The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will clean sewer lines near restaurants during the next two weeks, and the work could cause traffic delays because roads and intersections could be temporarily closed, officials said.
The work is scheduled during the weeks of March 7 and March 14.
“Please use extreme caution and allow extra time when driving in areas where city workers are present,” a press release said. [Read more…]
The Oliver Springs City Building is pictured above. (Photo by City of Oliver Springs)
Information from WYSH Radio
The Oliver Springs Board of Aldermen—the Town Council—met Thursday night for the first time since Mayor Jerry Vann surprised everyone by announcing his resignation.
Vice Mayor Omer Cox is serving as mayor on an interim basis, and it is not clear yet if he wants to have the “interim” tag removed and be considered as Vann’s successor until the next election.
The Board took no action on the matter on Thursday night, instead deciding to have interested applicants submit their resumes to City Manager Becky Campbell by the end of the business day on Monday, March 14. That will give the Aldermen a chance to review the candidates before their next meeting on Thursday, March 17, when a decision could be made. [Read more…]
A workshop on lawn and garden tool maintenance is being offered at the University of Tennessee Arboretum Auditorium in Oak Ridge on Saturday.
The workshop is sponsored by UT Arboretum Society and Downtown Hardware of Oak Ridge. It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Roger Clary of Downtown Hardware and the store’s Husqvarna representative, David Waugh, are working with the UT Arboretum Society to put on the workshop, organizers said.
Door prizes will be given away along with store coupons. The UT Arboretum Society will accept donations for its program.
“Last year’s workshop was a great success!” organizers said.
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Japan Consulate-General Masami Kinefuchi, left, presents Shigeko Uppuluri of Oak Ridge with the Foreign Minister’s Commendation Award in a ceremony at ORAU on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)
An Oak Ridge resident who has advocated for a “sister city” relationship between Oak Ridge and Naka, Japan, and proposed the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge received a Foreign Minister’s Commendation Award from the consul-general of Japan on Wednesday.
The award was presented to Shigeko Uppuluri by Masami Kinefuchi, consul-general of Japan, during a ceremony at Pollard Technology Conference Center of Oak Ridge Associated Universities on Wednesday. It recognized Uppuluri’s contributions to the friendship and understanding between Oak Ridge and Japan.
Uppuluri is the first Oak Ridge resident to receive the award.
The consul-general honored Uppuluri for her dedication to the creation and maintenance of the sister city relationship between Oak Ridge and Naka, Japan, a press release said. She has advocated for and participated in exchanges between the two cities, contributing to the goodwill and understanding between Japan and Oak Ridge. [Read more…]
Briana Hailey Lynn Phillips
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help finding a runaway juvenile, Briana Hailey Lynn Phillips, 15. Phillips was last seen on Tuesday, March 1, and she has not returned home, authorities said.
Here is a description of Briana Hailey Lynn Phillips:
The Coal Creek Miners Museum in Rocky Top will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting on March 11.
The museum tells the story of the miners that lived, worked, and died in Coal Creek, Fraterville, and Briceville, and it also tells about the historically significant events that changed the mining industry, a press release said.
The grand opening is scheduled from 2-5 p.m. March 11 at the new museum, which is at 201 South Main Street in Rocky Top (formerly known as Lake City). The ribbon-cutting with the Rocky Top Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Here is more information from a press release:
The story starts in the late 1800s when the “free” miners fought against the convict lease system, a struggle that ultimately ended the system in the southern states. [Read more…]
A significant slope slide occurred near Mile Marker 142 on I-75 North in Campbell County on Friday, February 26, 2016. Currently, all lanes are closed in both the northbound and southbound directions. (Photo courtesy TDOT/Mark Nagi via Twitter)
A significant slope slide occurred near Mile Marker 142 on I-75 North in Campbell County on Friday, February 26.
Currently, all lanes are closed in both the northbound and southbound directions between the Caryville and Jellico exits.
The video below is from the Tennessee Department of Transportation from Monday, February 29. It shows just how much debris has made its way onto the road. Rocks continue to drop all the way to the median, and some ended up on the southbound lanes as well, according to TDOT.
Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above. From left to right they are Albert Xue, Ting Wang, Joseph Andress, Adithyan Sujithkumar, and Melissa Yuan. (Photo courtesy DOE)
Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above.
The 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl included 60 teams from across the state on Saturday, February 27, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus. As the third-place team, the ORHS team received a $500 prize.
Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville finished first, received a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy, and will advance in an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., from April 28-May 2. Lausanne Collegiate School finished second, and won a $750 cash prize and trophy, and Brentwood High School finished fourth for a $250 cash prize and trophy. [Read more…]
Jeremy Biggs
Mike Belbeck, the current president of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, will become the executive vice president of operations for Covenant Health, and a new president and chief administrative officer will succeed Belbeck at MMC on April 1.
The leadership changes were announced by Covenant Health on Tuesday.
Covenant Health, which is headquartered in Knoxville and the region’s largest employer, had previously announced its current president and chief executive officer, Anthony L. Spezia, will become CEO emeritus, and Jim VanderSteeg, current executive vice president of operations, will become president and CEO.
Belbeck, who is also chief administrative officer, or CAO, at Methodist Medical Center, will succeed VanderSteeg as the health system’s executive vice president of operations.
Jeremy Biggs, president and chief administrative officer of Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, will succeed Belbeck as president and CAO of Methodist Medical Center. [Read more…]
A rock slide closed the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in Campbell County on Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, and state officials said motorists should be prepared to use detours and alternate routes for weeks. (Photo courtesy Mark Nagi/TDOT)
The Tennessee Department of Transportation on Monday awarded an emergency contract to repair a rockslide on Interstate 75 in Campbell County. The slide, which occurred Friday at mile marker 142, sent vehicle-sized rocks falling onto both the north and southbound lanes of I-75.
The $2.9 million contract was awarded to Charles Blalock and Sons Inc. The contract includes removal of the slide debris, stabilization of the existing slope, and repairs to the interstate. The contract also stipulates the southbound lanes of I-75 will be reopened within 14 days, and one lane on the northbound side within 21 days. The entire repair project is scheduled to be complete on or before April 15, 2016.
Currently, this section of I-75 remains closed in both directions. During the closure, all traffic will be detoured, TDOT said in a press release. Message boards are already in place on I-75 to alert motorists to the road closure. Drivers are advised to plan ahead and seek alternate routes. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Schools has a community tour on March 9. It will include visits to elementary, middle school, or high school classrooms.
The tour is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 9.
“See how Oak Ridge teachers and students are teaching and learning while school is in session,” a press release said. “The day will begin at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, then will proceed through an elementary and middle or middle and high school classroom visits.” [Read more…]
Sections of the gravel portion of Tuskegee Drive will be closed for repairs from March 4-11.
The Oak Ridge Public Works Department will be doing the road repairs subject to weather conditions.
The work will require sections of the road to be closed for the day starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m., a press release said.
“Provisions will be made for residents to access their properties,” the release said. “There will be no through traffic during the closures.”
