Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridger with public, private work experience appointed city clerk

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Beth Hickman

Beth Hickman

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m.

An Oak Ridge resident who has management and administrative experience in the public and private sectors has been appointed city clerk, officials said Monday.

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson announced the appointment of Beth Hickman on Monday. Hickman will replace former City Clerk Diana Stanley, who resigned in November 2015.

Hickman has more than 15 years of management and administrative experience in both the public and private sectors, a press release said.

She served as field representative for former U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis and as executive assistant at The Roane Alliance.

She is presently employed at Vanderbilt University Law School as a faculty assistant. [Read more…]

Photos: Anderson County Animal Holding Facility ribbon-cutting

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Emma Berry of Clinton High School’s B.A.R.K. (Bettering Animal Rescue in the Knoxville area) announces a $2,000 donation for a future shelter at a Friday afternoon, Jan. 29, 2016, ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Anderson County Animal Holding Facility on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAYTON—Here are pictures from the Friday afternoon ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Anderson County Animal Holding Facility on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton.

The new 12-kennel animal holding facility gives the county a place to hold stray dogs and dogs held for other reasons, such as animals rescued or taken away from crashes, drug busts, and drunken driving arrests, officials said. It opened about four weeks ago and only holds dogs now.

See story here.

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Clinton High School’s B.A.R.K. (Bettering Animal Rescue in the Knoxville are) celebrates the new Anderson County Animal Holding Facility on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton on Friday afternoon, Jan. 29, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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New animal holding facility gives AC a place to keep strays, other dogs

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Anderson County officials and volunteers celebrate a new animal holding facility on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton that will be used to hold strays and other dogs. Pictured above is a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:20 a.m.

CLAXTON—A new animal holding facility in Anderson County gives the county a place to hold stray dogs and dogs held for other reasons, such as animals rescued or taken away from crashes, drug busts, and drunken driving arrests, officials said Friday.

The new 12-kennel Anderson County Animal Holding Facility is on Blockhouse Valley Road in Claxton, at the Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center.

It helps the county deal with a shortage of space elsewhere, including at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said.

It’s not a shelter yet, but that’s part of the long-term plan. Officials and volunteers said the holding facility is just the first step for them. [Read more…]

National Park Service, DOE have three meetings on Manhattan Project Park

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Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz shortly after they signed a memorandum of agreement and created the 409th park in the National Park System, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The park was authorized by Congress in December 2014. The park will have three sites in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Hanford, Washington; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The signing ceremony took place at the South Interior Building in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 10, 2015. (NPS Photo by Anthony DeYoung)

 

First meeting on Monday, February 1

The National Park Service and the U.S. Department of Energy will have three public meetings in early February to solicit input on planning for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The meetings will be held at the three sites associated with the park: Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The public is encouraged to come to the meetings and meet with representatives of the NPS and the DOE to share their thoughts about the key stories and interpretive ideas related to the park.

Locally, there will be a public meeting held on Monday, February 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Eastern time) at Oak Ridge High School (in the Food Court) at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Voter registration deadline is Monday for March 1 primary

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Tre Hargett

Tre Hargett

Tennessee residents who want to vote in the March 1 presidential preference primary, or “SEC Primary,” must register to vote by Monday, February 1.

This election cycle, the Volunteer State will join six other Southern states on March 1 to help decide who could be the next president of the United States.

“It’s important to ensure you are properly registered now so there won’t be any surprises during early voting or on Election Day,” Secretary of State Tre Hargett said in a press release.

Early voting begins Wednesday, February 10, and runs Mondays through Saturdays until Tuesday, February 23. Election Day is Tuesday, March 1. Note that some counties will be closed on Monday, February 15 for Presidents Day. [Read more…]

New Public Works director hired in Oak Ridge

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Shira McWaters

Shira McWaters (From LinkedIn profile)

Shira McWaters, a civil engineer who is now an associate at a company in Arizona, has been hired as Public Works director in Oak Ridge.

McWaters will replace former Public Works Director Gary Cinder, who retired in September 2015.

The appointment was announced by Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

McWaters will administer all Public Works activities for the city. The Public Works Department, with approximately 100 full-time employees, is responsible for the maintenance of city streets, all city-owned buildings, stormwater management, water treatment, distribution, and wastewater collections systems, and for the maintenance, service, and repair of all city automotive vehicles, heavy equipment, and stationary equipment.

The Department also prepares and administers the Solid Waste Collection contract and provides staff representation to the Traffic Safety Advisory Board. [Read more…]

Mayor Frank seeks help setting up monthly breakfast for veterans

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Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, center, and the Ward brothers on their visit to the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives. Clinton resident William Ward, left, is a veteran of World War II and notably the Battle of Midway. (Submitted photo)

 

Work slowly progressing on a museum for veterans memorabilia, artifacts

Submitted

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank is seeking help from people interested in participating in a planning group to organize a free, monthly breakfast for all Anderson County veterans—from the cities to the rural areas. A meeting has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. February 2 in Room 118A at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. All interested citizens are invited to help develop plans. No military service background is required.

In 2014, Frank traveled with local World War II veteran William Ward and Anderson County’s Veteran Service Officer Leon Jaquet to visit the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens, Alabama. Frank, Ward, and Jaquet were given a tour by William Ward’s son and veteran, Billy Ward. Billy Ward serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Veterans Museum. Frank and Jaquet also met with organizers of the Alabama Museum, as well as the museum’s director Sandra Thompson. [Read more…]

Suspect in bank extortion, carjacking plots could face mandatory minimum of 142 years in prison

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Oak Ridge Police Department at Y-12 Federal Credit Union

The Oak Ridge Police Department responded to a kidnapping and attempted robbery at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning, April 28, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m.

KNOXVILLE—One of the two suspects in three alleged bank extortion and carjacking plots that involved bank employees and their family members, including at Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, is facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 142 years in prison, if he is convicted on all 15 charges that he faces, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.

Brian Witham pleaded not guilty to the 15 charges—which include bank extortion, attempted bank extortion, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm while committing a crime—during a 20-minute arraignment and initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon.

Brian Witham

Brian Witham (Photo courtesy WATE-TV in Knoxville)

A trial has been set for March 29.

Witham’s alleged co-conspirator, Michael Benanti, has an initial appearance and arraignment scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The two were indicted by a federal grand jury on December 15 for plots that involved kidnapping family members and robbing or attempting to rob three banks and credit unions in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Elizabethton, Tennessee. Benanti, 43, is from Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Witham, 45, is from Waterville, Maine. [Read more…]

Affordable Care Act enrollment rescheduled for Wednesday

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A rescheduled Affordable Care Act enrollment event will be Wednesday.

The enrollment event has been rescheduled from Saturday, January 23, to Wednesday, January 27, because of the weather last week.

The enrollment event is still at the Oak Ridge Public Library, and it’s from 4-8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Library Auditorium. [Read more…]

Ribbon-cutting for Anderson County Animal Holding Facility on Friday

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The public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Anderson County Animal Holding Facility at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. (Photo by Anderson County Animal Holding Facility via Facebook)

 

CLINTON—The public is invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Anderson County Animal Holding Facility at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 29.

The facility marks a major milestone and advancement in the care and welfare of animals in Anderson County and is part of a larger, long-term plan to build an independent, county-operated state-of-the-art facility, a press release said.

On hand to celebrate will be longtime former Anderson County Commissioner Robin Biloski, who will be travelling from Florida to participate in the special event.

“Our new Animal Holding Facility clearly shows how a government effectively worked to help its residents on a neglected quality-of-life issue,” Biloski said. “Anderson County has proudly demonstrated how numerous people can come together to create a reality that our citizens have wanted and needed for so long. This issue continues to be so important to me that I left sunny Florida to be part of this inaugural event and pledge to continue to work on this initiative. I hope to see many dear friends share in this joyous occasion.” [Read more…]

DA: Anderson County had biggest reduction in state in traffic fatalities in 2015

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Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Anderson County had the greatest reduction in traffic fatalities of any county in Tennessee in 2015, an official said Friday.

In 2014, there were 18 traffic fatalities in Anderson County, District Attorney General Dave Clark said. In 2015, that number dropped to seven, according to statistics maintained by the Tennessee Department of Safety.

“That difference of 11 fewer deaths in Anderson County was the greatest reduction of any Tennessee county,” Clark said.

“The traffic fatality improvements this past year represent 11 people who did not die on our roadways and 11 groups of friends and families who are not grieving this year,” Clark said. “We see the human cost of the deaths on our highways and the utter despair and shock of a family that has suddenly lost someone as the result of a traffic fatality. Therefore, I am particularly pleased with this accomplishment and what it has meant to our community. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge small business wins DOD chemical, biological defense contract

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Omega Consultants Incorporated has been awarded a prime contract by the U.S. Army’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, or JPEO-CBD, under the Department of Defense.

There were 17 companies selected for this Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity, or IDIQ, contract consisting of 10 small business awards and seven large business awards. The contract ceiling is $900 million throughout the period of performance.

Omega was the only Tennessee business selected as a prime contractor for this contract award. Omega is also a subcontractor for the Camber Corporation team that received a large business award. The contract award is for three years, with an option for three additional years. JPEO-CBD is the Joint Services single focal point for research, development, acquisition, fielding, and life-cycle support of chemical and biological defense equipment and medical countermeasures. [Read more…]