• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

Rueter named to Tennessee Chamber board

Posted at 1:50 pm January 5, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Ken Rueter

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appointed Kenneth J. Rueter, who leads a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, to its Board of Directors for a three-year term.

Rueter is president and chief executive officer of United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR). UCOR is the U.S. Department of Energy’s prime contractor for environmental cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation. It is a partnership of Amentum, Jacobs, and Honeywell.

The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the state’s oldest and most prominent statewide business trade association, impacting public policy on behalf of business and manufacturing for more than a century, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bradley Jackson, Ken Rueter, Kenneth J. Rueter, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, United Cleanup Oak Ridge

Advertisement

ETEC announces Muddy Boot, Young Professional winners

Posted at 2:45 pm January 3, 2023
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Image by East Tennessee Economic Council

The East Tennessee Economic Council in December announced two winners of its Muddy Boot Award: Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College, and Jim Rushton, who is retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Katherine Roberts, deputy director of Y-12 Production Operations for Consolidated Nuclear Security, was named the 25th recipient of the Postma Young Professional Medal.

The Muddy Boot Award pays tribute to people who make East Tennessee better through their work and community activities.

The Postma Young Professional Medal recognizes a young professional making a difference in their workplace and the community.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, College, Community, Education, Front Page News, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Chris Whaley, East Tennessee Economic Council, ETEC, Jim Rushton, Katherine Roberts, Muddy Boot Award, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Postma Young Professional Medal, Roane State Community College, Tracy Boatner, Y-12 National Security Complex

Advertisement

 

Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million

Posted at 4:08 pm January 2, 2023
By John Huotari 2 Comments

This map shows the potential route of 69-kilovolt overhead power lines for the TRISO-X nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge, starting at the substation (SUB) on the south side of Highway 95/58 (lower right), continuing up Novus Drive (center right), crossing onto Horizon Center land, and then running east (to the right) on the back side of Site 6 (open area at upper right).

Building a new substation and electrical lines to supply power to a nuclear fuel company could cost $13 million, Oak Ridge officials said in December.

The nuclear fuel company, TRISO-X, needs about 32 to 35 megawatts of electricity at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. That would make the company the city’s biggest electrical customer. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex get most of their power directly from Tennessee Valley Authority.)

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Roane County, Roane County, Slider Tagged With: Ardo Ba, Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, Charlie Hensley, City of Oak Ridge, David Wilson, Derrick Hammond, DOE, electric substation, electrical lines, electrical project, electrical supply, Ellen Smith, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, IDB, Jack Suggs, Jim Dodson, Novus Drive, nuclear fuel, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Patterson and Dewar Engineers, power poles, power supply, Richard Chinn, substation, Tennessee Valley Authority, TRISO-X, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy, X-energy

Closures announced due to weather

Posted at 9:31 am December 27, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Government offices and other organizations have announced they will be closed or opening late Tuesday due to the weather.

The Anderson County Family Justice Center is closed, and Anderson County government offices are closed.

The Seventh Judicial District Attorney General’s Office is closed.

City of Oak Ridge offices are opening three hours late, at 11 a.m.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Community, Government, Weather Tagged With: closures, weather

Oak Ridge wins two tourism awards

Posted at 1:47 pm December 20, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Pictured above are, from left, Rebecca Williams and Barbara Ferrell of the Lavender Festival; Katy Watt, president of Explore Oak Ridge; and Mark Ezell, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourism at a recent awards ceremony. (Photo courtesy Explore Oak Ridge/City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge has won two awards for promoting tourism in middle East Tennessee, an area that includes the Knoxville metropolitan area.

The Oak Ridge Lavender Festival was awarded the 2022 Best Annual Festival or Event Award, a press release said.

Explore Oak Ridge was awarded the Excellence in Tourism Award for Best Advertising or Marketing Campaign for the “Katie the Calutron Girl” marketing promotion.

The 2022 awards were presented by the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council in a December 1 ceremony. The METTC promotes tourism activities and represents a 16-county region including Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cooke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union counties.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Barbara Ferrell, best annual festival, Explore Oak Ridge, Katie the Calutron Girl, Katy Watt, Lavender Festival, marketing promotion, Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council, Oak Ridge, Rebecca Williams, tourism, tourism awards

NRC will prepare environmental statement for nuclear fuel facility

Posted at 4:26 pm December 17, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TRISO-X has proposed a nuclear fuel fabrication facility on 110 acres at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. (Photo from TRISO-X environmental report to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Friday that it will prepare an environmental impact statement for a proposed nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge that could help power advanced reactors for electrical and chemical use, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The project could partially benefit from last year’s federal infrastructure law, specifically about $1.1 billion appropriated for a clean energy supply.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, advanced reactors, ARDP, EIS, environmental impact statement, fuel fabrication facility, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, infrastructure law, NRC, nuclear fuel, nuclear fuel facility, nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, TF3, TRISO fuel, TRISO-X, TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, uranium fuel, X-energy, Xe-100

Lawsuit filed by terminated employee who refused COVID-19 vaccine

Posted at 4:01 pm December 16, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Howard H. Baker Jr. United States Courthouse is pictured above in Knoxville on Jan. 19, 2020. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A lawsuit was filed this year against a federal contractor in Oak Ridge that terminated an employee after she refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

In her lawsuit, the former employee argued that it is illegal under state law to compel her to provide proof of vaccination if she objects to the vaccine.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Courts, Courts, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, United States Tagged With: COVID-19 requirements, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 vaccine, lawsuit, proof of vaccination, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. District Court, UCOR, vaccination, vaccination requirements, vaccine mandate, Yolonda Riggs

City seeks spending authority for Horizon Center power

Posted at 3:44 pm December 10, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible. (Image by City of Oak Ridge)

Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible.

If approved by Oak Ridge City Council, the money would be used to design and build a new electric substation and distribution network to provide power to Lot 6 on the back side of Horizon Center, which is on the west side of town. The work would include engineering design, land surveys, site clearing, the purchase of materials, and acquiring permits and other required items.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: Ardo Ba, City of Oak Ridge, electric substation, Horizon Center, manufacturing facility, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Electric Department, Tennessee Valley Authority, TRISO, TRISO-X, U.S. Department of Energy

IDB endorses overhead power lines for Horizon Center project

Posted at 9:28 pm December 7, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge board on Monday endorsed overhead power lines and an alternate route to provide electricity to a nuclear fuel company, TRISO-X, at Horizon Center. The company’s site is pictured above on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

An Oak Ridge board on Monday endorsed overhead power lines and an alternate route that could be less controversial to provide electricity to a nuclear fuel company at Horizon Center.

Environmental advocates, ecologists, and trail users had objected to an earlier proposal to run overhead power lines along a U.S. Department of Energy patrol road on the back side of Horizon Center. Among other objections, those lines would have been relatively close to the Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, and opponents said the power lines would have decreased the area’s recreational value.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content Tagged With: 69-kilovolt overhead lines, Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement, David Wilson, DOE, HALEU, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Horizon Center, IDB, Kathryn Huff, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, overhead power lines, Tennessee Valley Authority, TRISO, TRISO-X, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy, X-energy

Roane State will have manufacturing job fair

Posted at 10:53 am November 28, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Roane State Community College will host a manufacturing industry job fair this week at its Campbell County Campus. The job fair will include employers from Anderson County, Campbell County, and Clinton.

The job fair is scheduled from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 29.

“The manufacturing companies attending this job fair represent hundreds of job and career opportunities,” said Tracy Powers, Roane State’s Campbell County Campus director. “These employers are offering positions with great wages and benefits, including top-tier healthcare and paid vacations. What a way to start a new year with a fantastic new job.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, Clinton, College, Education Tagged With: job fair, manufacturing, Roane State Community College, Tracy Powers

Test reactor would help with decarbonization, supporters say

Posted at 3:55 pm November 23, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kairos Power has proposed a Hermes test reactor at the Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. A model of the test reactor is pictured at a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m. Dec. 1.

A nuclear test reactor proposed in west Oak Ridge could help as the United States tries to lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the effects of climate change, supporters said during a public meeting last week.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: construction permit, DOE, EIS, environmental impact statement, fluoride salt-cooled reactor, HALEU, Heritage Center, Hermes, Hermes test reactor, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Jim Hopf, K-31, K-33, Kairos Power, Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, NRC, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Peyton Doub, Scott Burnell, test reactor, Tracy Boatner, TRISO, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Union wants to use former hardware store as trade school

Posted at 8:39 am November 18, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A plumbers and steamfitters union wants to use a former hardware store on Oak Ridge Turnpike for a trade school. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

A plumbers and steamfitters union wants to use a former hardware store for a trade school.

A rezoning for the project was recommended in a voice vote by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday. There was no opposition.

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

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

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!

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: ACE Hardware, John "Jake" Greear, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union #102, ProE Engineering Services, rezoning, trade school, zoning

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Recent Posts

  • Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch
  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023
  • Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting
  • UPF construction could cost more, take longer
  • Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center
  • One person seriously injured in Wednesday crash
  • Oak Ridge EM prepared for cold weather to prevent failures
  • Covenant Health donating land for Roane State health science center
  • School board approves aviation career path

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today