Oak Ridge Today

Anderson County historian to discuss land & people before Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Mary Harris

Mary Harris

Anderson County’s historian will discuss the land and people before Oak Ridge during a Thursday evening meeting.

Mary S. Harris is Anderson County historian and records custodian, a press release said.

She will be the featured speaker at the monthly public meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the Midtown Community Center’s Wildcat Den.

The city that is now Oak Ridge was picked for the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal project to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II, more than 75 years ago, on September 19, 1942. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, and by then, work on the site where the first production facilities would be built here was already under way. [Read more…]

Planning Commission to consider final master plan for property south of AMSE

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Image from Oak Ridge Community Development Department's staff report for TN Oak Ridge Illinois PUD Final Master Plan, to be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, March 8, 2018. This image shows the location and types of businesses that could locate on the 7.4-acre site.

Image from Oak Ridge Community Development Department’s staff report for TN Oak Ridge Illinois PUD Final Master Plan, to be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, March 8, 2018. This image shows the location and types of businesses that could locate on the 7.4-acre site.

 

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday will consider a final master plan for about seven acres of land south of the American Museum of Science and Energy, property that was once part of the museum site.

During Thursday’s special meeting, the Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a final master plan for a planned unit development, or PUD, for the 7.4 acres, which is at the intersection of South Tulane Avenue and South Illinois Avenue.

The plan is to be submitted by TN Oak Ridge Illinois LLC, a company affiliated with RealtyLink, which is developing Main Street Oak Ridge at the former Oak Ridge Mall. A copy of the PUD final master plan wasn’t available Monday afternoon.

The special meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue. A work session will follow at 6 p.m. [Read more…]

Clinton teacher named to governor’s group on school safety

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Abbey Kidwell

Abbey Kidwell

Note: This story was updated at 9:15 a.m. March 6.

An elementary school teacher in Clinton has been named to a school safety group formed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.

Abbey Kidwell is a fourth-grade teacher at South Clinton Elementary School.

The working group was announced by Haslam on Monday. It includes leaders from the state government’s executive branch, Tennessee General Assembly, and those who work in safety, education, and mental health. The group will immediately begin reviewing school safety in Tennessee and provide recommendations to enhance the security of school children, a press release said.

“While all schools in Tennessee currently have safety plans in place, the Governor’s School Safety Working Group will convene this week to review the policies, procedures, and process of developing and implementing those plans, as well as other school safety measures, including communication and collaboration among law enforcement, educators, and mental health professionals,” the press release said.

“All children in Tennessee deserve to learn in a safe and secure environment and I am asking this working group to move quickly in making practical recommendations that we can implement in the coming weeks and months to help increase the safety of our children,” Haslam said. “The review will be wide ranging but include specific items, such as entry to and exit from schools, training and availability of school resource officers, and in-school mental health resources for students.”

Haslam expects to have the first recommendations from the working group before the end of the legislative session, the press release said. [Read more…]

Voters invited to meet candidates for county offices

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Democracy for East Tennessee April 5 2018 Meet Candidates Event

Oak Ridge voters are invited to a Meet the Candidates event on Thursday, April 5, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, a press release said. The event is scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Social Room at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

“Democracy for East Tennessee is sponsoring this event so residents of Anderson County can become better acquainted with the candidates for offices in the upcoming May 1 primary election,” a press release said.

Early voting begins April 11. The offices on the primary ballot are Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, County Mayor, Register of Deeds, Road Superintendent, Sheriff, and Trustee. [Read more…]

Egg Hunt is Saturday, March 24; volunteers needed

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will host the 2018 Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 24, at 11 a.m. Hundreds of children and their families are expected to participate in this annual spring event, a press release said.

More than 15,000 candy and prize-filled eggs will be hidden in A.K. Bissell Park with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize egg in each age group, the press release said. This event will be held rain or shine, so participants should dress for the weather. If severe weather prevents hiding the eggs outdoors, they will be given away in the gym and prizes will be randomly distributed.

Families should arrive early and assemble in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium prior to 11 a.m. Participants will be divided into separate age groups and will be escorted to their respective hunt areas. The hunt is targeted for preschool-aged children (4 years old) up to fourth grade. [Read more…]

Learn issues, ask questions of public officials on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Submitted image

Submitted image

 

An annual nonpartisan forum on Thursday will give you a chance to learn about issues and ask questions of local, state, and school officials.

The annual Pearls and Politics forum presents state legislators, local officials, and board of education members to the public, a press release said.

The forum is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the Scarboro Community Center at 148 Carver Avenue in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools has one of 11 small research satellites selected by NASA

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Robertsville Middle School students participating in the NASA Project-Based Learning course visit Marshall to present their CubeSat project to a panel of engineers. Marshall developed curriculum and trained teachers for the elective course while Marshall engineers served as mentors to the students. (Photo credit: NASA/Oak Ridge Schools)

Robertsville Middle School students participating in the NASA Project-Based Learning course visit Marshall to present their CubeSat project to a panel of engineers. Marshall developed curriculum and trained teachers for the elective course while Marshall engineers served as mentors to the students. (Photo credit: NASA/Oak Ridge Schools)

 

NASA, which has been working with Robertsville Middle School, announced Friday that the Oak Ridge Schools project is one of 11 small research satellites selected to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard space missions in the next few years.

The satellite projects were selected from seven states and Puerto Rico. They are eligible for placement on a launch manifest, depending on the availability of a flight opportunity, for space missions planned in 2019, 2020, and 2021, NASA said.

The Oak Ridge project, RamSat, is an education mission to develop and implement a middle school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, curriculum for building a CubeSat. CubeSats are a type of spacecraft called nanosatellites, often measuring about four inches on each side and weighing less than three pounds. They have a volume of about one quart. CubeSats are built using these standard dimensions as Units or “U,” and are classified as 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in total size.

The selections, which were announced Friday, are part of the ninth round of the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative.

The launch opportunities for the 11 small research satellites include planned spaceflight missions led by NASA, other U.S. government agencies, or commercial organizations, as well as deployments from the International Space Station. The CubeSats were proposed by educational institutions, or nonprofit organizations. [Read more…]

Park Service to discuss TVA role in powering Tennessee Valley, supporting war effort

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

 

The National Park Service will have a talk on the Tennessee Valley Authority on Sunday while celebrating the 82nd anniversary of the completion of the TVA Norris Dam. During the program, the Park Service will discuss how the Tennessee Valley Authority changed the landscape and supported the war effort in East Tennessee, a press release said.

The Sunday program is free, and it is being offered by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a unique three-site park that includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The program is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

The American Museum of Science and Energy is located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. The National Park Service visitor desk is located at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge at 461 West Outer Drive. For more information or directions, call (865) 482-1942.

Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos were part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

Oak Ridge City Blueprint open house schedule updates

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department has provided an updated open house schedule for the Oak Ridge City Blueprint project, including revised meeting dates and additional opportunities for members of the community to join the discussion.

At a recent meeting, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission approved several modifications to the Blueprint open house schedule in an effort to balance the calendar, avoid conflicts, and potentially increase attendance, a press release said.

Here is the updated schedule: [Read more…]

Atomic Dash Splash 5K & Family Fun Run on March 31

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Image by City of Oak Ridge

Image by City of Oak Ridge

 

The aquatic staff of the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will be hosting a fundraising event and 5K family fun run on Saturday, March 31, beginning at 9 a.m. in Melton Lake Park.

Guests are asked to wear their best luau or pool attire and join us for a morning filled with music, food, bounce houses, raffle drawings, and a 5K and 1-mile walk/run, a press release said.

“Bring the family and enjoy a day at the park while helping raise money for the new outdoor pool slide,” the press release said. Registration for the event is now open online at http://bit.ly/AtomicDashSplash. [Read more…]

Gordon-Hagerty sworn in as first female NNSA administrator

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty is sworn in by Energy Secretary Rick Perry as the U.S. Department of Energy’s under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2018. (Photo by NNSA)

Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty is sworn in by Energy Secretary Rick Perry as the U.S. Department of Energy’s under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2018. (Photo by NNSA)

 

Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty was sworn in Thursday by Energy Secretary Rick Perry as the U.S. Department of Energy’s under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Gordon-Hagerty is responsible for managing and operating the NNSA in support of the nuclear security agenda of Perry and President Donald Trump, a press release said. The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is an NNSA site.

“Lisa Gordon-Hagerty exemplifies the leadership and institutional knowledge required to oversee the National Nuclear Security Administration,” Perry said in the press release.  “I am especially proud of the fact that she is the first woman in history to lead the NNSA and look forward to working together to address the administration’s goal of modernizing our nuclear security enterprise.”

Gordon-Hagerty has more than 30 years of national security experience, the press release said. [Read more…]

Knoxville City Council member to speak to Democrats tonight

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Seema Singh-Perez

Seema Singh-Perez

 

Seema Singh-Perez, elected to Knoxville City Council last November, will be the guest speaker at the Monday, February 26, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The club will host a dinner of homemade soups at 6 p.m. in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton.

Singh-Perez, along with members of the Knoxville 2017 City Council Movement, will discuss the movement’s grass roots effort to support and elect candidates, aiming to bring community voices into political decision-making, a press release said.

“The movement had little money but took advantage of many volunteer hours in the campaign,” the press release said.

Among the movement’s goals was electing candidates who maintain community accountability and represent the needs of all residents, including racially diverse and economically challenged communities that have been traditionally underserved, the release said. [Read more…]