Oak Ridge Today

Higgins scores 26 as Wildcats fall to Cordova in National Hoopfest

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This photo is property of Allen Greene. Unauthorized use of this photo is not permitted without consent.

Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins (5) is pictured above in the 2015 Arby’s Classic basketball tournament in Bristol on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015. (File photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)

 

Oak Ridge junior guard Tee Higgins scored 26 points, but the Wildcats fell to Cordova 72-59 in the National Hoopfest in west Tennessee on Saturday. It’s only the second loss of the year for Oak Ridge.

The basketball game was tied 44-44 at the end of the third quarter, but Oak Ridge struggled with turnovers in the fourth. The Wolves didn’t hesitate to take advantage and convert those turnovers into points, according to Oak Ridge Wildcats.

Oak Ridge (19-2, 7-0 District 3-AAA) was at a height disadvantage. One of Cordova’s players is 6-foot-9 and headed to Murray State.

Still, Oak Ridge led by six points, 17-11, at the end of the first quarter at Arlington High School in Memphis, and they trailed by only three, 31-28, at halftime after a buzzer-beater by Tyler Harris of Cordova. [Read more…]

Home invasion robbery reported in Claxton on Saturday

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Anderson County Sheriff Patch

A man said he was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint of his prescription narcotics by two males during a home invasion robbery in Claxton on Saturday morning, authorities said.

The alleged robbery was reported on Duke Street in Ben’s Mobile Home Park off Edgemoor Road.

The victim received a minor head injury and was taken to the hospital by Anderson County EMS, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. There were two other people in the home with the victim at the time of the robbery, Lucas said. [Read more…]

Man’s body pulled from vehicle submerged in Melton Hill Lake

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Knox County Sheriff Badge

A man’s body was pulled from a vehicle submerged in Melton Hill Lake in west Knox County on Friday evening, authorities said.

The body was pulled out of the vehicle by Knox County Rescue Squad divers.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit is investigating the incident. Witnesses told detectives that they saw a white male back up his SUV from the boat ramp, then put the vehicle in drive and accelerate as it reached the water. This happened shortly after 5 p.m. Friday, the Sheriff’s Office said. [Read more…]

Tennessee education commissioner to visit Oak Ridge Schools on Thursday

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Candice McQueen

Candice McQueen

Candice McQueen, Tennessee’s education commissioner, will visit Oak Ridge Schools on Thursday, January 7.

During her visit, McQueen will tour Glenwood Elementary School, Robertsville Middle School, and Oak Ridge High School. She will also take part in an afternoon roundtable discussion that will feature about 30 administrators and teachers across a wide cross-section of grade levels, subject areas, and schools. They will discuss successes and challenges that educators are facing in their jobs, Oak Ridge Schools said.

Included in the discussion will be the Tennessee Department of Education’s “New Goals to Measure Education Progress,” which align with Oak Ridge Schools’ Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness. [Read more…]

Anderson County adopts local zoning regulations for pain clinics

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Terry-Frank-Pain-Clinic-Zoning-Resolution

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank signs the resolution adopted by County Commission that regulates zoning for local pain clinics. (Submitted photo)

 

CLINTON—Following months of work that began in March 2015, two public hearings, and two separate reviews by County Commission, Anderson County has adopted new local zoning regulations for pain clinics in an effort to prevent or reduce prescription drug abuse in the county, a press release said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses now account for more deaths in the U.S. nationally than motor vehicle accidents, with 52 percent of those deaths attributed to prescription medication.

In Tennessee, drug overdose deaths increased 7.7 percent from 2013 to 2014 (1,187 deaths in 2013 to 1,269 deaths in 2014). This is higher than the statistically significant national average change of +6.5 percent, according to the CDC.  The Tennessee drug overdose deaths in 2014 are almost equivalent to two full Tennessee Greyhound bus crashes per month without survivors, the press release said. [Read more…]

High school basketball scores from Tuesday

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Information from WYSH Radio

Tuesday night, regular season high school basketball play resumed after the Winter Break, and here is an update on how some area teams fared.

Powell girls 41, Clinton 28: After a sluggish start by both teams, Powell woke up first in the second quarter and built a large lead that they were able to protect down the stretch. Clinton fell to 2-16 and 1-5 in District 3-AAA despite 14 points and 14 rebounds from Kelley Wandell and five points and 10 boards from fellow senior Katie Starnes.

Powell boys 57, Clinton 54: The Dragons’ fourth-quarter rally came up short on the road, and they fell to 11-6 and 2-4 in District 3-AAA. Tyler Thackerson and J’Quan Thomas each tallied 13 points to lead Clinton, which was once again victimized by poor free-throw shooting. [Read more…]

ORHS senior a national winner of Aspirations in Computing Award

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Melissa Yuan

Melissa Yuan

Oak Ridge High School senior Melissa Yuan was chosen as a national winner for the 2016 Aspirations in Computing Award from NCWIT, or National Center for Women and IT.

Yuan was among 35 girls chosen from more than 3,100 applicants nationwide, Oak Ridge Schools said in a press release. She is only the third girl from Tennessee to ever win this award. The second was Patricia Edou from ORHS in 2015.

Yuan will receive an all-expenses paid trip, provided by Bank of America, to the National Award weekend, which includes the Award ceremony and showcase, March 4-6, 2016 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. She will also receive $1,000 and a new laptop.

Yuan is a senior at Oak Ridge High School who is passionate about research and music. [Read more…]

ORNL plays role as four new elements added to periodic table, filling seventh row

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Periodic Table of Elements

Periodic Table of Elements (Image by Los Alamos National Laboratory)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:56 p.m. Jan. 6.

Four new elements have been added to the periodic table, filling the seventh row, or period, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory played a role in discovering two of them.

The discovery and assignment of elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117, and 118 was announced on December 30 by the International Association of Pure and Applied Chemistry. The discoveries have been officially verified.

ORNL participated in the discovery of elements 115 and 117 in a collaboration between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

The discoverers, who also include researchers in Japan, will now be invited to suggest permanent names and symbols.

For now, the elements are known as: [Read more…]

Quinn to discuss homelessness, TORCH in Monday program

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Torch Logo

The director of an organization that helps homeless families in Oak Ridge and Anderson County will discuss homelessness during a Monday morning program in Oak Ridge.

Anthony “Andy” O. Quinn is executive director of TORCH, or Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope.

Besides homelessness, Quinn will also discuss TORCH during the Monday program, which starts at 11 a.m. January 4 at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, which is at 101 West Madison Lane. The program is presented by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

ORAU: Crowe, Wash receive Advancing Professionals Awards

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Crowe-Wash-ORAU-NCMA-Award-2015

Rebecca Crowe, left, and Allen Wash display their Advancing Professionals Awards from the National Contract Management Association. (Photo by ORAU)

 

ORAU employees Rebecca Crowe and Allen Wash were awarded the Advancing Professionals Awards from the National Contract Management Association, or NCMA, during its 34th Annual Government Contract Management Symposium, which was recently held in Washington, D.C.

The NCMA Advancing Professionals Award (formerly the NCMA Top Professionals Under 40 in Contract Management Award) is designed to provide peer recognition to the rising stars and top performers in the contract management profession under the age of 40, according to the NCMA website. Those who receive this distinction come from academia, government, and industry, a press release said.

As Procurement and Contracts section manager and small business advocate at ORAU, Crowe manages a team responsible for continuous improvement of seven critical procurement and contract systems that support operations of almost $400 million in contract actions (prime and sub) annually, terms and conditions research, reporting, and all small business outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

Kent named deputy assistant manager for administration for DOE Oak Ridge

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Melanie-Kent

Melanie Kent

Melanie M. Kent was recently named deputy assistant manager for administration in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office.

In her new position, Kent will support the assistant manager for administration in developing and executing policies and plans for public relations, real estate and personal property management, multiple activities involving ORO’s management of the 33,000-acre DOE federal reservation in Oak Ridge, and management and operation of some 28 federally-owned facilities, a press release said.

It said Kent brings a wealth of knowledge, skills, and abilities to her new position that will assist managers in the organization to improve the quality and delivery of critical business and technical services provided to clients in Oak Ridge and the DOE’s Office of Science program throughout the United States.

“I am pleased to see Melanie in this role at ORO,” said Don Thress, acting ORO manager. “She is a seasoned manager, whose experience and forward-thinking will be of great value to the administration program.” [Read more…]

UCOR donates to United Way, Boys & Girls Club

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UCOR-United-Way-Anderson-County-December-2015

UCOR executives Harold Conner, left, and Ken Rueter, center, present a check to United Way of Anderson County representatives Gene Patterson, Naomi Asher, and Jim Dodson. (Submitted photo)

 

UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, recently donated about $30,000 to United Way of Anderson County and Boys and Girls Club of the Clinch Valley.

A $27,209 donation to United Way of Anderson County represented about one-quarter of the more than $100,000 raised in the company’s 2015 United Way Campaign.

UCOR donated $4,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of the Clinch Valley. The club serves an active membership of more than 750 youth from six to 17 years of age through extended services and programs. The contribution is in keeping with UCOR’s commitment to supporting local children’s advocacy programs, a press release said. [Read more…]