Oak Ridge Today

Manhattan Project: Ride with a ranger on North Boundary Greenway on Saturday

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You can join a National Park Service park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway on Saturday, May 25, 2019, to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 75 years. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

You can join a National Park Service park ranger for a bike ride on the North Boundary Greenway on Saturday to see how the former communities of the area have changed during the past 75 years.

It’s a free program presented by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The bike ride will start at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Turnpike Gatehouse and travel down Big Oak Trail and North Boundary Road, a press release said.

“Along the ride, we will explore the former communities that were here before the Manhattan Project,” the press release said. “Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area.”

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Graduation Celebration for high school graduates on May 30

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Graduation Celebration 2018 — Card Games (Photo courtesy Graduation Celebration)

The 22nd Annual Oak Ridge Graduation Celebration—a free, all-night party for high school graduates in the city—will be held Thursday, May 30, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It will start at 10 p.m., according to event organizers.

The party, which goes until May 31 at 5 a.m., is aimed at keeping graduates safe in an alcohol- and drug-free environment while celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime event. Since the party’s inception in 1997, not one traffic accident involving a student has occurred on graduation night in Oak Ridge, and nearly 6,000 students have participated, a press release said.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” said Debbie Magill, chair of the planning committee. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about students, is proud of their accomplishments, and wants them to be safe on graduation night. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.”

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Emergency workers: State your location when calling 911 from cell phone

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The Oak Ridge 911 Dispatch Center is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge emergency workers and dispatchers are urging the community to remember a potentially life-saving step when calling 911 from a cell phone: immediately state your location to the dispatcher.

“The Oak Ridge fire and police departments are working to share this important information after incidents involving cell signals were routed to the wrong 911 center, potentially delaying emergency response,” a press release said.

Emergency service organizations (fire, police, ambulance, and dispatch) and 911 callers have no control over which cell tower is used by an individual’s phone. If you are making a 911 call from your cell phone, you should always advise the dispatcher of the city and/or county you are calling from and your exact location, the press release said.

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Graham, Van Berkel the No. 2 seeds in state track meet

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Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham placed second in the boys 100-meter dash with a time of 10.90 seconds in the Division I Large Section 1 Championships at Hardin Valley Academy on May 11, 2019, qualifying for a spot in the state track meet in Murfreesboro on Thursday, May 23. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge High School Track and Field Head Coach Tom Sauer)

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Graham is the number two seed in the boys 100-meter dash in the state track and field meet on Thursday, and senior Erin Van Berkel is the number two seed in girls discus.

Graham had the second-best time—10.90 seconds—in the boys 100-meter dash during the Division 1 Large Section 1 Championships at Hardin Valley Academy on May 11.

The top seed in the state meet in the boys 100-meter dash, Elijah Young, a junior at South-Doyle High School, also comes from Section 1. Young had the fastest time, 10.76 seconds, at the sectional championships at Hardin Valley on May 11.

Oak Ridge senior Erin Van Berkel placed second in the girls discus at the TSSAA Division I Large Section I Championships at Hardin Valley Academy on May 11, 2019, with a throw of 117′ 9″, advancing her to the state track and field championship meet in Murfreesboro for the second straight year. (Photo courtesy Gary J. Van Berkel)

Van Berkel had the second-best throw—117 feet and 9 inches—at the sectional championships at Hardin Valley earlier this month.

As in the boys 100-meter dash, the top seed in the state meet in girls discus also comes from Section 1. The top seed is Jefferson County High School junior Jaycee Schroeder, who had a throw of 127-10 on May 11.

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NRC still reviewing early site permit for Clinch River Nuclear Site

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Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016
The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. The Bear Creek Road entrance to the Clinch River Site, where the reactors could be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is pictured above on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is still reviewing a permit application for a site in west Oak Ridge where two or more small modular nuclear reactors could be built.

The application for the early site permit for the Clinch River Nuclear Site was submitted by the Tennessee Valley Authority on May 12, 2016. The application was supplemented by a revision on January 18, 2019, the NRC said in a notice published in the Federal Register on Friday.

The 935-acre Clinch River Nuclear Site is located in the Roane County portion of Oak Ridge along the Clinch River.

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Oak Ridge soccer season ends at Farragut

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Oak Ridge lost 3-0 at Farragut in a Region 2-AAA semifinal soccer game on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. Pictured above making a save is Oak Ridge goalkeeper Bryson Brown (1). Also pictured is Demarcus Wright (12) of Oak Ridge and Zach Lowe (6) of Farragut. (Photo credit: Carlos Reveiz/crfoto.com)

FARRAGUT—Farragut senior Wes Jeter scored a hat trick—three goals—as the Admirals eliminated Oak Ridge from the soccer playoffs in a 3-0 regional semifinal shutout on Tuesday.

It was the second year in a row that the Wildcats’ season ended in a Region 2-AAA semifinal loss at Farragut, although last year’s score was closer, 3-2.

Jeter scored his first goal in the first half on Tuesday. He scored his next two goals about three minutes apart halfway through the second half. Jeter scored the second goal as he curled into the middle of the field from the left side and drilled a line drive shot past diving Oak Ridge goalkeeper Bryson Brown. Farragut scored its last goal after passing the ball from left to right near the net and then back out front to Jeter, a senior forward, who kicked in another low shot.

The Admirals have been described as a senior-laden team, while the Wildcats have had a lot of young players this year. Four to five freshman started most of the year, with some sophomores sprinkled in.

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Oak Ridge city manager earns doctorate degree from UT

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Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson received his doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Tennessee on Thursday, May 9, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson received his doctorate degree in philosophy from the University of Tennessee on Thursday, May 9. In March, Watson successfully defended his dissertation titled “City Managers, Mayors and Councilmembers: Local Stability in Tennessee.”

“It has always been a belief of mine for continuous learning, and being close to the University of Tennessee allowed me to fulfill the heights of my profession while learning new technical and research skills along the way,” Watson said in a press release on Monday. “I shall continue to use those skills in serving Oak Ridge in the years ahead. It has been quite a seven-year academic journey while working full time as a city manager.”

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Soccer: Wildcats finish second in district, play in region semifinal today

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Oak Ridge played Karns in the District 3-AAA boys soccer championship at Karns on Thursday, May 9, 2019. Pictured above at center is Oak Ridge’s Nathan Kidder (9). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m.

KARNS—Oak Ridge and Karns met for the second year in a row in the District 3-AAA championship, and the Beavers won for the second year in a row.

Last year is the first time that anyone can remember Karns winning the district soccer championship. That game was played at Oak Ridge, and Karns won 3-2.

This year’s game was played at Karns on Thursday, and the Beavers shut out Oak Ridge 3-0.

Senior striker Edson Castro, who scored the game-winner for Karns last year, scored the first two goals for the Beavers on Thursday. Castro, the leading scorer for Karns, also assisted in the third and final goal.

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Tennis: Wildcats win district doubles, singles championships

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats brother duo of Ethan, right, and Andrew Brady, left, earned a District 3 doubles tennis championship with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Anderson County’s Sheev Patel and Carter Utley on Tuesday night, May 7, 2019. (Photo courtesy David Bowman)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats brother duo of Ethan and Andrew Brady earned a District 3 doubles tennis championship with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Anderson County’s Sheev Patel and Carter Utley on Tuesday night, Oak Ridge Coach David Bowman said.

Also, Lady Wildcat Paulina Urbanowicz was a finalist in the girl’s singles championship match, losing a two-hour, 45-minute thriller 3-6, 6-0, 6-7(3) to Matti Bray of Halls, Bowman said.

Plus, Oak Ridge fans at the tournament saw District 3 singles champion Andrew Lee top Clinton’s Cole Hedden 6-3, 6-3 in the boy’s final, Bowman said.

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Softball: Oak Ridge to play Karns in elimination game

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The 2019 District 3-AAA softball tournament bracket is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Karns Softball)

Oak Ridge will play Karns in an elimination game in the District 3-AAA softball tournament at Powell tonight.

The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Monday, May 6.

Oak Ridge, the number seven seed in the district tournament, finished the regular season 18-17-1, according to the team record posted on CoachT.com.

The Lady Wildcats were bumped into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination softball tournament with a 15-0 loss to Powell (32-6), the number two seed, on Thursday night, and they upset Central (3-24-1), the number six seed, in an elimination game late Saturday morning to keep their playoff hopes alive.

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Four new stores at Main Street could generate more than $600,000 in tax revenues, city says

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A revised master plan for Main Street Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission was to discuss the proposed revisions during a work session on Thursday, April 11, 2019.

The four new stores at Main Street Oak Ridge could create 150 jobs and generate more than $600,000 in sales and property tax revenues for Oak Ridge and Anderson County, according to calculations by the city’s economic development consultant.

The estimated new revenues could include $572,096 in sales tax revenues and $116,965 in property tax revenues for Oak Ridge and Anderson County, according to the calculations. The portion of new sales tax revenues for just Oak Ridge could total $385,158, according to the calculations.

The four new stores are part of a revised plan for Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

A new version of that plan is scheduled to be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday. The economic benefit calculations for the new stores are included in the agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

Here is the specific breakdown of the economic benefits of the four new stores, which could total 75,000 square feet, according to the calculations:

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Deadline today to vote in student manufacturing competition

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The videos are in, and it is now time to vote in Anderson County’s “Dream it. Do it.” middle school competition.

The program is in its fourth year, and it includes six schools from Anderson County and Oak Ridge school systems.

“Dream it. Do it.” is sponsored by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, Anderson County and Oak Ridge schools, and Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC. The competition is designed to bring student awareness of job opportunities in advanced manufacturing, a press release said.

Using GoPro cameras provided by CNS, six teams of eighth-graders were paired with area industries to create videos about the companies, the press release said. These videos are now posted online for public voting.

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