Oak Ridge Today

ORNL names operations deputy

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Alan Icenhour has been named deputy for operations at ORNL. (Photo credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy)

Alan Icenhour has been named deputy for operations at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He will succeed Jeff Smith, who is retiring this spring after serving in the role since UT-Battelle began operating the lab in 2000, a press release said.

Icenhour joined ORNL in 1990 as an engineer, and he served most recently as associate laboratory director for the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate. He led the Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate from 2014 until the isotopes directorate was formed in October 2020. Icenhour has held a variety of other leadership positions as well as an assignment as senior technical adviser to the National Nuclear Security Administration, the press release said.

“Alan is a disciplined, thoughtful leader with broad experience at ORNL and proven success in a variety of roles,” ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said in the press release said. “His ability to evaluate complex problems, find creative solutions, and build highly productive relationships will ensure the operational excellence necessary to support world-leading research and development.”

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ORNL names associate lab director for physical sciences

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Cynthia Jenks has been selected as associate laboratory director for Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Physical Sciences Directorate. (Photo credit: Argonne National Laboratory/U.S. Department of Energy)

Cynthia Jenks has been selected as associate laboratory director for the Physical Sciences Directorate at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She will start at the lab April 19, a press release said.

Jenks comes to ORNL from Argonne National Laboratory, where she has directed the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, overseeing the contributions of 17 research groups, the press release said.

Before she worked at Argonne, Jenks served in a variety of roles at Ames Laboratory, including as assistant director for scientific planning, the press release said. During her career in the national laboratory system, Jenks has developed strong relationships within DOE’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences, or BES, one of the nation’s largest sponsors of research in the physical sciences, the press release said.

The research she leads at Argonne is also supported by DOE’s offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the press release said.

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Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will be virtual June 5

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Bil Lepp performs at the 2019 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, held at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will feature three renowned storytellers on June 5. This year’s festival, led by volunteers from three Oak Ridge Rotary clubs, will be virtual because of COVID-19 concerns.

The featured storytellers will be Andy Offutt Irwin, Bil Lepp, and Kim Weitkamp. They are known to audiences nationwide for their wit, wisdom, and abilities to make audiences laugh, cry, and reminisce, a press release said.

Information on ticket purchases, prices, and additional workshops will be announced later. The evening show will be 8 p.m. Saturday, June 5.

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Nine men arrested in undercover human trafficking operation

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Pictured above are, from left in top row, Alex Hickey, Darron C. Hickman, Jeremy Williams, Jose W. Salguero, and Joshua Wilson, and from left in bottom row, Joshua Winningham, Juan Gomez, Michael Houck, and Michael J. Slover. (Photos by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation)

Nine men, including at least five who met with undercover agents posing as juveniles, were arrested on trafficking, sex, and prostitution charges in Oak Ridge on Thursday during a two-day covert operation targeted at human trafficking in East Tennessee.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers said they placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases.

Secret City Festival scheduled for September

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A previous Secret City Festival is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Canceled last year, the postponed Secret City Festival is scheduled for September this year.

Normally held in June, the Secret City Festival was canceled last year a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic began.

This year’s festival is scheduled for September 24 and 25 in Alvin K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge. Organizers said it will feature two days of music, food, history, science, and more. Details of the festival haven’t been announced yet.

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Lavender Festival will not be held this year

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Lavender Festival Overview
The annual Lavender Festival in June 2014 is pictured above in Jackson Square in Oak Ridge. (File photo by Ray Smith)

The Lavender Festival will not be held again this year, organizers announced Sunday after consulting with Oak Ridge city officials.

“While many people have been vaccinated and COVID-19 cases are decreasing, Lavender Festival’s crowd and limited area make it an unsafe event to hold early in the summer,” organizers said. “We have always prided ourselves on creating a happy, stress-free festival focused on good health. We cannot in good conscience create an event that would endanger our vendors or guests, many of whom attend the festival from other states, or anyone in the Oak Ridge community.”

Organizers said vendors accepted to the 2020 festival should check their email for information for vendors.

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UT-Battelle Development Corp. contributes $500,000 for proposed airport

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Pictured above is Jeff Smith, president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation and vice chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge said it has received a $500,000 contribution from the UT-Battelle Development Corporation to help with the planned airport at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge.

The contribution is meant to provide funding that can be used to secure state and/or federal grants that require a local funding match, a city press release said.

Thomas Zacharia, president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle and director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Jeff Smith, president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation, presented the contribution to Oak Ridge City Council at its March 8 meeting. Smith is also vice chair of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

“I believe the presence of a new airport will be a key differentiator for this community because it supports existing trends so clearly: The airport will make Oak Ridge more attractive to companies and professionals interested in low-cost, high-quality communities with easy access to other cities,” Zacharia said, according to the press release.

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Houston defeats Oak Ridge in state semifinal

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A tall, talented Houston team with several future Division I basketball players eliminated Oak Ridge 77-45 in a Class AAA state semifinal tournament game in Murfreesboro on Friday, March 19, 2021. (Photo by Zack James)

A tall, talented Houston team with several future Division I basketball players eliminated Oak Ridge 77-45 in a Class AAA state semifinal tournament game in Murfreesboro on Friday.

Oak Ridge (28-6) took an early 6-0 lead in the BlueCross Basketball Championships game at Middle Tennessee State University. But after Houston (22-3) took the lead with about three minutes left in the first quarter, the Mustangs never gave it up and they led by as many as 33 points.

Still, Oak Ridge was down by only eight points, 29-21, at halftime.

However, the Mustangs outscored the Wildcats 33-10 in the third quarter and had a 62-31 lead going into the final quarter. Houston senior forward Zander Yates (6-foot-8) scored 14 points in less than two minutes in the third quarter to help open up that lead for the Mustangs.

Houston, a team from Germantown east of Memphis, had four starters, including Yates, who are 6-foot-6 or taller. Oak Ridge had one, 6-foot-8 senior center Jonathan Milloway. The Mustangs had a rebounding advantage, 40 to 27, and they also shot 50 percent from the field (26 of 52) and almost 50 percent from beyond the three-point line (11 of 23).

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Basketball photos from state quarterfinal game

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Oak Ridge advanced to a state semifinal basketball game on Friday, March 19, 2021, with a 68-57 win over Siegel in a Class AAA quarterfinal game in Murfreesboro on Thursday. Pictured above shooting a jump shot is Oak Ridge senior Jeremy Miller (23). (Photo by Zack James)

Oak Ridge advanced to a state semifinal basketball game on Friday with a 68-57 win over Siegel in a Class AAA quarterfinal game on Thursday.

Here are photos of Thursday’s game by Zack James.

The Wildcats (28-5) will play Houston (19-3) of Germantown, east of Memphis, at 8:30 p.m. Central time Friday in a semifinal game in the BlueCross Basketball Championships at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

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Wildcats advance to state semifinal with win over Siegel

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Oak Ridge advanced to a state semifinal basketball game on Friday, March 19, 2021, with a 68-57 win over Siegel in a Class AAA quarterfinal game in Murfreesboro on Thursday. Pictured above shooting a free throw is Oak Ridge senior Jonathan Milloway (21). (Photo by Zack James)

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. March 19.

Oak Ridge advanced to a state semifinal basketball game on Friday with a 68-57 win over Siegel in a Class AAA quarterfinal game on Thursday.

The Wildcats (28-5) will play Houston (21-3) of Germantown, east of Memphis, at 8:30 p.m. Central time Friday. The BlueCross Basketball Championships are in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

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Roane State student chronicles harrowing escape from captivity in new book

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Shown is the cover of the self-published book available on Amazon and written by Bella Hope Shiloh, the alias adopted by a Roane State Community College student. (Photo submitted by Roane State)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

As a child, she endured years of physical and sexual abuse by her father. At age 20, she married a man in a cult-like church who controlled her and removed her and their children from all society—except the church.

For years, they lived in an isolated shack with no electricity, no running water, no toilet, and no phone. Finally, she and her children broke free from the violence and mind control and began the challenging task of becoming familiar with what she calls “the real world.” That’s still an ongoing struggle, she says.

Call her Bella Hope Shiloh. That’s the alias this Roane State Community College student used to write an account of the nightmare she and her children experienced. Her self-published book is titled “Prisoners in the Shed,” and is available on Amazon.

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Roane State re-opening Expo Center in phases

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Roane State Community College prepares to re-open the Expo Center in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State Community College is re-opening its Expo Center in Harriman in phases.

The Henry/Stafford East Tennessee Agricultural Exposition Center is located on the Roane County campus in Harriman.

Beginning Wednesday, March 17, public riding will be offered by reservation only at the outdoor arena, a press release said.

Beginning Thursday, April 1, events will be permitted to resume at all Expo Center facilities, both indoor and outdoor.

The most up-to-date bookings will be posted on the online event calendar at roanestate.edu/expo.

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