Oak Ridge Today

Signing ceremony for Manhattan Project park on Nov. 10 in DC

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Hanford B Reactor

The Hanford B Reactor (Photo courtesy Atomic Heritage Foundation)

 

By Atomic Heritage Foundation

The birthday of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, is now set for November 10, 2015.

While the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act became law on December 19, 2014, the Act requires that the Departments of Energy and Interior reach an agreement within a year of enactment on their respective roles in implementing the new park. At that time, the park will be officially established.

We understand that the Departments of Energy and the National Park Service leaders are close to an agreement. Secretary of Energy Ernie Moniz and Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell are scheduled to have a signing ceremony on Tuesday, November 10, in Washington, D.C.

The Manhattan Project Park Act passed after the National Park Service’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget was in place, so the funds available in 2016 for NPS’s work on the park are limited to $180,000.

NPS Associate Director Victor Knox talked about 2016 as a transitional year for the new park, as the Park Service assumes management and focuses on how best to interpret the story of the Manhattan Project. The Department of Energy and its laboratories have been funding a variety of activities this year and have developed a five-year budget plan for restoring and providing public access to its historic assets. [Read more…]

Council to get update on airport this evening

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Oak Ridge Airport Development Plan

The Heritage Center airport development plan is pictured above. (Cropped image from DOE Draft Environmental Assessment)

 

The City Council will get an update on the proposed general aviation airport in west Oak Ridge during a work session this evening.

The update will be given by Billy Stair, public affairs consultant for the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

The airport could cost $30-$40 million, and construction could start in 2018, according to a current timeline and construction estimate. The airport would include a 5,000-foot runway and be built at the front side of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site.

The Oak Ridge airport would the third for the MKAA, which would own the site. The other two are McGhee Tyson in Blount County and Downtown Island in Knoxville. The Oak Ridge airport would be a reliever airport and help relieve congestion at the other two airports. [Read more…]

Josh Phillips, an Oak Ridge native, to headline Comedy at the Grove on Sept. 25

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Comedy at the Grove on Sept. 25

Oak Ridge native Josh Phillips will headline Comedy at the Grove on Friday, September 25.

The show is presented by Danny Whitson. It starts at 8 p.m. September 25, at the Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge.

“Come join us in celebrating Josh Phillips’ birthday!” a press release said. “Enjoy a night full of entertainment by some of the best local comedians.”

The show is for adults 18 years old and up. You must be 18 to purchase tickets and enter. You must be 21 or older to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages which will be offered before and during the show.

Tickets are only $10, organizers said. [Read more…]

AC Commission preview

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above. (File photo)

Information from WYSH Radio

The Anderson County Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. today (Monday, September 21) in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

Prior to this evening’s meeting, the Commission will issue a proclamation saluting Anderson County Community Action Commission for its 50 years of service to the county.

Once the meeting begins, one of the more interesting items on the agenda will be consideration of an Operations Committee recommendation that a writ of mandamus be sought from a judge to force Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank to sign a motion that has been approved twice by the Commission to open an access road to the East Wolf Valley convenience center in Claxton to alleviate traffic congestion.

Frank will address what she calls the county’s non-compliance with state laws regarding vehicles for elected officials and will revisit the issue of whether the Commission has the authority to directly hire and supervise employees. [Read more…]

Altrusa: Cross country with a woman behind the wheel

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Josee Tousignant

Josee Tousignant

The new owner and operator of Curves, a fitness center for women in Oak Ridge, will discuss her previous work as a cross-country truck driver during an Altrusa meeting on Wednesday.

Josee Paquin Tousignant will discuss “what entices a woman to choose a cross-country truck driving job,” a press release said.

The Altrusa of Oak Ridge meeting is at lunchtime Wednesday at the DoubleTree Hotel.

Tousignant is a French-Canadian woman from a small town northwest from Montreal, a press release said. She comes from a family of four siblings: two girls and two boys, all of whom became truck drivers at some point in their lives. [Read more…]

ORHPA to give historic preservation award to former Lakewood Hall

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Lakewood Hall

This year, the selection of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association’s Historic Preservation Award is Lakewood Hall. This historic building is occupied by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 270. Located on Lincoln Circle, this building in 1945 was headquarters for the Special Engineer Detachment. (Photo courtesy ORHPA)

 

A nonprofit organization will present a historic preservation award to the owners of the former Lakewood Hall on Lincoln Circle on Monday.

The presentation is at 11 a.m. Monday, September 21, at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Union building on Lincoln Circle.

The presentation has been organized by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association, or ORHPA.

The award will be given to the IBEW Union Local 270, owners of the former Lakewood Hall. [Read more…]

Street Painting Festival on Oct. 3 at Roane State in Oak Ridge

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Love Reject

In 2014, Ouita Northcutt received the People’s Choice Award and first-place award in the professional artists category for her chalk painting on love and rejection at the Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival. (Submitted photo)

 

Artists of all ages and abilities, it’s time to “talk the talk, then chalk the walk.”

And you folks who wish to help people in their 20s who otherwise cannot afford to go to college without a scholarship are encouraged to “write checks for chalk art” as sponsors to make our workforce smarter.

Artists are encouraged to invite your artist friends to the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge to showcase your talents for free while helping others get an education.

Artists and sponsors are needed for the 16th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, which will be held on Saturday, October 3, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the sidewalks of the RSCC Oak Ridge campus on Briarcliff Road. The rain date is October 4. [Read more…]

Atomic City car, bike show to benefit historic group on Oct. 3

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Atomic City Car and Bike Show

A car and bike show on October 3 will benefit the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

ORHPA plans to use the proceeds to repair the Midtown Community Center, also known as the Wildcat Den, on Robertsville Road.

“Few of the 1940s Manhattan Project buildings remain standing in Oak Ridge,” organizers said. “The goal of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association is to preserve our past. This is our history!” [Read more…]

Harvest Hike on Melton Lake Greenway on Oct. 3

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City of Oak Ridge Harvest Hike

A Harvest Hike on Melton Lake Greenway on October 3 will feature a 4.2-mile “out and back” walk with optional trail hiking.

The hike is scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, October 3 at Melton Lake Greenway, Phase 4.

The walk path has varied elevations and can accommodate bicycles and strollers.

The hike will start from the Haw Ridge parking area on Edgemoor Road promptly at 9 a.m., organizers said. The hike is sponsored by the City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated Health.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Kern United Methodist presents The Shine Effect in concert Sunday

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The Shine Effect

 

Kern United Methodist Church presents Christian rock band The Shine Effect in concert on Sunday.

The concert starts at 5 p.m. Sunday, September 20, during reViVe@5. It’s a free all-ages concert.

Organizers said child care will be provided for kids under age 4. Light snacks will be provided.

Find out more at kernchurch.org. [Read more…]

ORNL research demo combines clean energy, 3-D printed building, vehicle

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ORNL AMIE

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will unveil a research demonstration next week that combines clean energy technologies into a 3-D printed building and vehicle to showcase a new approach to energy use, storage, and consumption.

The unveiling of the Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy, or AMIE, demonstration is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Wednesday, September 23, at ORNL.

The demonstration will be exhibited at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industry Day event as a model for energy efficient systems that link buildings, vehicles, and the grid.

A rendering of the demo is included above.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Police Lives Matter rally on Saturday at Civic Center

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A Police Lives Matter and First Responders Matter rally has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, September 19, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The rally will include Brian Neal singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a police chaplain delivering a prayer, and speaker Russel Langley, organizer Kevin Rice said.

It will also include a march on the sidewalks along Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of the Oak Ridge Civic Center and Oak Ridge High School and then back to the Civic Center. [Read more…]