• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Closures announced due to weather

Posted at 9:31 am December 27, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Government offices and other organizations have announced they will be closed or opening late Tuesday due to the weather.

The Anderson County Family Justice Center is closed, and Anderson County government offices are closed.

The Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office is closed.

City of Oak Ridge offices are opening three hours late, at 11 a.m.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Community, Government, Weather Tagged With: closures, weather

City offices opening 3 hours late

Posted at 8:32 am December 27, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

City of Oak Ridge offices will open three hours late on Tuesday because of the snowy weather and icy conditions.

City offices will open at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Essential employees will be required to report at their regular time, the city said.

Filed Under: Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: city offices, Oak Ridge, weather

Y-12 replacing old, high-risk water lines

Posted at 9:38 am December 26, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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)

Sixty-year-old water lines are being replaced at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and 27 of the old lines are identified as high-risk and a Top 10 threat.

Work to replace the pipes began in July 2022 and will continue in April 2023, according to an emailed response to questions provided by spokesperson Kathryn King. The water line replacements are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2025 at a projected cost of $38.9 million. The old cast iron pipes will be replaced with new ductile iron pipes.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Front Page News, Premium Content, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CNS, Consolidated Nuclear Security, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, DNFSB, Kathryn King, National Nuclear Security Administration, water lines, Y-12 National Security Complex

Temps could stay below freezing through Christmas

Posted at 10:13 am December 24, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The extreme cold wind chills will continue much of the day on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. When going outside, dress appropriately. Wear several layers of clothes, coat, hat, and gloves. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

Temperatures could stay below freezing through Christmas, and a wind chill warning remains in effect for Oak Ridge through early Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

The wind chill warning expires at 1 p.m. Saturday. The NWS forecast said wind chill values could range between -3 and 7 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds of between 5 and 10 miles per hour. Scattered snow flurries are possible between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday.

The high Saturday is forecast near 22. The low Saturday night is forecast at 12.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Weather Tagged With: fire prevention, National Weather Service, NWS, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, snow, temperature, wind chill

TVA: Power supply set record Friday

Posted at 9:26 am December 24, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Fossil Plant is pictured above at the Clinch River in Claxton on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Tennessee Valley Authority said it delivered a record amount of power on Friday and set a winter record for peak power demand.

TVA supplied 740 gigawatt-hours, or 740 million kilowatt-hours, during a 24-hour period on Friday, December 23. That’s more energy supplied than at any other time in its 89-year history, TVA said.

The cold also produced a winter record for peak power demand of 33,425 megawatts at 7 p.m. Central time, when the region-wide average temperature was 9 degrees, TVA said.

“Record-setting temperatures across the region continue to put intense pressure on the power system,” TVA said in a press release. “The Tennessee Valley Authority and local power companies (worked) around the clock in difficult conditions to meet this extreme demand.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Don Moul, power, power demand, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

Updated: TVA ends rolling blackouts

Posted at 7:32 am December 24, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m.

Mandatory rolling power blackouts continued in Oak Ridge and across the region Saturday morning. The City of Oak Ridge announced at about 11:40 a.m. Saturday that the power outages had been terminated.

Here is the previous story:

The blackouts will affect 10 percent of customers at a time, and power outages will last about 30 minutes, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. That’s a larger percentage of customers who will be affected by the Saturday outages than the ones on Friday, when about 2 percent of Oak Ridge customers were affected.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides power to the City of Oak Ridge, said the blackouts are necessary because of the extreme weather conditions, according to the press release. The power demand is high as temperatures have dropped into the single digits in what has been called a “once-in-a-generation” storm.

TVA said the power demand is among its highest in its nearly 90-year history. Typical power demands for December are around 24,000 megawatts. On Friday, power demands surpassed 33,000 megawatts, TVA said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: blackouts, City of Oak Ridge, Don Moul, extreme weather, power outages, rolling blackouts, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

TWRA tests birds after dead vultures reported

Posted at 10:55 am December 23, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A black vulture is pictured above perching on a tree between Edgemoor Road and Haw Ridge across from the Bull Run Fossil Plant on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has tested birds after black vultures were reported dead between Edgemoor Road and Haw Ridge, but the state agency does not have test results yet.

On Thursday, Oak Ridge Today counted at least a dozen dead birds in the brush and submerged near the shoreline along the concrete portion of the trail across from the Bull Run Fossil Plant. There were also at least four dozen live vultures perched nearby in trees close to the high-voltage power lines from Bull Run.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Health, Premium Content, State, Top Stories Tagged With: avian flu, bird flu, black vulture, Emily Buck, Haw Ridge, highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI, Joe Benedict, Matthew Cameron, Samantha Beaty, Scott Dykes, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TWRA

NWS: Dangerous wind chills possible

Posted at 2:03 pm December 21, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

Dangerous wind chills are possible from Thursday to Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.

The temperature could drop to 11 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday night, 5 degrees on Friday night, and 9 degrees on Saturday night, according to the NWS forecast for Oak Ridge.

And there could be wind gusts of up to 20-30 miles per hour between Thursday night and Saturday, the Oak Ridge forecast said, making the outside air temperature feel even colder.

Wind chills in the area between Knoxville and Kingston could range between -10 and -12 from Friday morning to mid-Saturday, the NWS said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Slider, Weather, Weather Tagged With: National Weather Service, NWS, Oak Ridge, snow, wind chill, wind chill watch

Packard accused of filing false tax returns

Posted at 12:27 pm December 19, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Russell Barker, who is now Anderson County sheriff, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force executes search warrants at McGuire Used Books on Thursday afternoon, May 24, 2018. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Already charged with money laundering and retail crime, an Oak Ridge business manager has been accused by the state of filing false tax returns and not paying sales taxes.

John McGuire Packard, 38, was indicted on nine counts by the Anderson County Grand Jury in June. The indictment charged him with one count of evade/defeat use tax for each month from September 2017 to May 2018. Those are Class E felonies.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Courts, Front Page News, Government, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Slider, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, David Gerregano, evade/defeat use tax, filing false tax returns, John McGuire Packard, Justin Bell, Kelly Cortesi, McGuire Books, money laundering, organized retail crime, Packard's, Tennessee Department of Revenue

NRC will prepare environmental statement for nuclear fuel facility

Posted at 4:26 pm December 17, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TRISO-X has proposed a nuclear fuel fabrication facility on 110 acres at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. (Photo from TRISO-X environmental report to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Friday that it will prepare an environmental impact statement for a proposed nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge that could help power advanced reactors for electrical and chemical use, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The project could partially benefit from last year’s federal infrastructure law, specifically about $1.1 billion appropriated for a clean energy supply.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, advanced reactors, ARDP, EIS, environmental impact statement, fuel fabrication facility, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, infrastructure law, NRC, nuclear fuel, nuclear fuel facility, nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, TF3, TRISO fuel, TRISO-X, TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, uranium fuel, X-energy, Xe-100

Man sentenced to 11 years for attempted rape with knife

Posted at 11:51 am December 17, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Michael C. Simonds

A 42-year-old man was sentenced to 11 years on Monday after being convicted of attempted aggravated rape in Anderson County during a jury trial in June.

It was the same sentence the prosecution had asked for, with the time to be served in prison.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Courts, Front Page News, Police and Fire, Premium Content, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Criminal Court, Anderson County Sheriff's Department, Ann Coria, Anthony Craighead, attempted aggravated rape, Christopher Paul, Michael Christopher Simonds, Ryan Spitzer

Lawsuit filed by terminated employee who refused COVID-19 vaccine

Posted at 4:01 pm December 16, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Howard H. Baker Jr. United States Courthouse is pictured above in Knoxville on Jan. 19, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A lawsuit was filed this year against a federal contractor in Oak Ridge that terminated an employee after she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

In her lawsuit, the former employee argued that it is illegal under state law to compel her to provide proof of vaccination if she objects to the vaccine.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Courts, Courts, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, United States Tagged With: COVID-19 requirements, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 vaccine, lawsuit, proof of vaccination, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, UCOR, vaccination, vaccination requirements, vaccine mandate, Yolonda Riggs

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • ORISE announces winners of 2025 Future of Science Awards
  • SL Tennessee Supports New Anderson County Chamber Headquarters
  • ORAU 2025 Pollard Scholarship recipients announced
  • Democratic Womens Club Hosts State Rep. Sam McKenzie
  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Womens Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karens Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need, said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way taking care of each other. ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###

Recent Comments

  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Mysti M Desilva on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Mel Schuster on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Cecil King on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Rick Morrow on Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
  • Diana lively on Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25
  • Anne Garcia on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student
  • Raymond Dickover on Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center now open 6 days per week
  • Mike Mahathy on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today