Oak Ridge City Council member Anne Garcia Garland will discuss local economic development during a Monday evening meeting of the local branch of the American Association of University Women.
Garcia Garland’s talk is titled “Vision and Economic Development: What is Going on in the City.” It starts at 7 p.m. in the Social Room of the Unitarian Universalist Church.
Note: This story was updated at 12:10 a.m. Sept. 22.
The proposed Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue would have a minimal impact on traffic, according to a study completed this month by a Knoxville engineering firm.
A few Oak Ridge officials had expressed concern about cars turning left to enter and leave the store on the busy, seven-lane roadway, which is used by about 27,000 vehicles per day.
The City Council approved a rezoning for the project in a 6-1 vote on Sept. 10, but members said they expected a traffic study before considering the rezoning on second and final reading on Oct. 8.
Oak Ridge emergency personnel respond to a three-vehicle accident on Tuesday morning at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Melton Lake Drive. (Photo by Tom Scott)
One left turn led to a three-vehicle collision at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Melton Lake Drive on Tuesday morning, an accident report said.
The report said a Mazda pickup driven by Robert L. Ensor of Clinton turned left off the Turnpike in front of a Ford pickup driven by Daniel J. Hendricks, also of Clinton. Hendricks was unable to stop and hit Ensor’s truck as well as a Chevy pickup that was being driven by Jose G. Avalesfernandez of Oak Ridge, the report said.
The Oliver Springs Town Council voted 4-2 on Thursday to keep Tina Treece as city manager after her probationary period ends in a few days, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.
The vote followed a 30-minute discussion on Treece’s performance during her first three months.
The Oak Ridge Wildcats lost their first football game of the season on Thursday, falling to the Maryville Rebels 38-23 at Blankenship Field.
The Wildcats are now 4-1, and the Rebels are 5-0.
The Wildcats, who are undefeated in the district, play Anderson County on Friday, Sept. 28, at Blankenship Field.
David Lester Murray, age 48, a resident of the Elverton Community in Roane County, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Roane Medical Center in Harriman.
Mr. Murray was born Sept. 15, 1964, in Oak Ridge. He was a lifelong resident of Roane County.
Note: This story was updated at 9:10 p.m.
A majority of U.S. House members voted for a bill Thursday to set up a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge, but the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the legislation under special rules.
The vote on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act was 237-180, about 50 votes short of a two-thirds supermajority, said Cindy Kelly, president of the nonprofit Atomic Heritage Foundation.
Though it didn’t pass Thursday in a maneuver that could have quickly sent the bill to the Senate, supporters said the bill has bipartisan support. They remained optimistic that it could still be approved soon.
“We’ve shown there is support for this park and will be working towards the goal of enacting this into law before the end of this year,” said U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, a Washington Republican who has championed the legislation to recognize Manhattan Project sites in Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.
Note: This story was updated at 8:04 p.m.
Forty-one employees have been laid off at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, a spokesperson said Thursday.
Thirty-five employees worked on the K-25 Building demolition, and six worked on the K-27 project, said Wayne McKinney, spokesperson for UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.
McKinney said the employees, who worked for subcontractors, were notified of the layoffs Thursday. He said it’s part of the normal ebb and flow of subcontracting.
Note: This story was updated at 4:06 p.m.
There are 17 candidates eligible for election to 10 city council seats in Oak Ridge, Norris, and Lake City in the Nov. 6 election.
There are also nine candidates in a special election for Anderson County Commission District 3. Commissioner Johnny Alley gave up that seat after he became Anderson County property assessor in the Aug. 2 election.
In addition, there are three candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education and one candidate for Oak Ridge City Judge.
The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 8. Early voting starts Oct. 17 and runs through Nov. 1, Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens said Thursday.
Chuck Hope
Chuck Hope Jr. just won a three-month term on the Oak Ridge City Council, and now he’s running for a regular four-year term in the Nov. 6 election.
A longtime local businessman, Hope won the special three-month term in the Aug. 2 county election. He defeated Trina Baughn, who is also running in the November election.
It was the first run for a political office for both candidates.
The Oak Ridge Community Band begins its next concert series on Sunday, Oct. 14, with a “Cane Mutiny” performance.
The concert starts at 3:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.
Joan Cronan, former University of Tennessee women’s athletic director, will be the guest speaker at a “Great Futures Campaign Kick-Off” for the Boys & Girls Club of Oak Ridge next week.
The kickoff is at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 27 at the Boys & Girls Club at 102 South Jefferson Circle.
