Oak Ridge Today

Public housing inspections lead to four evictions for criminal, drug activity

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Annual inspections of 127 public housing apartments this month led to four evictions for criminal and drug-related activities, the Oak Ridge Housing Authority announced Thursday.

Three of the evictions resulted in charges against a family member, a ORHA press release said. No one was charged in the fourth case due to the nature of the offense.

“However, in accordance with our policies, the offense will result in the family losing their housing assistance with ORHA,” the press release said. It did not give more information.

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Briarcliff Park sidewalk could be complete Friday

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Work on a new sidewalk at Briarcliff Park is expected to be completed by Friday, a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department had contracted with First Place Finish Inc. of Oak Ridge to build the sidewalk. It will connect the parking lot to the playground, making the playground more accessible, the release said.

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Veteran help, benefits up each year under Jaquet

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The number of veterans helped by the county has grown by 25-30 percent each year during the five-year tenure of Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon Jaquet, Mayor Terry Frank announced.

The federal benefits paid to those same veterans has increased at nearly the same rate, Frank said in a press release marking Jaquet’s five-year anniversary. By 2011, the benefits paid to veterans and widows from Anderson County was about $8 million per year, Frank said.

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Baughn running for Council again, this time for four years

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Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

Encouraged by the results of the Aug. 2 election, communications professional Trina Baughn is running again, this time for a regular four-year term on the Oak Ridge City Council.

The Aug. 2 special election was for a three-month term. That election was required after former City Council member Tom Hayes resigned in June 2011.

Council appointed Chuck Hope Jr. to take Hayes’ seat last summer, and Hope beat Baughn in this summer’s election.

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Oct. 9 event features Oak Ridge City Council, School Board candidates

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A “Meet the Candidates” event next month will feature candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The Oct. 9 event is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. in the A/B Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It’s open to the public and sponsored by Democracy for East Tennessee.

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Wednesday seminar covers government contracts

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An all-day seminar in Knoxville on Wednesday will cover the basics of government contracts, a press release said.

Laura Davis, president of Strategic Consulting Solutions, is the featured speaker. Seminar topics include contract costs and types, incurred cost submissions, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

The seminar is meant to help entrepreneurs and small business owners, and it’s scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Foundry in Knoxville.

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Fillauer seeks re-election to Oak Ridge Board of Education

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Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer

Retired teacher and coach Keys Fillauer has announced he is seeking re-election to the Oak Ridge Board of Education in November.

Fillauer has served on the Oak Ridge school board for 10 years, and he has been its chairman for three, a press release said. He was also appointed last year to serve a one-year term on the Tennessee School Boards Association board of directors.

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Weigel’s would have minimal impact on traffic, study says

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Note: This story was updated at 12:10 a.m. Sept. 22.

The proposed Weigel’s on South Illinois Avenue would have a minimal impact on traffic, according to a study completed this month by a Knoxville engineering firm.

A few Oak Ridge officials had expressed concern about cars turning left to enter and leave the store on the busy, seven-lane roadway, which is used by about 27,000 vehicles per day.

The City Council approved a rezoning for the project in a 6-1 vote on Sept. 10, but members said they expected a traffic study before considering the rezoning on second and final reading on Oct. 8.

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Oliver Springs Council agrees to keep new city manager

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The Oliver Springs Town Council voted 4-2 on Thursday to keep Tina Treece as city manager after her probationary period ends in a few days, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

The vote followed a 30-minute discussion on Treece’s performance during her first three months.

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House majority supports Manhattan Project park, but two-thirds required

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Note: This story was updated at 9:10 p.m.

A majority of U.S. House members voted for a bill Thursday to set up a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that would include Oak Ridge, but the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the legislation under special rules.

The vote on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act was 237-180, about 50 votes short of a two-thirds supermajority, said Cindy Kelly, president of the nonprofit Atomic Heritage Foundation.

Though it didn’t pass Thursday in a maneuver that could have quickly sent the bill to the Senate, supporters said the bill has bipartisan support. They remained optimistic that it could still be approved soon.

“We’ve shown there is support for this park and will be working towards the goal of enacting this into law before the end of this year,” said U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, a Washington Republican who has championed the legislation to recognize Manhattan Project sites in Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash. The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

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Nov. 6 election features city council, county commission, school board candidates

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Note: This story was updated at 4:06 p.m.

There are 17 candidates eligible for election to 10 city council seats in Oak Ridge, Norris, and Lake City in the Nov. 6 election.

There are also nine candidates in a special election for Anderson County Commission District 3. Commissioner Johnny Alley gave up that seat after he became Anderson County property assessor in the Aug. 2 election.

In addition, there are three candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education and one candidate for Oak Ridge City Judge.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 8. Early voting starts Oct. 17 and runs through Nov. 1, Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens said Thursday.

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Finishing three-month term, Hope running for four years on Council

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Chuck Hope

Chuck Hope

Chuck Hope Jr. just won a three-month term on the Oak Ridge City Council, and now he’s running for a regular four-year term in the Nov. 6 election.

A longtime local businessman, Hope won the special three-month term in the Aug. 2 county election. He defeated Trina Baughn, who is also running in the November election.

It was the first run for a political office for both candidates.

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