Oak Ridge Today

Police investigating after chase, report of shots fired

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Police are investigating after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road is blocked off with yellow tape, and there is a large emergency response presence that includes members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Police are investigating after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired on Monday evening, Oct. 8, 2018. The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road is blocked off with yellow tape, and there is a large emergency response presence that includes members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark, right. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Oct. 9.

Police are investigating after a chase was reported along Emory Valley Road and there were reports of shots fired.

Update (9 p.m.): The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has agents and forensic scientists on the scene of an officer-involved shooting on Monday along Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge, a spokesperson said. See newer story here.

Update (11:45 p.m.): A man who struck an Oak Ridge police officer with a vehicle died when at least one officer opened fire in a courthouse parking lot on Monday evening, authorities said. See newer story here.

The parking lot at Anderson County General Sessions Court on Emory Valley Road is blocked off with yellow tape, and there is a large emergency response presence that includes members of the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Anderson County EMS, and District Attorney General Dave Clark.

One person reported seeing part of the incident at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. Residents of Emory Valley reported a police pursuit involving at least four police cars though a residential area along Emory Valley Road. [Read more…]

Public availability session on proposed DOE landfill is Thursday

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There is a public availability session on the proposed federal landfill in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a proposed plan to build a new landfill on the Oak Ridge Reservation. The landfill, the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, would be in Bear Creek Valley west of the Y-12 National Security Complex. It is intended for disposal of radioactive, hazardous, and toxic wastes. It would be used as cleanup work ends at the East Tennessee Technology Park and the existing landfill, the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility fills up, and cleanup work moves to Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

A press release said the Sierra Club has invited state and federal officials from DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to be available for public questions about the Environmental Management Disposal Facility. The public availability session has been scheduled from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday, October 11, at the TDEC office at 761 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Signal timing project would be eligible for 100 percent federal funds

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Oak-Ridge-Turnpike-South-Tulane-Dec-10-2015

The intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Tulane Avenue is pictured above in this file photo from December 2015. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A $2.8 milion signal timing project that could affect traffic lights on Oak Ridge Turnpike would be eligible for 100 percent federal funding, according to a resolution to be considered by Oak Ridge City Council members on Monday.

The project, the second phase of a project to improve the city’s traffic signal system, could cost $2.86 million, and it would focus on 14 locations along a 2.7-mile section of Oak Ridge Turnpike between Illinois Avenue and Florida Avenue. It would include:

  • the installation of advanced traffic controllers at 11 intersections,
  • the installation of aerial and underground fiber optic cables to connect all 14 signals within the city’s existing fiber network,
  • the replacement of loop detectors with radar vehicle detection at stop lights, and
  • the establishment of a traffic operations center that would be located in the Oak Ridge Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane to manage the signals.

In addition, the city would replace older existing traffic signal heads with LED signals that operate more efficiently, more reliably, and provide better visibility, according to a memo that accompanies the resolution and was written by Oak Ridge Public Works Director Shira McWaters. She said new pedestrian-accessible signals would be installed at appropriate locations along with new signing and pavement marking upgrades. And two signals would also be reconstructed to receive new mast arms. [Read more…]

Rocky Top man charged with child abuse after infant found unresponsive

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Cameron Tommy Beard

Cameron Tommy Beard

 

A Rocky Top man has been charged with aggravated child abuse and child abuse after an infant who was reported to have a brain injury was found unresponsive on Old Lake City Highway in Anderson County in March, authorities said.

Cameron Tommy Beard, 19, was arrested by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department after he was indicted by the Anderson County Grand Jury in Clinton, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release Friday. The indictment of Beard charged him with aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child less than eight years old, and two counts of child abuse of a child less than eight, Clark said. [Read more…]

DNFSB: Moving fissile materials, operations from Y-12 building improves nuclear safety, reduces risk

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Building 9204-2 (Beta 2) is pictured above at center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Part of Building 9204-2E (Beta 2E) is pictured in the top left. (Photo courtesy Consolidated Nuclear Security)

Building 9204-2 (Beta 2) is pictured above at center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Part of Building 9204-2E (Beta 2E) is pictured in the top left. (Photo courtesy Consolidated Nuclear Security)

 

Building 9204-2 (Beta 2) is pictured above at center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Part of Building 9204-2E (Beta 2E) is pictured in the top left. (Photo courtesy Consolidated Nuclear Security)

Building 9204-2 (Beta 2) is pictured above at center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Part of Building 9204-2E (Beta 2E) is pictured in the top left. (Photo courtesy Consolidated Nuclear Security)

 

Nuclear materials and operations have been removed from an old building at the Y-12 National Security Complex, and that improves safety and reduces the risk to workers and the public, a federal safety board said.

The building, 9204-2, or Beta 2, is on the west side of Y-12. It’s one of nine buildings at the 811-acre site that once used machines known as calutrons to enrich uranium for atomic bombs as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. It’s now used to produce lithium for nuclear weapons.

In an early September report, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said Consolidated Nuclear Security and the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office had officially downgraded Building 9204-2. It had been a category two hazard, but it is now less than category three. It’s considered non-nuclear.

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Today: Alpha House has Community Strong Day

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2018 CS flyer final 9-27-18

On Saturday, October 6, Alpha House will host its Second Annual Community Strong Day for the tri-county area of Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Alpha Bitz Thrift Shop in Oliver Springs.

Linette Brown, president of the Alpha House Board of Directors, explained: “Our faith-based ministry is focused on helping women in our communities who have experienced addiction, abuse, and incarceration. Through our thrift shops and generous donors, we have provided support and guidance to help women return to their families, reunite with their children, and become a stable part of the community. Hosting Community Strong is our ‘thank you’ to the community, donors, and volunteers.”

The Clinton shop at 1726 Oak Ridge Highway will be closed on October 6 to participate in the activities at the Oliver Springs shop. [Read more…]

Election 2018 Community Forum: Liberty and Justice for All

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Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

Submitted

A local faith-led, multiracial and interdenominational coalition of congregations, community organizations, and labor groups will present its vision for East Tennessee to candidates on October 7 from 3-5 p.m. at the University of Tennessee Cox Auditorium on the UT-Knoxville campus.

Through a months-long process of discussion and voting in a series of meetings open to all, the Alliance for Community Transformation of East Tennessee (ACT-ET) has arrived at three specific ways our elected representatives can improve the quality of life in our community:

  • Provide a path for all Tennessee residents to obtain a valid driver’s license.
  • Ensure local lending institutions provide equal opportunity to home mortgages for all families.
  • Increase access to necessary medical treatment for those struggling with opioid dependence.

ACT-ET member organizations include Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church and St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Members of First Christian Church of Oak Ridge, First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, and Oak Valley Baptist Church participated in choosing the issues and planning the public meeting. [Read more…]

Reminder: Fire & Crime Prevention Celebration is Saturday

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Prevention Parade in 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Fire Department Fire Prevention Parade in 2017. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

A reminder: The Oak Ridge Fire Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, and Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program are teaming up to host the Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration on Saturday.

“Everyone is invited to participate and support this free event, which combines the police department’s annual National Night Out and the fire department’s Fire Prevention Parade into one big community celebration,” a press release said.

Goals of the Fire and Crime Prevention Celebration include: [Read more…]

No injuries reported after basement fire

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No injuries were reported after a basement fire in a house on Delaware Avenue on Wednesday evening, Oct. 3, 2018. (Photo by Tom Scott, Oak Ridge Fire Department photographer)

No injuries were reported after a basement fire in a house on Delaware Avenue on Wednesday evening, Oct. 3, 2018. (Photo by Tom Scott, Oak Ridge Fire Department photographer)

 

No injuries were reported after a basement fire in a house on Delaware Avenue on Wednesday.

The fire was reported at about 6:23 p.m. Wednesday. The first unit from the Oak Ridge Fire Department was there within minutes, a press release said.

The occupants of the home said they were alerted by the smell of smoke and the sound of the smoke detector, the press release said. They were able to evacuate the residence without injury and call 911. [Read more…]

Centrus Energy has $15 million project to prepare K-1600 for demolition

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The "footprint," the area where the K-25 Building used to be in west Oak Ridge, is pictured above at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge. The white K-1600 Building is pictured in the middle of the "footprint." The brick building in the foreground is Oak Ridge Fire Station No. 4. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

The K-25 “footprint,” the area where the K-25 Building used to be in west Oak Ridge, is pictured above at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge. The white K-1600 Building is pictured in the middle of the “footprint.” The brick building in the foreground is Oak Ridge Fire Station No. 4, and it includes the K-25 History Center. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

 

Centrus Energy Corporation has a $15 million project to prepare K-1600, a building in the middle of the historic K-25 “footprint,” for demolition.

On Tuesday, Centrus announced that it had received a work authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy for decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) work at the building. The work will include removing and disposing of equipment and materials to make K-1600 non-radiologically contaminated and non-possessing (i.e. unclassified), a press release said. The work will occur between October 1, 2018, and September 30, 2019.

After the work is completed, DOE will be able to turn over K-1600 to a contractor to demolish it, the press release said. It’s one of the last remaining “legacy structures” on the 2,200-acre site of the World War II-era K-25 uranium enrichment plant, now known as the East Tennessee Technology Park, the press release said.

Many other buildings have been demolished there, including the five large gaseous diffusion buildings once used to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. ETTP is now being converted into a large industrial park in west Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Julie Forkner named director of Oak Ridge Public Library

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Julie Forkner

Julie Forkner

 

The City of Oak Ridge has named Julie Forkner as director of the Oak Ridge Public Library. Forkner was hired in 2016 as manager of library operations. She has served as acting library director for the last six months.

“Please join us in congratulating Julie on her new position,” a press release said.

Forkner is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, receiving her master’s degree in library and information science in 2012. Prior to this, she obtained a master’s degree in English rhetoric and composition from UT-Chattanooga and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. [Read more…]

DOE public bus tour now starts at new AMSE

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities public bus tour started departing from the new American Museum of Science and Energy, which is located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge, beginning Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

The U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities public bus tour started departing from the new American Museum of Science and Energy, which is located at 115 Main Street East in Oak Ridge, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Photo courtesy DOE Oak Ridge Office)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities public bus tour started departing from the new American Museum of Science and Energy on Monday.

The new AMSE is at Main Street Oak Ridge near JCPenney. The address is 115 Main Street East.

The new museum, which replaces the former museum on South Tulane Avenue, opened to the public on Monday (October 1) with a limited schedule, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed weekends), a press release said.

“Participating in the public bus tour allows visitors to go behind the scenes and explore the lives of those who lived and worked behind the fences of the 1940s city of Oak Ridge, also known as the Secret City,” the press release said. “Visitors will experience the race to build the first atomic bomb through artifacts, audiovisuals, live demonstrations, and interactive exhibits.” [Read more…]