Oak Ridge Today

Hear from state legislators at Monday breakfast

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The Oak Ridge League of Women Voters will have its first Breakfast with the Legislators event of the year on Monday, January 28. The meeting will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Social Room of the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. A free continental breakfast will be served.

State senators Randy McNally and Ken Yager and representatives John Ragan and Kent Calfee have been invited to speak about the legislative outlook for 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 popular community event offers firsthand information on upcoming legislation and House and Senate committee activities, while prompting dialogue among legislators and citizens, and providing a great networking opportunity for members of the community,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Ten-year costs of nuclear forces estimated at $494 billion

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The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The sign at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex is pictured above on Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

U.S. nuclear forces could cost about $494 billion during a 10-year period if current plans are followed, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO is required by law to estimate the 10-year costs every two years. The new estimate is $494 billion for work between 2019 to 2028, the CBO said in a report published this month. That’s an average of just under $50 billion a year.

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge participates in the nuclear weapons work along with other U.S. Department of Energy sites and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The CBO said nuclear weapons have been an important part of U.S. national security since they were developed during World War II. Oak Ridge was the main production site for the top-secret project to build those first weapons, and Y-12 continues to work on nuclear weapons. One modernization program for the W76-1 warhead was recently completed, and another for the B61-12 bomb has started.

The CBO said nuclear forces were central to U.S. defense policy during the Cold War, and a large arsenal was built. [Read more…]

Centennial Golf Course has breakfast fundraiser for Girls Inc. on Saturday

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Waffle-Breakfast-Jan-2019

Centennial Golf Course will host a waffle breakfast fundraiser to benefit Girls Inc. of Tennessee Valley from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, January 26.

The cost of admission is $5 for all ages, and it includes access to a full waffle bar with toppings, a press release said. All proceeds will go to Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge. There is no need to pre-register for the event.

Girls Inc. is an after-school, summer camp, break camp, and sports program for girls 5-18 years old. The organization began in 1976 and opened its permanent Oak Ridge campus in 2000 at 1798 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Girls Inc. has grown to be an integral part of our community and serves more than 850 girls every year across Anderson, Roane, and Knox counties, the press release said.

Centennial Golf Course is located at 101 Centennial Boulevard in Oak Ridge. The course is currently operating on its winter schedule, with tee times available Monday-Sunday from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. The clubhouse serves breakfast every Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Questions about the fundraiser can be directed to Centennial Golf Course at (865) 483-2291 or Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge at (865) 482-4475.

Dog Moon Books has grand opening on Saturday

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Dog Moon Books in Oliver Springs has a grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019.

Dog Moon Books in Oliver Springs has a grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019.

 

Dog Moon Books has a grand opening celebration in Oliver Springs on Saturday.

The grand opening is scheduled from noon until 8 p.m. Saturday, January 26. It will include a door prize, book drawings, and refreshments, according to an event flyer.

Local science fiction author Thomas A. Farmer will be there for a meet-and-greet from 2 to 4 p.m., the flyer said. [Read more…]

ORAU reports minimal impact from government shutdown

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

ORAU on Friday reported that the partial shutdown of the federal government has had, for the most part, a minimal impact on its operations.

The partial government shutdown is now in its 35th day. It’s the longest shutdown ever, and it includes about 25 percent of the federal government.

ORAU has a customer base that includes more than 20 federal agencies.

“The impact to date has been varied, but for the most part minimal,” ORAU spokesperson Pam Bonee said in an emailed response to questions on Friday. “The majority of our work is funded or had sufficient funds to carry the work into the first quarter of 2019.” [Read more…]

(For members) Testimony: Defendant in homicide case had planned to rob man

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The criminal homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, left, was sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The criminal homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, left, was sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The homicide charge filed against Christy Viola Comer, 37, middle, was sent to the Anderson County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. At right is defense attorney Leslie Hunt. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

CLINTON—The defendant in a criminal homicide case in Rocky Top in August had planned to rob the 83-year-old man who died because “it would be easy,” according to court testimony Tuesday.

The body of the victim, J.C. Copeland, who has been described as a “sweet old man,” was found partially wrapped in a pink blanket underneath a porch at a mobile home on Jacksboro Avenue on August 31, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent John Hannon. Copeland is believed to have been strangled until he died, according to court records. There was white rope around Copeland’s neck and other parts of his body, including his wrists and ankles, Hannon testified during a preliminary hearing in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton on Tuesday.

Inside Copeland’s home, investigators found a fresh brown stain on the floor near his front door, white strings similar to the material found around his neck, and in one possible sign of a struggle, cigarettes on the floor, according to Hannon’s testimony. An acrylic painted press-on fingernail was found in the living room, Hannon said. It’s similar to the type of press-on fingernail that a woman might wear, Hannon said when questioned by prosecutor Emily Faye Abbott.

Outside the home, Copeland’s vehicle was missing.

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Updated: No impact on local investigations, but FBI agents working without pay

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Note: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24.

Local law enforcement officers haven’t noticed an impact on investigations or criminal proceedings from the partial shutdown of the federal government, but agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has helped investigate crimes in Oak Ridge, are working without pay.

The shutdown is in its 33rd day, and it is the longest ever. It began Saturday, December 22, and it affects about 25 percent of the U.S. government, including the departments of Homeland Security and Justice, among other federal agencies. The shutdown hinges on a dispute between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress over whether to spend $5.7 billion to build a wall on the border with Mexico.

On Wednesday, the Oak Ridge Police Department said it has not observed any impact from the partial government shutdown, and the ORPD continues to work with its federal partners. Besides the FBI, the ORPD also works with, for example, the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney General Dave Clark said he is not aware of any impact at this time, including on investigations or criminal proceedings. Clark said he just met with the Anderson County sheriff and the county’s police chiefs on Tuesday, and “there was no mention of anyone experiencing issues.” [Read more…]

Crews start project to reduce maintenance, operations costs at Molten Salt Reactor

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The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment building at Oak Ridge National Laboratory housed the reactor and offices for operating personnel. The facility was constructed in the 1950s for a nuclear aircraft project and was later expanded significantly and retrofitted to accommodate the MSRE. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment building at Oak Ridge National Laboratory housed the reactor and offices for operating personnel. The facility was constructed in the 1950s for a nuclear aircraft project and was later expanded significantly and retrofitted to accommodate the MSRE. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

 

Cleanup crews started a $4.7 million project this month to reduce maintenance and operations costs at the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, which was shut down 50 years ago at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The project is expected to save nearly $25 million in costs, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management said in an “EM Update” published Tuesday.

The cost-reduction project will relocate employees stationed at the decades-old facility. Personnel currently housed in the building will move to other site locations to help with other projects, the “EM Update” said.

The project is expected to enhance the facility’s electrical distribution, sump pump, fire suppression, and monitoring systems.

“Although it was shut down 50 years ago, certain systems within the reactor building have continued to operate to keep the facility safe and stable until it can be demolished,” said the “EM Update,” with the Oak Ridge story contributed by Mike Butler. [Read more…]

ORPD asks for help finding missing teen

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Image via Oak Ridge Police Department

Image via Oak Ridge Police Department

 

The Oak Ridge Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find a missing teenager.

The teen, Devin Davis, 17, of Oak Ridge, was last seen on January 8, the ORPD said. He was reported missing by his legal guardian.

If you have seen Devin or have information about where he might be, you are asked to call the Oak Ridge Police Department at (865) 425-4399.

Police say Devin may be in the Campbell County/LaFollette area.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

AC Commission meets Tuesday

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Information from WSYH Radio

The Anderson County Commission will meet Tuesday evening at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. Typically held on the third Monday of every month, this month’s meeting was moved back one day because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Among the items on the agenda include possible discussion of the need for a new roof at the county-owned building in Oak Ridge that houses Anderson County General Sessions Court Division II after rain water infiltrated the building and damaged records and equipment.

Other items of discussion will also focus on working with the City of Oak Ridge and Roane County on developing a strategy to move forward with a proposed hazardous material disposal site on the Oak Ridge Reservation. [Read more…]

Updated: One person dies in mobile home fire

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Note: This story was updated at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 26.

Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton Fire Department said one person died in a Monday evening fire at a home in Lakefront Mobile Home Park.

The fire was reported shortly after 7:15 p.m., and crews remained at the home until about 11 p.m.

The fire killed Harold Bray, 64. [Read more…]

Y-12: Work complete on W76-1 warhead program

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Photo from National Nuclear Security Administration fact sheet on the W76-1 Life Extension Program.

Photo from National Nuclear Security Administration fact sheet on the W76-1 Life Extension Program.

 

Note This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. Jan. 26.

After two decades, work was completed in December on a program to extend the life of the W76 nuclear warhead, the Y-12 National Security Complex said on Monday.

That ended a decade of work to extend the service life of the original warhead design by 40 years, Y-12 said.

“This warhead plays a vital role in maintaining the nation’s credible nuclear deterrent,” said Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, which manages and operates Y-12 for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The Life Extension Program, or LEP, is for the W76-1 warhead. The W76-1 is a refurbished W76-0 warhead. The W76-0 warhead is a submarine-launched ballistic missile system that was first introduced into the stockpile for the U.S. Navy in 1978. The warhead is deployed with Trident II D5 missiles on Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines. [Read more…]