Oak Ridge Today

Colburn, an ORHS senior, named finalist in Intel science competition

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Thomas Colburn

Thomas Colburn

Thomas Colburn, a senior at Oak Ridge High School, has been named a finalist in an Intel science competition after a two-year project conducted with help from an Oak Ridge National Laboratory mentor. Colburn is one of only 40 U.S. high school seniors to be chosen as a finalist and the only one from Tennessee.

He’s also the first finalist from ORHS in the competition, the Intel Science Talent Search, which is described as the nation’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science and math competition.

Colburn’s two-year project is titled “Enhanced Decomposition of Plastic Waste through Photocatalysis.” It was mentored by Todd Toops from the Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Center at ORNL.

The 40 finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., from March 10-16 to compete for more than $1 million in awards provided by the Intel Foundation, including three first-place Medal of Distinction awards of $150,000 each that will be presented to students who show exceptional scientific potential in three areas: basic research, global good, and innovation, a press release said. [Read more…]

Schools in Oak Ridge, AC, Roane, Clinton closed again Thursday; county offices also

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Schools Logo

Schools in Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County will be closed again Thursday, January 21, because of the winter weather and hazardous road conditions.

“Please stay warm and if you must travel, please do so safely,” Roane County Schools said.

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said county government will also be closed Thursday. [Read more…]

KCSO identifies 19-year-old killed in Solway crash

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Solway-Road-Crash-Car-Fire-Truck-Jan-20-2016

A 19-year-old man died when a car slid off the road at the intersection of Solway and Guinn roads and hit a tree in Solway on Wednesday morning, authorities said. (Photo courtesy WATE-TV/Knoxville)

 

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office has identified the 19-year-old killed in a Wednesday morning crash in Solway.

The young man was James Cryder, the KCSO said.

His passenger, 20-year-old Jacob Raley, is being treated at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

Authorities said that Cryder died after a 1996 Toyota Corolla slid off the road at the intersection of Solway and Guinn roads and hit a tree. Officers on the scene said the car slid off the road due to weather and speeding. [Read more…]

Man dies after car slides off road in Solway

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Knox County Sheriff Badge

A man died after a car slid off the road and hit a tree in Solway on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The man has been identified, but his name will not be released until relatives have been notified, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said.

A male passenger is being treated at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, but he has not been identified yet.

Officers on the scene said the car slid off the road due to weather and speeding, the KCSO said. Neither man was wearing a seatbelt. They were in a 1996 Toyota Corolla.

The fatal crash occurred at 9:40 a.m. on Solway at Guinn.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Clinton City Schools also closed Wednesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Clinton City Schools will also be closed on Wednesday, January 20, because of the weather, which includes a forecast for a few inches of snow across East Tennessee.

Schools in Anderson County and Roane County have also announced they will close, and so have other school districts in East Tennessee.

Oak Ridge Schools have not announced any plans to close, but Oak Ridge Today will post any updates when we receive them.

See the seven-day forecast near Oak Ridge here. [Read more…]

See the Oak Ridge Winter Weather Plan here; includes info on snow, ice removal priorities

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Snow-Oak-Ridge-Central-Services-Complex

The Oak Ridge Central Services Complex is pictured above after a previous snow. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

The City of Oak Ridge has a winter weather plan. You can read the 2015-2016 Winter Weather Plan here.

The plan includes information on how snow and ice removal are prioritized on streets. City-maintained streets have been prioritized into four categories according to volume of traffic, or public health and safety factors.

  • Level 1: State highways and hospital routes
  • Level 2: Arterial streets, feeder streets to state highways and known trouble spots such as hills and shady areas.
  • Level 3: Collector streets, streets providing access to subdivisions, and the main connector streets at the neighborhood level.
  • Level 4: All other local neighborhood streets are categorized as Level 4. Many of these streets have on-street parking and provide minimal turning space for snowplows. The decision and ability of the Public Works Department to clear Level 4 routes is based on a number of factors, including current and predicted weather conditions, safety for parked vehicles, salt/chemical reserves, and the threat of additional inclement weather.

[Read more…]

With snow in forecast, Roane County Schools closed Wednesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane County Schools will be closed Wednesday, when a few inches of snow are possible in East Tennessee.

Anderson County Schools are also closed.

Oak Ridge and Clinton have their own school districts, and neither has announced plans to close.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said winter weather is expected across the region on Wednesday, and again later this week. [Read more…]

Anderson County Schools closed Wednesday due to snow forecast

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anderson County Schools will be closed Wednesday, January 20, due to a winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service that includes a prediction of snow, officials said.

The Central Office will follow the inclement weather policy and procedure, a statement said.

The National Weather Service in Morristown has forecast one to three inches of snow across the area, and a winter weather advisory is in effect from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday as a fast-moving storm system is expected.

See the seven-day forecast near Oak Ridge here. [Read more…]

Borchers to discuss school improvement, STEM, Access Oak Ridge in Tuesday lunch

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will discuss school improvement, STEM, and Access Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Oak Ridge Schools officials have previously said they would like to transform the school system into the premier preK-12 STEM school district in the nation. Borchers is expected to highlight that plan and other programs during a Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 19, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Access Oak Ridge is the program that has, so far, provided convertible laptop computers to every middle school student. Borchers is expected to give an update on that program during the Tuesday meeting, which starts at noon.

Borchers will also review areas of focus and strategic initiatives for school improvement, a press release said. The public is invited. [Read more…]

Frigid temperatures forecast for tonight; let faucets drip, bring pets inside, NWS says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Cold-Temperatures-Jan-18-2016

Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown

 

Temperatures could be frigid in the Tennessee Valley tonight, dropping to between 5 and 15 degrees, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters advised residents to let their faucets drip overnight and bring pets inside.

Also, make sure any space heaters are kept away from anything that could catch fire.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said prolonged outdoor exposure could lead to frostbite and hypothermia. [Read more…]

Clinton Schools: Violette to retire in June

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Vicki Violette

Vicki Violette

Information from WYSH Radio

Last Wednesday, Schools Director Vicki Violette informed the Clinton Board of Education, Clinton Mayor Scott Burton, City Manager Roger Houck, and members of Clinton City Council that she will retire in June.

Violette’s educational career has spanned 36 years, the last 10 of which she has spent at the helm of Clinton City School District.

Violette said she had been thinking about retiring for some time and plans to spend more time with her family. [Read more…]

With Foster retiring, AC school board approves search committee

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Larry Foster at Anderson County Commision

Larry Foster, Anderson County schools director, is retiring at the end of June, and a search committee has been formed to find his replacement. Foster is pictured above during a July 2015 meeting of the Anderson County Commission. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

Anderson County Board of Education Chair John Burrell announced at last week’s school board meeting that he has appointed a search committee to find the next director of schools. The next director will replace Larry Foster, who is retiring at the end of June.

The board voted unanimously to approve the makeup of the committee, which will be chaired by Gail Martin, who is also the committee’s representative for Claxton. Curtis Sexton will represent Rocky Top, while Glenda Langenberg will represent Oak Ridge. Jim Stewart will represent Clinton, Dail Cantrell will represent Andersonville/Norris, and Robert McKamey will serve as the representative for the Anderson County Commission, Dutch Valley, and Norwood. [Read more…]