Oak Ridge Today

New COVID-19 cases drop to 6 per day, positivity rate below 3 percent

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A daily snapshot of COVID-19 cases in Anderson County on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, includes, among other information, the daily number of new cases and the daily positivity rate. (Graphic by Tennessee Department of Health)

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Anderson County has dropped to about six new cases per day, on average, and the positivity rate is now at less than 3 percent. Those are the lowest levels in months, since before the winter holiday peaks.

The last new hospitalization for COVID-19 in Anderson County was reported May 1. The last death due to COVID-19 was reported April 21, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

The average new number of cases per day peaked at more than 100 in December, when the positivity rate was up around 20 percent. The 20 percent positivity rate meant that roughly one of five COVID-19 tests each day returned, on average, a positive result.

After those December peaks, the average number of new cases and the average positivity rate both dropped in January and tapered down overall from February to May. (New hospitalizations also peaked in December, but deaths reached their highest monthly level in January.)

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For members: Residential lots proposed on Oak Ridge Summit

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Residential lots have been proposed for the upper part of Oak Ridge Summit, pictured above on Friday, May 7, 2021. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Residential lots have been proposed for the upper part of Oak Ridge Summit, the former Pine Ridge above South Illinois Avenue.

The 45-acre site could have 57 single-family lots, as well as open space, on a new street and cul-de-sac with access off Summit Drive on the former ridge, according to the agenda for an Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission meeting on Thursday.

First Presbyterian offers free meals, groceries on May 13

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First Presbyterian Church will provide a free meal and bag of groceries to food-insecure guests who drive by the church between 5:30 and 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 13.

The church’s monthly Welcome Table community meal program plans to supply each guest with a hot meal consisting of taco soup, Fritos chips, fresh fruit, and brownies or cookies, a press release said.

In addition, a bag of groceries with the ingredients for a family meal at home will be delivered to each car, the press release said. [Read more…]

City wants to buy three drones for police, fire

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The City of Oak Ridge wants to buy three drones for the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Fire Department.

The drones could minimize risks to emergency responders, according to a city memo. Drones could help officers and firefighters perform dangerous tasks such as responding to reports of armed people and other imminent threats, and evaluating fires and hazardous material incidents, the city said. Drones could also help with searches for lost people, which are often impeded by dense vegetation or delayed while waiting for all-terrain vehicles or boats.

“A drone can perform these tasks without delay and without placing responders at risk,” the memo said.

The drones could be used for aerial observation and intelligence collection, the memo said.

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International fusion energy project to be discussed

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David Rasmussen

 

An international fusion energy project that involves Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be discussed in an online meeting on Wednesday, May 19.

The featured speaker will be David Rasmussen, the leader of the technical integration of the U.S. contributions to the international fusion project, which is under construction in France and known as ITER.

Rasmussen’s areas of responsibility have included the ITER plasma heating and fueling systems, a press release said. He has been a plasma research scientist at ORNL since 1981. He has more than 35 years of fusion and plasma science experience in diagnostic measurements and the technology development needed for magnetic confinement fusion and other plasma technology applications, the release said. Rasmussen received a Ph.D. in applied science, specializing in plasma physics, from the University of California at Davis in 1981 where his graduate work was a study of inertial laser fusion wave plasma interactions.

The May 19 talk is hosted by ORION, an amateur science and astronomy club based in Oak Ridge. The talk is scheduled to begin on Zoom at 7 p.m. May 19, and it is open to the public. If you are interested in joining, the Zoom meeting ID is 885 2873 5960, and the passcode is 716689. Alternatively, you can follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88528735960?pwd=KzY4bnBHcjlhTzg3L3pOcjY0TFovUT09. [Read more…]

Baseball: Wildcats play Karns in elimination game

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The playoff bracket for the District 3-AAA baseball tournament is pictured above on May 7, 2021. (Image courtesy Powell High School Baseball)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play the Karns Beavers in an elimination game in the District 3-AAA baseball tournament at Powell this evening (Monday, May 10).

Karns (15-19), the number four seed in the district tournament, has defeated Oak Ridge, the number five seed, three times this year. This will be the fourth game between the two teams this year. Oak Ridge lost to Karns twice during the regular season: 6-1 on April 6 and 3-2 on April 7, according to records kept by CoachT.com. The Wildcats then lost 13-3 to Karns in a first-round game on Thursday.

After its first-round game on Thursday, Oak Ridge (17-14) defeated Campbell County, the number eight seed, 11-0 in a losers bracket game on Friday. The Wildcats also beat the Cougars (3-21) twice in lopsided victories during the regular season, winning by more than 10 points each time, according to records kept by CoachT.com.

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Oak Ridge plays Campbell Co. in soccer tournament Monday

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Image courtesy Powell Boys Soccer

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will play the Campbell County Cougars in the District 3-AAA soccer tournament at home on Monday.

Oak Ridge is the number two seed in the tournament, while Campbell County is the number three seed. The game will start at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 10. The winner will advance to the District 3-AAA championship game on Thursday.

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Impacts of nuclear war to be discussed

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Alan Robock

 

A climate science professor at Rutgers University will discuss how nuclear war could affect the climate and humanity during a virtual meeting in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, May 18.

Alan Robock will be the featured speaker at the virtual monthly meeting of Friends of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The meeting will be open to the public, and it is scheduled to begin at noon Tuesday, May 18.

Robock is a distinguished professor of climate science in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His FORNL talk is titled “The Climatic and Humanitarian Impacts of Nuclear War.”

The Zoom link (meeting ID) can be found by clicking on the lecture title on the home page of the new FORNL website at www.fornl.org and then clicking the link just below the title on the talk’s descriptive page. [Read more…]

USRowing Southeast Youth Championships in Oak Ridge this weekend

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SIRA-Regatta-April-17-2016-6
Rowers, officials, and referees are pictured above during the 2016 SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The USRowing Southeast Youth Championships will be held Saturday and Sunday at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge.

More than 400 entries will be racing in the qualifying event for the Youth National Regatta for youth and teenaged rowers, a press release said. Trophies will include:

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MEDIC Blood Center has emergency need for blood

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The MEDIC Regional Blood Center has issued an emergency appeal for blood donors.

Products donated through MEDIC help community members in East Tennessee and Southeastern Kentucky.

MEDIC Regional Blood Center said it has an immediate, critical need for O positive, A positive, A negative, and B positive blood types. MEDIC said it has a low inventory of B negative blood type.

“There continues to be a regional blood shortage in East Tennessee and Southeastern Kentucky region,” the emergency appeal said. “MEDIC’s O positive inventory level has been critical for weeks.”

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Rotary Club, ORHS football players team up to promote literacy

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Darren Osborne (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge Wildcats football players and head coach Joe Gaddis recently took part in a virtual reading project in partnership with The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools Preschool. Here is how the project began, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Schools Preschool had a need for additional books and supplies. They also needed volunteers to read to their students. The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge learned about the need and devised a plan to help. Rotary members purchased age-appropriate books and additional supplies for the school. Because of COVID-19, they were unable to visit the Preschool to read with the students, so club members videoed themselves reading those books to share with students, the press release said. Then, the Club decided to present the opportunity to the ORHS Wildcats football team. They eagerly accepted. [Read more…]

Emergency food, shelter board to vote on funding applications Tuesday

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The local board for the Emergency Food And Shelter Program will vote on applications for Phase 38 and CARES money for Anderson County on Tuesday. This funding is for food pantries to purchase food and agencies working with the homeless population.

The board will meet over Zoom to vote on the applications. The meeting is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. Tuesday, May 11.

If you are interested in applying for money, contact Adam at United Way of Anderson County (adam@uwayac.org) for an application.