Oak Ridge Today

Cold hands, warm hearts: Leaders to sleep outside to raise awareness of homelessness

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Several community leaders will spend the night of Thursday, January 15, sleeping outside at First United Methodist Church in Oak Ridge to raise awareness of homelessness and to collect linens and personal care items for the upcoming Warming Center project and bring attention to the need for volunteers to help with the Point in Time Count.

The community is invited to participate by coming out to support the sleep-out participants from 6-7 p.m. Thursday. There will be a free soup dinner. All community members are invited to attend.

Local homeless providers will be present to talk about their agencies and what they are providing to homeless individuals in our community. Information on the warming center project and the Point in Time Count will also be available. [Read more…]

Christmastide Choral Festival at Grace Covenant on January 4

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The Fifth Annual Community Christmastide Choral Festival will be at the Grace Covenant Church at the Trinity Center on Robertsville Road on Sunday evening, January 4.

It’s been organized by the Rev. Rodney Parrish of Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited, a press release said.

“The celebration of Christmastide begins at Christmas Eve and ends 12 days later on what is traditionally called Epiphany, hence the 12 days of Christmas,” the press release said. “Many churches during this season will present choral programs of excellence. However, it is difficult for the community to be able to attend them all no matter how much they may want to. The purpose of this festival is to give the community an opportunity to close out the Christmas season with one last service of music while being able to appreciate the offerings of multiple church choirs. [Read more…]

Roane County Executive Woody to discuss county issues at Lunch With the League

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Ron Woody

Ron Woody

 

Roane County Executive Ron Woody will discuss what is happening in Roane County and why it is important to Oak Ridge residents during the first Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 6. The program will start at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s new location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“A significant portion of Oak Ridge is located in Roane County, and Roane County government is planning for the future,” a press release said. “Mr. Woody will give his perspective on issues facing the Roane County and an update on the state of the county. The presentation will address education, property reappraisal, business recruitment, and development of tourism and funding of public services. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation.” [Read more…]

Free community meal on Friday at Unitarian Universalist Church

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The Stone Soup Ministry team at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will be serving a free community meal on Friday, December 26. Dine-in or take-out will be available in the Social Hall from 5 to 6 p.m.

ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike (close to traffic light number 2) in Oak Ridge.

Homemade tomato soup, cornbread, fruit, and cookies are on the menu. Everyone is invited, a press release said. [Read more…]

Remembered as a model community volunteer, Myrick died Sunday

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Tim and Teresa Myrick with ADFAC Bow Tie Award

Tim Myrick, left, received the 2014 Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award from ADFAC on Oct. 30. Pictured with Myrick at Y-12’s New Hope Center is his wife Teresa. (Photo courtesy ADFAC)

Note: This story was last updated at 3:30 p.m.

Tim Myrick, one of the area’s most active community volunteers, died Sunday morning. He was at home with his wife Teresa by his side.

Friends are remembering him as a model community leader and volunteer. Myrick, who had been battling prostate cancer, had provided decades of service to the church and to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, as well as to Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County. He played a key role in the renovation of Oak Ridge High School and modernization work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In 2012, he and Teresa pledged $25,000 to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation’s “Making the Critical Difference” campaign for grants and scholarships.

“We sure lost a strong advocate for our community,” said friend D. Ray Smith, who serves on both the ADFAC and Habitat for Humanity boards. [Read more…]

Free Community Meal on Friday at new ORUUC location

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Stone Soup Community Meal

From left to right, volunteers Jinx Watson, Beatrice Holt, Todd Sherline, and daughter Poppy prepare for guests at an earlier ORUUC Stone Soup Free Community Meal. The next meal will be served tonight Friday, November 28. Everyone is welcome. (File photo)

 

The Stone Soup Ministry team at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will be serving a free community meal on Friday, November 28, at its new location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. Dine-in or take-out will be available in the ORUUC Social Hall from 5 to 6 p.m.

Everyone is invited for the meal of harvest soup and turkey breast sandwiches, a press release said. Fresh fruit and pastries provided by Kroger will be served for dessert. [Read more…]

League of Women Voters receives $20,000 national grant

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League of Women Voters Logo

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has received a $20,000 national grant that will fund an educational project for young adults (30 years or under) on hazardous waste management. The project is titled the Environmental Management Education Initiative Project.

The grant is made possible through the New Mexico Community Foundation’s Community Involvement Fund and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The purpose of the project is to expand the knowledge and understanding of these young people about the environmental management process and remediation actions in the Oak Ridge community.

The project will consist of two educational sub-projects: a Citizen’s Academy and a Rainbow Academy, a press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: Demolition of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church

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Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Sanctuary Demolition

Workers demolished the former Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Robertsville Road on Monday. Pictured above at right is the stone-and-glass west end of the sanctuary. (Photos by Peter Scheffler)

 

Workers demolished the former Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Robertsville Road on Monday. The congregation has moved to a new church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the north side of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building, home to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office.

Church members agreed in September 2012 to sell their former site, which they had used for almost six decades, to make way for a new Kroger Marketplace shopping center.

The new UU church was dedicated in October. [Read more…]

How the Cold War really ended: Interpreting the bonus at the gas pump today

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Robert G. Kennedy in Moscow

Robert G. Kennedy in Moscow (Submitted photo)

Robert G. Kennedy III, founder of Ultimax Group Inc. and co-founder of Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, November 18. The program will be held at noon Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s new location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Kennedy’s extensive experience in the areas of geoengineering, terraforming, and Soviet/Cold War/Star Wars history, as well as with green energy on local and international levels, will provide a unique perspective on current world events, a press release said. The Cold War did not end without a shot either due to Star Wars, or American martial virtue, or any of the other usual reasons proffered by pundits. By the mid-1980s, the Soviet Union was like a knight dying inside his suit of armor. The weapon that sent him quietly into the good night was oil. The interpretation that this weapon is being used again by a similar set of actors, with similar geopolitical intent, is consistent with observed events of the past 90 days, the release said.

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.

For more information, visit lwvoakridge.org.

Community forum on homelessness in Anderson County on Tuesday

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Torch Logo

A Tuesday evening forum in Oak Ridge will focus on homelessness in Anderson County.

The free forum is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 18, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forum has been organized by the Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope, or TORCH, and ORUUC. It will bring together experts from social service agencies and the wider community for a panel discussion to explore how a 10-year plan to help reduce and alleviate homelessness could be effective in Anderson County, a press release said. [Read more…]

Lunch with League: Immigration, humanitarian crisis in East Tennessee

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Karla McKanders

Karla McKanders

An associate professor in the University of Tennessee College of Law will discuss the migration surge of vulnerable immigrants to East Tennessee during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday, a press release said.

Karla McKanders will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, November 4. The program will be held at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s new location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The press release said vulnerable immigrants are those who have migrated to the United States and are not afforded full protections under national and state laws. [Read more…]

Watson to discuss State of the City at Lunch with League on Tuesday

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson will discuss the State of the City with the League of Women Voters on Tuesday.

During the annual event, Watson is also expected to give his perspective on issues facing the city, a press release said.

The Tuesday meeting starts at noon Tuesday, October 21, in the Social Hall of the new Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike (north of the Joe L. Evins Federal Building, which is home to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office). [Read more…]