Oak Ridge Today

Happy 71st birthday, Oak Ridge!

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Birthday Sign

A sign at the Midtown Community Center on Robertsville Road celebrates the 71st birthday of Oak Ridge on Thursday (Submitted photo)

By Martin and Anne McBride

On Sept. 19, 1942, only two days after being appointed the head of the Manhattan Project in September 1942, Gen. Leslie R. Groves selected Oak Ridge as the first major site of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

Ultimately, $1.1 billion was spent on the huge, first-of-a-kind Oak Ridge nuclear plants and the fledgling “Secret City” of Oak Ridge. This expenditure represented 72 percent of the money spent on the three principal Manhattan Project sites: Oak Ridge; Hanford, Wash.; and Los Alamos, N.M.

The Oak Ridge tract was approximately 17 miles long by an average of seven miles wide. The Corps of Engineers paid $2.6 million dollars for the land and initially named the site the “Kingston Demolition Range.” Local opposition to having a demolition range in the area caused the name to be changed to “Clinton Engineer Works.” [Read more…]

Historic preservation awards to be presented to bank, school Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

CapitalMark Bank and Trust

CapitalMark Bank and Trust Oak Ridge President David Bradshaw is pictured at the original Hamilton National Bank vault. (Submitted photo)

A nonprofit organization will present this year’s historic preservation awards on Thursday, Oak Ridge’s birthday.

Two awards will be presented this year, one to CapitalMark Bank and Trust in Jackson Square and the other to the Oak Ridge School Administration Building, formerly the Pine Valley School.

The awards will be presented by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association in back-to-back ceremonies Thursday afternoon. The first ceremony at Pine Valley School starts at 3 p.m., and the second at CapitalMark Bank and Trust at 3:45 p.m. [Read more…]

Children’s Hospital volunteer director to discuss neonatal abstinence syndrome

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Cheryl Allmon

Cheryl Allmon

“Holding Little Lives in Our Hands” is a presentation that describes the dramatic rise of neonatal abstinence syndrome across eastern Tennessee and what East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is doing about it. It will be presented to the Altrusa Club on Sept. 25 by Cheryl Allmon, director of volunteer services and programs at Children’s Hospital.

Children’s Hospital has received national attention for their multifaceted approach to treating infants who are born suffering from prescription drug dependence. In 2012, the hospital treated nearly 300 infants suffering from withdrawal from drugs. The number of infants affected by addiction at birth continues to rise each year. The first step in treating the infants is to assess the severity of the addiction. [Read more…]

Social worker discusses Healthy Start during Monday AAUW meeting

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Virginia Coleman

Virginia Coleman

A social worker will discuss Healthy Start, a program that helps children and parents, during a Monday evening meeting of the American Association of University Women’s Oak Ridge Branch.

The talk by Virginia Coleman, who has a master’s degree in social work, is open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. Monday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

A press release said Coleman worked for years to see the Healthy Start preventive program come to fruition. During Monday’s meeting, she will talk about the reasons for the program and its success. [Read more…]

UCOR names new chief operating officer

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Matt Marston

Matt Marston

UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, has picked Matt Marston as its new chief operating officer.

Marston will replace Kenneth Rueter, who was recently named as the new president and project manager at the Savannah River Remediation Project, a press release said.

It said Marston joined the UCOR team as manager of project support for the Deactivation and Decommissioning, or D&D, group in September 2011. He led an organization of project support staff that included engineering, planning, radiological protection, characterization, environmental compliance, waste management, industrial safety, industrial hygiene, and procurement personnel. [Read more…]

Bullet holes found in door, teen confesses to shooting, police say

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Rayshawn Lee Freeman

Rayshawn Lee Freeman

Note: This story was updated at 8 p.m.

An Oak Ridge teenager already in jail after a search of a Utica Circle home allegedly found narcotics and a semi-automatic pistol has confessed to a shooting at a home on Bethune Circle where residents reported multiple bullet holes in their front door early Thursday morning, authorities said Tuesday.

The incident began just before 3 a.m. Thursday when the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a “shots fired” call in the Scarboro neighborhood. Police saturated the neighborhood with patrol units and interviewed potential witnesses, but no evidence of a shooting was found, the ORPD said in a press release. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department starts assistance identification program

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORFD Assistance Identification Program

Oak Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo signs up Senior Advisory Board member Dave McCoy for an assistance identification program. Looking on in the back is SAB member Al Skyberg. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Fire Department has started an assistance identification program to help improve emergency service to those in Oak Ridge who may have special needs.

During an emergency of any kind, time is extremely critical, a press release said.

“This program allows for advance notification to emergency responders of any special needs at the residence to which they are responding,” the release said. “Any Oak Ridge resident of any age with special needs is encouraged to fill out a form and be included in this program. Forms to be filled out for this purpose are available at the Oak Ridge Fire Department Headquarters and also at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. These forms are completely confidential and only available to emergency responders through the 911 system.” [Read more…]

Oliver Springs man killed in wreck

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

An Oliver Springs man was killed in a single-vehicle accident Sunday night in Roane County.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that at around 8:30 Sunday night, Otto Joseph Flachbart III, 35, had been driving north on Highway 327 near Oliver Springs when he lost control of his Dodge Ram pickup while rounding a curve. The THP said that he overcorrected twice before the truck flipped over and came to rest on its side. [Read more…]

Utility scam warning for businesses

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

WYSH Radio in Clinton had a scam warning on Monday for businesses who are also customers of Clinton Utilities Board.

Earlier this month, a CUB official notified the Clinton Police Department that three businesses had contacted the utility reporting that they had received phone calls from two different numbers in which the caller told them that they were with the “CUB Disconnect Office” and that they were behind on their bills. In each case, the caller told the business that their service would be disconnected if payment was not made immediately and then provided instructions on how to wire the money through a money service from Walmart or Kmart. [Read more…]

IIa wins $24 million federal contract to operate defense information center

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Information International Associates Inc. announced Monday that it has been awarded a $24 million federal contract to operate the Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center, or HDIAC. IIa will operate the center for the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Technical Information Center, or DTIC.

A press release said the work will focus on research and analysis in eight major Homeland Defense disciplines: homeland defense and security; critical infrastructure protection; weapons of mass destruction; chemical, biological, radiologic, and nuclear defense; biometrics; medical; cultural studies; and alternative energy. [Read more…]

Local food, music served at ‘Taste of Oak Ridge’ on Sept. 28

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Red Shoes and Rosin

Female string trio Red Shoes and Rosin is one of the music groups scheduled to appear at the Taste of Oak Ridge on Sept. 28. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

The flavors from some of Oak Ridge’s best restaurants and the sounds of local musicians will fill Jackson Square for the fifth annual “Taste of Oak Ridge” on Saturday, Sept. 28. The highly anticipated event will start at 4:30 p.m. and continue to 10 p.m.

While area restaurants will be able to showcase some of their finest food in small portions or ” tastes,” the community-focused event will raise money to benefit the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. The “tastes” from each vendor will cost $1 or $2 per item. Tickets will be available for purchase. Attendees can buy as many tickets as they want for $1 each. In addition, beer and wine will be available for purchase. [Read more…]

Learn more about Roane State’s AMTEC job training this week

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anyone interested in Roane State Community College’s nationally recognized Advanced Materials Training and Education Center—a no-cost, high-tech job training program for those who are unemployed or underemployed—is invited to meetings this week at the college’s Oak Ridge campus and Loudon County campus.

The meeting at the Oak Ridge campus will be held Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. in the back room inside Anderson’s Grille. The meeting at the Loudon County Campus will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. in Room 209. [Read more…]