Oak Ridge Today

Rocky Top City Manager Foster running for AC register of deeds

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Michael Foster is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Michael Foster is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Rocky Top City Manager Michael Foster is running for Anderson County register of deeds in the May 1 primary election.

In a press release, Foster said he would bring conservative values and proven, experienced leadership to office.

“I am pleased and honored to announce my candidacy for register of deeds for Anderson County,” Foster said in the press release. “During my time as city manager of Rocky Top, I have gained an understanding of the complexities of city, county, and state government.”

Foster has named his father, Larry Foster, a former director of Anderson County Schools, as his treasurer.

“Conservative principles are real for me,” Michael Foster said in the press release. “I am the only lifelong Republican candidate in this race, and I am the only candidate who has operated within their budget. I promise every resident of our county that I will operate the office without going back to the County Commission for more of the taxpayers’ money.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Mayor Frank running for re-election

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Terry-Frank-Pain-Clinic-Zoning-Resolution

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank is running for re-election in the Republican Party primary election on May 1.

“I can say without a doubt that I believe my job is serving people, and I am enormously thankful for the opportunity I have had to work for the people of Anderson County,” Frank said in a press release. “During the coming weeks of the campaign, I look forward to sharing the positive progress we’ve made and the accomplishments we’ve celebrated.”

In the press release, Frank said she has been focused on education, youth development, jobs, and economic opportunity, but has also devoted much time and energy to veterans, senior adults, and animal welfare issues, as well as the issues surrounding opiate addiction. Calling herself solution-minded, Frank said she maintains a commitment to fiscal restraint and business-minded leadership on behalf of Anderson County taxpayers. [Read more…]

Twenty-nine qualify to run for 16 seats on Anderson County Commission

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Twenty-nine candidates have qualified to run for 16 seats on the Anderson County Commission in the county general election in August.

There are also three people running for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33, a new appointed Oak Ridge school board member running in a special election in August, and a Democratic challenger to Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge resident who is also lieutenant governor.

The deadline to qualify to run in the August 2 election, which will also feature contested elections for Anderson County sheriff and trustee, was noon Thursday.

Anderson County has eight County Commission districts, and there are two commissioners per district. The offices are non-partisan, meaning that, unlike some other county offices, they are not part of the Democratic and Republican primary elections on May 1. [Read more…]

Tonight: Republican Party candidates forum in Oak Ridge

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Anderson County Republican Party Primary Candidates Forum April 3 2018

The Anderson County Republican Party has a candidates forum in Oak Ridge tonight (Tuesday, April 3).

The forum will feature candidates for these seven Anderson County offices: mayor, sheriff, circuit court clerk, clerk, trustee, register of deeds, and road superintendent. The candidates are running in the May 1 Anderson County Republican Party primary.

The forum will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at the Wildcat Den at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. The doors will open at 6 p.m. for light refreshments, seating, and mingling with Republican primary candidates, a press release said. [Read more…]

Household trash pickup starts Monday

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The citywide household trash pickup program in Oak Ridge will start Monday, April 2. Household rubbish, old appliances, and minor remodeling materials will be picked up, a press release said. City collection efforts will follow the accompanying schedule as closely as possible.

“Residents have always been very cooperative and we ask for their continued cooperation this year by following a few guidelines,” the press release said: [Read more…]

Candidate forum for Anderson County mayor is Monday

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Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building

The Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building is pictured above on the Roane State Community College campus in Oak Ridge.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee will be hosting a series of candidate forums during the election season.

The first forum, which is Monday evening, will be for candidates running for the office of Anderson County mayor. Both candidates for the Republican nomination, Steve Emert and Terry Frank, will participate, a press release said.

The Anderson County mayor’s race will be determined in the May 1 primary because there are no Democrats running for the office.

Monday’s forum is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. April 2 at Roane State Community College’s Goff Building in Oak Ridge. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. All candidate forums are free and open to the public. [Read more…]

Tonight: Learn about candidates, campaigns at Democratic Women’s Club Meeting

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Will Winters

Wil Winters

You can learn about campaigning and meet Democratic candidates running for county and state offices in Oak Ridge tonight, a press release said.

“Join the Blue Wave Campaign, learn how volunteers can campaign effectively, and meet the Democratic candidates running for county and state offices,” the press release said.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club has invited candidates running for any office in Anderson County, from county sheriff to state governor, to attend or send a campaign representative to the meeting, the press release said. [Read more…]

Breakfast with Legislators is Monday

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The next Breakfast with the Legislators is Monday. It’s hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Tennessee senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about this session of the Tennessee General Assembly, and respond to questions and hear opinions from the audience, a press release said. The public is invited to attend.

The meeting will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.  A free continental breakfast will be served, the press release said. [Read more…]

Update: City egg hunt to be held in Civic Center this morning

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Photo by City of Oak Ridge

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

 

The City of Oak Ridge egg hunt will be held inside the Oak Ridge Civic Center this morning because heavy rain is in the forecast.

The hunt is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., and families participating in the egg hunt should be inside the gymnasium by then, the City of Oak Ridge said.

The Oak Ridge Civic Center is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

See previous story here.

Construction authorized for main Uranium Processing Facility buildings

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A rendering of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image from May 2017 courtesy of NNSA)

A rendering of the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex. (Image from May 2017 courtesy of NNSA)

 

Federal officials have authorized the start of construction of the three main buildings, including one for enriched uranium operations, at the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. It’s the largest federal construction project in Tennessee since World War II.

The authorization was announced Friday by the National Nuclear Security Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy. Y-12 is an NNSA site.

The authorization came from DOE leadership, NNSA said in a press release on Friday. The authorization allows the NNSA to start construction on the Main Process Building, Salvage and Accountability Building, and Process Support Facilities subprojects, the press release said.

UPF will replace an early-Cold War plant with a modern, more efficient, and safer facility for conducting highly-enriched uranium operations at Y-12, the NNSA said. Federal officials have been saying for a while that the facility is expected to be completed by 2025 at a cost of no more than $6.5 billion. [Read more…]

TVA to lower level of Melton Hill Reservoir for shoreline maintenance

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The Tennessee Valley Authority's Melton Hill Dam is pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Melton Hill Dam is pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

 

The Tennessee Valley Authority will temporarily lower the water level of Melton Hill Reservoir from Saturday, March 24, through Saturday, April 7, to allow property owners to repair docks, stabilize shoreline, and pick up litter.

The reservoir’s water level will be held between 790 and 792 feet above sea level—about two to four feet below its current level—during this period. The exact rate of the drawdown will depend on weather conditions and may vary with rainfall amounts, a press release said.

Melton Hill will be returned to its normal winter elevation of 794 feet beginning on April 8. [Read more…]

Agenda change: No presentation on Preschool, Senior Center tonight

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Agenda change: The Oak Ridge City Council work session tonight (Tuesday, March 20) will not include a presentation or discussion related to the Oak Ridge Preschool project or the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Both projects had been scheduled to be presented to City Council by Studio Four Design tonight.

“These items were removed in order to provide Studio Four Design representatives additional time to prepare new material for review,” the City of Oak Ridge said in a notice Tuesday morning. “Studio Four Design will be scheduled to present this new material to City Council and city staff at another meeting in the future.” [Read more…]