Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge designated World War II Heritage City

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Y-12 Calutron Girls
Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. (Photo by Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott)

The City of Oak Ridge has been designated a World War II Heritage City, the only city in Tennessee to receive that designation.

The National Park Service has notified the city of the designation, Oak Ridge said in a press release Tuesday.

“The American World War II Heritage Cities Program honors the contributions of local towns, cities, (and) counties, and commemorates the stories of the men, women, and children whose bravery and sacrifices shaped the U.S. home front during World War II, and still impact our nation today,” the press release said. “Only one American World War II Heritage City can be designated in each state or territory. Oak Ridge played a critical role in history and has been designated Tennessee’s American World War II Heritage City through the program. ”

Oak Ridge was a key production site during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons, before Germany could. Among other work, Oak Ridge enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb used in wartime and had the first reactor to make plutonium-239. A plutonium sample was sent to scientific facilities at Los Alamos, New Mexico, and more of that isotope, the fuel used in the second bomb, was produced at Hanford, Washington.

[Read more…]

Appeals court upholds 30-year robbery sentence

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A Tennessee appeals court this summer upheld a 30-year prison sentence against an Oliver Springs man convicted of aggravated robbery in Clinton, finding that the Anderson County trial court did not err in sentencing him as a career offender.

Wallace Wade Tidwell, 44, had been accused of robbing a Shell gas station on Charles Seivers Boulevard in Clinton in June 2015. A clerk testified at trial in April 2019 that Tidwell came out of the store’s bathroom, ordered her to give him the money in the cash register, lifted his shirt, and showed her what she thought was the butt of a gun in his waistband, according to a 14-page opinion filed by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in Knoxville.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

DOE has open house about landfill on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

There will be an open house in Oak Ridge on Thursday to discuss the proposed new federal landfill in Bear Creek Valley, west of the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The open house is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, December 8, in the Scarboro Community Center.

“After much work and coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, we are excited to share that the three parties recently signed the final Record of Decision (ROD) for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) project,” the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management said in a notice posted on its website.

[Read more…]

ORISE names safety, facilities director

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Chad Becker (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education has named Chad Becker as the director of the new Office of Safety and Facilities.

Becker previously served as director of Facilities and Transportation, a role he has held for more than seven years, a press release said.

The new office was formed from a re-organization that merges the Facilities and Transportation Department (FTD) and the previously existing Environment Safety and Health Office (ES&H) into one unit.

“FTD and ES&H have long been critical programs supporting our government customers, including our flagship ORISE contract with the U.S. Department of Energy,” the press release said. “ES&H is an integral component of the ORISE Contractor Assurance Program.”

[Read more…]

Learn about secrecy, spies on Dec. 17

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Turnpike Gatehouse is pictured above on the west end of town. (Submitted photo)

You can learn about secrecy, security, and spies during the Manhattan Project in World War II in Oak Ridge on Saturday, December 17.

This National Park Service program is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. December 17 at the Oak Ridge Turnpike gatehouse on the west end of town.

“The program is accessible to all visitors and will give insight to what life was like in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project with heightened security, need for secrecy, and worry of spies,” the NPS said in a newsletter.

[Read more…]

Early Oak Ridge to be discussed during NPS hike

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A photo by Ed Westcott of Cedar Hill Elementary School in Oak Ridge in 1945. (Photo credit: U.S. Department of Energy/Westcott)

Early Oak Ridge, including its school system, shopping centers, and housing, will be discussed during a hike with National Park Service rangers on Saturday, December 10.

The hike is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. December 10 at Cedar Hill Park, the former location of Cedar Hill Elementary School.

“Along the hike, we’ll discuss the early school system of Oak Ridge, early shopping centers, and housing in the Clinton Engineer Works (a name for Oak Ridge during World War II),” the NPS said.

[Read more…]

Indoor pool to close temporarily for resurfacing

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Indoor Swimming Pool will close on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, and will remain closed through at least January 2023 for resurfacing. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Indoor Swimming Pool will close on Monday, December 12, and will remain closed through at least January 2023 for resurfacing.

An exact re-opening date has not been set because of the uncertainty that comes with construction and delays in product delivery, a press release said.

[Read more…]

Disability issues to be discussed Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will host Marian Wildgruber on Tuesday, December 6. Wildgruber will discuss her work with the Mobility Justice Working Group and the new Disability Advisory Board for the City of Oak Ridge. Her topics will include outreach, priorities, paratransit, and sidewalk/crosswalk infrastructure, a press release said.

This event will be held at 12 p.m. Tuesday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Church Social Hall. It will also be available via Zoom. A link for Zoom access will be distributed later. You should bring your lunch if you want one. Lunches from The Soup Kitchen will be available beginning in 2023, the press release said.

Wildgruber grew up in Seattle and got her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Washington. She worked for the U.S. Forest Service for 12 years in Washington, Oregon, California, and Washington, D.C., during which time she got her master’s degree in public administration, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Court defers decision on separate trials for Finnegan, Dishman

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A motion hearing is pictured above for Sean Shannon Finnegan and Rebecca Elizabeth Dishman in Anderson County Criminal Court in Clinton on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

A decision was deferred Thursday about whether to separate the trials of a man and woman charged in a gruesome rape and murder case in Oak Ridge three years ago.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

Pro

Temporary

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Senior Center has Holiday Reception on Dec. 9

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Senior Center exterior front 2019
The front of the Oak Ridge Senior Center is pictured above. (File photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Senior Center will host a Holiday Reception for area senior citizens on Friday, December 9. The reception is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day in the Civic Center gymnasium at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The reception is free. Pre-registration is required because of limited space, a press release said.

“Come join us for a light box lunch consisting of chips, cookies, and a choice of either egg salad, chicken salad, or pimento cheese sandwich,” Senior Center Manager Linda McGhee said. “The Senior Center’s own Golden Eagles will be playing live Christmas music beginning at 11 a.m.”

[Read more…]

City accepting applications for boards, commissions

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The City of Oak Ridge is accepting applications for board members on 15 city boards or commissions.

Oak Ridge residency is required for appointments, and members serve without compensation, a press release said.

People interested in serving on any of the boards or commissions must submit a completed Boards and Commissions Application online or to the City Clerk’s Office by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 30.

[Read more…]

Library will be renovated during holidays

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Public Library
The Oak Ridge Public Library is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Public Library will be renovated during the holidays, and the library will be closed several days around Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The restrooms will be completely rebuilt, and the Children’s Room will be “getting an all-new look that will help everyone discover new ways to read, learn, and play,” a press release said.

The library will be closed for the Christmas holidays from December 23 to 26 and for the New Year’s holiday from December 31 to January 2, the press release said.

“Over the few days immediately before Christmas and in between Christmas and New Year’s, the library building will be closed to public traffic,” Oak Ridge Public Library Director Julie Forkner said. “However, patrons will be able to check out materials through our curbside service. Mobile printing will be available, and library staff will be available via phone and email. Patrons needing a wireless connection can place a Hotspot on hold with their library card or use the library’s public Wi-Fi, which extends to the plaza and into the library’s parking lot.”

[Read more…]