The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)
A nationwide lifeguard shortage is affecting the hours that Oak Ridge’s municipal pools will be open this summer, the city said in a press release Monday.
“Due to the lower number of lifeguards this year, there are not enough people to staff both pools for the same hours they were open in previous seasons,” Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Aquatics Manager Vonda Wooten said in the press release.
The indoor pool at the Civic Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Swim lessons are from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the press release said. Open lap is from 12:15 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Y-12 National Security Complex has deployed a system to counter unauthorized drones. Y-12 produces parts for nuclear weapons and stores highly enriched uranium, among other guarded national security missions.
Oak Ridge Today reported in November 2018 that Y-12 was one of four sites housing special nuclear materials where the National Nuclear Security Administration was deploying systems to counter drones. Deployed by the Office of Defense Nuclear Security, the systems have the capability to detect, identify, track, and intercept unsanctioned and suspicious drones, the NNSA said in 2018. At that time, one system had already been deployed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
The NNSA announced in a press release Monday that the system to counter unauthorized drones had been deployed at Y-12. The Y-12 system is intended to detect, identify, and track potentially malicious threats posed by drones, the NNSA said.
“The National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office (NPO) is announcing this deployment and the airspace restriction to the public to minimize the threat of unauthorized UAS (unmanned aircraft system) flights over Y-12,” said Teresa Robbins, NPO manager. “This will enhance our ability to effectively protect this vital national security facility.”
Two years ago, the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships opened Thursday, June 27, 2019, on Melton Lake Drive with the Individual Time Trial events. (File photo by Julio Culiat)
The USA Cycling National Pro Road, Criterium, and Time Trial Championships will be in Oak Ridge and Knoxville next week, June 17-20.
Oak Ridge will host the ITT (Individual Time Trial) National Championships for the third time in partnership with Visit Knoxville, a press release said.
The National Championships are scheduled just before the 2021 Olympics in Japan, where several Olympic athletes are expected to compete.
“This is an exciting time for Oak Ridge as we continue to show our natural assets and city to competitors from all over the world”, Hannah Fatheree, event manager for Explore Oak Ridge said in the press release. “We are grateful to the residents and visitors of Oak Ridge for their patience with traffic impacts and hope everyone comes out to watch the time trials.”
These charts show the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations reported by month in Anderson County from March 2020 through May 2021. (Data from Tennessee Department of Health/Charts by Oak Ridge Today)
The average number of new COVID-19 cases reported each day in Anderson County has continued to slowly decline in May and early June, and the positivity rate has remained low. However, 10 more hospitalizations and one more death have been reported in the past three weeks.
The average number of new cases in the county during the past two weeks has been 3.6. That’s down from an average of 5.6 new cases per day during the previous two weeks.
It appears to be the lowest number of new cases per day, on average, since one year ago, in June 2020. That was before COVID-19 cases peaked in Anderson County in July and then peaked again in the winter, with many more cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from November 2020-January 2021.
The decline in the average number of new cases per day has been slow, especially starting in about April. Oak Ridge Today reported more than three weeks ago that the new daily case average had dropped to about six, and the positivity rate was about 3 percent.
An Oak Ridge wastewater overflow tank is pictured above on Emory Valley Road on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 3:20 p.m. June 6.
Millions of gallons in sewer system overflows were reported to the state by the City of Oak Ridge between 2012 and 2017, and most of the largest overflows—500,000 gallons or more—were reported in the summer of 2013, according to a federal lawsuit that could be settled soon.
The lawsuit by Tennessee Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization based in Alabama, was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville in 2018. It alleged that the city had reported about 40 million gallons of sewer system overflows in a four-year period near local waters and that the city had violated the Clean Water Act. The city denied the claim. The lawsuit had sought to force the city to make repairs to keep pollutants out of creeks and rivers, and to charge the city $37,500 per violation per day. It also asked the city to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and expert fees. Riverkeeper said the discharges have affected how often its members use the Tennessee River and its tributaries for recreation. The discharges continued through at least early 2017, with more overflows reported later, according to the lawsuit and legal documents filed in the case.
Now, the lawsuit could be settled if the court approves and Oak Ridge makes at least $4 million in repairs by 2025 and pays more than $100,000 in attorneys’ fees. The settlement agreement was approved by City Council in May. A notice about the agreement was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Thursday.
The largest overflows, by volume, were reported about two years before the city completed millions of dollars worth of repairs to its aging sewer system and built three large wastewater holding tanks after an order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010. The EPA order had required the city to bring itself into compliance with its discharge permit. However, the overflows continued even after the city said it had satisfied the conditions of the EPA order, according to the lawsuit, although the overflows appeared to be at a lower volume than in the summer of 2013.
Legal arguments in the case have included debate over whether Tennessee Riverkeeper has standing—someone who had been injured by the sewer system overflows—and whether the discharges have continued.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
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An Oak Ridge wastewater overflow tank is pictured above on Emory Valley Road on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 3:20 p.m. June 6.
Millions of gallons in sewer system overflows were reported to the state by the City of Oak Ridge between 2012 and 2017, and most of the largest overflows—500,000 gallons or more each—were reported in the summer of 2013, according to a federal lawsuit that could be settled soon.
An Oak Ridge wastewater overflow tank is pictured above on Emory Valley Road on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 3:20 p.m. June 6.
Millions of gallons in sewer system overflows were reported to the state by the City of Oak Ridge between 2012 and 2017, and most of the largest overflows—500,000 gallons or more—were reported in the summer of 2013, according to a federal lawsuit that could be settled soon.
The lawsuit by Tennessee Riverkeeper, a nonprofit organization based in Alabama, was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville in 2018. It alleged that the city had reported about 40 million gallons of sewer system overflows in a four-year period near local waters and that the city had violated the Clean Water Act. The city denied the claim. The lawsuit had sought to force the city to make repairs to keep pollutants out of creeks and rivers, and to charge the city $37,500 per violation per day. It also asked the city to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and expert fees. Riverkeeper said the discharges have affected how often its members use the Tennessee River and its tributaries for recreation. The discharges continued through at least early 2017, with more overflows reported later, according to the lawsuit and legal documents filed in the case.
Now, the lawsuit could be settled if the court approves and Oak Ridge makes at least $4 million in repairs by 2025 and pays more than $100,000 in attorneys’ fees. The settlement agreement was approved by City Council in May. A notice about the agreement was filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Thursday.
The largest overflows, by volume, were reported about two years before the city completed millions of dollars worth of repairs to its aging sewer system and built three large wastewater holding tanks after an order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010. The EPA order had required the city to bring itself into compliance with its discharge permit. However, the overflows continued even after the city said it had satisfied the conditions of the EPA order, according to the lawsuit, although the overflows appeared to be at a lower volume than in the summer of 2013.
Legal arguments in the case have included debate over whether Tennessee Riverkeeper has standing—someone who had been injured by the sewer system overflows—and whether the discharges have continued.
The rest of this story, which you will read only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
The Wheat community before the Manhattan Project during World War II in the area that is now west Oak Ridge. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)
You can learn about Wheat, a community before World War II, during a walk in west Oak Ridge on Saturday.
The walk will be led by a National Park Service ranger starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 5. The program will begin at Blair Road and the North Boundary Greenway.
Wheat was a community that existed in what is now west Oak Ridge before the city was built as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons, before Germany could.
Oak Ridge is one of three sites that are part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The other two are Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The National Park Service visitor center is pictured above at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The visitor center for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge re-opened on Tuesday.
The visitor center had been shut down for many months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The visitor center is at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge on West Outer Drive. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Oak Ridge is one of three sites that are part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The other two are Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. All three were part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs, before Germany could. The park tells the story of the workers and their missions during and after the war.
The Summer Sessions concert series produced by ORNL Federal Credit Union will return this summer after being canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The free concert series will kick off in July and continue through October, a press release said. It will feature bluegrass and Americana bands from throughout the region.
The first show will be held on Saturday, July 17, and it will feature Sierra Hull and Justin Moses. Hull, a native of Byrdstown, Tennessee, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who made her Opry debut at the age of 10, the press release said. Hull is married to and currently tours with Moses, a former member of Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder. Opening for Hull and Moses will be The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, a bluegrass band formed in the Great Smoky Mountains.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
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A 34-year-old Oak Ridge man has been accused of robbing the store at the Shell gas station on Emory Valley Road in May.
Arriean Latife O’Neal Kenebrew has been charged with aggravated robbery. He is accused of robbing the Bread Box food store at the Shell gas station on Emory Valley Road at about 10:10 p.m. May 2.
A 34-year-old Oak Ridge man has been accused of robbing the store at the Shell gas station on Emory Valley Road in May.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
Part of Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The City of Oak Ridge made its last debt payment for Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday, and monthly revenues increased at the golf course last year and are up significantly so far this year.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
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We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
Part of Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The City of Oak Ridge made its last debt payment for Tennessee Centennial Golf Course on Tuesday, and monthly revenues increased at the golf course last year and are up significantly so far this year.
Oak Ridge Today had reported in late 2015 that the city still owed about $3 million in debt-related bond payments on the golf course, and it was expected to be paid off in five years.
Part of Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge is pictured above on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The City of Oak Ridge made its last debt payment for Tennessee Centennial Golf Course in east Oak Ridge on Tuesday, and monthly revenues increased at the golf course last year and are up significantly so far this year.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
Oak Ridge senior Trent Howe finished third in discus in the TSSAA State Track and Field Championships in Rockvale on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Track and Field)
Oak Ridge senior Trent Howe finished third in the boys’ discus at the state championship track and field meet in Middle Tennessee on Thursday. Four Wildcats finished fifth in the boys’ 4×800-meter relay. And senior Adam Herron finished seventh in the 800-meter run.
Senior Eli Cox finished 10th in the boys’ 1600-meter run, and junior Jacob Berven finished 14th in the 100-meter dash.
The Oak Ridge boys’ 4×800-meter relay team (Manuel Cruz, Eli Cox, Eddie Moore, and Adam Herron) finished fifth in the state track and field championships in Rockvale on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Track and Field)
Here are the results for the Oak Ridge Wildcats from the 2021 TSSAA State Track and Field Championships on Thursday. These results are for the boys in the Division I large schools.
KNOXVILLE—A former emergency room doctor and ambulance medical director in Oak Ridge and Anderson County was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Thursday more than two years after he pleaded guilty in federal court to drug conspiracy and false statement charges.
U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer granted a request from Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne-Marie Svolto to lengthen the sentence for Michael A. LaPaglia to 18 months. The guideline range had been six to 12 months. Svolto said even 18 months might be considered too lenient. When he is released from prison, LaPaglia will be on supervised released for three years. He also has to pay restitution of about $5,000.
LaPaglia, who has been a doctor for almost 20 years, pleaded guilty to the two federal charges in an information in November 2018, meaning before he had been indicted by a grand jury.
His plea agreement said he had obtained pre-signed prescriptions from another doctor, and the other doctor also give LaPaglia blank prescriptions that LaPaglia filled out, forging the other doctor’s signature. Drug patients would pay LaPaglia and the other doctor $300 cash per month in exchange for the controlled-substance prescriptions. The prescriptions included diazepam; buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone; clonazepam, also known as Klonopin; and pregabalin, also known as Lyrica. The doctors distributed and dispensed the Schedule III, IV, and V drugs between March and September 2018, according to the plea agreement.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:
Oak Ridge Today P.O. Box 6064 Oak Ridge, TN 37831
We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.
We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.
Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!
Michael LaPaglia (File photo)
Note: This story was last updated at 12:30 p.m.
KNOXVILLE—A former emergency room doctor and ambulance medical director in Oak Ridge and Anderson County was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Thursday more than two years after he pleaded guilty in federal court to drug conspiracy and false statement charges.
Michael LaPaglia (File photo)
KNOXVILLE—A former emergency room doctor and ambulance medical director in Oak Ridge and Anderson County was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Thursday more than two years after he pleaded guilty in federal court to drug conspiracy and false statement charges.
U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer granted a request from Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne-Marie Svolto to lengthen the sentence for Michael A. LaPaglia to 18 months. The guideline range had been six to 12 months. Svolto said even 18 months might be considered too lenient. When he is released from prison, LaPaglia will be on supervised released for three years. He also has to pay restitution of about $5,000.
LaPaglia, who has been a doctor for almost 20 years, pleaded guilty to the two federal charges in an information in November 2018, meaning before he had been indicted by a grand jury.
His plea agreement said he had obtained pre-signed prescriptions from another doctor, and the other doctor also give LaPaglia blank prescriptions that LaPaglia filled out, forging the other doctor’s signature. Drug patients would pay LaPaglia and the other doctor $300 cash per month in exchange for the controlled-substance prescriptions. The prescriptions included diazepam; buprenorphine, also known as Suboxone; clonazepam, also known as Klonopin; and pregabalin, also known as Lyrica. The doctors distributed and dispensed the Schedule III, IV, and V drugs between March and September 2018, according to the plea agreement.
The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.
