Oak Ridge Today

Signing ceremony for Manhattan Project park on Nov. 10 in DC

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Hanford B Reactor

The Hanford B Reactor (Photo courtesy Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

By Atomic Heritage Foundation

The birthday of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, is now set for November 10, 2015.

While the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act became law on December 19, 2014, the Act requires that the Departments of Energy and Interior reach an agreement within a year of enactment on their respective roles in implementing the new park. At that time, the park will be officially established.

We understand that the Departments of Energy and the National Park Service leaders are close to an agreement. Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz and Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell are scheduled to have a signing ceremony on Tuesday, November 10, in Washington, D.C.

The Manhattan Project Park Act passed after the National Park Service’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget was in place, so the funds available in 2016 for NPS’s work on the park are limited to $180,000.

NPS Associate Director Victor Knox talked about 2016 as a transitional year for the new park, as the Park Service assumes management and focuses on how best to interpret the story of the Manhattan Project. The Department of Energy and its laboratories have been funding a variety of activities this year and have developed a five-year budget plan for restoring and providing public access to its historic assets. [Read more…]

Five TN veterans, including Kallio of Oak Ridge, to receive French Legion of Honor

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Melvin Kallio Family

Melvin Kallio, center, received a Bronze Star on Monday, April 6, 2015, 70 years after he fought in Colmar Pocket in France during World War II, south of the Battle of the Bulge. Kallio is pictured above with family and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge resident and World War II veteran Melvin E. Kallio is one of five Tennessee veterans who will receive the prestigious Legion of Honor Medal from France in a ceremony in Nashville in October.

“As an expression of France’s eternal gratitude to those who liberated it from oppression from 1944-1945, the Consul General of France to the U.S. Southeast, Denis Barbet, will bestow the Legion of Honor upon five WWII veterans from Tennessee,” said a press release from the Consulate General of France in Atlanta.

The National Order of the Legion of Honor is the highest honor conferred upon a French or foreign national in France. It was created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, and it recognizes eminent services to the French Republic.

American veterans who risked their lives during World War II and who fought on French territory qualify to be decorated as Knights of the Legion of Honor. Veterans must have fought in one of the four main campaigns of the Liberation of France: Normandy, Provence, Ardennes, or Northern France. Recipients of this honor are designated by the President of the Republic, François Hollande.

Kallio, who said he was 92 in April, fought in Colmar Pocket. He was a machine gunner in the 12th Armored Division, and he and other soldiers had been ready to fight at the Battle of the Bulge. [Read more…]

Trap and Skeet Fun Shoot in Oak Ridge to benefit Wounded Warrior Project

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Submitted

They left their homes to fight for their country. Some of them were wounded physically and some were injured emotionally. And while they came back unbroken in spirit, many of them still need help to finish their recovery.

Assisting both the wounded veterans and their families is a responsibility all Americans should consider undertaking. The sponsors and supporters of the Pull For Our VeteransTM are doing their part by hosting the 4th Annual Pull For Our Veterans Trap and Skeet Fun Shoot to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project on September 18-20.

The three-day long event includes a Law Enforcement and Wounded Veteran’s Shoot on Friday, September 18, followed by a two-day fun shoot among 100 shooters on September 19 and September 20. At least five wounded warriors are expected to participate in the event and 100 percent of the money generated from the event will go to the Wounded Warrior Project to aid our veterans. [Read more…]

ORNL to extend contract for uranium centrifuge work, but at reduced level; could require layoffs

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American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy USEC/Centrus Energy Corp.)

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory intends to extend its contract with Centrus Energy Corporation for research on uranium enrichment centrifuges, but at a reduced level, with funding cut by about 60 percent, the company said Friday. Layoffs could be required, Centrus said in a press release.

The contract extension continues technology development activities at Oak Ridge facilities for advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges, but revenues won’t be used for operations in Piketon, Ohio, the press release said.

The new contract will cover a one-year period from October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016, with the possibility for additional extensions, the release said.

It said the U.S. Department of Energy’s decision to provide reduced funding will support continued developments of the company’s American Centrifuge technology—which has long-term importance for national and energy security. [Read more…]

Attorney to discuss separation of government powers at DAR meeting

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The Clinch Bend Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution will celebrate Constitution Week with a discussion of the separation of government powers at their September 12 meeting.

The guest speaker will be attorney Tim Elrod of Ogle, Elrod, and Baril. Elrod will present “Separation of Powers: The Three Branches of Government and the Effect on Our Lives Today,” a press release said.

The meeting will start at 1 p.m. Saturday, September 12, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Oak Ridge.

For more information, contact www.tndar.org/~clinchbend or (865) 945-5605.

Corker column: Americans deserve to know where elected leaders stand on Iran deal

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U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

By Bob Corker

As I traveled across the Volunteer State during August, I spoke with many Tennesseans about the nuclear agreement between Iran, the United States, and other world powers. While opinions of the agreement vary, there is perhaps no greater geopolitical issue facing the world today than preventing a nuclear-armed Iran.

A strong agreement that would stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and stand the test of time was always the goal of these negotiations. That’s why when President Obama declared in 2012 that he would only accept a deal requiring Iran to “end their nuclear program,” there was hope that an agreement could win bipartisan support.

Since the administration reached an agreement in July, Congress has scrutinized it thoroughly to determine whether or not it achieves that goal.

In the coming days, the House of Representatives and Senate will debate and consider a resolution to disapprove of the administration’s Iran deal. And while we have known from the beginning that stopping a potential bad deal with Iran would be a heavy lift, many felt it was important for members of Congress—on behalf of those they represent—to carefully review and vote on any final agreement. [Read more…]

Photo: Sen. Alexander tours ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

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Lamar Alexander Tours ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

Craig Blue, CEO of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI); John Rivard, ORNL legislative fellow; and U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander examine the print platform of an additive manufacturing gantry during a tour of ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. (Photo by Genevieve Martin/ORNL)

 

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, toured the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley on Thursday, part of a trip to East Tennessee this week that also included stops in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

Read more about the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Highway should be renamed Oak Ridge Corridor, Alexander says

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

The highway that runs from Oak Ridge to the Knoxville airport should be renamed the Oak Ridge Corridor, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander said Thursday.

The highway starts in Oak Ridge as South Illinois Avenue, and it turns into Pellissippi Parkway.

Alexander, a former Tennessee governor, said he wants to give the area a signature like Research Triangle in North Carolina or Silicon Valley in California.

“I can think of no better calling card for a job recruiter than to be able to go anywhere in the world and say, ‘I’m from the Oak Ridge Corridor,'” the Tennessee Republican said in a press release after speaking to Rotary members at the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge. “In Anderson, Roane, and Knox counties, more than 40,000 people have graduate or professional degrees. This includes 1,600 scientists and engineers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, more than 1,000 PhDs at the University of Tennessee, and hundreds of engineers at Tennessee Valley Authority and at Y-12 National Security Complex. We are in the middle of one of our country’s most formidable concentrations of brainpower.” [Read more…]

ORNL manufacturing facility part of national effort to make innovations

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Penny Pritzker Tours ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, second from left, tours Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Hardin Valley on Thursday. Also pictured from left are IACMI CEO Craig Blue; Mark Johnson, director of DOE’s office of advanced manufacturing; Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero; and ORNL Director Thom Mason. They are standing next to a Shelby Cobra sports car that was 3D-printed at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

HARDIN VALLEY—The Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is part of a national effort to keep the United States on the cutting edge of research and manufacturing, a federal official said Thursday.

One-third of economic growth comes from innovations, and the United States must continue making new developments, said Penny Pritzker, U.S. commerce secretary.

“Research and manufacturing is not nice to have,” Pritzker said. “It’s a need to have.”

Pritzker toured the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Cherahala Boulevard in Hardin Valley on Thursday. It’s part of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation in Knoxville, which was announced by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden during a trip to East Tennessee in January. [Read more…]

Alexander to visit Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Johnson City this week

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander will visit Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Johnson City this week. The senator’s stops on Thursday include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Cherahala Boulevard in Knoxville and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The visits start at the Johnson City on Wednesday, where Alexander will deliver remarks at the Upper East Tennessee Chamber Luncheon and will be presented with the Spirit of Enterprise Award, which recognizes members of Congress who consistently cast votes that help businesses create jobs, a press release said.

Also Wednesday, the senator will visit Rocky Fork to commemorate the completion of efforts to protect the largest unprotected tract of land in the Southern Appalachians, the press release said. The Conservation Fund, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will host the event to celebrate the final transfer of land for inclusion into the Cherokee National Forest. [Read more…]

Commerce secretary to tour UT partner IACMI, ORNL manufacturing facility

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Penny Pritzker

Penny Pritzker

KNOXVILLE—On Thursday, August 27, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Department of Energy Assistant Secretary David Danielson will visit the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation in Knoxville.

The visit is part of a two-day tour of the institutes make up the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. Governor Bill Haslam, U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett will join Pritzker for portions of the day’s activities.

The group will tour the U.S. Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is a key strategic partner of IACMI and led the proposal efforts with ORNL.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced the new institute in January during a visit to East Tennessee. The White House initiative aims to strengthen the global competitiveness of America’s manufacturing sector and the workforce. The NNMI now has six institutes, and three more are being formed. [Read more…]

U.S. attorneys, law enforcement target heroin, opioid trafficking, overdoses

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Bill Killian

William C. “Bill” Killian

DETROIT—U.S. attorneys and leaders of federal law enforcement agencies from across six states met in Detroit on August 26, 2015, to share strategies to combat the heroin and prescription pill epidemic across the region.

U.S. Attorney William C. Killian of the Eastern District of Tennessee was among those who attended.

The summit was called in response to the national epidemic of heroin and prescription pill abuse that has hit Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, particularly hard. Heroin overdose deaths in the United States have tripled from 2010 to 2013. Nationally, the number of deaths from all drug overdoses exceeded 43,000 last year, more deaths than from traffic accidents. Heroin use in the United States has doubled from 2007 to 2012.

In the Midwest, opioid deaths have increased 62 percent. The summit seeks to target this national and regional problem by dismantling drug trafficking organizations that distribute heroin and prescription pills and by increasing prevention and educational efforts. [Read more…]