Oak Ridge Today

Hobby Lobby has grand opening celebration Monday

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The Hobby Lobby at the former Kroger store on South Illinois Avenue has a grand opening on Monday morning, Oct. 3, 2016. The store is pictured above on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 30.

Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. will open in Oak Ridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and official grand opening celebration on Monday morning. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. October 3. It’s open to the public.

Hobby Lobby is a privately held national retail chain of craft and home decor stores.

The Oak Ridge store, which will be managed by Michael Ramsey, is Hobby Lobby’s 23rd location in Tennessee. The 63,000-square-foot store is in the former Kroger store in a shopping center near the intersection of South Illinois and South Rutgers avenues.

“We feel blessed for the fantastic opportunity to be a part of the Oak Ridge community,” said John Schumacher, Hobby Lobby assistant vice president of advertising. “Our goal is for customers to experience the exceptional service, selection, and value Hobby Lobby offers.”

Local dignitaries, ambassadors from the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and other business leaders will attend the Monday morning celebration, a press release said. [Read more…]

Centrus, ORNL agree on $25 million contract for work on gas centrifuge uranium enrichment technology

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American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center

The American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center in south Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy USEC/Centrus Energy Corp.)

 

Six months after signing one contract, Centrus Energy Corporation and UT-Battelle LLC have agreed on a new contract for engineering and testing work on technology that uses gas centrifuges to enrich uranium.

Enriched uranium can be used in nuclear power plants and in nuclear weapons, as fuel for nuclear naval vessels, and to ensure a tritium supply, which is needed to maintain the effectiveness of America’s nuclear deterrent, a press release said.

The new Centrus Energy-UT-Battelle contract is valued at about $25 million, and it runs through September 30, 2017. Under this new contract, Centrus scientists, engineers, and operators will “use the company’s unique facilities in Oak Ridge to develop and test technology improvements to reduce costs, improve manufacturability, and enhance the long-term reliability of U.S. uranium enrichment technology,” the press release said.

UT-Battelle operates Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The uranium enrichment technology is known as the American Centrifuge technology. It’s expected to support future national security and energy security needs, the press release said. [Read more…]

After text message scam, consumers receiving fraudulent phone calls, credit union says

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First, consumers received text messages falsely claiming to be from Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union. It was a scam designed to get personal information.

Now, they are receiving phone calls and additional text messages, the credit union said in an update posted on its website on Tuesday.

“Consumers are now receiving phone calls informing them of past due payments,” the credit union said. “They are given a number to call back and asked to give personal information. These calls are not from the credit union. Please do not give out personal sensitive information!”

On Monday, the credit union said members and non-members received text messages resembling the ones from this past weekend, but asking recipients to click a link instead of calling a phone number. [Read more…]

With Kmart lease ending in March, prospective tenants already showing interest in building

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The Kmart store on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December. The store is pictured above on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Kmart store in Oak Ridge is closing in mid-December, and the company’s lease expires in March. It’s too early to comment on prospective tenants, but the property owners have already had quite a bit of interest in that building, a manager said Tuesday.

Kmart has been located on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge for 25 years, said Jim Harrison, manager of Oak Ridge Group Associates, which owns the property.

The owners would love to have Kmart stay and be successful, but now that the company has announced they’re closing the store, with a liquidation sale starting Thursday, Oak Ridge Group Associates is working hard to try to get the property redeveloped or leased again, Harrison said. [Read more…]

Kmart store closing in December

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The Kmart store on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December. The store is pictured above on Friday, Sept. 16, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Kmart store in Oak Ridge will close in mid-December, the company said Monday.

“We have been strategically and aggressively evaluating our store space and productivity, and have accelerated the closing of unprofitable stores as previously announced,” the company said in a statement. “We can confirm that we are making the difficult but necessary decision to close the Kmart store at 370 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.”

The store will remain open to customers until the mid-December closing and start a liquidation sale on September 22.

“We often hear from our members who are disappointed when we close a store, but our Shop Your Way membership platform, websites, and mobile apps allow us to maintain these valued relationships long after a store closes its doors,” Kmart said in the statement. “As a result, we hope to retain a portion of the sales previously associated with this store by maintaining our relationships with the members who shopped this location.” [Read more…]

CNS, Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council reach new labor agreement

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Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC and the 16 local unions that comprise the Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council reached terms on a new five-year labor agreement on Tuesday, September 13. The new five-year labor agreement expires September 30, 2021.

The agreement also has an option for CNS to extend the new agreement without further negotiation for an additional five years through September 30, 2026. [Read more…]

Martial arts academy offers free workshop to counter bullying

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A martial arts academy in Oak Ridge is offering a free workshop in October for children and their parents who want to counter bullying.

The CounterBully Seminar is from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, October 1.

It’s being offered by Progressive Martial Arts Academy at 138 Fairbanks Road in Oak Ridge.

There are many forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, verbal abuse, physical violence, and even sexual harassment, a press release said.

The CounterBully Seminar will teach children six years old and older to learn to combat bullying by using confidence as a way to prevent potential physical violence or emotional abuse, the press release said. Participants will also learn proper reporting methods and basic self-defense tactics in case the bullying becomes physical. [Read more…]

Like what we’re doing? Subscribe to Oak Ridge Today

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If you appreciate what we do here at Oak Ridge Today, please consider becoming a voluntary subscriber. You don’t have to subscribe to read our stories, but your contribution will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can.

We currently offer three subscription levels: $5, $10, or $25 per month. We accept payments through PayPal. You can also send check payments to our P.O. box. Please visit our subscription page for information on these options.

There isn’t currently a difference between the three monthly subscription levels. It’s mostly a matter of what you can contribute or want to contribute. We believe that most of our subscribers support us because they like what we’re doing and want to see us succeed. [Read more…]

Dine & Donate, which helps ADFAC, is Monday, Sept. 12

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Dine & Donate is Monday, September 12. Participating restaurants are Burchfield’s, Gallo Loco (shown in photo), Gondolier in Clinton, Hoskins, Mediterranean Delight, and Razzleberry’s. Each of these restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. (Submitted photo)

 

Dine & Donate is Monday, September 12.

Participating restaurants are Burchfield’s, Gallo Loco, Gondolier in Clinton, Hoskins, Mediterranean Delight, and Razzleberry’s. Each of these restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

Dine and Donate is a year-long event, with different restaurants participating on the second Monday of each month.

For a full calendar of restaurants and list of sponsors, please visit www.adfac.org. [Read more…]

Taste of Anderson County, a fundraiser for United Way, is this week

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The Eighth Annual Taste of Anderson County is next week. It’s scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, September 15, in the Jackson Square parking lot. (Photo via United Way of Anderson County/Eighth Annual Taste of Anderson County on Facebook)

 

The Eighth Annual Taste of Anderson County is this week. It’s scheduled from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, September 15, in the Jackson Square parking lot.

It’s a fundraiser for United way of Anderson County.

“United Way of Anderson County is thrilled to invite the community to this event, which will feature delicious local food, live music, and free family entertainment including a magic show and balloon animals,” a press release said.

Among the local restaurants offering sample food will be The Soup Kitchen, Swifty’s, Crossroads Coffee, Aubrey’s, and more, the press release said. Tickets are $1, and all food samples will be available for two tickets each.

“This year, we also have an amazing selection of wine, beer, and moonshine tastings,” the press release said. Tasters will be able to vote for their favorite drinks, or simply enjoy an exclusive cocktail, available at the bar. [Read more…]

Haslam to be guest speaker at Anderson Chamber luncheon

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Bill Haslam during Presidential Visit at Pellissippi State

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is pictured above during a visit by President Barack Obama to Pellissippi State Community College on Friday, January 9, 2016. (File photo by Rob Welton)

 

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam will be the special guest speaker at a quarterly business luncheon of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.

The luncheon is from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, September 15, at Junior Achievement of East Tennessee at 2135 North Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton.

There is limited seating, and reservations are requested by September 13. Call the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce at (865) 457-2559 for more information.

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Oak Ridge supports ORNL, LeMond Composites carbon fiber partnership

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Jones LeMond Watson and Creswell Aug 31 2016

Pictured above at a meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, on a new carbon fiber partnership between Oak Ridge-based company LeMond Composites and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are, from left, Steve Jones (Oak Ridge economic development consultant), Greg LeMond (LeMond Composites), Mark Watson (Oak Ridge city manager), and Wade Creswell (president of The Roane Alliance). (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

 

By City of Oak Ridge

The City of Oak Ridge is proud to support the recent announcement that LeMond Composites, a new company in Oak Ridge offering solutions for high-volume and low-cost carbon fiber, has secured a licensing agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The news was made public on August 29 in a release from LeMond Composites. The company, founded earlier this year by three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond, focuses on making carbon fiber composites with global applications. The agreement with ORNL will make LeMond Composites the first company to offer these newly developed products to the transportation, renewable energy, and infrastructure markets.

LeMond Composites plans to build their first carbon fiber production line at their recently purchased facility on Palladium Way at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. Their first commercially available product is expected to be ready in early 2018.

“I am ecstatic about this unique technological application for carbon fiber in our community,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said. “We look forward to working with LeMond Composites to create jobs and further investment in Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]