higher education will be discussed during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday.

Eben Cathey, advocacy manager of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, or TIRRC, will give a presentation on tuition equality for undocumented students at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday, October 20, the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, a press release said. The church is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Cathey will discuss current legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly that would grant undocumented students the opportunity to pay in-state tuition at public colleges. Currently, undocumented students in Tennessee must pay out-of-state tuition at public universities, even if they have lived in Tennessee for most of their lives, the press release said. [Read more…]

Evans to give update on Oak Ridge mall redevelopment Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Mall

The Oak Ridge City Center, which could be redeveloped as a multi-use town center known as Main Street, is pictured above. Also known as the former Oak Ridge Mall, the L-shaped building is at center. The white building at center left is Walmart, and it is not part of the proposed redevelopment. Neither is the white building at center top, the Tinseltown Theater. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Ray Evans, retail consultant for the City of Oak Ridge, will give an update on the redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

Main Street Oak Ridge could redevelop the mall, now officially known as the Oak Ridge City Center, as a 60-acre mixed-use project that would include retailers, restaurants, a hotel, and residential units. The vacant enclosed space between the two remaining anchors, JCPenney and Belk, would be demolished, although those two stores would remain.

The goal has been to complete the first phase of the redevelopment in time for the Christmas season in 2016. [Read more…]