Oak Ridge Today

United Way of Anderson County’s annual meeting on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

United Way of Anderson County Meeting Invite

Reservations due Monday

The United Way of Anderson County will have its annual meeting on Thursday morning at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Reservations are due Monday, April 14.

A light breakfast will be available at the annual meeting, which is scheduled from 7:30-8:30 a.m. Thursday.

“The community is invited to attend the annual meeting and campaign announcement,” a press release said. “It is a time for UWAC to share with donors the lasting change their contributions make in Anderson County and an opportunity to thank and recognize the volunteers that lead the effort. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Community Band/Wind Ensemble has ‘New Millennium’ Concert

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Community Band has a “New Millennium” Concert this afternoon (Sunday afternoon).

It’s the last concert of the 2013-2014 subscription series before the outdoor concert season begins on Memorial Day, a press release said. Today’s concert starts at 3:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

Sunday’s concert promises to be both exciting and entertaining, a press release said. Special guests are members of the Oliver Springs High School Band and their director Tim Michaels, who is a current Community Band member. The OSHS band will perform two numbers, and Michaels will be soloist as he plays “Ode To Trumpet” accompanied by the Community Band. [Read more…]

NIOSH renews ORAU contract for sick worker program

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Andy Page

Andy Page

Contract could be worth about $150 million over five years

For the second time in about five years, a federal health and safety institute has renewed its contract with Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the support it provides on a sick worker program. The new contract could be worth about $150 million during a five-year period.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health awarded the contract to a team headed by ORAU in Oak Ridge. Under the new contract, ORAU and its partners Dade Moeller and Associates Inc. and MJW Technical Services Inc. will continue to support NIOSH and its work under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, or EEOICPA, a press release said.

Last renewed in 2009, this contract has been managed by ORAU for more than a decade, and this is the second time NIOSH has renewed with ORAU and its partners, the release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County tourism leaders eye new building

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anderson County Tourism Council

The Anderson County Tourism Council building on Highway 61 near Interstate 75 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy Anderson County Tourism Council)

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Operations Committee on Monday will consider a request from the Anderson County Tourism Council to sell the log cabin that currently houses the organization’s offices and the county Welcome Center, and purchase a much larger cabin located near the current headquarters.

The current welcome center has been housed in an 1,800-square-foot former Jim Barna log cabin since 1998, but officials said that with a staff expansion in the works, they need more space. The cabin that they are interested in purchasing measures some 3,500 square feet and has a current asking price of $280,000.

The current welcome center would have to be sold at auction as it is a county-owned property, and a minimum bid would be set after an independent appraisal is conducted. The Operations Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

Car slams into Dollar General store in Clinton

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

In case you have passed by the Dollar General Store on Clinch Avenue in the past week and have wondered why part of the building has been boarded up, it is because last weekend, someone accidentally crashed into the side of the store.

The incident occurred Saturday afternoon at around 1:30 p.m., when Betty Overton, 79, pulled into the parking lot and attempted to pull into an unoccupied parking spot. While doing so, her car struck a parked vehicle and kept going, slamming into the side of the building and creating a large hole.

Several shelves inside the store were knocked over and merchandise damaged, but no injuries were reported even though one woman who left the store before officers arrived was reportedly pinned in between two of the shelving units. No citations were issued in connection with the accident.

Pets: Cat sale on Friday, Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pet of the Day: SteeleSubmitted

Oh my, we are so excited, we can hardly stand it…you are finally coming this weekend to take us home with you forever! It will be sleepless nights until Friday and Saturday get here. We wonder who you are, who will pick me, or me, or me.

They are telling us here at the shelter to just hang on a couple more days…that our mommys and daddys and brothers and sisters are coming to take us home. We have waited a long time to see you, love you, and be your playmate and cuddle bug. The staff and volunteers are really scrambling to get us ready to go, but there is such excitement in the air now. $75 to get us out the door…wow…we are worth every bit!

So tell all your friends and share, share, share far and wide. P.S. Even our foster brothers and sisters are coming to visit us on Saturday, so it will be a big party here. [Read more…]

Alexander: Red Team Review of UPF could be model for other DOE projects

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Uranium Processing Facility

Pictured above is the proposed Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex, with the administrative area in the front and the fortified section of the building in the rear. (Submitted image)

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Wednesday called for a special Senate hearing on whether an ongoing review of the Uranium Processing Facility in Oak Ridge could serve as a model to improve oversight of U.S. Department of Energy projects, a press release said.

In a hearing held by the Appropriations Subcommittee for Energy and Water Development, of which he is the lead Republican, Alexander noted that Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is currently conducting a “Red Team” review of UPF. Mason’s Red Team members are using the same process that has made the Office of Science the only office in DOE that successfully manages efficient and cost-effective projects, said Alexander, a Tennessee Republican. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber has candidate events April 10, April 22

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is hosting a series of events to allow voters to meet candidates and hear where they stand on issues of importance to the community, a press release said. The first session will be held Thursday, April 10, at 7:30 a.m. at the chamber.

The Chamber will host candidates for the office of Seventh District chancellor and Juvenile Court judge at Thursday’s event, the press release said. Chamber members and the public are invited to attend.

The following candidates have confirmed their plans to be in attendance: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Research Park spring nature walks begin Sunday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Four nature walks hosted by the Oak Ridge Research Park are scheduled this spring in various areas of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

The public is invited to join these walks, which showcase the rich flora and fauna diversity, as well as the sustainable management and conservation practices of the area.

The schedule for the spring nature walks is as follows: [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Marvin

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pet of the Day: Marvin

Submitted

I am just one handsome Marvin who needs an escape route out of here. Will you be my cohort in crime and plan my escape soon? Keep it quiet…I don’t want the staff to get wise to it.

Please stop by the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and visit Marvin.

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter is at 395 Belgrade Road in east Oak Ridge. The phone number is (865) 425-3423.

See the Animal Shelter’s website here. You can also find more information on adoptable animals at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on this Facebook page.

Pet of the Day: Lady Belle

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pet of the Day: Lady Belle

Submitted

I am one beautiful-in-black Lady Belle who really would just love to have a nice warm cozy set of arms to crawl up into. I am a spayed female that will be available on April 12, so I will be expecting exceptional pampering on that day. I’m putting you on my calendar. Don’t disappoint me! See you at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter.

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter is at 395 Belgrade Road in east Oak Ridge. The phone number is (865) 425-3423.

See the Animal Shelter’s website here. You can also find more information on adoptable animals at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on this Facebook page.

Highway 116 improvements still planned, schedule uncertain

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

Following up on a story we first brought you last year, the state is still in the planning stages of making safety improvements to an 11-mile stretch of Highway 116 in Anderson County from Frost Bottom to the Campbell County line.

A safety audit conducted in 2012 by state and local officials showed that in some spots, lanes are too narrow, in others there are no guardrails, and in still other areas, the shoulder is actually less than a foot wide. Slope stability issues were also blamed for some cracking and uneven settling of the pavement. Some spots that have been resurfaced do not have pavement markings and in other areas, rock outcroppings and other hazards are “too close to the roadway for comfort.”

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has recommended paving the entire stretch of Highway 116, widening the shoulders in some places, and adding guardrails, pavement markings, and signage to the roadway as part of the effort to make the road safer. TDOT says that it will also reduce the speed limit on that sometimes-dangerous stretch of road to 35 miles per hour. [Read more…]