Oak Ridge Today

With deadline looming, supporters hopeful that Manhattan Project parks legislation will pass

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park House Hearing

Pictured above at a June 28, 2012, U.S. House hearing on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act are, from front left, Cindy Kelly, Atomic Heritage Foundation president; Heather McClenahan, executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society; and D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian. Gary Petersen, Tri-City Development Council vice president, is pictured in the background. (Photo courtesy of Atomic Heritage Foundation.

An amendment introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday includes the creation of a long-sought-after Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge, and supporters are hopeful that the legislation, which has bipartisan support, will pass before the end of the legislative session.

The bill appears to have a “really good chance of moving forward,” said Kati Schmidt, spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association.

Besides Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park would also include Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. Those three areas were among the sites involved in the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

There is currently no national park commemorating the project, which is considered one of the most significant events of the 20th century. Historic preservationists, including in Oak Ridge and at the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., have tried for years to change that. [Read more…]

All-District football accolades announced: Gaddis is Coach of the Year

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis and Team

Oak Ridge Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis and his football team celebrate an October win in a post-game huddle. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The All-District 3AAA football team for 2014 was announced last week as were individual postseason honors.

The Coach of the Year is Oak Ridge’s Joe Gaddis.

Anderson County’s Matt Fox was named Player of the Year, while Campbell County’s Ethan Jeffers was named Offensive Player of the Year and Gibbs’ Hunter Lane was named Defensive Player of the Year.

Lineman of the Year honors went to Oak Ridge’s Alex Alcorn, the D3AAA Newcomer of the Year was Oak Ridge’s Tee Higgins, and the Specialist of the Year was Oak Ridge’s Brandon Nickle. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Oak Ridge firefighter completes grueling smoke diver class

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Steve London

Steve London

Part of being a successful firefighter is the ability to control fear—and rely on skills that must be constantly renewed and sharpened.

An Oak Ridge firefighter recently completed one of the most grueling courses designed to teach survival techniques, and he will be training other Oak Ridge firefighters soon.

Thirty-nine firefighters from several departments qualified to begin this punishing six-day course, but only 12 of those finished the class. The Georgia Smoke Diver course, conducted by the Georgia Fire Academy and the Georgia Smoke Diver Association, is a six-day, 60-hour program designed for experienced firefighters who want realistic training in skills including firefighter rescue, thermal imaging, teamwork, discipline, and situational awareness.

One of the 12 firefighters who finished the class was Steve London of the Oak Ridge Fire Department. London holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in environmental studies, and he is a firefighter/paramedic for the City of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

EPA: Oak Ridge is a Green Power Community of the Year

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ORNL Bethel Valley Solar Array

Construction was completed in 2008 on a 288-foot-long, 51.25 kilowatt solar system (second-largest in Tennessee) that will supply power to the office building that houses researchers associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s buildings technology programs. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge has been recognized as a Green Power Community of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Oak Ridge is one of only two cities to receive the award. The other is Medford, Oregon.

Oak Ridge is one of 19 Green Power Partners and four suppliers from across the country receiving Green Leadership Awards given each year by the EPA. Awardees are recognized for their achievements in advancing the nation’s renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change, a press release said.

The 2014 Green Power Leadership Awards will be presented on Wednesday, December 3, at the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Sacramento, California. [Read more…]

Public invited to speak live with Roane State educators living underwater

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Aquanaut Chat

Roane State professor Bruce Cantrell, right, interviews astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Gernhardt during a live episode of Classroom Under the Sea. Cantrell and Roane State adjunct professor Jessica Fain, who are living underwater for 73 days, will be available to speak live with community members on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

 

Two Roane State Community College educators living underwater for 73 days will share their experiences and answer questions during a live video chat session on Tuesday, December 2, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

The session will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 107 in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The public is invited to talk with biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain, who will be chatting from the underwater habitat where they have lived since October 3.

Cantrell and Fain are staying in Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys. They have faced the psychological challenge of living 25 feet underwater in a space that’s 300 square feet and the physical challenge of living without sunlight. They will resurface December 15. [Read more…]

Workshop will address ‘The Basics of Negotiation for Women’

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Mary Mahoney

Mary Mahoney

A University of Tennessee expert will discuss “The Basics of Negotiation for Women” during a free forum on Tuesday, December 2, at 3:30 p.m. at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The forum—presented by the Social Science, Business, and Education Division—will be held in room 107 in the new Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building. The public is invited.

The speaker is Mary Mahoney, assistant director of recruiting for the University of Tennessee Career Services. [Read more…]

Y-12 prepared for possible Ferguson-related protests, but none reported

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Y-12 Prepares Ferguson Protest Preparations

The Y-12 National Security Complex and City of Oak Ridge prepared for possible protests related to the announcement of the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri, on Monday night. Y-12 had appeared on a list of possible Ferguson-related demonstration sites, but there didn’t appear to have been any protests at Y-12 as of Tuesday afternoon.

 

The Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge and regional law enforcement agencies had prepared for possible protests at Y-12 on Monday, when the grand jury decision was announced in Ferguson, Missouri, but there didn’t appear to have been any protests at the Oak Ridge plant as of Tuesday afternoon.

Y-12 had appeared among a list of demonstration sites on the Ferguson National Response Network Web page. The Y-12 protest was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Monday, the day of the grand jury announcement, and demonstrators were asked to bring cell phones, cameras, signs, and megaphones.

But there didn’t appear to be anyone near the Scarboro road entrance to Y-12 at about 6:30 p.m. Monday or later at about 9:30 p.m. Scarboro Road was hemmed in on one side by Y-12’s temporary fence and on the other by City of Oak Ridge traffic barrels, cones, and police tape. Temporary barricades were erected to block Y-12’s entrances, and concrete barriers inside the main entrance appeared to have been angled in the roadway to deter or slow down unwanted visitors. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge city manager hires assistant

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Bruce Appleton

Bruce Applegate

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson has hired an assistant.

Bruce M. Applegate Jr. will help the city manager plan, organize, develop, coordinate, maintain, and direct the overall operations and activities of the city, a press release said. He will help provide supervision for special projects and task forces, and participate in the recruitment and promotion of new and existing businesses and industries. In addition, he will assist in developing, planning, and implementing goals and objectives for the city. Applegate’s employment will become effective December 1.

“I am excited to join the staff of the City of Oak Ridge,” Applegate said. “I am eager to begin working with the city staff to address the upcoming projects aimed at bettering the community. The variety of tasks will give me an opportunity to engage with both city officials and community members to appropriately create solutions to meet Oak Ridge’s needs. I feel fortunate to be joining the city, and look forward to demonstrating my appreciation through hard work….Having gone to school in Oak Ridge, I relish the opportunity to give back to a city that has given to me.” [Read more…]

League of Women Voters receives $20,000 national grant

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League of Women Voters Logo

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has received a $20,000 national grant that will fund an educational project for young adults (30 years or under) on hazardous waste management. The project is titled the Environmental Management Education Initiative Project.

The grant is made possible through the New Mexico Community Foundation’s Community Involvement Fund and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The purpose of the project is to expand the knowledge and understanding of these young people about the environmental management process and remediation actions in the Oak Ridge community.

The project will consist of two educational sub-projects: a Citizen’s Academy and a Rainbow Academy, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge leaf pickup starts Monday

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City of Oak Ridge Seal

The annual citywide leaf pickup program will begin Monday, November 24.

City collection efforts will follow the schedule below as closely as possible, a press release said. The proposed schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably from the actual schedule due to the amount of leaves and weather conditions.

Here are a few guidelines for the program: [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic needs volunteer nurses

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Free Medical Clinic

The Free Medical Clinic in Oak Ridge needs nurses and is offering active and retired nurses a great opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering. FMC provides high quality primary health care to low-income, uninsured people in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties. Various shifts are available.

“Nursing at FMC is a true joy,” said Monica Musrock, director of nurses. “The art of nursing is practiced in a warm and supportive environment. We take the time to provide excellent care for our patients who would otherwise go without. Four hours is all it takes to directly impact the health care crisis in our community. Your skill and compassion can make a difference. And we have fun to boot! You never know who you might find here. Many old friendships have been rekindled here at FMC.”

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of the clinic,” said FMC Executive Director Teresa Brittain. “The use of volunteer physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals allow us to keep costs low while providing free care. Many of our patients are facing unimaginable hardships, but they’re the lucky ones, the ones who have been able to get care. But the demand is getting higher. We simply need more nurses.” [Read more…]

Woman, dog escape, but house burns in Thursday fire

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Holbrook Lane House Fire

A woman and her dog escaped with no injuries from this house fire on Holbrook Lane between Oak Ridge and Clinton on Wednesday evening, but the home was heavily damaged and possibly destroyed. (Photos by Tom Scott)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:50 p.m. Nov. 21 with a possible cause of the fire.

A woman and her dog escaped a raging house fire on Holbrook Lane on Thursday evening, but the home was heavily damaged and possibly destroyed. It was the third house fire between Oak Ridge and Clinton in less than two weeks, and the second in two days.

Flames were shooting through the roof of the hilltop home at 309 Holbrook Lane when firefighters arrived, said Stephanie Fox, assistant chief of the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department. Thick smoke billowed high into the air, and a dark plume could be seen as far away as Oak Ridge. Firefighters battled the blaze using what is known as a defensive attack, meaning they didn’t go inside.

Fox said the homeowner, whose identity wasn’t immediately available, was downstairs when the fire started. She heard glass break and went upstairs and saw flames, Fox said. The woman, estimated to be in her 50s, went back downstairs to get her dog and exited the house through the door of the walk-out basement. She was not taken to the hospital and was going to stay with relatives overnight, Fox said. [Read more…]