Oak Ridge Today

Man facing charges in high-speed chase

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

A Powell man has been arrested on charges stemming from a high-speed nighttime pursuit that spanned two counties earlier this month.

Larry Eugene Ward Jr., 33, is facing a slew of charges including reckless endangerment, reckless driving, evading arrest, and a host of traffic violations. An Oliver Springs Police Department officer tried to pull Ward over at night on Nov. 2 for a routine violation, but Ward allegedly sped off in his Chevy Cruze, turned off the vehicle’s headlights, and proceeded to lead officers on a pursuit that reached speeds of more than 100 miles an hour, passing cars on double yellow lines, and taking hills in the wrong lane. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge leaf pickup starts Nov. 25

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The citywide leaf pickup program will start in Oak Ridge on Monday, Nov. 25.

City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible. The proposed schedule is a general guide and can vary considerably from the actual schedule due to the amount of leaves and weather conditions, a press release said.

The city has a few program guidelines: [Read more…]

INCITE grants awarded to 59 computational research projects

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Titan Supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced 59 scientific projects that will share nearly six billion core hours on two of America’s fastest supercomputers, including the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, pictured above. (Photo courtesy of ORNL)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science announced 59 projects, promising to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation, that will share nearly six billion core hours on two of America’s fastest supercomputers dedicated to open science. Their work will advance knowledge in critical areas from sustainable energy technologies to the environmental consequences of energy use.

The allocations come from the Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment, or INCITE, program. Through it, the world’s most advanced computational research projects from academia, government, and industry are given access to DOE’s leadership computing facilities at Oak Ridge and Argonne national laboratories. [Read more…]

Stabilization of hot cells facility at ORNL completed

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORNL Hot Cell Stabilization

Installation of the permanent electrical equipment at the 3026 facility has been completed, marking the final step of the stabilization activities at the building. (Photo courtesy DOE/UCOR)

UCOR has finished installing permanent electrical equipment at the 3026 hot cells facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

This action completes all scheduled tasks under the 3026 Hot Cells Transition and Stabilization Phase, the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office reported in the December issue of Public Involvement News.

UCOR took over the 3026 Hot Cells project at the request of DOE. The stabilization activities were con- ducted to help “downgrade” the facility from a Hazard Category 3 nuclear facility to a radiological facility, the Oak Ridge Office said. This downgrade, which has been approved by DOE, will make the facility less costly to maintain.

UCOR is DOE’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.

What’s happening in Oak Ridge from Nov. 22-27

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Here is a summary of events happening in Oak Ridge starting Friday, Nov. 22, and continuing through Nov. 27.

This weekly listing of events is compiled by the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau: [Read more…]

Ridge City Ramblers have CD release party on Wednesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Ridge City Ramblers

The Ridge City Ramblers will have a CD release party in Oak Ridge on Wednesday. Members of the band are, from left, Gary Coleman, Mary Tuskan, Scott Linn, Abbie Hoerner, Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and Steve Reddick. (Submitted photo)

The Ridge City Ramblers will have a CD release party to celebrate their first CD from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab and Kitchen in Jackson Square.

“Ramblin’ on my mind” is the title of the band’s CD. The Ramblers draw their inspiration from bluegrass, blues, traditional, and Americana music, and the band’s musicians bring experience with a host of musical styles and performing groups.

An Oak Ridge band, the Ramblers will entertain the Razzleberry’s audience with songs from the CD and other selections. [Read more…]

GIS Day on Wednesday at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host GIS Day from noon-3 p.m. Wednesday.

GIS Day is an international event that highlights the real-world applications of the geographic information systems, or GIS, field. Roane State offers a one-year certificate and a two-year associate degree in GIS.

“GIS is a great field that blends science, geography, mathematics and, in a way, art,” said Pat Wurth, associate professor and director of Roane State’s GIS program. “We want anyone interested in GIS to visit on GIS Day and learn more about how this technology and training is used in a variety of fields.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Today adds poll

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Today has added a poll to the home page. We plan to add it to article pages, below the comment section, as soon as we can.

The first poll asks whether tax increment financing, or TIF, should be used to help redevelop the Oak Ridge Mall. We posted that poll late Sunday night/early Monday morning, before the Anderson County Commission approved the TIF in a 15-0 vote.

See the poll at the bottom left of the home page. We will try to add new poll questions as often as we can.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

ORNL researcher wins Young Scientist Prize

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Clarina dela Cruz

Clarina Dela Cruz

Clarina Dela Cruz has won the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics C10 Young Scientist Prize, awarded by the American Physical Society. She was selected for her achievements in the field of strongly correlated electron systems.

Dela Cruz received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the National Institute of Physics at the University of the Philippines and her doctorate from the department of physics at the University of Houston.

She became a post-doctoral fellow in the Neutron Sciences Directorate at ORNL and the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Tennessee before becoming a lead instrument scientist at ORNL in 2010. She lives in Knoxville.

ORPD taking applications for Citizens Police Academy

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department is now taking applications for the Citizens Police Academy, which will begin on Jan. 23 and run through March 27, 2014.

The Citizens Police Academy allows citizens to gain knowledge of how the Oak Ridge Police Department is organized and learn more about its functions, as well as improve understanding of the challenges in serving and protecting the community, a press release said. It requires a 10-week commitment from the participants and will be held one night a week, on Thursdays beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 9 p.m. [Read more…]

Holiday Bureau needs donated toys

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The Holiday Bureau of Anderson County is in desperate need of donated toys. There are more than 700 kids that still need toys.

If you can help, contact the bureau at (865) 483-7831 or on Facebook to get details.

World-wide polio eradication to be discussed at Lunch with League on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Brenda Thornburgh in India

Brenda Thornburgh, left, president of Galbraith Laboratories Inc. and past President of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, marks a child’s left pinkie with a purple marker during a polio eradication mission in India in 2012, indicating that the child has received the immunization. (Submitted photo).

Brenda Thornburgh, president of Galbraith Laboratories Inc. and past President of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club, will discuss the worldwide effort to eradicate polio during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

The meeting starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

For most Americans, paralytic polio is a disease of the past, a press release said. However, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of confirmed cases across the world in 2013, primarily in non-endemic countries such as Somalia, Kenya, and the Syrian Arab Republic. [Read more…]