Oak Ridge Today

East Tennessee charitable organizations can apply for grants from Y-12 Community Investment Fund

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CNS community investment fund enters second cycle; funds distributed through East Tennessee Foundation

Charitable organizations from across East Tennessee can apply for grants from the Y-12 Community Investment Fund that has been established by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC. Also known as CNS, that contractor operates the Y-12 Nuclear Security Complex in Oak Ridge for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

CNS established the fund through the East Tennessee Foundation last year as part of its commitment to Oak Ridge and the surrounding communities, a press release said. In May, CNS awarded grants totaling more than $180,000 to 30 local nonprofits.

Nonprofit organizations in Y-12’s 20-county service area with projects or programs that address community needs and economic development opportunities are encouraged to apply for one-year grants, the press release said. Eligible organizations must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or other exempt entities, such as public schools and governments/municipalities. [Read more…]

Free energy efficiency program has two workshops (one on Thursday), one public meeting

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The program that provides free energy efficiency upgrades to Oak Ridge homes has two more workshops scheduled—including one on Thursday, September 8—and one public meeting.

The program is called Make Oak Ridge Energy Efficient, or MORE2. It kicked off in April and began retrofitting the homes of Oak Ridge residents with no-cost energy upgrades, such as new HVAC units and water heaters, a press release said.

It’s funded by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“My home is so refreshing now with my new HVAC unit, and I can’t wait to try out the heat in a few months!” said one Oak Ridge resident, Linda Connolly, reacting to recent MORE2 upgrades to her home. [Read more…]

TCWP: See fall flowers in power line prairie on Saturday

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There will be a guided hike along a power line in the North Chickamauga State Natural Area on Saturday, September 10, and participants can meet for carpooling in Oak Ridge.

Led by well-known botanist Larry Pounds, the outing will begin at the Hixson Springs Trail Head with a walk through the woods, and then onto the power line right-of-way.

“We expect to see a wide array of fall flowers including Alabama rosinweed (Silphium gatesii), slow goldenrod (Solidago tarda), and Eastern silvery aster (Symphyotrichum concolor),” a press release said.
[Read more…]

Public program on Friday to focus on communicating with people who have dementia

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A public program in Oak Ridge on Friday will focus on communicating with people who have dementia.

Amanda Spencer, LPN, of Blue Harbor Senior Living, will be the guest speaker. Her presentation will help caregivers, family members, and friends better interact with loved ones whose abilities are diminished, a press release said.

The program has been organized by Church Women United. It’s the start of their 2016 fall season.

The event begins with fellowship at 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 9, followed by a short business meeting and the program at noon. [Read more…]

Secrecy, security, spies program at Turnpike Gatehouse on Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

 

A Manhattan Project National Historical Park program in west Oak Ridge on Saturday will give visitors some insight into what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with all the security, the need for secrecy, and the worrying about spies.

The program is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, September 10, at the Turnpike Gatehouse. It’s free and open to the public. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool if possible. The gatehouse is also at a trail head for the North Boundary Greenway, and visitors can go for a self-guided hike after the program.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park was established in November 2015. It includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II, before Germany could. Oak Ridge was a production site for the project, and at the time, it was a secret city not shown on maps. [Read more…]

ORNL receives DOE funding for applications for more powerful supercomputers

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory Sign

Photo by ORNL

 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received funding from a federal project to develop applications for more powerful supercomputers, systems that could be 50 to 100 times more powerful than today’s fastest supercomputers.

The project is the U.S. Department of Energy’s Exascale Computing Project, or ECP. It’s to develop applications for future exascale systems. Exascale refers to high-performance computing systems capable of at least a billion billion calculations per second, which is up to 100 times faster than the nation’s most powerful supercomputers in use today, a press release said.

The work on applications will help guide DOE’s development of a U.S. exascale ecosystem as part of President Barack Obama’s National Strategic Computing Initiative, or NSCI, the press release said.

The first round of ECP funding totals $39.8 million for 22 proposals representing teams from 45 research and academic organizations. ORNL researchers and technical staff will participate in 12 of the 22 projects.

The awards, announced Wedneday, target advanced modeling and simulation solutions to specific challenges supporting key DOE missions in science, clean energy, and national security, as well as collaborations such as the Precision Medicine Initiative with the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, the press release said. [Read more…]

Football: Oak Ridge Wildcats ranked No. 2 in Class 5A

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Information from WYSH Radio

The high school football polls for this week were released on Monday, and here is how area teams stack up.

In Class 6A, Maryville remains at number one.

In Class 5A, Oak Ridge remains number two, with Knox West at number three. Farragut is number nine, and Campbell County enters the poll at number 10. Two teams that local teams could see in the postseason are also ranked, with Cleveland at number four, and this week’s Clinton opponent, Rhea County, coming in at number six. [Read more…]

Football: Dragons rally on road, upend Beavers; AC falls to Fulton

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Information from WYSH Radio

Clinton 29, Karns 26: The Dragons entered the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game at Karns down by a score of 26-14. Instead of packing it in, however, Clinton took over in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 29-26 win over the Beavers.

The young Dragons grew up a lot on Friday night, especially first-year starting quarterback, sophomore Luke Harrison, who led the Dragons’ comeback with two fourth-quarter touchdown tosses, one to Demarea Whitt and the game-winner to J’Quan Thomas with 5:08 to play.

From there, the defense held, and the Dragons won their first game of the season to improve to 1-2, 1-1 in Region 3-5A. [Read more…]

NNSA awards, then rescinds contract to manage, operate Nevada National Security Site

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The National Nuclear Security Administration awarded but then rescinded a contract to manage and operate the Nevada National Security Site, where some waste from Oak Ridge is shipped.

The NNSA, a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, awarded the contract to manage and operate the Nevada National Security Site, or NNSS, to Nevada Site Science Support and Technologies Corporation, or NVS3T, on August 26, a statement said. The winning proposal identified NVS3T as a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin.

In making the award, NNSA evaluated past performance and other factors based upon the proposal as submitted, the statement said. The award was valued at $5 billion over 10 years if all options were exercised.

But after the award was made, DOE and NNSA learned that Leidos Innovations Corporation had acquired NVS3T from Lockheed Martin. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge resident to compete for Miss Tennessee USA 2017 as Miss Oak Ridge

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Emily Stansfield, Miss Oak Ridge

Emily Stansfield, Miss Oak Ridge, is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Emily Stansfield, 18, of Oak Ridge, will compete for the title of Miss Tennessee USA 2017 in October in Clarksville, Tennessee. She will represent Oak Ridge with the title role of Miss Oak Ridge.

Stansfield is the daughter of Steve and Becky Stansfield. She attends Austin Peay State University, and her activities include dance, theater, writing, singing, reading, and hanging out with her cats, a press release said.

Miss Tennessee USA 2017 is October 6-8 at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. [Read more…]

ORFD, ORHS to dedicate flagpole in memory of 9/11 victims

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ORHS flagpole wide

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and the Oak Ridge High School 9/11 WTC Committee will join together on Sunday, September 11, to remember the tragic events that happened 15 years ago, a press release said. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and the Oak Ridge High School 9/11 WTC Committee will join together on Sunday, September 11, to remember the tragic events that happened 15 years ago, a press release said.

There will be a group meeting to officially unveil the new flagpole added this past year and to dedicate it in memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“Thanks to generous donations from the American Legion Post 2 out of Knoxville and from Woodmen of the World, the site is now home to a 30-foot flagpole that is capable of flying a flag all the time,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project program: Bike with a ranger on Melton Lake Greenway on Sept. 24

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Manhattan Project National Historical Park Bike with a Ranger

You can join a National Park Service ranger for a bike ride down beautiful Melton Lake Greenway on Saturday, September 24, a press release said. (Submitted photo)

 

You can join a National Park Service ranger for a bike ride down beautiful Melton Lake Greenway on a Saturday in September, a press release said.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present the free program at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 24. The program will begin at Elza Gate Park, the former entry point to the once-secret city now known as Oak Ridge, and continue down Melton Lake Greenway. Rangers will stop several times along the bike ride to point out the rich history that is found within the Oak Ridge area, the press release said.

Elza Gate Park is located at 101 Oak Ridge Turnpike in east Oak Ridge, just east of Melton Lake Drive. Maps are available at the National Park desk in the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, or you can call (865) 576-6767. [Read more…]