Oak Ridge Today

Get the facts about the Affordable Care Act at the Library on Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Public Library will host an objective and educational presentation on the Affordable Care Act on Saturday afternoon, a press release said.

Jim Nelson, an Oak Ridge resident, retired chemical engineer, and healthcare activist, has been researching the Affordable Care Act since 2009, the release said. He has collected a lot of information from various sources (including but not limited to) the Kaiser Family Foundation, Enroll America, and Families USA.

“Come to the presentation and discover resources to help you see where you fit in, what you need to apply in the Marketplace, the 10 essential health benefits, and ways to apply for coverage in the Marketplace,” the release said. [Read more…]

Guitar lessons at Senior Center on Fridays, meeting today to gauge interest in banjo lessons

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Guitar Lessons at Oak Ridge Senior Center

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will be offering free guitar lessons for senior citizens age 50 and older on Fridays beginning Jan. 10.

Beginners will start at 9 a.m., and more advanced students will follow. The only requirement is to bring your own guitar.

Seniors of all skill levels are encouraged to come out and join in the fun.

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will also be holding a meeting to find out about community interest in banjo lessons. The lessons will be provided free of charge to seniors age 50 and over. All that is needed is a banjo and a willingness to learn. [Read more…]

Biloski running for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge

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Lauren Biloski

Lauren Biloski

Lauren R. Biloski has announced that she is seeking the office of Anderson County Juvenile Court judge.

Lauren is a partner at Ritter, Biloski, and Associates, located in Oak Ridge. She has developed a thriving multi-county practice that includes criminal defense, civil litigation, and family and juvenile law, a press release said.

She is the third candidate to announce a candidacy for juvenile court judge. The current judge, Brandon Fisher, is running for Anderson County chancellor.

Biloski is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Tennesseee at Knoxville in three years, the press release said. Immediately following graduation, she earned her J.D. from Indiana University in 2006, where she was the recipient of the Norman Lefstein Award of Excellence. [Read more…]

TDOT commissioner in Oak Ridge on Thursday for Centrifuge Way dedication

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Centrifuge Way Interchange Improvements

Construction work to improve the interchange at South Illinois Avenue and Centrifuge Way in Oak Ridge is pictured above in December 2012.

Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer will be in Oak Ridge on Thursday for the dedication of a new interchange at Centrifuge Way and South Illinois Avenue, or State Route 62.

Centrifuge Way is the former Boeing Road in south Oak Ridge.

The dedication is at 4:15 p.m.

In December 2012, Oak Ridge Today reported that construction work on the $1.2 million state project had started and was expected to be complete by June 2013. The work included building three detention ponds to be used as sediment basins during construction, reconfiguring the interchange, and extending Centrifuge Way. [Read more…]

TVA system meets single-day electricity record

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

Tennessee Valley residents set a single-day record for electricity use while keeping warm during this week’s arctic cold wave, the Tennessee Valley Authority said Wednesday.

Homes and businesses across TVA’s seven-state region used 703 gigawatt-hours of electricity on Tuesday, the most ever for a 24-hour, one-day period. TVA’s previous record was 701 gigawatt-hours on Jan. 8, 2010.

This came one day after TVA had its fourth highest “energy day” ever on Monday with 678 gigawatt-hours.

The Valley’s average temperature Tuesday never got above 21 degrees, and the average was just 4 degrees that morning when TVA’s power system experienced its second highest winter peak power demand in the public utility’s history. [Read more…]

City move could add another police officer to Oak Ridge Schools

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Oak Ridge High School

The number of reported crimes is down at Oak Ridge High School since police officers were given office space there in August, and a move recommended by city administrators could add another school resource officer in the Oak Ridge school system.

The number of reported crimes is down at Oak Ridge High School since police officers were given office space there in August, and a move recommended by city administrators could add another school resource officer in the Oak Ridge school system.

It’s part of a program to improve student safety and use law enforcement to reduce unacceptable student behaviors, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson and Police Chief Jim Akagi said.

Oak Ridge Schools now have one school resource officer, or SRO. There have been discussions about adding more officers, especially since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012, but funding has been an obstacle.

On Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council will consider a resolution that would allow the Oak Ridge Police Department to hire an extra police officer, exceeding its authorized personnel staffing levels, in order to assign an existing police officer as an SRO. There have been proposals to add more—in December, City Council member Trina Baughn proposed one at each of the city’s two middle schools—but Watson and Akagi are recommending one additional officer now. [Read more…]

Myers announces Republican candidacy for Anderson County sheriff

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Randy Myers

Randy Myers

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Randy Myers has announced he will run for Anderson County sheriff in the May 6 Republican primary.

Myers is the second Republican candidate to announce he is running for the seat now held by Sheriff Paul White, a Democrat, in the 2014 election.

In a press release, Myers said he has been a law enforcement officer for 24 years and has worked as a patrol officer, criminal investigator, domestic violence officer, hostage negotiator, Crisis Intervention Team officer, and public relations officer. [Read more…]

AC jail: To house federal prisoners or not?

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Anderson County Detention Facility Construction

At right, the main entrance of the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton is being remodeled as part of a roughly $10 million jail expansion project. A new 212-bed jail pod is in the background at left.

Information from WYSH Radio

Anderson County Commissioner Dusty Irwin has proposed placing a non-binding referendum on the August ballot asking voters whether or not they want the county to house what have been described as low-risk state and federal prisoners awaiting trial in the soon-to-be-expanded county jail.

The proposal will be considered Thursday by the Anderson County Commission’s Legislative Committee and could be considered by the full Commission later this month. [Read more…]

Water line breaks in Oak Ridge, Clinton cause traffic detours

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Information from WYSH Radio

Water line breaks caused traffic detours in Oak Ridge and Clinton early Tuesday morning.

A water main break on West Outer Drive caused water to spill onto North Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge and freeze. The water was shut off, and crews worked to put down salt and sand on the roadway. Traffic was detoured around the area while crews worked to repair the line.

The early-morning water main break in Clinton shut down a portion of Main Street. Crews closed down the road between Weaver and Washington while they worked to repair the busted pipe.

TVA power demand hits second-highest winter peak

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

Power demand hit a peak of 32,460 megawatts at 9 a.m. Tuesday, the second-highest winter peak in Tennessee Valley Authority history.

The preliminary peak power demand occurred when the average temperature in the Tennessee Valley was a frigid 4 degrees, TVA said.

In a press release, the public utility said electricity use is now coming down. [Read more…]

TVA expects high electricity demand during cold wave

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority expects plunging temperatures from an arctic cold wave moving across the region will produce high demand for electricity.

TVA’s bulk electric system remains secure and stable at this time, a press release said.

“TVA has been monitoring and carefully preparing for this blast of potentially record-cold weather since last week,” TVA Chief Operating Officer Chip Pardee said. “We have taken proactive measures so the system remains robust and reliable for our customers and power users across the Valley.” [Read more…]

Hunt running for juvenile court judge

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Brian Hunt

Brian Hunt

Attorney Brian Hunt has announced that he is running for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge.

Hunt now serves as a judge advocate general at the rank of captain in the U.S. Army Reserves and has served as Lake City municipal judge since 2006, a press release said.

Hunt grew up in Clinton, attending Clinton Elementary School and Clinton Middle School, and he graduated from Clinton High School in 1996. He later received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2000 from The University of the South-Sewanee in Tennessee. He graduated from Ohio Northern University Law School in 2003 and began practicing law in 2003. [Read more…]