Oak Ridge Today

WSI Oak Ridge executive receives Guard, Reserve support award

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Jim Rackstraw Award

WSI Oak Ridge Deputy General Manager Jim Rackstraw, left, accepts an outstanding performance award from ESGR Area Chair John Dyess.

WSI Oak Ridge Deputy General Manager Jim Rackstraw was recently honored by the Tennessee Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve with the Outstanding Performance Award.

This new award is presented to volunteers whose efforts are important to the success of ESGR’s expanded mission of promoting support for their employees who serve in the Reserve Components and who work to find employment for Reserve personnel and their spouses, a WSI Oak Ridge press release said.

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UCOR employee named state president of professional association

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Linda Spitzer

Linda Spitzer at the IAAP Tennesssee division's annual meeting. (Photo submitted by UCOR)

Linda Spitzer, an administrative professional for UCOR, has been named president of the Tennessee division of the International Association of Administrative Professionals, according to a press release.

Spitzer was elected to the board as secretary in 2009, and was elected president by the members of the 17 chapters that comprise the Tennessee division, the press release said. She became president at the division’s annual meeting, which was held June 1-3 in Chattanooga.

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Insect that kills ash trees found in Oak Ridge

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Emerald Ash Borer Trap Inspection

Oak Ridge National Laboratory intern Jordan Chaney inspects an emerald ash borer trap near Bethel Valley Road. (Photo courtesy of ORNL)

The emerald ash borer, a destructive insect that attacks ash trees and can kill them, has been found on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation, according to an article posted on ORNL Today.

The non-native insect was first trapped in Roane and Anderson counties in May, the article said. One trap was on Highway 95 at the Highway 58 interchange, and the other was on Bethel Valley Road near the East Portal.

“Unfortunately, these finds signal the beginning of a decline of ash species throughout the reservation,” said Greg Byrd, forester with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Natural Resources Program.

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Y-12 safety program recognized

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Y-12 VPP Star Site

A new VPP Star Site flag at Y-12 National Security Complex recognizes achievements in safety and health programs. From left are Dan Hoag, acting Y-12 site manager; Bill Klemm, B&W Y-12 senior vice president and deputy general manager; and Steve Jones, Atomic Trades and Labor Council president.

A Tuesday flag-raising ceremony recognized the efforts by workers at Y-12 National Security Complex to keep employees safe, preventing injuries and reducing the number of lost work days.

Y-12 has been recognized as having outstanding safety and health programs under the U.S. Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program, or DOE-VPP, and the plant has been designated as a VPP Star Site, the highest achievement level.

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ORNL tests sensors that could save money, energy

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A team led by an Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher is testing wireless sensors that could help the steel industry save money and reduce energy use and emissions.

Led by ORNL’s Glenn Allgood, the team recently installed these wireless sensors at Commercial Metals Co. in Cayce, S.C. The sensors are designed to withstand harsh conditions and provide instant information that will improve monitoring and control of a steel mill’s equipment, according to information provided by ORNL.

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Resident reports black bear caught on East Drive

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Black Bear on East Drive

Wildlife officers and residents gather around a black bear caught on East Drive around 8 p.m. Saturday. (Photo submitted by Kelli Parsons)

An east Oak Ridge resident reported that a black bear was caught at about 8 p.m. Saturday.

The bear was caught at about the 390 block of East Drive, said resident Kelli Parsons, who submitted a photo taken by a neighbor.

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Y-12 safe work environment ceremony on Tuesday

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Approximately 150 guests have been invited to attend a flag-raising ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday that will recognize the Y-12 National Security Complex’s attainment of DOE-VPP Star level and designation as a VPP Star Site.

VPP stands for Voluntary Protection Plan and is available to all contractors and subcontractors in the U.S. Department of Energy complex. Achieving VPP Star status means that Y-12 has proven a commitment to creating a safe work environment that protects workers, the public and the environment, and the plant must continue to meet safety standards.

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UCOR announces education ‘mini-grant’ winners

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UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, has announced the winners of an education “mini-grant” program.

The UCOR Mini-Grant Program was created to recognize and support excellence in teaching by providing funds to assist teachers for certain projects or curricula. This focus is primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math.

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Black bears at grill in north Oak Ridge, trapped at ORNL

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Black Bear at Grill

A black bear climbs onto a backyard grill in north Oak Ridge on Tuesday after looking into a living room window. (Photo by George Ostrouchov)

Residents continued to report that a bear or bears was in the Secret City this week, and one was trapped at Oak Ridge National Laboratory early Friday morning.

George Ostrouchov took pictures of a black bear in his back yard on Orchard Circle at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“The bear first looked into our living room, putting its paws on the window,” Ostrouchov said in an e-mail. “Then he (we assume it was a young male) proceeded to check out our grill. The grill happened to be still on to clean itself after grilling.”

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Y-12 workers find new use for old utility poles

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Y-12 Utility Poles

Y-12 National Security Complex workers find new uses for old utility poles, saving them from the landfill. (Photo submitted by B&W Y-12)

Y-12 National Security Complex workers have found new uses for old utility poles, saving them from the landfill.

The poles are being used to create vehicle and horse trailer barriers in the Lone Mountain State Forest parking lots, and the U.S. Department of Energy is using some of them at its secure transportation courier training facility in Oak Ridge.

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Y-12 work day at the Wildcat Den

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Y-12 National Security Complex employees will be at the Wildcat Den at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for a work day.

The volunteers plan on working on the driveway and trim the back yard.

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ETTP waste processor files for bankruptcy

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IMPACT Services Inc., a company that processes low-level radioactive waste in west Oak Ridge, has filed for bankruptcy, Tennessee officials said Friday morning.

The company has about one million pounds of waste at East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site. State officials said workers are at the site to ensure the materials are safe.

“It should be reiterated that the material at the facility is secure and a radiation safety officer remains onsite,” said Meg Lockhart, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

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