Oak Ridge Today

Big change for FAFSA: Students can complete 2017-18 FAFSA starting Oct. 1

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

fafsa_change

Roane State enrollment assistant Josh Adkins and student Kaylee Avila of Harriman look over the online form for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which will become available to fill out in October. (Photo by RSCC)

 

Recent changes to this important application for college financial help should help ease the process of filing it.

It’s the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which students must complete to be eligible for financial aid including Pell grants, the HOPE scholarship, and Tennessee Promise scholarship.

New this year: The FAFSA will be available on October 1 instead of January 1 for the upcoming school year, which runs from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018.

The second major change is that the required financial information from the Internal Revenue Service can be used from the prior year’s income tax return, so there’s more certainty. [Read more…]

TORCH: Proud of community support for Applewood residents, but still work to do

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Applewood Apartments Hunter Circle Aug 8 2016 1

As of Friday, September 23, there were still 11 households that might not have a place to live when Applewood Apartments closes on September 30, according to an organization that helps homeless families in Anderson County. Pictured above is an Applewood Apartments building on Hunter Circle on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

As of Friday, September 23, there were still 11 households that might not have a place to live when Applewood Apartments closes on September 30, according to an organization that helps homeless families in Anderson County.

The closure of the 13-building apartment complex on Hillside Road and Hunter Circle in the Highland View neighborhood was announced in early August.

Andy O’Quinn of Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope, or TORCH, which is based in Oak Ridge, said he is “extremely proud” of the way the community and its organizations have worked together to help Applewood residents, but there is still work to do.

“At the moment, we are looking for landlords that would be willing to rent by the month to a few people that who receive a disability check and will be getting into income-based housing but need a place to go in the meantime,” O’Quinn said in a Friday status report. “We are also seeking two- and three-bedroom rentals below $550. for our working families. If you think you might have a unit to rent, please e-mail Andy O’Quinn at andy.oquinn@oakridgetorch.org.” [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School student confesses to making social media threats, ORPD says

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

An 11-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School confessed to making potential threats of violence on Friday morning, authorities said.

The threats were made over social media and were against students who attend Jefferson Middle School, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

When it learned of the threats, the ORPD Support Services Unit, or SSU, was sent to Jefferson to protect the property while an investigation was started by ORPD’s Criminal Investigations Division, or CID, a press release said. SSU officers and CID detectives coordinated with Oak Ridge Schools staff to interview several students who may have had knowledge of the threats, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State graduate’s 9/11 tribute gains national attention

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane State paramedic graduate Jason Harding said he was “absolutely amazed at the response” to his 9/11 tribute. Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Harding strapped on 75 pounds of firefighter gear and climbed 110 stories on a stair climbing machine at the Maryville Planet Fitness. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

Roane State paramedic graduate Jason Harding said he was “absolutely amazed at the response” to his 9/11 tribute. Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Harding strapped on 75 pounds of firefighter gear and climbed 110 stories on a stair climbing machine at the Maryville Planet Fitness. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

 

A public safety officer at McGhee Tyson Airport never dreamed his solitary, early-morning tribute on the anniversary of a national tragedy would gain so much attention.

Jason Harding’s unique way to observe the 15 anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks went viral on social media and caught the attention of national news outlets, from People magazine to Fox News.

Harding, who completed Roane State Community College’s paramedic program in September 2011, is a certified police officer, paramedic, and firefighter for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

He went into Maryville’s Planet Fitness at 6 a.m. September 11, wearing 75 pounds of firefighting gear, and asked permission to use one of the gym’s stair climbing machines. [Read more…]

League of Women Voters having three candidate forums

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is having three candidate forums in October.

The first will be on Tuesday, October 4, at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater. This will include the candidates for the Oak Ridge Board of Education and the Oak Ridge City Council. It will be from 7 to 9 p.m. October 4 with candidates being briefed at 6:45 p.m.

The second forum will be on Thursday, October 6, at Roane State Community College City Room on the Oak Ridge campus. This will include the Oak Ridge candidates for the Anderson County Charter Commission. To begin the forum, there will be a short presentation from a subject matter expert on the process of reviewing and changing a county charter. This forum will be from 7 to 9 p.m., with candidates being briefed at 6:45 p.m. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 8

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

plant-sale-fall2

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s Fall Plant Sale will be Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s Fall Plant Sale will be Saturday, October 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Fall is the ideal time to add plants to the landscape, a press release said. To help satisfy that need, Beaver Creek Nursery, East Fork Nursery, Riverdale Nursery, Sunlight Gardens, as well as the UT Arboretum Society’s members and friends, will offer a variety of high quality plants at this sale.

Cash, checks, and credit cards will be accepted for payment.

Retired UT horticulture professor Will Witte, the “Answer Man,” will be on hand to answer your plant questions, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORNL launches new business accelerator for energy tech entrepreneurs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during an Innovations Crossroads business accelerator announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, at the National Transportation Research Center in Hardin Valley are, from left, Mark Johnson, Johanna Wolfson, Moe Khaleel, Thomas McDonald, Charlie Brock. (Photo by ORNL)

Pictured above during an Innovation Crossroads business accelerator announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, at the National Transportation Research Center in Hardin Valley are, from left, Mark Johnson, Johanna Wolfson, Moe Khaleel, Thomas McDonald, and Charlie Brock. (Photo by ORNL)

 

The nation’s top innovators will soon have the opportunity to advance their promising energy technology ideas at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in a new program called Innovation Crossroads. Up to five entrepreneurs will receive a fellowship that covers living costs, benefits, and a travel stipend for up to two years, plus up to $350,000 to use on collaborative research and development at ORNL. The first cohort is expected to start the program in early 2017, a press release said.

A growing global population and increased industrialization require new approaches to energy that are reliable, affordable, and carbon neutral. While important progress has been made in cost reduction and deployment of clean energy technologies, a new program at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, or EERE, will invest in the next generation of first-time clean energy entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation, the press release said.

Innovation Crossroads is the most recent clean energy accelerator to launch at a DOE national laboratory and the first located in the Southeast. ORNL is the nation’s largest science and energy laboratory, with expertise and resources in clean energy, computing, neutron science, advanced materials, and nuclear science. [Read more…]

Centrus, ORNL agree on $25 million contract for work on gas centrifuge uranium enrichment technology

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy USEC/Centrus Energy Corp.)

 

Six months after signing one contract, Centrus Energy Corporation and UT-Battelle LLC have agreed on a new contract for engineering and testing work on technology that uses gas centrifuges to enrich uranium.

Enriched uranium can be used in nuclear power plants and in nuclear weapons, as fuel for nuclear naval vessels, and to ensure a tritium supply, which is needed to maintain the effectiveness of America’s nuclear deterrent, a press release said.

The new Centrus Energy-UT-Battelle contract is valued at about $25 million, and it runs through September 30, 2017. Under this new contract, Centrus scientists, engineers, and operators will “use the company’s unique facilities in Oak Ridge to develop and test technology improvements to reduce costs, improve manufacturability, and enhance the long-term reliability of U.S. uranium enrichment technology,” the press release said.

UT-Battelle operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The uranium enrichment technology is known as the American Centrifuge technology. It’s expected to support future national security and energy security needs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Two Anderson County students charged with social media threats

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Two Anderson County High School students, a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, are being charged in Anderson County Juvenile Court with making threats on social media after an investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, authorities said.

Sheriff’s Department investigators and school resource officers began to follow up on reports of threats posted on a social media site that ultimately led to the identification of these students as those responsible, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said. Both girls have been expelled from school pending a hearing by school administrators.

These threats were similar to those being made across the country, including yesterday in Claiborne County, concerning “clowns” coming to do harm in schools. [Read more…]

Methodist, AARP offer safe driving program for seniors

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To help senior drivers hone their safety skills, Methodist Medical Center is sponsoring an AARP Driver Safety Program on Thursday, September 22, and Friday, September 23. The program is from 1 to 5 p.m. each day in the Cheyenne Ambulatory Center’s conference room, which is located at 944 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The eight-hour classroom refresher course is designed to help drivers 50 years and older to improve their skills. Most auto insurance carriers are required to offer discounts for drivers who complete this accredited course.

The course explains the age-related changes that occur in vision, hearing, and reaction time and provides useful driving safety tips for handling these changes. Certified AARP instructor Jack Cowen will be presenting this course through a combination of group discussion and video activities. [Read more…]

New rope rescue system helps save two people in one week

Posted at
By 1 Comment

rope-rescue

On Sept. 17, 2016, the Oak Ridge Fire Department was dispatched to help a woman with serious injuries who had fallen from a retaining wall in a back yard. First responders found the woman lying 60 feet down a slope in a wooded area. The rapid deployment of the rope system helped the fire crew and Oak Ridge police officers move the injured woman up the steep slope to the ambulance. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

In less than one week, firefighters have used new rope rescue equipment to save two lives in Oak Ridge.

The equipment was recently purchased for each Oak Ridge Fire Department engine, and crews just started training last month. The quick deployment 3-to-1 rope haul system is designed to move injured people up steep slopes or through confined spaces where it is difficult to lift or carry a person. In the last seven days, the department has used the new equipment twice.

On September 5, firefighters were dispatched to an unconscious person in an attic of a house. On arrival, the fire crew found a man lying in the 120 degree attic, disoriented and unable to move. The crew rigged the rapid deployment rope system and, in a matter of minutes, was able to move him through the roof trusses and down the attic access opening to the waiting ambulance crew. [Read more…]

The Library Writes at Oak Ridge Public Library on Mondays

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

quill

Want to meet other writers, read and critique their stories, while getting honest feedback on your own work?

Our band of authors share their work for enjoyment and to improve their craft. Bring your stories and join them in the Auditorium on Mondays from 4 to 6 p.m.

These meetings are free and open to the public. For further information, call or email the library at (865) 425-3455 or CircLib@oakridgetn.gov.