The former vice president of environmental management at B&W Y-12 in Oak Ridge has taken a leadership job at USEC.
Robert Warther has been named deputy program manager for the American Centrifuge research, development, and demonstration, or RD&D, program, a press release said.
Anti-nuclear weapons activists Megan Rice, left, and Michael R. Walli leave U.S. District Court in Knoxville after pleading not guilty Thursday morning to three counts of trespassing, property depredation, and property destruction at the Y-12 National Security Complex. A third protester, Greg Boertje-Obed, remains jailed in Blount County.
Note: This story was last updated at 1:51 a.m. Aug. 10.
KNOXVILLE—A new felony property depredation charge and the possibility of more jail time have been added to two earlier charges filed against three anti-nuclear weapons activists arrested in July near a uranium storage building at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
The defendants—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli—are accused of sneaking into Y-12 before dawn July 28, cutting through three fences, and setting off alarms before spraying paint and splashing blood on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where bomb-grade uranium is stored.
The new charge, contained in a three-count grand jury indictment filed Tuesday, carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The three activists pleaded not guilty to all three counts during a Thursday morning arraignment in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.
Three anti-nuclear weapons activists arrested July 28 in the high-security Protected Area at the Y-12 National Security Complex have been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of trespassing, property depredation, and property destruction.
The three defendants—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli—are expected to be arraigned this morning in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.
ORAU President and CEO Andy Page, seated left, signs a mentor-protégé progam agreement with Elizabeth Bernstein, president and CEO of United Global Technologies. Standing, from left to right, are Sharon Jacobs, Heidi Timmerman, Rebecca Crowe and Cindy Snow, members of ORAU’s procurement and contracts administration department. (Photo by ORAU)
Oak Ridge Associated Universities and United Global Technologies recently signed an agreement for a two-year supportive relationship under a federal mentor-protégé program.
Through this relationship, ORAU serves as a business mentor to UGT, providing consultation on a variety of financial, organizational, and business management topics, a press release said
UGT is an economically disadvantaged, women-owned small business based in Charlotte, N.C., that provides information technology and engineering services. It was founded in 2002 and focuses on the needs of federal, state, and local government agencies, the press release said.
Demolition is almost complete on most of the K-25 Building’s East Wing, and work on the North Tower, pictured in the background at left, could start in September. (Photo submitted by UCOR)
Historic preservationists lobbied for years to save the North Tower of the mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge, but an agreement that received a final signature on Tuesday clears the way for demolition work to begin there in late September or early October.
“It allows us to proceed with our cleanup activities … without delay,” said Mike Koentop, U.S. Department of Energy spokesman in the Oak Ridge Office.
However, officials plan to pay homage to the site, built during World War II to enrich uranium for atomic bombs, with a replica equipment building, viewing tower, and nearby history center, as well as a Web-based virtual museum and a $500,000 grant to buy and stabilize the dilapidated, historic Alexander Inn in central Oak Ridge.
Teresa C. Perry
An acting assistant manager in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office has retired after 34 years of federal service.
Teresa C. Perry was acting assistant manager for safety and technical services in the Oak Ridge Office, and she retired Aug. 1, a DOE press release said.
Public bus tours of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge facilities end for the year on Friday, Aug. 31.
The tour includes stops at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, and East Tennessee Technology Park. The tour includes historical commentary on the transformation of the Oak Ridge Reservation during the past 65 years, a press release said.
So far this season, 1,099 visitors from 36 states have participated in the three-hour summer tour.
The Oak Ridge Chapter of Blacks in Government recently awarded $500 college scholarships to four local high school graduates, a U.S. Department of Energy press release said.
This year’s scholarship winners were Araya Johnson of Oak Ridge High School, Brionna Epes of Powell High School, Tessa Piety of Christian Academy of Knoxville, and Juaquoya McLaughlin of Bearden High School.
Two administrators at security contractor WSI Oak Ridge have been replaced after three anti-nuclear weapons activists penetrated the high-security Protected Area at the Y-12 National Security Complex on July 28, allegedly splashing blood and spraying paint on a uranium storage building.
Lee Brooks, former general manager at WSI Oak Ridge, has been replaced by Steve Hafner, who will serve as acting general manager, a press release said. Hafner is senior vice president and director of safety, security, and environment for Mission Support Alliance in Hanford, Wash.
Brooks and Gary Brandon, former director of the Y-12 Protective Force, are waiting to be reassigned by G4SGS, the WSI Oak Ridge press release said. WSI is a G4SGS company.
Three activists opposed to nuclear weapons pose with banners before their July 28 arrests at the Y-12 National Security Complex. From left to right, the three are Michael R. Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed. (Submitted photo)
The three anti-nuclear weapons activists arrested in a high-security area at the Y-12 National Security Complex on July 28 allegedly entered from the north, crossed Bear Creek Road, cut through fences, and activated numerous alarms and sensors before they reached a uranium storage building, according to criminal complaints available online today.
The three activists—Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli—first crossed a boundary fence near the North Patrol Road on the north ridge of Y-12, U.S. Department of Energy Inspector General Special Agent Eric Dugger wrote in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Friday. That fence has “No Trespassing” signs posted, he said.
About 50 protesters listen to a skit during a Sunday night vigil at the Y-12 National Security Complex, where a moment of silence was held to remember the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945.
Security at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex appeared about average Sunday night for an annual August protest, but it wasn’t clear what internal measures had been taken one week after an unprecedented intrusion into a high-security area.
About 50 protesters attended a Sunday night vigil at the plant organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. During the annual protest, activists recall the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, and oppose Y-12’s nuclear weapons work, calling for disarmament instead.
Four days of events in Oak Ridge and Knoxville this week will remember those who died in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945, and oppose plans to build a multi-billion-dollar uranium processing facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, the ceremonies—which include a vigil, a protest, and remembrance and peace lantern ceremonies—start about one week after an unprecedented security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex. OREPA Coordinator Ralph Hutchison has said, however, that his organization had no connection to the July 28 intrusion at Y-12 by three anti-nuclear weapons activists.
The OREPA events start at 5 p.m. today with a vigil at Y-12.
