Tuesday, October 06, 2026 at 12:00 PM
LWV Oak Ridge hosts Lunch with the League: Alan C. Lowe speaking on Abigail Adams, the indomitable and fabulous wife and lifelong companion/chronicler of John Adams
Alan C. Lowe, Director of the American Museum of Science and Energy and the K-25 History Center; B.A. and M.A in History, University of Kentucky. He has served in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library; in the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives; and as interim Director of the Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library. He was the founding Executive Director of the Howard H Baker Center for public policy at UTK; appointed the founding director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and then on to being the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
The Lunch With the League (LWL) is scheduled for the first and third Tuesdays of each month (except September 2026) from September through May. The League meets in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Lunches may be purchased for a nominal fee beginning at 11:30 a.m. (eastern time) or attendees may bring their own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. The presentation by the speaker begins at 12:00 noon, followed by a question-and-answer session. Guests are welcome to attend these interesting and informative events. Members will be informed via email of any last-minute changes to the program.
Thursday, October 08, 2026 at 06:00 PM · 1 rsvp
LWV Oak Ridge Candidate Forum
The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is sponsoring a Candidate Forums to be held on Thursday, Oct. 8, at Roane State Community Campus, Goff room 107. The meeting is open to the public and will begin at 6:00 pm. Candidates invited include those running for the following offices: State Senate District 5; State House Districts 32 and 33; Anderson County Commission District 8; Oak Ridge School Board; and Oak Ridge City Council. Moderator Phil Yager will guide candidates through opening statements, answers to written questions from the audience, and closing statements. Most candidates will be present after the forum to talk to constituents.
Monday, October 12, 2026 at 07:00 PM · 3 rsvps
LWVTN Poll Watcher Training 10/12/26
Training sessions for poll observers. LWV observers will learn how to document any process issues that impede voters' access to the ballot at polling sites. These reports will also help re-confirm for the public the majority of times the election process goes smoothly. As an additional incentive this year, your local league will receive $25 for each recorded observation from poll observers.
LWVTN will be repeating our training sessions on the following nights:
Dates: Mondays, October 12, 19, and 26.
Time: 7:00-8:00 CDT/8:00-9:00 EDT | Zoom LinkWednesday, October 14, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Early Voting for November 3, 2026 State & Federal General Election Begins
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 02:00 PM
LWV Northeast hosts: "Before You Vote: Tennessee's Constitutional Amendments"
Sunday, October 18, 2:00 p.m.
(come at 1:30 to socialize)Food City Community Room
920 N. State of Franklin, Johnson City TNTennessee voters will decide three proposed constitutional amendments
in November 2026. Each is described in only a few lines on the ballot, but each would change a different part of the state constitution and raise a different practical question. Our speaker, Brandon Burley, will explain the proposals in plain language:-expanding judges’ authority to deny bail for additional violent offenses
-creating constitutional rights for crime victims
-prohibiting state governments from taxing real or personal property.
Drawing from the official resolutions, existing law, and available fiscal and legislative records, the program will examine what each amendment would change, what it would leave untouched, and the strongest arguments offered by supporters and critics. It will also explain how constitutional amendments reach the ballot and why the exact legal language matters. The goal is not to tell voters how to vote. It is to help them understand the authority, safeguards, tradeoffs, and unanswered questions behind each proposal before they make that judgment for themselves.
Brandon L. Burley is a retired Tennessee detective, former infantry Marine, criminal-justice educator, investigative journalist, and host of The Redemption Project, recipient of a 2025 SPJ Podcast of the Year award. Full bio HERE.
Everyone is welcome to attend our educational programs. Please come and bring a friend! Light refreshments served.Monday, October 19, 2026 at 07:00 PM · 4 rsvps
LWVTN Poll Watcher Training 10/19/26
Training sessions for poll observers. LWV observers will learn how to document any process issues that impede voters' access to the ballot at polling sites. These reports will also help re-confirm for the public the majority of times the election process goes smoothly. As an additional incentive this year, your local league will receive $25 for each recorded observation from poll observers.
LWVTN will be repeating our training sessions on the following nights:
Dates: Mondays, October 12, 19, and 26.
Time: 7:00-8:00 CDT/8:00-9:00 EDT | Zoom LinkTuesday, October 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM
LWV Oak Ridge hosts Lunch with the League: Hannah Smith on identifying and treating domestic violence
Hannah Smith, LMSW, Domestic Violence Outreach Clinician Helen Ross McNabb Center, BA (psychology) from Carson-Newman University and a MS, Social Work from UTK. She specializes in identifying and treating families on domestic abuse in our community, how to identify it in our family/friends and most importantly how to assist.
The Lunch With the League (LWL) is scheduled for the first and third Tuesdays of each month (except September 2026) from September through May. The League meets in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Lunches may be purchased for a nominal fee beginning at 11:30 a.m. (eastern time) or attendees may bring their own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. The presentation by the speaker begins at 12:00 noon, followed by a question-and-answer session. Guests are welcome to attend these interesting and informative events. Members will be informed via email of any last-minute changes to the program.
Monday, October 26, 2026 at 07:00 PM
LWVTN Poll Watcher Training 10/26/26
Training sessions for poll observers. LWV observers will learn how to document any process issues that impede voters' access to the ballot at polling sites. These reports will also help re-confirm for the public the majority of times the election process goes smoothly. As an additional incentive this year, your local league will receive $25 for each recorded observation from poll observers.
LWVTN will be repeating our training sessions on the following nights:
Dates: Mondays, October 12, 19, and 26.
Time: 7:00-8:00 CDT/8:00-9:00 EDT | Zoom LinkThursday, October 29, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Early Voting for November 3, 2026 State & Federal General Election Ends
Tuesday, November 03, 2026 at 12:00 PM
LWV Oak Ridge hosts Lunch with the League: David Adkins on Benedict Arnold and Others
David Adkins is a historian who was an adjunct professor of history at RSCC and now teaches at Pellissippi and Walters State Community Colleges. He regularly teaches for ORICL and has been voted Instructor of the Year.
David Adkins did not come to the field of history by the usual route. He took the scenic route of careers, including but not limited to the military, industrial mechanics, book sales, foundry work, and security. He began college as a nontraditional student and earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in history, specializing in colonial economic history at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He runs the Youtube channel MercenaryHistorian, where he talks about history and he edits professional publications.
David will speak on an American Revolutionary War genius and herountil he wasn’t - Benedict Arnold, and his fellow Colonial co-patriots and generals: Thomas Conway and Horatio Gates - both of whom fared much better in American history.
We all know about Arnold’s notoriety for his absconding over to the British side but very little is known about the much greater breakdown of the Colonial leadership during the Revolutionary War. Traditional revolutionary war history is full of desperate moments, incredible heroism, and daring leadership. Behind the scenes the officer corps of the Continental Army was rife with doubt and valiant ambition. All of these desperate moments led to treason, political intrigue, and almost led to the defeat of the new nation. Come join us for a glimpse into this little known aspect of the war.
The Lunch With the League (LWL) is scheduled for the first and third Tuesdays of each month (except September 2026) from September through May. The League meets in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Lunches may be purchased for a nominal fee beginning at 11:30 a.m. (eastern time) or attendees may bring their own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. The presentation by the speaker begins at 12:00 noon, followed by a question-and-answer session. Guests are welcome to attend these interesting and informative events. Members will be informed via email of any last-minute changes to the program.