Oak Ridge Today

Crews prepare to demolish Graphite Reactor support facilities

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

An aerial view of a filter house, fan house, and 200-foot-tall exhaust stack that provided support to the Graphite Reactor, which is located about 100 feet away from these facilities. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management)

Federal cleanup crews are preparing to demolish three support facilities for the historic Graphite Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The demolition of the support facilities is planned for next year.

The deactivation work at the three facilities is being done by UCOR, a cleanup contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

The buildings include the filter house, or Building 3002; fan house, or Building 3003; and exhaust stack, or Building 3018. They were previously used to filter and release exhaust from Graphite Reactor operations.

[Read more…]

Three students, schools selected for ORNL FCU art, mural program

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Three students and schools have had their art work selected for the ORNL Federal Credit Union’s Community Art and Mural Program.

Introduced in 2017, the Community Art and Mural Program was created to support initiatives that make the arts accessible to all and help our communities thrive. The 2024 mural theme was “new beginnings,” a press release said.

“Congratulations to the following students and schools,” the press release said:

[Read more…]

Household hazardous waste drop-off in Roane County on Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Roane County on Saturday, March 9.

Tennesseans are encouraged to bring household hazardous waste – including cleaning fluids, pesticides, swimming pool chemicals, and more – to a designated drop-off location, a press release said. A person does not need to live in the county to participate.

On Saturday, the drop-off location is:

[Read more…]

Registration open for city athletic leagues

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Team registration for the City of Oak Ridge Department of Recreation and Parks’ 2024 Spring Softball and Spring Outdoor 3×3 basketball season is now under way.

For softball, a Men’s League will be offered on Monday evenings with a possibility of Thursday makeup games. A recreational and a competitive coed league will be offered on Tuesday evenings with possibilities of Thursday make up games.

For basketball, an 18+ Open League will be offered on Wednesday evenings with a possibility of Thursday makeup games.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Philharmonia has free concert in March

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Philharmonia will have a free concert in March, performed on two separate dates in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

“We hope you can join us for a generous portion of fun and very enjoyable music,” a press release said.

The concerts will include:

  • Muzio Clementi, “Symphony No. 4”
  • Claude Debussy, “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”
  • Heitor Villa-Lobos, “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4”

Here is the concert schedule:

  • Sunday, March 10, at 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge, 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike
  • Sunday, March 17, at 4 p.m. at Cokesbury United Methodist Church, 9919 Kingston Pike, Knoxville

“As always, the concert is provided with free admission, but we certainly appreciate donations that can be given at the concert or through our wonderful website,” the press release said. “We encourage you to visit our website and read about our orchestra: https://www.oakridgephilharmonia.org/.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Many news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. This is a free story. Thank you to our advertisers, contributors, and subscribers. You can see what we cover here.

Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today!

Alternatively, you can donate to support our work here. Thank you for your support!

Copyright 2024 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Chamber’s Small Business of the Month: Bob’s Washboard Laundromat

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Bob’s Washboard Laundromat, the only wash and fold service in Anderson County, has been named the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Month for February 2024. (Submitted photo)

Bob’s Washboard Laundromat, the only wash and fold service in Anderson County, has been named the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Month for February 2024, a press release said.

“This award recognizes Bob’s Washboard Laundromat’s unique business concept, their commitment to providing superior service to their clients, as well as their contributions to the Oak Ridge community,” the press release said.

Bob’s Washboard Laundromat was founded in October 2010 by Robert Burseth. In the summer of 2023, he remodeled and relocated the business to 113 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge, which now includes a wash and fold service inside. There are traditional self-serve washers and dryers available, but unlike most, their laundromat has attendants available to assist patrons, the press release said. [Read more…]

Man accused of crashing into Y-12 barrier, fleeing inside plant

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jonpaul Payne

A 27-year-old Lenoir City man allegedly drove a car without permission, did not stop at a Y-12 National Security Complex entrance, struck a barrier, and fled on foot inside the nuclear weapons plant before being detained, court records said.

The incident was reported at about 5 a.m. Saturday. At that time, the Oak Ridge Police Department sent a text message that entrance to Y-12 was closed on Bear Creek Road in response to the incident.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

ORAU Education Grants applications now open for 2024

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Rebekah Bozeman, STEM teacher at Lake City Elementary School, used her 2023 ORAU Education Grant to purchase building blocks, fort boards, interactive gloves, Spirographs, mazes, and iPad minis to use in a variety of ways to teach kindergarten through sixth grade students. (Photo courtesy ORAU)

Proposals now being accepted from educators in five East Tennessee counties; deadline is April 19

ORAU is accepting applications for its Education Grants program for 2024, offering $30,000 in grant funding for teachers in five East Tennessee counties.

Educators in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan, Roane, and Scott county public schools are invited to submit proposals to fund programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), a press release said.

[Read more…]

C&D Tire remains closed for now after fire

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

C&D Tire in Oak Ridge remains closed until further notice, according to a sign posted on its door on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. The popular tire store had a fire on Feb. 2, which remains under investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A popular tire store in Oak Ridge remains closed after a fire this month.

A sign posted on C&D Tire on Sunday said the store will be closed until further notice.

In the meantime, the fire is under investigation, and there is yellow fire line tape strung across doors.

[Read more…]

Playhouse has Maskapalooza! fundraiser on March 9

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Playhouse will have a Maskapalooza! fundraiser on Saturday, March 9. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Playhouse will have a Maskapalooza! fundraiser on Saturday, March 9.

It’s a fan favorite, a press release said.

“Dress to impress, don a creative mask, sample delectable heavy hors d’oeuvres, take home unique auction items, and dance the night away to the tunes of DJ Luther Simmons,” the press release said.

The party starts at 6 p.m. March 9 in Calhoun’s Banquet Hall in Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has hike on Feb. 17

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A hike at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will have a Third Saturday hike on Saturday, February 17.

The free, guided mid-winter hike is open to everyone. It will start at 9 a.m. February 17 at the 260-acre UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

“Enjoy the forests and trails in this lovely, wooded setting,” a press release said. “Newcomers as well as previous participants are invited to join the hike. The hikes have been a staple of the UT Arboretum and UT Arboretum Society for over 15 years. This is a great opportunity to ‘walk off’ the holiday celebrations and get outside for some fresh air and exercise.”

[Read more…]

C&D Tire fire under investigation

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A fire at C&D Tire in Oak Ridge on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, is under investigation. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The fire on Friday at C&D Tire is under investigation.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived at the fire within two minutes after receiving the report of the fire, according to City of Oak Ridge spokesperson Lauren Gray.

The fire was reported at 6:27 p.m. Friday. It was under control in less than 10 minutes and extinguished in less than 15 minutes, Gray said.

On Sunday, the garage doors at the shop, a popular place to buy tires in Oak Ridge, were boarded up with yellow fire line tape strung across the doors.

[Read more…]