Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 p.m.
Oak Ridge and Anderson County schools will be closed on Tuesday because of the weather, officials said.
The Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton will also be closed, and the Anderson County Commission meeting has been canceled. All courts will be closed.
The Commission meeting will be rescheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, February 26. [Read more…]
The National Weather Service in Morristown has posted a YouTube video with a briefing on today’s winter storm.
The storm is expected to dump a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the region today and tonight. Dangerous accumulations of ice and snow are expected.
A winter storm warning is in effect until 7 a.m. Tuesday. The precipitation is expected to end late this evening (Monday, February 16) or early Tuesday morning.
Another round of light snow is expected late Tuesday or Wednesday, and very cold conditions are expected later this week, with bone-chilling temperatures expected Thursday and Friday mornings.
Spice of India dancers at the Children’s Museum International Festival. (Photo by Rob Welton)
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will present entertainment, crafts, and cuisines from cultures around the world at its annual International Festival on Saturday, February 21. The family-friendly event will feature musical and dance entertainment on stage throughout the day, international food and culture booths, and crafts for children to make and take home.
The festival will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. February 21 at the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. Food will be served from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Children will be invited to make and take Chinese dragons, Japanese geisha masks, and Indian elephants at craft stations during the festival, as well as crafts at several International Bazaar booths. [Read more…]
Note: This story was last updated at 2:41 p.m.
Oak Ridge Schools and Roane State Community College are closed today (Monday, February 16) due to weather, and some employers and businesses are starting late or are closed.
The Y-12 National Security Complex is closed to non-essential employees due to hazardous weather conditions.
Roane County Schools Central Office will also be closed due to the weather. This includes Technology, Transportation, and other departments.
Some schools, including Clinton’s, were already closed today because of the Presidents’ Day holiday. And some businesses and government offices were already closed because of the holiday. [Read more…]
Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown
Note: This story was updated at 8:32 a.m. Feb. 16.
A winter storm warning is in effect in parts of East Tennessee—including Anderson, Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties—and there could be some snow this morning, possibly mixed with sleet, forecasters said. The precipitation could change to a mix of mostly freezing rain and sleet during the day, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown. It could change back to sleet or snow before tapering off.
The NWS said snow and sleet accumulations of one to four inches are possible, and total ice accumulations of a quarter to a half inch are possible.
The winter storm warning area includes Clinton and Oak Ridge, as well as Kingston and Knoxville. It also includes Jefferson, Grainger, and Union counties, and northwest Blount and north Sevier counties. The storm warning is in effect from 7 a.m. Monday to 7 a.m. Tuesday. [Read more…]
Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown
Dangerously cold wind chills could drop to between 0 and -10 degrees Fahrenheit in the Tennessee Valley tonight through Sunday morning and even lower, between -10 and -25, in the mountains, forecasters said. And there is a chance of snow near Oak Ridge this week.
Those not dressed appropriately overnight could be susceptible to hypothermia or frostbite. Exposed pipes may freeze, and the cold poses a threat to outdoor pets and livestock, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The NWS said exposed pipes should be insulated or covered, and pets and livestock should be brought in or provided shelter. Forecasters also recommended checking on the elderly or those without sufficient heat. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Public Library is pictured above.
Renovation of the lighting and ceiling tile will begin at the Oak Ridge Public Library on Monday, February 23. The renovation project is expected to last several weeks, and it consists of replacing the lighting with LED fixtures, which will provide better lighting and reduced energy costs, a press release said.
There will be limited availability of the building for library patrons during the renovation.
“City and library staff appreciates the community’s patience during this renovation project as the results should be worth the temporary inconvenience,” the press release said.
This renovation project is partially funded by the Clean Tennessee Energy Grant that was awarded to the City of Oak Ridge by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
For more information concerning the availability of the Library during the renovation, call (865) 425-3459.
Oak Ridge junior Caelyn Thompson (22) had seven points during a district tournament semifinal game against Powell on Saturday, and sophomore Courtney Ellison, seen here behind Thompson, led all Lady Wildcats with 17, including three three-point shots. (Photo by Luther Simmons)
Note: This story was last updated at 7:08 p.m.
KNOXVILLE—The Lady Wildcats took a one-point lead on a three-point shot by Princess Bates with nine seconds left, but Powell rallied in overtime to beat Oak Ridge 60-54 in a district tournament semifinal game in Knoxville on Saturday.
The Lady Wildcats, who have qualified for the Region 2 tournament, will play for third place in a consolation game against the loser of the Saturday afternoon game between Anderson County and Halls. The consolation game starts at 6 p.m. Monday at Central High School in Knoxville.
The Lady Wildcats led 27-22 at halftime and stayed on top for much of the second half, leading by as much as seven points. They got big momentum boosts from the three three-point shots of sophomore point guard/wing Courtney Ellison, who led Oak Ridge with 17 points, and three more from freshman wing/post Jasmine Hembry, who scored 12.
Bates, a freshman wing, and Caelyn Thompson, a junior post, each had seven.
Oak Ridge hit a total of eight three-point shots, for 24 points total.
“You hate it for them,” Oak Ridge Coach David Scott said of his team’s loss in the high-pressure game, undecided until the final seconds of the four-minute overtime. “They worked so hard.” [Read more…]
Sophomore point guard Courtney Ellison (10) dribbles up court ahead of freshman Destiny Kassner as the Lady Wildcats wallop Gibbs 64-36 in a quarterfinal district tournament game in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photo by Luther Simmons)
KNOXVILLE—The Lady Wildcats advanced to the district semifinals and guaranteed themselves at least three more playoff games in a 64-36 rout of Gibbs in a quarterfinal game on Thursday. They’ve also qualified for the Region 2 tournament.
Oak Ridge, the number three seed, will take on Powell, the number two seed, at 3 p.m. Saturday at Central High School in Knoxville.
Meanwhile, the Clinton Dragons boys’ team fell to Halls 46-32 in another quarterfinal game on Thursday. Halls, the number three seed in the District 3-AAA tournament, will take on Karns, the number two seed, at 6 p.m. Saturday.
That game will be followed by a matchup between Oak Ridge, the number one seed, and the winner of today’s elimination game between Anderson County and Central.
The game between the Mavericks and Bobcats starts at 7:30 p.m. today (Friday, February 13) at Central. [Read more…]
But it could also save $1 billion through on-site disposal, officials say
A new landfill that would hold waste from cleanup work at federal sites in Oak Ridge could cost $1 billion, a project manager said Wednesday. That start-to-finish estimate includes construction and 23 years of operations.
But federal officials said the new landfill could save $1 billion in on-site versus off-site costs. That’s because the waste would be disposed on site and wouldn’t have to be shipped out of town, possibly to other states such as Nevada and Utah.
Saving money through on-site disposal could, in turn, accelerate the cleanup work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, said Laura Wilkerson, federal project director for the Y-12 National Security Complex in the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.
The new landfill, the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, would be built on Bear Creek Road west of the Y-12 National Security Complex near another landfill that is already in use and has been operating since 2002. [Read more…]
From left to right are Chairman Chuck Fleischmann, Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Mark Whitney, and Co-Chairman Ben Ray Luján. (Submitted photo)
Chairman Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, and Co-Chairman Ben Ray Luján, a New Mexico Democrat, announced on Thursday that they will serve as co-chairs of the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, which held its first meeting of the 114th Congress to discuss the importance of raising awareness of environmental management issues.
Fifty years of government nuclear weapons development stemming from the Manhattan Project during World War II has affected communities across the nation and resulted in the need for environmental cleanup at numerous sites, a press release said.
“Our nation has a tremendous nuclear history, and with that has come an important nuclear cleanup mission,” said Fleischmann, who represents the city of Oak Ridge. “I am excited today to host the first meeting of the 114th Congress’ Nuclear Cleanup Caucus with co-chair Lujan and members from across the country who have districts that are impacted. I also want to thank Acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management Mark Whitney for taking part in this meeting. This Caucus will serve to promote the awareness of our nuclear legacy and build a stronger coalition to fight for the needs of our cleanup missions, and I am eager to get to work.” [Read more…]
WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today
The Clinton boys’ basketball team advanced to the second round of the District 3-AAA tournament in a 67-58 first-round win over the Gibbs Eagles at Central High School in Knoxville on Wednesday.
J’Quan Thomas led three double-digit scorers for the seventh-seeded Dragons, who will take on third-seeded Halls at 7:30 tonight (Thursday, February 12). The winner of tonight’s tilt will move on to the district semifinals Saturday at 6 p.m. against Karns and earn a berth in next week’s region tournament, while the loser’s season will be finished, WYSH Radio reported.
In the first game on Wednesday night, Gibbs’ girls closed out the Karns Lady Beavers, blowing open a close game in the third quarter on their way to a 50-37 win and a second-round matchup with the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats that will tip off at 6 p.m. Thursday at Central.
Meanwhile, the Clinton girls’ basketball season ended in a Tuesday loss to Campbell County at Central. [Read more…]
