Oak Ridge Today

James ‘Jim’ H. Hudson

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James “Jim” H. Hudson left this earth on Sunday, Sept. 30.

He was born April 18, 1929, in Oliver Springs, the son of Eli M. and Sallie “Chiles” Hudson.

He shared 58 years of his life with his loving wife, June “Jones” Hudson.

Jim was a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Jim served in the United States Army and was a veteran of the Korean War. He was retired from Home Beneficial Life Insurance Company, where he worked more than 33 years.

Jim adored his grandchildren and loved spending time with them.

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Anita Mae Moehl

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Anita Mae Moehl

Anita Mae Moehl

Anita Mae Moehl, age 89, of Oak Ridge, passed away Monday, Oct. 1, at Briarcliff Health Care Center.

She was born Feb. 6, 1923, in Marysville, Kansas, the daughter of Clarence H. and Sophia Schuster Saathoff.

Mrs. Moehl was a charter member of Grace Lutheran Church, and she enjoyed gardening.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, William Henry Moehl, on April 15, 1997.

She is survived by her son, Bill C. Moehl of Oak Ridge; daughters, Barbara Dunkin of Oak Ridge, and Debbie Eggers and husband David of Apex, N.C.; sisters, Rose Marie Waggener of Knoxville and Ida Hagaman and husband Carl of Oak Ridge; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

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UPF could be enlarged, site work could begin by end of year

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John Eschenberg on UPF at Rotary Club

At right, John Eschenberg, federal project director for the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, discusses the proposed $6.5 billion building with Leslie England and John Iacovino after a Wednesday morning Rotary Club meeting.

Note: This story was last updated at 9:53 a.m. Oct. 4.

The new $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex could be larger than originally planned to make sure all the building’s equipment fits inside, a federal official said Wednesday.

The roof could be raised by 13 feet to 71 feet, said John Eschenberg, UPF federal project director at Y-12. That would give adequate room for process equipment used for machining, wet chemistry, and casting, as well as for the operators who use it.

To raise the roof, the building’s walls will be thickened from 18 inches to 30 inches, and the foundation will be thicker as well, Eschenberg said.

Some work at the site, which is located in the heart of Y-12, could begin by the end of the year, Eschenberg said. That work would include removing a parking lot and relocating a section of Bear Creek Road.

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Clinton man dies after collapsing on Florida beach

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A Clinton man collapsed while walking in shallow water at a Florida beach on Tuesday, and he died in a hospital later, the Panama City News Herald reported.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Ronald Anderson, 68, of Clinton, the newspaper said.

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Bradyville man charged with child abuse, assault in Oak Ridge

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A 27-year-old Bradyville man has been charged with child abuse and aggravated assault after his girlfriend said he kicked and hit her six-year-old son in an Oak Ridge apartment and threatened her with a knife.

The woman said she found her son on the floor crying in the food department at the Oak Ridge Walmart early Saturday morning, according to Anderson County court records. She alleged that red marks she found on the back of her son’s neck were made by her boyfriend, Clayton K. Williams.

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Labor Secretary, student star in Roane State grant announcement tour

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There were actually two stars at Roane State Community College on Wednesday.

One was U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. She was there to celebrate the recent announcement of a $12.5 million grant to a group led by Roane State that will use the money to train students for health care careers and help them graduate.

The other star was Sunbright resident Loretta Starnes. She was once a pregnant teenage high school dropout who became a Roane State graduate and won a top student honor—the 2012 Roane State President’s Award.

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President Obama signs spending measure that affects local centrifuge work

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President Obama recently signed a six-month federal spending measure with money for more work on the American Centrifuge research, development, and demonstration program, including in Oak Ridge, a USEC press release said.

The funding is part of the government’s $280 million, or 80 percent, share of the $350 million cost-share program with USEC Inc. It’s meant to prove America’s next generation of uranium enrichment technology and help national security and nuclear nonproliferation, the press release said.

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David Paul Beem

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David Paul Beem, age 49, of Oliver Springs, lost his courageous battle with cancer on Saturday, Sept. 29, with his loving family by his side.

He was born Oct. 3, 1962, in West Palm Beach, Fla.; lived in Titusville, Fla., for 10 years; then moved to Oliver Springs in 1975.

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Bertha M. Keller

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Bertha M. Keller, age 91, a resident of Oak Ridge, passed away Thursday, Sept. 27, at Renaissance Terrace HCC in Harriman.

Mrs. Keller was born March 26, 1921, in Athens, Tenn.

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UCOR announces 21 more subcontractor layoffs

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UCOR announced that 21 staff support subcontractors were laid off Monday, and more subcontractor and trade jobs could be cut later this week.

“This is to restructure the workforce to meet our changing needs as work is completed, and also to stay within expected funding for Fiscal Year 2013,” the company said in a statement. “No UCOR employees are being affected.”

UCOR is the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.

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City manager offers economic optimism, says mall needs to move quickly

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Mark Watson State of the City

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, talks to Kay Brookshire and Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan.

Note: This story was updated at 9:50 a.m. Oct. 4.

With a boom in economic activity that includes billions of dollars worth of projects, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark S. Watson offered a dose of optimism about the city’s economic future on Tuesday, and he suggested commercial developments won’t be held up by the owners of the “inactive” Oak Ridge Mall or property owners who set sale prices too high.

Five retailers that might have wanted to locate at the mall are now talking to the developers of a $30 million Kroger Marketplace shopping center planned at the busy intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue, Watson said. He said the city and commercial developers are “going right on around” the privately owned, mostly empty mall, where redevelopment plans have languished for years.

“They’re starting to lose customers,” Watson said during an hour-long lunchtime speech to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. “They’re going to be left holding the bag if they don’t start moving—and moving quickly.”

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U.S. Labor Secretary Solis to tour Roane State on Wednesday

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U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis will tour the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College on Wednesday to highlight federal investments in health care job training.

The tour comes about two weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor announced that a consortium led by Roane State had received a $12.5 million grant to offer more training for health care careers and help students finish their degrees. The Sept. 19 announcement included a total of 54 grants helping nearly 300 schools across the country.

The Wednesday tour starts at 11 a.m., and it will be followed by remarks by Solis and a press conference.

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