Oak Ridge Today

TVA asks for public comments about proposed nuclear reactor site

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TVA Clinch River Site
The Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. The road running from bottom to top on the right (east) side of the Clinch River connects to Bear Creek Road in southwest Oak Ridge. Highway 58 is off to the top left of the photo and the Heritage Center is to the north. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking for public comment about a proposal to build one or more small or advanced nuclear reactors in west Oak Ridge.

The reactors would be on the Clinch River Nuclear Site, near the Clinch River and south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site) in Roane County.

The reactors could be advanced or small modular nuclear reactors. They would have a maximum total electrical output of 800 megawatts. They would be smaller than traditional nuclear power plants, and they would produce less power.

Oak Ridge Today has previously reported that the reactors could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge

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VITA Tax Center opens Feb. 9

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The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) is now in its fourth decade of helping community residents to complete and file tax returns.

The 2021 VITA Tax Center will open on Tuesday, February 9, and it is again located at the United Way of Anderson County at 728 Emory Valley Road. The Center will be open from Tuesday through Saturday. The new operating hours are from 1-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. There will be no evening hours.

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Council to consider accepting airport grants

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This is an aerial image of a layout plan for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport at the Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority)

The Oak Ridge City Council will consider accepting grants for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport on Tuesday.

The airport would be built along Highway 58 on the south side of the Heritage Center, the former K-25 site.

Council will meet online to consider accepting the airport grants in a special session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 19. You can watch the meeting here.

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Mason, an IDB member, community volunteer, dies of COVID complications

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David Mason

David Lane Mason, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and community volunteer, died of COVID-19 complications on Monday. He was 79.

Mason was a former deputy director of environmental management and enrichment facilities at the former K-25 site, and he retired from the United States Enrichment Corporation in 2005 as the director of Centrifuge Engineering and Manufacturing Project, according to his obituary.

As a founding member of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Mason helped develop and build the rowing course at Melton Hill Lake, his obituary said. As a member of the Sunset Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, he helped establish the annual Da Vinci Arts and Science Fair for elementary and middle school students, the obituary said.

A nuclear physicist and Oak Ridge resident, Mason died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville on Monday. He was a community advocate for more than 50 years, his obituary said.

Here is more information about Dave Mason from his obituary:

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Which Wich closes

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Which Wich restaurant on Oak Ridge Turnpike closed Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020.

The Which Wich restaurant on Oak Ridge Turnpike closed on Thursday, December 31.

The Which Wich corporate office and Oak Ridge location have not responded to emails asking about the closing this week, and Oak Ridge Today was not able to reach the company and Oak Ridge location by phone on Wednesday and Thursday.

Drone class to take flight this spring at Roane State

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A new class in piloting small unmanned aircraft, better known as drones, will take flight this spring at Roane State Community College.

The three credit-hour class – AERO 1030 W01 – will prepare students to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 Remote Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge test to obtain FAA certification, a press release said.

Matt Waters, associate professor of mass communications, is the instructor for the 15-week class, which will be offered completely online, the press release said.

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Oak Ridge Chamber’s ‘Reverse’ Christmas Parade on Saturday

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Santa will be on hand at this year’s Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s “reverse” parade to be held Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, from 6-8 p.m. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade will be held this year, but with a twist. This year’s offering will be a “reverse” parade, a press release said.

The event will be held on Saturday, December 12, from 6-8 p.m. The theme of this year’s “reverse” parade is “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” More than 40 individuals and organizations have signed up to display along the parade route, the press release said. [Read more…]

Temporary road closure planned for Parade on Saturday

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A temporary road closure is planned for Lafayette Drive on Saturday, December 12, to allow for the “reverse” parade to take place.

The northbound lanes of Lafayette Drive will be closed to traffic beginning around 3 p.m., a press release said. The southbound lanes and access roads will be closed to traffic beginning around 5 p.m. Both will remain closed to traffic until the parade ends at 8. [Read more…]

Winter Farmers’ Market returns indoors, with a Market-To-Go curbside option

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Free-range eggs, radishes, and broccoli are just some of the products available all season at the Winter Farmers’ Market. (Photo courtesy Grow Oak Ridge)

The fifth season of the Winter Farmers’ Market begins indoors Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and it is focused on safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, a press release said.

The market is open Saturdays through March (closed December 26), at St. Mary’s Catholic School at 323 Vermont Avenue in Oak Ridge.

All vendors and customers must wear masks, and vendors are spread apart for social distancing, the press release said.

New this year is a 100 percent touch-free curbside pickup program called Market-to-Go. Customers can shop farmers’ market products online during the week, and pick them up curbside on Saturday mornings, the press release said.

“We have been working all year to get ready for a safe, indoor market. Not many towns our size offer a Winter Farmers’ Market, much less one with more than 30 vendors and a convenient online store,” said Rebecca Williams, director of Grow Oak Ridge, the nonprofit organization that produces the market.

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Sara Alert Academic available for universities to use to help monitor COVID-19 cases

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As COVID-19 cases surge across the country, the university system is struggling to contain the spread of the disease and keep classes open. Sara Alert Academic is available now by subscription for university officials to securely automate the monitoring of students, faculty, and staff exposed to or infected with COVID-19 or any infectious disease, a press release said.

The software platform is tailored to the unique needs of universities and colleges, providing an automated workflow to allow health staff to rapidly prioritize and respond to student and staff needs. It customizes what a university will need to streamline the process, such as student identification, housing information, and tracking by university-specific areas, such as campus buildings or sports teams, the press release said.

“Sara Alert Academic provides secure infectious disease monitoring and reporting tailored specifically for universities,” said ORAU Vice President of Research and University Partnerships Ken Tobin. “It can help keep campuses operating safely through increased efficiency in tracking potential exposures and monitoring confirmed cases, leading to earlier containment and isolation, and reduction of burden on limited resources.”

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Christmas Parade will be reverse parade

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A float is pictured above in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (File photo by Eli Welton)

The Oak Ridge Christmas Parade will be a reverse parade this year because of concerns about COVID-19. That means the floats will be stationary and spectators will drive the parade route.

In normal years, the spectators are stationary, and the floats are driven down Oak Ridge Turnpike.

This year, floats will line the northbound lanes of Lafayette Drive (heading toward Oak Ridge Turnpike), and spectators will drive down the southbound lanes (heading toward Illinois Avenue) to enjoy the festivities from the safety and comfort of their own cars, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade, announced the change on Monday. [Read more…]

Anderson County man charged with robbing credit union

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Joshua Ryan Hutchins

An Anderson County man was arrested Tuesday night after he allegedly robbed a credit union in Oak Ridge.

The alleged robbery of Enrichment Federal Credit Union on South Illinois Avenue was reported at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday.

Joshua Ryan Hutchins, 27, was arrested less than seven hours later, just before midnight, by the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

According to a court affidavit, Hutchins allegedly entered the credit union during the Tuesday evening robbery and presented a note to a teller that said, “This is a Robbery…”

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