Fulin’s Asian Cuisine in Oak Ridge has closed.
The restaurant cited the pandemic in a Facebook post announcing its closing on Wednesday. That post and the restaurant’s page appear to have been removed since then, or they are no longer visible to the public.
[Read more…]
Law enforcement officers who searched McGuire Used Books and Packard’s stores in Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Kingston more than two years ago seized thousands of movies, video games, and printer ink cartridges, and after the searches and seizures, an Oak Ridge man was charged with money laundering, organized retail crime, and theft, according to an indictment filed in Anderson County in June.
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Law enforcement officers who searched McGuire Used Books and Packard’s stores in Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Kingston more than two years ago seized thousands of movies, video games, and printer ink cartridges, and after the searches and seizures, an Oak Ridge man was charged with money laundering, organized retail crime, and theft, according to an indictment filed in Anderson County in June.
The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: an advertiser or subscriber to Oak Ridge Today.
Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.
Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:
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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
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Fifteen employees and one patient have tested positive for COVID-19 at NHC HealthCare, a nursing home in Oak Ridge.
NHC reported the positive test results and outcomes on its website.
The nursing home said the one patient who tested positive has recovered, and five of the 15 employees have recovered.
The patient was not hospitalized, NHC HealthCare said, and the nursing home has not reported any deaths among the 15 employees and one patient who tested positive.
[Read more…]
A total of 21 residents and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at The Groves at Oak Ridge, and two residents have died, an executive said Wednesday.
“Our thoughts and prayers go to their loved ones,” said Hollie Bailey, a registered nurse and regional director of operations and clinical services for Navion Senior Solutions. The Groves, an assisted living center on Emory Valley Road, is part of Navion Senior Solutions.
Bailey said 19 of the 21 residents have recovered from COVID-19, and three were set to be discharged from a hospital this week for physical therapy and strengthening before returning to The Groves.
The two staff members who tested positive have both recovered, Bailey said.
[Read more…]
Edward Sobek, president of Assured Bio Labs LLC reviews COVID-19 analysis systems before the processing of samples. (Submitted photo)
An environmental microbiology laboratory in Oak Ridge is the first in the United States to receive accreditation to analyze air and surfaces for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19, a press release said.
Assured Bio Labs LLC was granted accreditation for testing environmental air and surfaces for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s Laboratory Accreditation Program, the press release said. AIHA announced the accreditation in a tweet on June 25.
As businesses bring employees back to work, COVID-19 data for touch points and air is essential to protect workers and the public, the press release said. Accreditation ensures the quality of laboratory analysis.
“Since March, we have been running samples for local municipalities and for New York City essential businesses in the financial district,†said Edward A. Sobek, president of Assured Bio Labs LLC. In April, the lab began providing COVID-19 surface and air testing for health care facilities in the Northeast as they converted COVID-19 patient rooms into standard rooms.
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Nineteen people, including 17 residents and two staff members, have tested positive for COVID-19 at The Groves, an assisted living center on Emory Valley Road, an executive said Monday.
Six of the residents are in the hospital in stable condition, said Hollie Bailey, a registered nurse and regional director of operations and clinical services for Navion Senior Solutions. The Groves is part of Navion Senior Solutions.
One of the residents has died.
The other 10 residents are in self-quarantine. They have not exhibited any symptoms, Bailey said.
One of the staff members who tested positive has recovered, and the other remains in quarantine, Bailey said.
[Read more…]
Note: This story was last updated at 11:10 a.m. July 19.
Joe Lenhard, a former U.S. Department of Energy research director and founder of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, died Friday of COVID-19, a family member said. He was 91.
Lenhard died Friday evening at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, his daughter Andrea Lenhard said in a Facebook post.
My father, Joseph Lenhard, died Friday evening at MMC of Covid. He went quickly. Rest in peace, Daddy. You were always my hero.
Posted by Andie Lenhard on Friday, July 17, 2020
Lenhard was a research director for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. He had oversight of DOE research activities and served as the federal contracting officer for major federal facilities in the city, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, according to his LinkedIn page. He worked for DOE for about 32 years, from 1957 to 1989.
Lenhard served as president of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and he was chair of the East Tennessee Economic Council in 1993 and 1994.
He helped found CROET in 1994, and he was the founding chairman. CROET helps find ways to re-use former federal property, not just real estate but also equipment and other federal assets. A tribute to Lenhard’s service is noted on a plaque in the Horizon Center Industrial Park in west Oak Ridge.
His daughter Andrea said her father loved the natural world, and she became a biologist and veterinarian because of him. Her father used to take them on long rambles in the woods, Andrea said, and he would pick up animals like snakes and frogs and tell the children what he knew about them.
“He loved nature, and that was very infectious,” she said.
Andrea said Oak Ridge was very important to her father.
“He always wanted to promote Oak Ridge and take care of Oak Ridge,” she said. “He was very devoted to the city.”
Lenhard could often be found walking in local grocery stores. He was very conscious of his health, Andrea said, and he would walk every day at stores that included Walmart, Kroger, and Food City. He would sometimes stop to talk to people, including an Oak Ridge Today reporter.
Andrea said her father was a lot of fun, full of life, and he loved everybody.
She recalled the trips her family used to take to Norris Lake on weekends when she was a child—playing in the water, climbing trees, telling jokes—and she said her father spent as much time as he could with his grandchildren as well.
A statement from the family of Lenhard’s daughter Michele said Joe Lenhard was very supportive of higher education.
“He gave substantial sums of money to the University of Tennessee and Roane State Community College,” the statement said. “Roane State dedicated a room to Joseph Lenhard for his outstanding contributions. Joe came from an economically disproportionate background and saw the benefit of higher education. He wanted to provide educational opportunity for the young people of East Tennessee.”
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Kroger stores will require all customers in all stores to wear a face mask starting Wednesday, July 22.
The change is in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, Kroger said.
“We are taking this extra step now because we recognize additional precautions are needed to protect our country,” the company said.
Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kroger said there are three actions that have been scientifically proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Besides wearing a face covering, they include frequent hand washing and social distancing (generally staying at least six feet away from people outside your home).
[Read more…]
ORNL Federal Credit Union will temporarily close its lobbies on Monday.
The temporarily closures were announced after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week declared the Knoxville market a “hotspot” for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the credit union said.
“With the exponential increase in the number of cases, we are changing which services are available in branch lobbies,” ORNL Federal Credit Union said. “Lobby access will not be granted for routine transactions that can be performed at an ITM/ATM, drive-through lanes, or through online and mobile banking.”
Beginning Monday, customers should use digital services, drive-throughs, or ATMs and ITMs (automated teller machines and interactive teller machines) for:
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Starbucks started requiring customers to wear face coverings in its stores on Wednesday.
The policy applies to all company-owned café locations in the United States, Starbucks said. The policy is to protect the health and well-being of employees and customers, the company said.
A representative at the Starbucks on Oak Ridge Turnpike, near Main Street Oak Ridge, said the store is company-owned and requiring face coverings. Oak Ridge Today was not able to reach a representative at the other Starbucks, which is inside the Kroger store at Westcott Center, late Wednesday afternoon.
[Read more…]ORNL Federal Credit Union is requiring face masks in all branch offices starting today (Friday, July 3).
The credit union announced the policy in response to a decision by the Knox County Board of Health. The health board approved a public health order this week that requires masks in most indoor public places, the credit union said. Financial institutions are not exempt. The public health order, which is effective today, is in response to the increasing number of local and national COVID cases.
ORNL Federal Credit Union said face masks will be required in all of its branch offices, not just Knox County branches. Disposable face masks will be provided to members who do not have one, the credit union said. People who enter a branch without a mask will be asked to use the credit union’s digital or drive-through services.
[Read more…]