• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

House committee to vote on Manhattan Project historical park Wednesday

Posted at 3:39 pm July 7, 2012
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Manhattan Project National Historical Park House Hearing

Pictured above at a June 28 U.S. House hearing on the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act are, from front left, Cindy Kelly, Atomic Heritage Foundation president; Heather McClenahan, executive director of the Los Alamos Historical Society; and D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian. Gary Petersen, Tri-City Development Council vice president, is pictured in the background. (Photo courtesy of Atomic Heritage Foundation)

A U.S. House committee will vote Wednesday on a bill to create a Manhattan Project historical park that would include Oak Ridge, Rep. Doc Hastings announced Friday.

The legislation will be considered by the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Hastings is chair of that committee and sponsor of the bill, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act. He represents the Hanford site in Washington, which would also be part of the national park.

“I expect the Committee will vote to favorably advance the bill to the full House for consideration,” Hastings said in a news release. “A great many volunteers have been working for years to bring this idea into reality, and I’m pleased that progress is being made in the law-making process to preserve this amazing and important piece of our nation’s history.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Atomic Heritage Foundation, H.R. 5987, Hanford, House Committee on Natural Resources, Los Alamos, Manhattan Project, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Oak Ridge, S. 3300, U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings

Education could be key battleground in Tennessee House race

Posted at 10:06 pm July 6, 2012
By John Huotari 6 Comments

Jim Hackworth TEA Endorsement

Clinton High School English teacher DeWayne Emert, left, announces that a Tennessee Education Association organization has endorsed Democrat Jim Hackworth, center, in his campaign for the state House of Representatives. Also pictured is Ryan Mackay, Tennessee Democratic Party deputy field director.

CLINTON — Education could be one of the key battlegrounds in Anderson County’s hotly contested race for Tennessee House of Representatives.

This week, Democratic candidate Jim Hackworth said teachers are unhappy with changes made during the past few years and are “tired of being treated like second-class citizens.

“They want someone who will listen to them and ask them what they think to improve education,” said Hackworth, a former four-term legislator who is trying to take back his old seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Education, Government Tagged With: Jim Hackworth, Rep. John Ragan, Tennessee Education Association, Tennessee House of Representatives

Electric Department: Power restored in Oak Ridge

Posted at 2:50 am July 6, 2012
By John Huotari 9 Comments

Oak Ridge Electric Department Crew

An Oak Ridge Electric Department crew works late into the night after a violent storm Thursday. Above from right are ORED Crew Chief Aaron England, lineman Tom Lance, and apprentice lineman Mike Goodpasture.

All power has been restored, the Oak Ridge Electric Department reported about midnight Thursday, roughly six hours after violent storms roared through East Tennessee, causing widespread damage and power outages, and trapping visitors in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In Oak Ridge, the city staff reported outages in Rarity Ridge and on Berwick Drive, Bear Creek and Berea roads, Warwick and Hoyt lanes, and Andover, Iris, and East Wadsworth circles.

Residents reported outages in other locations from West Outer Drive and Montana Avenue to Grove Center and Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Officials in the Oak Ridge Electric Department said they didn’t know how many customers lost power Thursday.

But a few hours after the storm, by 10:30 p.m., the Electric Department reported that only a few scattered small outages remained, and most, if not all of those, were due to fallen trees or branches.

Woodland Storm Damage

Oak Ridge Electric Department crews had to remove a tree limb that had fallen into power lines on South Purdue Avenue.

In Woodland around midnight, a three-man crew cut down a Bradford Pear tree limb that had fallen into a power line on South Purdue Avenue. Crew members had been working non-stop since about 6 p.m., when the ferocious storms blew south from the Ohio River Valley, bringing 70-mph winds and knocking out power to tens of thousands of customers in East Tennessee.

The city provided updates during the storm on Twitter. That Twitter feed is available at https://twitter.com/#!/corelectricdept.

Meanwhile, officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park confirmed that two people died during the storms.

 

Filed Under: Government, Weather Tagged With: Oak Ridge Electric Department, power outages, thunderstorms

Thunderstorms cause extensive power outages in Oak Ridge

Posted at 7:15 pm July 5, 2012
By John Huotari 4 Comments

The storms sweeping through East Tennessee have caused extensive power outages in Oak Ridge, Electric Director Jack Suggs said Thursday evening.

However, Suggs is in Nashville until later tonight, and he said he couldn’t estimate how many residents have lost power, although the damage sounds very severe.

“Right now, I don’t know anything except we have a lot of problems,” Suggs said. “It’s not limited to any one section of town.”

Power was out along Oak Ridge Turnpike from at least Robertsville Road heading east to the Oak Ridge Mall, and there were reports of outages in other areas, including Grove Center, the Highland View neighborhood, the Central Services Complex, West Outer Drive, and New York and Jefferson avenues.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Government Tagged With: Oak Ridge, power outages, thunderstorms

Tennessee House candidates allege legal violations, desperate attacks

Posted at 1:27 pm July 5, 2012
By John Huotari 15 Comments

Jim Hackworth and Ryan Mackay

Former Tennessee legislator Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat, left, and Ryan Mackay, Tennessee Democratic Party deputy field director, question whether Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, is following state law for campaign websites and literature.

Former Tennessee legislator Jim Hackworth this week accused his campaign opponent, Rep. John Ragan, of violating state ethics and finance laws, but Ragan said Hackworth was engaging in “desperate attacks.”

On Monday, Hackworth said Ragan’s campaign website violated state ethics and finance laws because it included his official office phone number and state e-mail address. By Tuesday morning, Ragan had removed that contact information, although he said including it was not illegal and he had removed it as a courtesy to Hackworth, a constituent.

That didn’t seem to satisfy Hackworth.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Government Tagged With: Jim Hackworth, John Ragan, Tennessee House of Representatives

Oak Ridge city manager asks for tuition reimbursement

Posted at 2:20 pm July 3, 2012
By John Huotari 17 Comments

Mark Watson

Mark Watson

Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson has asked the city to reimburse him for tuition and textbooks as he pursues a doctorate at the University of Tennessee.

In exchange, Watson would have to earn at least a “B” average and continue working for the city for three years after he finishes his classwork. If he leaves before then, he would have to repay the city.

Watson is studying political science, with a concentration in public administration.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Government Tagged With: employment contract, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ray Evans, tuition reimbursement

Rep. Ragan changes campaign website after Hackworth questions legality

Posted at 9:46 am July 3, 2012
By John Huotari 8 Comments

John Ragan

John Ragan

Tennessee Rep. John Ragan has removed his official office phone number and state e-mail address from his campaign website after his opponent, Jim Hackworth, said that including the information violated state law.

On Monday, Hackworth, a former state representative trying to take back his old House seat in November, said Ragan’s website violated state ethics and finance laws because it directs voters to contact Ragan at his official office phone number and state e-mail address.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Government Tagged With: campaign website, Jim Hackworth, Tennessee Rep. John Ragan

Former Council member, Commissioner Harold Jernigan dies at 84

Posted at 10:58 pm July 2, 2012
By John Huotari 6 Comments

Harold Jernigan

Harold Jernigan

Former Oak Ridge City Council member and Anderson County Commissioner Harold Jernigan died Saturday. He was 84.

Jernigan was elected to City Council in 1968, serving for 20 years, including a term as vice mayor. He was elected to the Anderson County Commission in 1998 and served two four-year terms.

“Harold brought a wealth of experience to County Commission and fought hard for he the things he believed in,” Interim Anderson County Mayor Myron Iwanski said. “He was a true public servant.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Government Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Harold Jernigan, Oak Ridge City Council

Anderson County officials to discuss jail expansion bids

Posted at 6:01 pm July 2, 2012
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An Anderson County planning committee will meet next week to discuss the six bids received on a $10 million jail expansion project, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Bids opened in June ranged from $9.66 million to $10.4 million, WYSH said. The companies that submitted bids included Rouse Construction, Messer Construction, Merit General Contractors, Denark Construction, Bell and Associates, and Johnson and Galyon Construction.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Government, Police and Fire Tagged With: Anderson County Detention Facility, jail expansion

Democrats, Republicans joust over jobs

Posted at 1:08 pm July 2, 2012
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

There are fewer people working in Anderson County than at the beginning of the year, and Rep. John Ragan isn’t doing enough to create and keep jobs in Tennessee, a state Democratic Party official said.

“While jobs are leaving Anderson County, Mr. Ragan continues to put on a show for voters because he has nothing to show for his time in office,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said in a blog post last week. “These are the consequences of partisan politics–a legislature that is focused on protecting schoolyard bullies instead of putting Tennesseans back to work.”

But in an e-mailed response, Ragan said the state’s unemployment rate is moving in the right direction, and the Tennessee General Assembly has passed critical pro-job legislation during the past two years.

“We have lowered taxes for all Tennesseans, cut needless business regulations, fought to end frivolous lawsuits, and passed landmark education reform,” said Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Government Tagged With: Chip Forrester, education, Jim Hackworth, jobs, Tennessee Democratic Party, Tennessee Rep. John Ragan

Moseley, Gooch duel over partisan politics

Posted at 11:00 am July 2, 2012
By John Huotari 5 Comments

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Alex Moseley, chairman of the Anderson County Republican Party, suggests the Democratic candidate for county mayor is a liberal politician.

But the candidate, Warren Gooch, says Moseley is trying to confuse voters.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Government Tagged With: Alex Moseley, Anderson County mayor, Terry Frank, Warren Gooch

Hackworth opens campaign headquarters today

Posted at 1:08 am July 2, 2012
By John Huotari 9 Comments

Jim Hackworth

Jim Hackworth

Former Tennessee Rep. Jim Hackworth will officially open his campaign headquarters this evening in Clinton.

The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. The headquarters is in the Stephenson Realty Building at 210 Charles G. Seivers Blvd. in Clinton.

“Please come by to join us as we begin our efforts to return common sense representation and service to Anderson County,” Hackworth said in an e-mail. “Please come join Jim as he begins his effort to Restore the American Dream.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Government Tagged With: campaign headquarters, Jim Hackworth, state representative

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Search Oak Ridge Today

Recent Posts

  • Lexi Sinnott named director of ORAU Facilities and Transportation Department
  • Kris Emery named director of ORAU Financial Operations
  • James Buckner named director of Environment, Safety & Health for ORAU and ORISE
  • National Supplemental Screening Program celebrates 20 years of service; eligible individuals encouraged to participate
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign raises $91,479 in 2025
  • Alan Forbes named director of Safeguards & Security for ORAU and ORISE
  • ORAU and American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation formalize partnership to advance Manhattan Project 2.0
  • Author and Law Professor Derek W. Black to Speak on Public Education and Democracy
  • Anderson County Chamber Headquarters Dedication Set for October 17
  • ORISE announces winners of 2025 Future of Science Awards

Copyright © 2026 Oak Ridge Today