Oak Ridge Today

TVA: 2018 sets record for rainfall in Tennessee Valley

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The Tennessee Valley Authority is spilling or sluicing through gates at reservoirs including Chickamauga, pictured above, with heavy rain in the forecast from Thursday, Dec. 27, to Friday, Dec. 28, 2018. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority is spilling or sluicing through gates at reservoirs including Chickamauga, pictured above, with heavy rain in the forecast from Thursday, Dec. 27, to Friday, Dec. 28, 2018. (Photo courtesy TVA)

 

A record amount of rain has fallen in the Tennessee River Valley in 2018, and the year isn’t over yet. The rain might not be either.

The previous record of 65.1 inches of rain was set in 1973. The record, based on 129 years of weather data, was announced by the Tennessee Valley Authority on Friday.

“As 2018 draws to a close, yearly rainfall totals for the TVA region continue to climb to near record levels, and the trend for above average rainfall totals continues right up to year’s end,” the public utility said.

“For the week before Christmas, rainfall averaged two inches in the eastern Valley and 1.4 inches in the western Valley,” said James Everett, senior manager for TVA’s River Forecast Center. “We began spilling and sluicing at several locations the day after Christmas to increase flows and increase flood storage capacity, and that will likely continue into the New Year.” [Read more…]

Public notice: AC Commission schedules workshop on proposed DOE landfill

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The Anderson County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a workshop for Monday, January 7, 2019, starting at 6 p.m. to discuss the U.S. Department of Energy construction and operation of a new disposal facility. The workshop will be held in room 312 in the Anderson County Courthouse at 100 North Main Street in Clinton, Tennessee.

Updated: Man injured in Clinton shooting

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A Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Lee Lane on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26, 2018, police said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Lee Lane on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 26, 2018, police said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11 a.m. Dec. 27.

CLINTON—A Clinton man was injured in a shooting on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The shooting was reported at about 4:42 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Lee Lane and State Route 61, which connects Oak Ridge and Clinton. It involved a dispute between a father and his son, and the father was shot in the buttocks, police said. The two men were reported to have been shooting at each other in a yard at that intersection.

When officers arrived, they found Terry Lee Crawford, 61, on the ground in front of his home. Crawford’s home is next to his son’s home, where the shooting occurred. Crawford was bleeding from an apparent gunshot wound, the Clinton Police Department said. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He was in stable condition on Thursday morning, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Clinton Police Chief Vaughn Becker told WYSH Radio on Thursday that the elder Crawford had run back to his own property before collapsing in his yard. [Read more…]

Holiday gift: ADFAC activity book about Oak Ridge history for children

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Left to right, ADFAC Committee member Ray Smith is joined by Barbara Ferrell, The Ferrell Shop; Denise Parten, Southern Bliss; Annie Cacheiro, ADFAC Executive Director; Becky Hook, ADFAC School Supply Coordinator and Activity Book Chairman; and Jim Dodson, ADFAC Board of Directors and Committee member. (Submitted photo)

Left to right, ADFAC Committee member Ray Smith is joined by Barbara Ferrell, The Ferrell Shop; Denise Parten, Southern Bliss; Annie Cacheiro, ADFAC Executive Director; Becky Hook, ADFAC School Supply Coordinator and Activity Book Chairman; and Jim Dodson, ADFAC Board of Directors and Committee member. (Submitted photo)

 

“The Secret is Out: Discover Oak Ridge” activity book for sale with proceeds benefitting ADFAC.

Looking for a unique gift for a child? ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties) has the answer.

“The Secret is Out: Discover Oak Ridge” is an activity book designed to present the history of Oak Ridge through pictures and activities for children ages 5-13. Art work, poems, puzzles, and short stories created by students from Oak Ridge schools were submitted for publication, a press release said. Area adult artists and photographers also donated their services to benefit ADFAC.

Developed in conjunction with ADFAC’s 30th anniversary and Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary, “The Secret is Out: Discover Oak Ridge” gives a pictorial history of the city and includes organizations of interest to children. Ariana Rector, graphic designer, created the cover which highlights Oak Ridge’s historically significant accomplishments in a timeline from black and white to color. She is also credited with illustrating many of the coloring pages and compiling the submitted works, the press release said. [Read more…]

NPS: Manhattan Project Park accessible during shutdown

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National parks will remain as accessible as possible during the partial government shutdown while following all applicable laws and procedures, officials in Denver said Saturday.

The government partially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday due to a lapse in funding for nine federal departments and several agencies.

During the shutdown, there will be no visitor services provided by the National Park Service at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, including public information. The Manhattan Project Park includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

NPS social media and websites are not being monitored or updated, and they may not reflect current conditions during the shutdown. All park programs have been canceled, according to a press release from Kris Kirby, superintendent of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Denver. [Read more…]

DOE not affected by shutdown

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The Joe L. Evins Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Federal Building is pictured above in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 19, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy is not affected by the partial government shutdown that started at midnight, and DOE employees and contractors, including in Oak Ridge, are expected to continue their normal work schedules.

”The partial government shutdown does not impact Department of Energy facilities,” federal officials said in a statement. “DOE’s fiscal year 2019 appropriations bill was approved by Congress and signed by the president in September. DOE employees and contractors are expected to continue to report to work according to their usual work schedule.”

Among the DOE sites and operations in Oak Ridge are East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, and Y-12 National Security Complex. Y-12 is overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration, a DOE agency. [Read more…]

Updated: Park Service will not provide visitor services during shutdown

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Note: This story was updated at 1:50 p.m.

The National Park Service will not provide visitor services during the partial government shutdown that started Friday night, and that could affect programs in Oak Ridge and other national parks in the area. But Manhattan Project Park locations at three sites, including Oak Ridge, will remain open to the public and continue to provide visitor services.

Oak Ridge is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which is part of the National Park Service. The park, which is about three years old, commemorates the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II. Besides Oak Ridge, two other sites are part of the park: Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

In Oak Ridge, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park is based at the Children’s Museum on West Outer Drive. The park includes programs such as historical films, celebrations, and programs, and informative hikes and bicycle rides with rangers.

The National Park Service did not respond to two inquiries this week, but a program scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Oak Ridge will presumably be canceled. That program was intended to discuss secrecy, security, and spies during the Manhattan Project. It was scheduled for this afternoon (Saturday, December 22) at the Turnpike Gatehouse in west Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

(For members) Oak Ridge Airport: Officials submit layout plan, wait for FAA response

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Pictured above giving an update on the Oak Ridge Airport project during a Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, is Bill Barley, standing, vice president of CHA Consulting, and Mike Reiter of Michael Baker International, seated at center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above giving an update about the Oak Ridge Airport project during a Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, is Bill Barley, standing, vice president of CHA Consulting, and Mike Reiter of Michael Baker International, seated at center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

 

Pictured above giving an update on the Oak Ridge Airport project during a Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, is Bill Barley, standing, vice president of CHA Consulting, and Mike Reiter of Michael Baker International, seated at center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT—A layout plan has been submitted for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport, and now officials are waiting for a response from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The response could arrive any day, said Bill Barley, vice president of CHA Consulting, which has an office in Louisville. Barley and Mike Reiter of Michael Baker International, an architectural firm, gave an update about the Oak Ridge Airport project during a meeting of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners at McGhee Tyson Aiport in Alcoa on Wednesday.

The letter from the FAA could be a conditional approval, which is standard, Barley said.

If approved and funded, the airport would have a 5,000-foot runway, and it would be built on the south side of the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. It would be near Highway 58, on 170 acres of land that have been declared excess by the U.S. Department of Energy. The runway could run roughly parallel to the highway.

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Planning Commission unanimously approves apartments at former AMSE site

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The main parking lot and main entrance to the former American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue is pictured above on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The main parking lot and main entrance to the former American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue is pictured above on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission unanimously approved a rezoning and master plan on Thursday that will allow apartments on the former American Museum of Science and Energy property on South Tulane Avenue.

The approval, which passed on a unanimous voice vote, functions as a recommendation to the Oak Ridge City Council, which could consider the project in January. Council could consider the rezoning and master plan in two monthly meetings, or readings.

The apartment complex could include 217 units in seven three-story buildings on the northern side of the former AMSE site. They would be built on about 10 acres where the former museum building and its big parking lot are now, just south of the Oak Ridge Municipal Building.

AMSE has moved across the street to Main Street Oak Ridge, the roughly 58-acre redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall. [Read more…]

Former AMSE building vandalized

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The former American Museum of Science and Energy building on South Tulane Avenue was recently vandalized, and it will cost the City of Oak Ridge several thousand dollars to re-secure the building, authorities said Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building on South Tulane Avenue was recently vandalized, and it will cost the City of Oak Ridge several thousand dollars to re-secure the building, authorities said Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Oak Ridge Police Department)

 

The former American Museum of Science and Energy building on South Tulane Avenue was recently vandalized, and it will cost the City of Oak Ridge several thousand dollars to re-secure the building, authorities said Thursday.

The vandalism was reported at about 9:19 p.m. Tuesday, when a person saw a broken window at the former AMSE, the Oak Ridge Police Department said.

“When officers arrived, they discovered the interior and exterior of the vacant building, which is owned by the City of Oak Ridge government, had been damaged during a recent break-in,” the ORPD said. [Read more…]

Grace Lutheran has Advent Worship, Christmas Eve Services

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Grace Lutheran Church has mid-week Advent Worship Services and Christmas Eve Services this month.

The Advent Worship Services have been on Wednesdays, including on December 5 and 12. There is another service at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 19.

The church will also have Christmas Eve services. They will take place at 4 p.m. (Family) and 9 p.m. (Candlelight).

All services are free, a press release said.

The church presented the seasonal work of Heather Sorenson, “Little Lion, Little Lamb,” presented by Grace Lutheran Church’s Chancel Choir on Sunday, December 16, under the direction of Slade Trammell. Sorenson is a Dallas-based composer and highly accomplished pianist whose talents are heard in worship settings around the world, the press release said. [Read more…]

Holiday Concert at ORHS on Thursday

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On Thursday Dec. 20, 2018, the Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert. (Submitted photo)

On Thursday Dec. 20, 2018, the Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert on Thursday.

“Please come and celebrate the season with these very talented students,” a press release said. [Read more…]