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Election is Thursday

Posted at 9:12 pm July 31, 2024
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections are Thursday.

Competitive races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33 in Anderson County, an Anderson County Commission seat in District 6 in Oak Ridge, and seats on the Anderson County School Board.

Voters can cast ballots in the county general election and either the Democratic or Republican state and federal primary election.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2024 Election, Anderson County, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, State Tagged With: Aaron Wells, Anderson County, Anne Backus, Ebony Capshaw, election, federal primary, Gloria Johnson, John Ragan, Marquita Bradshaw, Marsha Blackburn, Rick Scarbrough

Kairos Power begins construction on demonstration reactor​

Posted at 5:35 pm July 31, 2024
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge. The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in more than 50 years, a press release said. (Image courtesy Kairos Power)

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge.

The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in more than 50 years, a press release said.

The NRC approved a construction permit for the test reactor at Heritage Center industrial park, the former K-25 site, in December.

“Hermes represents a critical milestone on Kairos Power’s iterative path to commercializing advanced reactor technology,” the press release said.

Kairos Power said it has contracted with Barnard Construction Company Inc. to perform sitework and excavation at the Hermes site in Oak Ridge, and that work began earlier this month.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Barnard Construction Company, Heritage Center, Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, Kairos Power, Mike Laufer, NRC, Quincy Anderson, test nuclear reactor, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Tennis court dances recreate wartime event

Posted at 1:07 am July 18, 2024
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy Manhattan Project National Historical Park

Monthly dances by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park recreate the open-air tennis court dances that entertained 75,000 workers and their families in the Secret City during World War II.

“Put on your dancing shoes, another summer of tennis court dances are kicking off on the Jackson Square tennis courts,” a press release said.

The all-ages dances are scheduled monthly on the third Thursday.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Dancing, Entertainment, Federal, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, tennis court dance

Manhattan Project Park: Walk through Wheat

Posted at 8:36 pm July 4, 2024
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy National Park Service

You can walk through Wheat with a National Park Service ranger on Saturday, July 13, and learn more about the history of this community before the Manhattan Project.

Wheat was in an area that is now west Oak Ridge, and it was one of the communities displaced by the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II.

The free July 13 walk is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Oak Ridge, Wheat

Paddle with a Ranger: Learn about Clinch River Valley history

Posted at 7:36 pm June 21, 2024
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Bring your human-powered watercraft and explore the history of life on the Clinch River on Saturday.

“On a quiet bend of Melton Hill Lake sits the oldest surviving structure in Oak Ridge, the Freels Bend Cabin dating back to 1810,” the National Park Service said. “On a 1.5-mile roundtrip paddle from Guinn Park, explore the history of the Clinch River Valley leading up to the Manhattan Project.”

Note: This is a paddle program on Melton Hill Lake. Freels Bend Cabin is on U.S. Department of Energy property, and no landings will be permitted. 

The trip is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 22. To participate, please bring your own self-propelled watercraft. No boats are provided by the NPS.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, History, Recreation, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River, Freels Bend Cabin, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historial Park, Melton hill lake, National Park Service, paddle with a ranger

Learn about K-25 history with park ranger Saturday

Posted at 8:53 pm June 14, 2024
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 (Image credit: U.S. Department of Energy/Ed Westcott)

You can get an introduction to the history of the K-25 plant, which once had the world’s largest building, with a National Park Service ranger on Saturday.

K-25 was built as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. That was a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bomb, before Germany could.

Saturday’s talk is titled “K-25: Enriching Uranium in Happy Valley.” It is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at the K-25 Overlook across from the K-25 site, which is now known as Heritage Center or East Tennessee Technology Park. The talk is free, and it is expected to last about one hour.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: K-25, K-25 plant, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service

Victory & pollinator gardens open to public June 1

Posted at 5:59 pm May 2, 2024
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Victory and pollinator gardens at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will be open to the public on Saturday, June 1, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park said.

The gardens will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 1 for the Seeds of Victory Program, the park said in a newsletter.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Museums Tagged With: Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Par, Seeds of Victory, victory and pollinator gardens, victory gardens

Manhattan Project Park summertime tennis court dances start May 16

Posted at 5:29 pm May 2, 2024
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Image courtesy Manhattan Project National Historical Park)

The summertime tennis court dances organized by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park start in two weeks.

The first dance of this summer is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16, on the Jackson Square Tennis Courts. They continue monthly on the third Thursday.

“The park recreates the open air tennis court dances held during the Manhattan Project to entertain the
75,000 war workers and their families contained within America’s Secret City (Oak Ridge),” a newsletter said. “The dances are an all-ages event, and all are encouraged to participate. Featuring swing music
from the 1940s, you might get bit by the jitterbug out on the court.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Dancing, Entertainment, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Top Stories Tagged With: Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, tennis court dances

Melton Hill Reservoir to be lowered for cleaning, maintenance

Posted at 2:49 am March 7, 2024
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Melton Hill Reservoir (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

Melton Hill Reservoir will be temporarily lowered two to four feet between March 24 and April 3 to allow property owners to perform annual spring cleaning and dock maintenance.

The Tennessee Valley Authority will hold the reservoir between 790 and 792 feet for about 12 days beginning Sunday, March 24, a press release said. Melton Hill will be returned to its normal winter elevation by April 4.

“Please note that drawdown targets and dates could change due to potential rainfall, so residents are asked to remain flexible,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Recreation, Sports, Top Stories Tagged With: dock maintenance, drawdown, Melton Hill Reservoir, spring cleaning, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

Building the Secret City: Ranger walk through Jackson Square

Posted at 2:50 am February 1, 2024
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A historical walk through Jackson Square with the Manhattan Project National Historical Park has been rescheduled to February 10 due to the winter weather in January.

The walk with the National Park Service is titled “Building America’s Secret City: Ranger Walk Through Jackson Square.” It is now scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, February 10.

“Explore what it took to shape the farms and mud of East Tennessee into the Atomic City,” an event notice said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Federal, Front Page News, Government, History, Museums, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Jackson Square, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, World War II

TVA asks customers to conserve power during high demand

Posted at 7:43 pm January 16, 2024
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority

The Tennessee Valley Authority said heavy snow and bitter cold temperatures are creating record-high demand for electricity across the Southeast.

“As a result, the Tennessee Valley Authority is asking customers to be aware of their power consumption, specifically between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. (Central Time) on Wednesday,” a press release said.

“TVA is actively monitoring weather conditions, and our power system remains stable,” the press release said. “Conservation requests are often used in the power industry to help lower demand during a specific time and does not indicate TVA is experiencing emergency conditions. If you are experiencing an outage, please check with your local electric provider for more information.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories, Weather Tagged With: cold temperatures, electricity, peak demand, power conservation, power consumption, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

NRC approves construction permit for Hermes reactor

Posted at 7:32 pm December 12, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An image showing the proposed Hermes demonstration reactor by Kairos Power. The test reactor would be built at Heritage Center industrial park in west Oak Ridge. (Image by Kairos Power)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a construction permit for a test reactor at Heritage Center industrial park in west Oak Ridge. The NRC decision was announced Tuesday, and construction could start next year.

The 35-megawatt thermal Hermes demonstration reactor would be built by Kairos Power, which has headquarters in Alameda, California, and a Tennessee operation in Oak Ridge.

Hermes would use molten salt to cool its reactor core. It would not generate electricity. Instead, it would provide operational data to support the development of a larger version for commercial power, the NRC said.

“A critical step on Kairos Power’s iterative pathway to commercializing its advanced reactor technology, the Hermes reactor will demonstrate the company’s ability to deliver clean, safe, and affordable nuclear heat,” the company said in a press release.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, demonstration reactor, Hermes, Hermes 2, Hermes test reactor, Kairos Power, Mike Laufer, molten salt, NRC, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

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