Oak Ridge Today

Reception for new Roane State president on Tuesday

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Chris Whaley

Chris Whaley

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will host a reception on Tuesday for Chris Whaley, the new president of Roane State Community College.

The hour-long reception starts at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Whaley is Roane State’s fifth president, a press release said. He succeeds Gary Goff, who retired Oct. 31 after leading the college for seven years.

Whaley is a Roane State graduate. After three years in private practice as an attorney, he returned to the college in 1997 as program director of the A.A.S. Paralegal Studies program, a position he held through 2002.

Since then, he has worked his way up through other administrative positions at the college, the release said. He was named dean of social science, business, and education in 2002, and in 2010, he was promoted to vice president of student learning/chief academic officer. Whaley has also taught as an assistant professor, associate professor, and full professor of legal studies, and he continues to teach.

Whaley earned his associate’s degree in social science from Roane State, a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middle Tennessee State University, and the doctor of jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Roane State is hosting receptions for Whaley at the college’s nine campuses. The first reception was held Nov. 1 at the main campus in Harriman, and more events are planned for the next few weeks.

Ranked the 27th best community college in the nation by StateUniversity.com, Roane State has campuses in Crossville, Harriman, Huntsville, Jamestown, Knoxville, LaFollette, Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, and Wartburg.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

For more information about the receptions, call (865) 882-4507 or (865) 882-4501.

Guest minister to speak on Jewish inclusion in Unitarian Universalism

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Marti Keller

Marti Keller

During a Sunday sermon, an Atlanta minister will discuss the experiences of Unitarian Universalists who identify as Jewish and the “rich possibilities that they offer in terms of cultural and religious diversity,” a press release said.

The sermon by Rev. Marti Keller, titled “Outside the Cathedral Walls,” starts at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“This topic was the subject of my honors thesis for my master of divinity degree at Emory University, and an area of interest for me as a parish and community minister over the past almost 15 years, serving UU congregations and interfaith agencies in the South,” Keller said.

The press release said Keller is a minister on staff at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, focusing on social justice, denominational work, small group ministry, and adult education. She is the former president of UUs for Jewish Awareness, is a member of the planning committee for the second national gathering of Jewish UUs and their allies scheduled for Winter 2014, and co-editor of the upcoming “Let Us be Counted: Jewish Voices in Unitarian Universalism”, a collection of essays and reflections to be published by Skinner House Press in 2014.

More information on Keller can be found online at www.revmartikeller.com.

For more information on Keller’s visit, call the ORUUC office at (865) 483- 6761. To learn more about the ORUUC visit online at www.oruuc.org.

ORUUC is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike (traffic light #11) in Oak Ridge.

The release said ORUUC is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, a denomination that welcomes people of diverse spiritual understanding to gather in community to “stand on the side of love.” Among the ancestors of Unitarian Universalism are this nation’s Puritan founders, whose efforts to affirm freedom of religion included “The Cambridge Platform,” written in 1648, which laid out the democratic principles of congregational self-governance that ORUUC still follows today, in 2012.

Magic Wok damaged by smoke, could be closed few days

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Oak Ridge Fire Department at Magic Wok

Oak Ridge firefighters check for “hot spots” on the roof after responding to a fire alarm at the Magic Wok restaurant on Tyler Road on Thursday night.

The Magic Wok restaurant could be closed a few days after food was left cooking on a stove unattended Thursday night, causing minor damage to the building, mostly smoke damage, Oak Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to a possible fire call at the popular restaurant on Tyler Road at 10:46 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters didn’t see any flames, but they found smoke and high temperatures.

They used water cannons—fire extinguishers filled with water—to cool the restaurant’s interior. They also checked the roof for hot spots, including by cutting a corner of the roof.

Firefighters stayed at the scene for about two hours and ensured the temperature of building materials dropped below 80 degrees and there was no more smoke, a fire report said.

Waldo said 15 firefighters responded, and no one was injured. Damage was estimated at about $7,000 to property and contents.

Waldo said the Magic Wok, which is owned by Betty and Jim Wong, will be closed for minor repairs and general cleanup, and the restaurant will have to be re-inspected by code enforcement officers and health department inspectors before it can re-open.

Oak Ridge Symphony presents Veterans Day concert Sunday

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John Becker

John Becker

The Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present a Veterans Day concert on Sunday in Maryville.

World War II veterans will be admitted free, and all other veterans can enjoy the concert at a reduced price, a press release said.

John Becker, WBIR news anchor, will narrate “The Greatest Generation” by Greg Danner, a composer from Cookeville, Tenn. Since April 2008, Becker has produced the TV series “Service and Sacrifice” on the lives of East Tennessee veterans.

ORSO will open the concert with “The Star Spangled Banner” (lyrics by Francis Scott Key and melody by John Stafford Smith) and close it with Morton Gould’s “American Salute” and Robert Lowden’s “Armed Forces Salute.”

The Oak Ridge Chorus, accompanied by ORSO, will sing Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana,” which provides a choral setting for seven poems by Robert Frost (1874-1963). These poems take a nostalgic look at New England country life.

The chorus and orchestra also will play John Williams’ “Hymn to the Fallen” (from the movie “Saving Private Ryan”).

 The theme of the concert is “American Celebration,” and the theme of the season is “Tennessee Sounds Good to Me” in celebration of Tennessee composers and performers.

The concert starts at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Clayton Center for the Arts at Maryville College, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway.

Tickets can be purchased at the door for $25 (adult), $10 (college students 19 years or older, with ID), and $5 (students 18 years and younger).

Schedule, ticket and concert information, as well as driving directions to Maryville College, are available on the ORCMA website at www.orcma.org. To renew a season subscription or become a new subscriber at a discount, call the ORCMA office at (865) 483-5569.

AARP gives Emory Valley Center $1,000 on behalf of former lawmaker

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Former state Rep. Gene Caldwell earned $1,000 as one of three finalists for an AARP community service award, and he donated the money to the Emory Valley Center, a press release said.

The money will be used to help replace an Emory Valley Center building that will be demolished, the press release said. The center is raising money to replace the 55-year-old building, which serves intellectually and developmentally disabled children and adults in East Tennessee, and Caldwell is co-chairing the capital campaign.

Caldwell was one of three finalists for the 2012 AARP Tennessee Andrus Award for Community Service, which earned him $1,000 for the charity of his choice, the press release said.

“This is about leaving a legacy for our most vulnerable citizens, many of whom were my patients,” said Caldwell, who is also a retired pediatrician. “To see them find identities, friendships, and meaningful work changes their outlook and behavior—and it lifts a tremendous burden from the hearts of their parents.”

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, nominated Caldwell for the award, saying he “has been a tireless advocate for children, seniors and the disabled, and has contributed immeasurably to his community.”

Emory Valley Center President Jennifer Enderson said the AARP recognition was well-deserved.

“Emory Valley Center is so thankful for all that Dr. Caldwell has done on behalf of the center,” she said. “He is truly amazing.”

The press release said this is the second year that AARP has given money to charities chosen by the top three Andrus award finalists. Caldwell was among more than 30 people from across the state nominated for the award.

“As someone who has known Dr. Caldwell for years and has seen the work he has done for his community and this state, it was an honor to recognize him for his commitment and passion for helping others,” said AARP Tennessee Communications Director Karin Miller, who presented the check on Friday.

Anyone wishing to donate to the EVC Capital Campaign may mail a contribution to P.O. Box 5328, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, or go online to www.emoryvalleycenter.com.

Oliver Springs liquor vote, Norris Council race remain close

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Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election remained close on an Oliver Springs liquor referendum and the race for a fifth seat on the Norris City Council, and it wasn’t clear how provisional ballots could change the final vote tallies.

Oliver Springs voters appeared to have rejected the liquor referendum, with 486 voting yes and 519 voting “no” in Anderson and Roane counties. The referendum would allow package stores to sell alcoholic beverages.

But there are about 50 provisional ballots in Anderson County and an unknown number in Roane County, election officials said Wednesday. It wasn’t clear how many of those were from Oliver Springs, or how the ballots and a post-election audit might affect the final vote when results are certified Nov. 19.

Results in the race for four of the five seats on Norris City Council seemed clear. Chris Mitchell, Bill Grieve Jr., Loretta A. Painter, and Jack Black all received more than 500 votes, according to the unofficial results.

But the write-in race between four candidates competing for a fifth seat was close. York Haverkamp had 166 write-in votes and Eugene F. Oates had 154.

Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens said the write-in ballots will have to be checked vote by vote.

“We have really never had to do this in the past,” he said.

In other races in Anderson County, Steven R. Emert received the most votes in the special election to represent District 3 on Anderson County Commission. That district includes Andersonville, Fairview, Norris, and Glen Alpine. Former commissioner Johnny Alley resigned from the seat after he was elected Anderson County property assessor in the Aug. 2 election.

Also Tuesday, Shain Vowell and Andrew Howard won two seats on Lake City City Council, Vowell with 231 votes and Howard with 191.

Most of the other results mirrored results in larger regions, with the exception of the presidential race. Republican Bob Corker beat Democrat Mark E. Clayton in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Chuck Fleischmann defeated Democrat Mary M. Headrick in the battle to represent Tennessee’s Third District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Republican Dennis Powers trounced Independent Virgil Kidwell.

Except for Smith, incumbents re-elected in Oak Ridge, state House

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John and Liz Ragan

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, pictured at right, and Liz Ragan, his wife, celebrate the legislator’s re-election to the Tennessee House at the Buffalo Mountain Grille on Tuesday night.

It was a good night for incumbents in five local races in Oak Ridge and the Tennessee House and Senate. With one exception, they were all re-elected.

Chuck Hope and Charlie Hensley had hundreds of votes to spare as they easily won re-election to Oak Ridge City Council. Keys Fillauer and Angi Agle, the two incumbents on the Oak Ridge Board of Education, also coasted to victory.

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, won a narrower victory over former Rep. Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat. Ragan received 699 more votes than Hackworth, according to unofficial results. He finished ahead by 51.4 percent to 48.6 percent.

The one newcomer elected Tuesday was Trina Baughn. She will join Hope and Hensley to serve on Council.

Gone will be incumbent Ellen Smith, who was soundly defeated. Hope and Baughn each finished ahead of Smith by more than 2,000 votes, according to unofficial results in Anderson and Roane counties.

Baughn first campaigned for a City Council seat in an August special election, when she lost to Hope. Hope was appointed to Council last summer after former member Tom Hayes resigned.

Baughn and Hope both said the August special election helped prepare them for Tuesday’s municipal election.

Midtown Polling Station

Andrew McCulloch, right, signs in at the Midtown Community Center polling station on Tuesday. Also pictured are poll workers Margaret Terrell, left, and Jim Young.

The training paid off. Hope finished first Tuesday with 6,887 votes, and Baughn was second with 6,739, according to the unofficial results.

Baughn, a communications professional, credited hard work and the efforts of some 20 to 50 volunteers making phone calls and visiting voters.

“We knocked on doors, and we went to the voters,” said Baughn, who is perhaps best known for her newspaper columns and work challenging city and school system spending. “The supporters that I have are elated that I won.”

Top priorities for the new council member are controlling spending, lowering the property tax rate, and reducing the city’s debt.

Hope, owner of Chuck’s Car Care, was not available for comment late Tuesday night.

It was a disappointing night for Smith, who served one term on City Council. She collected 4,624 votes.

“The results are surprising, and I don’t understand them,” said Smith, a research staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “I was pretty roundly defeated.”

A fifth candidate, business executive and Oak Ridge planning commissioner Kelly Callison, finished fourth in the City Council race, with 5,450 votes.

Campaign Signs at Midtown Community Center

David Hughes, left, supports presidential candidate Gary Johnson and Sherry Bath supports Oak Ridge Board of Education candidate Keys Fillauer at Midtown Community Center on Tuesday.

In the school board race, Agle and Fillauer both trounced Leonard Abbatiello, a former Oak Ridge City Council member, by more than 2,000 votes.

“I’m thankful that the people of Oak Ridge put the priority on students because that was the focus of my campaign and the focus of Keys’ campaign,” said Agle, who was battling for a third term.

Like Baughn, Agle credited door-to-door campaigning for her win, as well as her daily work during early voting and the newspaper articles she’s written during the past few years.

Now, she said, the first priority of the school board is to select a new superintendent, possibly on Dec. 8. Tom Bailey, the current superintendent, is retiring at the end of the year.

Agle said she also wants to continue making improvements in school curricula and student performance.

It was the second time Ragan and Hackworth ran against each other in the state’s 33rd District, which includes most of Anderson County. Ragan beat Hackworth in the 2010 election.

Midtown Community Center

Jake Phillips supports Tennessee Rep. John Ragan at the Midtown Community Center polling station on Tuesday.

This year’s contest between the two men was one of a half-dozen key races in the Tennessee House of Representatives, and it was expected to help Republicans gain a supermajority.

“I knew it was a close race,” Ragan said in a Tuesday night celebration at Buffalo Mountain Grille in Oak Ridge. “It was a hard-fought race.”

Ragan, a retired Air Force pilot, said Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly have cut spending and taxes, and created a more job-friendly environment. Jobs and education will remain top priorities for him in the upcoming legislative session, Ragan said.

Another local incumbent who was re-elected was Oak Ridge City Judge Robert A. McNees III. He had no opposition.

Neither did Tennessee Sen. Ken Yager, who was re-elected in the 12th Senatorial District. Yager’s district includes Roane, Morgan, Rhea, Scott, Campbell, and Fentress counties.

In other elections, the vote on a liquor referendum to allow package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in Oliver Springs appeared to have been rejected, with 486 voting yes and 519 voting “no” in Anderson and Roane counties.

Three-quarters of Clinton voters agreed to move the city’s general elections from December of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years, when they will coincide with state and federal elections.

Republican Kent Calfee defeated Democrat Jack W. McNew by a 68.6 percent to 26.7 margin in Roane County for a chance to represent the 32nd District in the Tennessee House, according to unofficial Roane County results. The district includes Roane County and part of Loudon County.

Unofficial results showed Calfee, who beat the incumbent, Julia Hurley, in the August primary, had an even higher victory margin in Loudon County: 72.4 percent to 20.8.

Here are highlights of Tuesday’s unofficial results in Anderson and Roane counties:

 

Oak Ridge City Council

Hope—6,887

Baughn—6,739

Hensley—6,301

Callison—5,450

Smith—4,624

 

Oak Ridge Board of Education

Agle—7,738

Fillauer—7,495

Abbatiello—4,988

 

Tennessee House of Representatives, 33rd District:

Ragan, Oak Ridge Republican—12,825 (51.4 percent)

Hackworth, Clinton Democrat—12,126 (48.6 percent)

 

Oliver Springs liquor referendum (To allow retail package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in the city of Oliver Springs):

Yes—486

No—519

 

Clinton charter question (To move Clinton general elections from December of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years):

For—2,556 (75.7 percent)

Against—819 (24.3 percent)

 

Note: This story has been corrected to show new vote totals for Ragan and Hackworth.

Election leaders: Baughn, Hensley, Hope; Agle, Fillauer; Ragan

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Note: This story was updated with unofficial voting results at 12:54 a.m. Nov. 7.

With 51 of 53 precincts reporting in Roane and Anderson counties, Trina Baughn, Charlie Hensley, and Chuck Hope have commanding leads over Kelly Callison and Ellen Smith in the race for three Oak Ridge City Council seats.

Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, both seeking re-election to the Oak Ridge Board of Education, had large leads over challenger Leonard Abbatiello, a former Oak Ridge City Council member. There are two seats available.

Meanwhile, Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, held a 696-vote lead (51.4 percent to 48.6 percent) over his challenger, former Rep. Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat. It is considered one of a half-dozen key races in the Tennessee House of Representatives and could help decide whether Republicans gain a supermajority, which means they could conduct business even if Democrats walk out.

The vote on a referendum to allow retail package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in Oliver Springs remained very close, with 360 voting yes and 357 voting no.

Three-quarters of Clinton voters agreed in a referendum Tuesday to move the city’s general elections from December of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years.

Here are the unofficial results we have so far from Anderson and Roane counties:

Oak Ridge City Council

Hope—6,882

Baughn—6,735

Hensley—6,297

Callison—5,445

Smith—4,621

Oak Ridge Board of Education

Agle—7,733

Fillauer—7,493

Abbatiello—4,984

Note: The total number of votes cast for Keys Fillauer has been updated. An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect number.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Live election results posted, early totals available

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Midtown Community Center Voting

Rex Sanders, left, picks up his voting machine code before casting a ballot at the Midtown Community Center on Tuesday afternoon. Also pictured is poll worker Dave Anderson.

Note: This story was last updated at 9:37 p.m.

Voting results are being posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website.

The results below, which include early voting and absentee ballots, will be updated, and we’ll post the new numbers here as we can.

The following results include 26 of 28 precincts in Anderson County. We’ll add Roane County election results as we can. The early voting and absentee ballot results in Roane County don’t contradict the current Anderson County results in the Oak Ridge City Council or Board of Education elections, or the Oliver Springs liquor referendum.

 

Oak Ridge City Council (five seats):

Trina Baughn—5,842 (23 percent)

Kelly Callison—4,641 (18.3 percent)

L.C. “Charlie” Hensley—5,298 (20.9 percent)

Charles J. “Chuck” Hope Jr.—5,718 (22.5 percent)

Ellen Smith—3,909 (15.4 percent)

 

Oak Ridge Board of Education (two seats):

Leonard Abbatiello—4,287 (24.9 percent)

Angi Agle—6,603 (38.4 percent)

Keys Filauer—6,319 (36.7 percent)

 

Tennessee House of Representatives, 33rd District:

John Ragan, Oak Ridge Republican—12,810 (51.4 percent)

Jim Hackworth, Clinton Democrat—12,114 (48.6 percent)

 

Oliver Springs liquor referendum (To allow retail package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in the city of Oliver Springs):

Yes—360 (50.2 percent)

No—357 (49.8 percent)

 

Clinton charter question (To move Clinton general elections from December of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years):

For—2,556 (75.7 percent)

Against—819 (24.3 percent)

UCOR removes high-risk parts from K-25’s Tc-99 area

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K-25 Sodium Fluoride Trap Removal

UCOR uses cranes to remove high-risk sodium fluoride, or NaF, traps from the K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

The federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge announced on Tuesday that it has removed one of the highest-risk parts left in the K-25 Building.

That building was once the world’s largest building under one roof, but it has been shut down for decades and is now being demolished.

In a press release Tuesday, cleanup contractor UCOR said it had used cranes to remove five sodium fluoride, or NaF, traps. The traps contain a material that was used to absorb uranium, and they were in the section of the K-25 Building known as the Tc-99 area, which is being deactivated so it can be demolished.

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New traffic signal at Woodland Town Center, South Illinois

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A new traffic signal is expected to start operating Wednesday, Nov. 14, in front of the Woodland Town Center on South Illinois Avenue.

The new shopping center includes a Aubrey’s restaurant and a larger, relocated Panera Bread.

The traffic light is at the intersection of South Illinois and a new road called Woodland Terrace East. It replaces a short section of Quincy Avenue that was removed to make way for Woodland Town Center.

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Oak Ridge student receives UT scholarship in math contest

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James Andress of Oak Ridge High School was one of 10 students who won a $4,000 annual scholarship to the University of Tennessee in an Oct. 25 math contest.

The UT-Pro2Serve Math Contest featured almost 600 students from 47 high schools.

Other scholarship winners included three students from Farragut High School in Knoxville—Melissa Yu, Alexander Selwitz, and Hyungdon Joo—and students in Brentwood, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Hendersonville, and Memphis.

The press release said the contest had two parts. All participants took a multiple-choice test on algebra and geometry called the Fundamental Exams of Remarkable Mathematical Ability and Talent (FERMAT I).

The five top scorers received a plaque. Andress was one of the top scorers. Lam Tran of Farragut High School was also a winner.

Students with the top 50 scores on the FERMAT I moved on to the FERMAT II, which included eight essay questions requiring creative and original thinking. All exams were hand-graded by faculty members from UT’s Department of Mathematics.

The second part of the contest was the Math Bowl, a double-elimination team competition. Sixty-four high school teams competed head-to-head to be the fastest to answer 10 math questions correctly, the press release said.

The contest was presented by the UT College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and UT alumnus Barry Goss and his technical and engineering company Professional Project Services Inc., more commonly known as Pro2Serve.