Government Archives - Oak Ridge Today

(For members) HHS designates class of Y-12 workers to be added to compensation program

Posted at 9:05 pm March 25, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated a class of Y-12 employees to be added to a federal worker compensation program that involves certain illnesses and work at sites like Y-12 that are affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The employees who could be added, unless Congress says otherwise, would have worked at Y-12 between January 1, 1958, and December 31, 1976, when the plant was manufacturing nuclear weapons components during the Cold War. They would have had an aggregate total of at least 250 work days. They could have been employees of DOE, its predecessor agencies, or their contractors and subcontractors.

Oak Ridge Today has previously reported that the workers could be added to the compensation program based on exposure to radiation from thorium metal parts and plutonium-241 isotopes.

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Student receives award for extinguishing kitchen fire

Posted at 1:01 pm March 22, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student, Wesley Alig, a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and Oak Ridge Police Department recognized a local student on Thursday for his quick actions to stop a fire from spreading inside his home last year.

When a slow cooker in his kitchen caught fire on Halloween, Wesley Alig used skills he learned in Oak Ridge’s Junior Police Academy to successfully operate a fire extinguisher, a press release said. Wesley, a 13-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School, is a graduate of the 2018 Junior Police Academy class.

The incident happened at the Alig family’s home on Heritage Drive in Oak Ridge. Wesley told first responders he heard a popping noise coming from the slow cooker, the press release said. When he walked into the kitchen to check, he saw flames on the stovetop. [Read more…]

Planning Commission to consider City Blueprint

Posted at 10:50 am March 21, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the Oak Ridge City Blueprint during a meeting this evening (Thursday, March 21).

The Blueprint is meant to be a citywide vision and guide for future growth and development in Oak Ridge. It identifies the important issues that affect the community, desired goals and outcomes, and action steps that can be prioritized by city leaders each year, based on resources, according to the City of Oak Ridge.

After being considered by Planning Commission, the Blueprint will be considered by the Oak Ridge City Council.

The Blueprint has been developed in a planning process that lasted more than two years and started in January 2017. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: Ranger walk in Jackson Square area on Wednesday

Posted at 8:59 am March 21, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Submitted photo

Join a National Park Service park ranger for a ranger-led walk in the Jackson Square area on Wednesday.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present this free program at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. The program will begin at Jackson Square just outside the Oak Ridge Playhouse. The walk will be about one half mile, so wear comfortable walking shoes, a press release said.

The stops will include the tennis courts, the Guesthouse, and the Chapel on the Hill. There will be stories about the development and significance of each site, the press release said. [Read more…]

Next Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

Posted at 9:19 pm March 20, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

McNally-Ragan-Calfee-at-Breakfast-with-Legislators-April-25-2016

Pictured above at a Breakfast with the Legislators on April 25, 2016, are, from left, Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, Rep. John Ragan, and Rep. Kent Calfee. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will host Breakfast with the Legislators on Monday, March 25. The meeting will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served, a press release said.

Tennessee senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about this session of the Tennessee General Assembly, and respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience, the press release said. The public is invited to attend.

“The popular community event offers firsthand information on upcoming legislation and House and Senate committee activities, while prompting dialogue among legislators and citizens, and providing a great networking opportunity for members of the community,” the release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County Democrats to hold reorganization meeting

Posted at 7:00 pm March 19, 2019
By Megan McNees Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Democratic Party will hold a Biennial Reorganization Convention to elect new leaders on Saturday, March 30, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. Doors open for registration at 12:30 p.m., and the start time is 1 p.m., a press release said. Participants must be there by 1 p.m., or participation will not be allowed. Lunch and beverages will be provided, the press release said.

Local Democrats will elect a new chair, vice chairs, secretary, treasurer, and the Executive Committee for Anderson County to a two-year term. All Democratic residents who are eligible voters of Anderson County are urged to attend to discuss the party’s agenda and events for 2019-20, the press release said.

About the reorganization, Chair Megan McNees said: “The party reorganization is a vital part of the county party system. It provides our membership with the chance to voice their opinions and to have them be heard. These elections will have a direct impact on party governance and by extension the 2020 elections. Now, more than ever, it’s so important to be active in your government. It’s every citizen’s duty to pay attention and get involved. Attending our reorganization is an easy first step.”

During the reorganization, attendees will evaluate the effectiveness of their county party’s bylaws and leadership, the press release said. Each county party determines its own needs, elects new leaders, and enacts reforms to build a stronger grassroots organization, the release said.

This press release was submitted by Megan McNees.

Anderson County Republicans to elect officers Thursday

Posted at 6:51 pm March 19, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Republican Party will elect officers of its Executive Committee on Thursday. The public is invited to attend, a press release said.

Elections will be held for the following positions: chair, vice chair, treasurer, vice treasurer, and secretary, the press release said.

The elections will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday March 21, in Room 313 of the Anderson County Courthouse at 100 North Main Street in Clinton.

For more information, go to the Anderson County Republican Party events calendar at https://actngop.org/events.php.

This press release was submitted by Anthony Allen.

Book sale at Clinton Library this week

Posted at 11:27 am March 19, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Clinton Public Library

The Friends of the Clinton Public Library will have their book sale this week from March 20-23.

All proceeds from the sale will be used to help the Clinton Public Library, a press release said. All items will be from from $0.50 to $1, the press release said.

Here is the sale schedule: [Read more…]

Memoir Writing Workshop at Oak Ridge Public Library on Wednesday

Posted at 11:12 am March 19, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

As part of the “World Wise Wednesdays” series of programs, the Oak Ridge Public Library will host a Memoir Writing Class on Wednesday, March 20, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the library auditorium.

Bonny Millard will lead the session. Millard is a writing coach, project development editor, and educator who worked for more than 15 years as a print journalist and freelance writer, a press release said.

Her journalism career and fiction writing has led her to help other writers explore the depths of their stories, the press release said. Millard also teaches composition at Pellissippi State Community College, and she has a master’s degree in creative writing. [Read more…]

TVA to lower level of Melton Hill Reservoir for annual shoreline maintenance

Posted at 9:07 am March 19, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Valley Authority will temporarily lower the water level of Melton Hill Reservoir from Sunday, March 24, through Sunday, April 7, to allow property owners to repair docks, stabilize shoreline, and pick up litter, a press release said.

The reservoir’s water level will be held between 790 and 792 feet above sea level—about two to four feet below its current level—during this period, the press release said. The exact rate of the drawdown will depend on weather conditions and may vary with rainfall amounts. Melton Hill will be returned to its normal winter elevation of 794 feet by April 7.

“As in the past, the drawdown targets and dates are subject to change due to weather constraints,” the press release said. “Recent heavy rains could result in greater than usual debris and erosion in some areas.” [Read more…]

Free income tax service offered in Oak Ridge

Posted at 4:04 pm March 12, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center has been open in Oak Ridge since February. The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically file individual tax returns at no cost to the taxpayers, a press release said.

During the 2018 tax season, almost 2,000 returns were prepared at the Oak Ridge site, and taxpayers received more than $2,100,000 in tax refunds, the press release said. The site served taxpayers from 17 counties in Tennessee.

The VITA office is located in the Trinity Outreach Center at 320 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Manhattan Project: National Parks World War II Film Festival on Saturday

Posted at 10:06 am March 12, 2019
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

K-25-69 Close up of welding in prefabrecation shop 1944 (bld.300) Photo by Ed Westcott

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park will present films from National Park Service sites that commemorate events and issues related to World War II and the nuclear deterrent used during the Cold War on Saturday, a press release said.

The film festival is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

National parks tell the stories of America’s World War II experience—from Pearl Harbor to the war’s atomic end, the press release said.

“The range of our nation’s national parks show how a resilient America mobilized its people to triumph over tyranny, explore places where technological and social barriers collapsed, confront the war’s darker legacies, and stand atop soils where American blood was shed, coastlines defended, and valor was memorialized forever,” the press release said. “Across the nation, national park sites help tell the story of our nation during World War II and help us ensure President Truman’s promise that ‘America will never forget their sacrifices’ will always hold true.”

National Park Service films on March 16, will come from: [Read more…]