Oak Ridge Today

Manhattan Project: Walk through Wheat with park ranger on Sept. 14

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Wheat Community Before the Manhattan Project
The Wheat community before the Manhattan Project during World War II in the area that is now west Oak Ridge. (Photo submitted by National Park Service)

Join a park ranger for a walk through the pre-Manhattan Project community of Wheat on Saturday, September 14.

Wheat was in what is now west Oak Ridge, around the area of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site. It was one of several local communities displaced by the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

Oak Ridge and two other sites involved in the Manhattan Project—Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico—are now part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

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Knoxville Mayor Rogero to speak to Democratic women Monday

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Madeline-Rogero

Madeline Rogero

 

The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club will host an evening with Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero at 6 p.m. Monday, August 26, in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Elected in November 2011, Rogero was the 68th Knoxville mayor and the first woman to hold the office, a press release said. She was re-elected to a second term in November 2015. She is the first woman to be elected mayor in the four big cities in Tennessee—Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville, the press release said. She is term-limited, and her term will end later this year.

The press release said Rogero has focused on promoting a vibrant local economy, strong neighborhoods, a high quality of life, a thriving downtown, and a greener Knoxville. She believes Knoxville’s strength comes from the diversity of its people and the beauty of its natural resources. [Read more…]

Cedar Hill Playground temporarily closed

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Cedar Hill Playground due to a tree hazard, the City of Oak Ridge said Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Cedar Hill Playground due to a tree hazard. The playground will remain closed until crews are able to fully address the situation, a press release said.

“Crews have been working to safely trim the affected tree, but additional work is required,” the press release said. “Safety fencing and caution tape have been installed around the playground, and signs are being posted to notify the public of the temporary closure.”

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Renovated Blankenship Field open for public use

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Blankenship-Field-James-Mitchell-Aug-2019
The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use. The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well. The field is pictured above in August 2019. (Photo by James Mitchell via City of Oak Ridge)

The renovated Blankenship Field—the city’s football field—and its walking track are now open for public use.

The main change is that the grass field has been replaced with synthetic turf, but there are other changes as well, including to scoreboards and end zone areas.

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Oak Ridge Schools announced the opening of the renovated field on Tuesday.

The field and track are accessible through a gate adjacent to the lower concession stand, a press release said. Like other public park facilities, public use is permitted from sunup to sundown, except when the field is reserved for special events, the press release said.

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Waste Connections will no longer accept glass for recycling

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Waste Connections of Tennessee, the city’s garbage contractor, will stop accepting glass for recycling next week (Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019). The glass has been accepted for recycling at the Convenience Center on Warehouse Road in east Oak Ridge, pictured above on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Waste Connections of Tennessee, the city’s garbage contractor, will stop accepting glass for recycling next week.

The glass has been accepted for recycling at the Convenience Center in east Oak Ridge.

The last day glass will be accepted at the Convenience Center will be Thursday, August 29, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release Tuesday.

Beginning Friday, August 30, glass should be placed with regular trash, the press release said.

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Advisory Board to discuss petition that could help Y-12 workers

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A Wednesday meeting could be of interest to workers at the Y-12 National Security Complex, as well as former workers and survivors of former employees, because it will discuss a petition that could benefit them.

The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health will meet from 8:15 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday at the DoubleTree by Hilton at 215 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

There will be a public comment period from 6-7 p.m. (The public comment period will conclude at 7 p.m. or following the final call for public comment, whichever comes first. If you plan to comment, please be prepared to comment at 6 p.m.)

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Oak Ridge Housing Authority hires executive director

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Maria Catron

Maria Catron

 

Maria Catron, deputy director of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, will become the executive director of the Oak Ridge Housing Authority in September.

Jean Lantrip, ORHA Board chair, announced the board’s decision to name Catron the new executive director, a press release said.

“In her visit to Oak Ridge, Maria impressed us with her serious interest in improving public housing through community projects and her history of collaborating with a number of stakeholders, including city government,” Lantrip said in the press release. “With her outgoing personality, she has the knack of connecting with everyone she meets.”

Catron, who has worked with the Kingsport housing agency since 2004, began her career there as grants and community development coordinator, later serving as Hope VI community supportive services coordinator and self-sufficiency and homeownership administrator before becoming deputy director in 2014. [Read more…]

Council to consider vet services contract, changes to property transfer agreement

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The Oak Ridge City Council will consider a contract with a veterinarian at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and potential changes to the property transfer agreement with TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC during a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, August 20).

The veterinary services contract would be with Matt Jinks of Maryville.

TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC is the company helping to lead the redevelopment of the former American Museum of Science and Energy site, and it is affiliated with the company developing Main Street Oak Ridge at the former Oak Ridge Mall. The changes to the property transfer agreement could include extending the first tax revenue condition by one year and requiring a letter of credit for the community-oriented amenities, according to Council’s meeting agenda.

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Small RMS satellite to launch into space Oct. 2020

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Robertsville Middle School RamSat CubeSat
The small cube satellite built by Robertsville Middle School students with help from teachers, mentors, and NASA is scheduled to launch in October 2020, and it will be deployed from the International Space Station, Oak Ridge Schools announced Monday, Aug. 29, 2019. (Photo courtesy Todd Livesay)

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m. Aug. 20.

The small cube satellite built by Robertsville Middle School students with help from teachers, mentors, and NASA is scheduled to launch in October 2020, and it will be deployed from the International Space Station, Oak Ridge Schools announced Monday.

The school system said it has received notification of the launch date from NASA.

“We received the official word from Scott Higginbotham at Kennedy Space Center,” Oak Ridge Schools said in a press release. “His letter stated, ‘RamSat is currently manifested to fly on the ELaNa-31 mission aboard the NG-14 Commercial Resupply Services mission to the ISS. Launch is currently scheduled for October of 2020. NanoRacks will be facilitating the deployment of your spacecraft from the International Space Station.’”

Students have determined the mission of the cube satellite, or CubeSat, will be to circle the Earth and capture images to help them study the regrowth of vegetation in Gatlinburg, as the city recovers from the forest fires of November 2016, the press release said. The satellite has been named RamSat.

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Learn to outsmart scammers on Wednesday

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Oak Ridge Public Library Scam Safety Seminar Aug 21 2019

The Oak Ridge Public Library will host a lunch and learn program next week called “You Have the Power to Outsmart the Scammers” as part of World Wise Wednesdays. The presentation is scheduled for August 21 from noon until 1 p.m.

The discussion will focus on incidents of fraud and some of the complex tactics used by scammers, a press release said. A local financial adviser will lead the presentation and outline steps everyone can take to protect themselves and their loved ones from fraudulent activity, the release said.

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TVA creating community group for Bull Run Fossil Plant, looking for volunteers

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The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Fossil Plant is pictured above in Claxton on Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Tennessee Valley Authority is seeking volunteers as it creates a Community Action Group for the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton.

The volunteers could focus on issues related to TVA’s management of the plant, an email notice said.

“TVA is committed to doing the right thing to handle the legacy of coal generation and ensuring the safety of the workforce and the communities where TVA has or had fossil plants,” the notice said. “As part of its commitment to safety and best practices to protect its workers and local residents, TVA is creating a Community Action Group for the facility (Bull Run).”

According to the notice, the core responsibilities of this volunteer group will be to:

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YWCA receives funding to advocate for domestic violence victims in Anderson, Roane, Loudon

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The YWCA building is pictured above on Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Submitted photo)

Note: This story was updated at 1:50 p.m.

The YWCA has received funding that will expand its victim advocacy services to families with a history of domestic violence and who work with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services East Region in Anderson, Loudon, and Roane counties.

The award—$179,795 during a three-year period—was received by YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley.

The DCS liaison victim advocate will be co-located at the YWCA’s Oak Ridge location and the DCS East Region site in Anderson County, a press release said.

YWCA is one of only four organizations across the state to receive Victims of Crime Act funding from the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs, the press release said.

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