News Archives - Page 274 of 989

Emergency preparedness exercise at Bull Run on Wednesday

Posted at 1:51 pm July 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton is pictured above. (File photo)

Emergency responders from state and local agencies will join Tennessee Valley Authority personnel in an emergency preparedness exercise involving the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton on Wednesday, July 12.

The exercise is part of an ongoing series of training drills and exercises at TVA plants across the service area, a press release said.

“The exercise will involve personnel working in multiple locations, including at and near the plant,” the press release said. “Residents may see increased vehicle traffic and may hear on- and off-site sirens briefly activated.”

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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Oak Ridge Schools registration starts today

Posted at 10:59 am July 10, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

All students new to Oak Ridge Schools need to register at their respective schools sometime between Monday, July 10, through Wednesday, July 19, a press release said. Registration hours on those days are from 9 a.m. to noon. Parents who pre-registered kindergartners in May also need to complete the registration process on those dates, the press release said.

Registration for new students in grades 9-12 will be made by appointment only, the press release said. For more information regarding high school registration, contact the registrar at (865) 425-9524.

Information necessary for new student registration includes the following: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools first in state to earn AdvancED STEM certification for all elementary, middle schools

Posted at 10:22 am July 10, 2017
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

Students at Jefferson Middle School collaboratively plan problem-based learning (PBL). (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Schools is the first district in the state to earn AdvancED STEM certification for all of its elementary and middle schools, a press release said.

AdvancED uses a research-based framework and criteria for the awareness, continuous improvement, and assessment of the quality, rigor, and substance of STEM educational programs, the press release said. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In the spring of 2016, three Oak Ridge elementary schools earned AdvancED STEM certification: Glenwood, Linden, and Woodland. These schools were the first in the district to demonstrate the capacity to prepare students for STEM fields of study and work, the press release said.

In the spring of 2017, three more schools in Oak Ridge received this distinction: Willow Brook Elementary, Jefferson Middle, and Robertsville Middle.

“Our district is the first in the state to certify every elementary and middle school in the district,” the press release said. “We are committed to preparing our learners for the careers of tomorrow by perpetuating their enthusiasm for STEM disciplines today. Our focus on STEM demonstrates our continued commitment to ensure every Oak Ridge student is prepared for college, career, and life success.” [Read more…]

Free Medical Clinic’s FMC Bash: Auctions, dinner, dance contest on Aug. 12

Posted at 9:53 am July 10, 2017
By Carolyn H Krause Leave a Comment

Some of the dancers who will compete at the FMC Bash on Aug. 12, 2017, are, from left in front, Brianna Sprunger, Heidi O’Steen and Cande Seay; from left in the middle row, Laura Lynn Riden and Leslie England; and from left in back, David Vudragovich, Bruce England, and Hans Vogel. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

The best party in town, many attendees have said! A lively dance contest, delicious dinner, drinks, and delightful auction items. A Hawaiian sunset theme. Dance music by popular disc jockey Dave King. Casual attire.

Elaine Graham, the entertaining emcee and auctioneer and 2016 dance contest winner, will run the show, the annual “fun” fundraiser for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. FMCOR volunteers and staff will present the FMC Bash on Saturday, August 12, from 5 to 10 p.m. in the Parish Life Center of St. Mary’s Church, 327 Vermont Avenue, according to an FMCOR press release.

The dance contestants include Leslie and Bruce England of Jada Blade, Hans Vogel, Cande Seay, Laura Lynn Riden, Ruby Miller, Heidi Osteen, David Vudragovich, Briana Sprunger, Samantha and Matt Berven. You can “vote” now and that evening on the amazing and amusing Oak Ridge dancers as they compete in the celebrity dance contest.

The live auction, to be officiated by “Bear” Stephenson, will include big items such as a week’s stay in Maui, Hawaii, in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo that sleeps six and sits on the beach; an incredible Indian experience for eight at the home of Ginny and Sam Basseen that features an authentic Indian dinner, traditional Indian dancers, and more; a week’s stay in a two-bedroom, two-bath condo that sleeps eight and is in Crescent Beach, Florida, near historic St. Augustine; a dinner in the garden for 30 that offers wine, food and fun, and an evening of Hawaiian hospitality with dinner for 20. [Read more…]

PetSmart opened Monday; grand opening scheduled for Saturday

Posted at 9:34 am July 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The new PetSmart store at Main Street Oak Ridge is scheduled to open Monday, July 10, 2017, with a grand opening scheduled for Saturday, July 15. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The new PetSmart store at Main Street Oak Ridge is scheduled to open today (Monday, July 10), and a grand opening is scheduled for Saturday.

The grand opening is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Saturday, July 15. Pets are allowed.

It’s the fourth of eight new stores to open at Main Street Oak Ridge since mid-June. Main Street Oak Ridge is the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. Besides PetSmart, other stores that have opened at Main Street Oak Ridge are rue21, maurices, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge could set up committee to celebrate its 75th anniversary

Posted at 3:34 pm July 8, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. The 75th anniversary of the city that became Oak Ridge and still includes Y-12 is Sept. 19, 2017. (Photo by Ed Westcott)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider setting up a committee to celebrate the city’s 75th anniversary.

Oak Ridge’s birthday has been recognized on September 19. That’s because the city that is now Oak Ridge was picked for the top-secret Manhattan Project on September 19, 1942, almost 75 years ago. That was the day that General Leslie Groves approved the acquisition of 59,000 acres of land along the Clinch River for what soon became the Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs, before Germany could. Oak Ridge was then 90 square miles of East Tennessee farmland. It was the first site for Manhattan Project facilities.

By the time President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, work on the East Tennessee site where the first production facilities were to be built was already under way.

Oak Ridge became the home of two uranium enrichment plants (K-25 and Y-12), a liquid thermal diffusion plant (S-50), and a pilot plutonium production reactor (X-10 Graphite Reactor). Groves approved Oak Ridge as the site for the pilot plutonium plant and the uranium enrichment plant in 1942. Manhattan Project engineers had to quickly build a town to accommodate 30,000 workers—as well as build the enormously complex plants. [Read more…]

Council to consider contract to convert former railroad into greenway

Posted at 2:42 pm July 8, 2017
By John Huotari 6 Comments

The former CSX railway is pictured near Jefferson Middle School in central Oak Ridge on Dec. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider a $1.5 million contract with the Tennessee Department of Transportation that would allow a former railroad to be converted into a greenway.

The so-called Rails to Trails project would convert about 4.85 miles of unused CSX railroad into a pedestrian and bicycle trail.

The former railroad starts at Elza Gate Park at Melton Lake Drive in east Oak Ridge, runs past the Emory Heights neighborhood and Jefferson Middle School, crosses Emory Valley Road near Hank’s Market, and then continues through the Hendrix Creek neighborhood along Lafayette Drive before ending near South Illinois Avenue, Scarboro Road, and the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) approved $1.224 million for the project in October 2016 through the Transportation Alternative Program, or TAP. There is a local match of $306,000. The combined funding from the TAP award and the local match is $1.53 million.

In an interview after the grant was awarded, Ellen Zavisca, senior transportation planner for the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, said it’s federal funds disbursed in the area specifically for projects that provide safe places for bicycle and pedestrian projects. [Read more…]

maurices open at Main Street Oak Ridge

Posted at 10:43 pm July 7, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

maurices at Main Street Oak Ridge is pictured above in June 2017. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)

There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for maurices, a women’s clothing store, at Main Street Oak Ridge on Friday, June 23. Here are a few photos and a video by the City of Oak Ridge.

The maurices store is one of eight new stores opening at Main Street Oak Ridge, the 58-acre project to redevelop the former Oak Ridge Mall. The other seven stores are Dick’s Sporting Goods, Electronic Express, PetSmart, Rack Room Shoes, rue21, T.J. Maxx, and Ulta.

Oak Ridge Today has previously reported on the grand openings for Dick’s Sporting Goods and rue21. [Read more…]

Child passenger seat checkpoint scheduled for Saturday

Posted at 9:50 pm July 7, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital are hosting three more child passenger seat checkpoints this year. The next event is scheduled for Saturday, July 8.

These events are held for parents and caregivers to receive educational material about car seats, have their car seats checked for any manufacturer recalls, and have the seats examined for proper installation. The child passenger seat checkpoints are free and open to the public.

All events will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Station #2, 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike (near Home Depot), from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The remaining dates are as follows: [Read more…]

Updated: Cange, former Oak Ridge cleanup manager, appointed visiting scholar at Vanderbilt

Posted at 12:05 am July 7, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Sue Cange, who was then manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, is pictured above at the end of demolition of the K-27 Building on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 12 p.m.

Sue Cange, former head of the federal government’s cleanup program in Oak Ridge, has been appointed as a visiting scholar at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

It’s a two-year appointment as a visiting scholar in civil and environmental engineering that started July 5, Vanderbilt University spokesperson Jim Patterson said. Cange has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering from Vanderbilt University.

Cange remains a paid U.S. Department of Energy employee, Patterson said. At Vanderbilt, she will help to establish a nuclear environmental engineering curriculum and internship program.

Cange is a former manager of the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. She had most recently worked at U.S. Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C. In December, she was named principal deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, or EM. She had previously been interim principal deputy assistant secretary, temporarily serving in the role formerly filled by Mark Whitney, who took a job in the private sector. Whitney is also a former manager of the Environmental Management program in Oak Ridge.

In January, Cange became acting assistant secretary for environmental management, the Exchange Monitor reported. She replaced Monica Regalbuto on a temporary basis, at about the time that President Donald Trump was inaugurated. Regalbuto was the Obama administration’s final appointee to the position that oversees DOE’s $6-billion-a-year legacy nuclear cleanup program.

But last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that James M. Owendoff had been promoted to principal deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Environmental Management, or EM, replacing Cange. Owendoff had served as a senior adviser to the assistant EM secretary since January 2010, DOE said. [Read more…]

Readers ask about layoffs at ORNL, UPF

Posted at 10:50 pm July 6, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Photo by ORNL

Oak Ridge Today readers have recently asked about layoffs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

In mid-June, ORNL said there had been about 10 employees who were laid off recently. They were from ORNL’s Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate.

“The layoffs were part of the normal course of business at the lab,” ORNL communications media manager Morgan McCorkle said in a statement. “We are constantly adjusting the size of the workforce to ensure efficient operations.”

On Thursday, McCorkle said there haven’t been any additional ORNL staff layoffs since then. ORNL has a staff of 4,750, including scientists and engineers in more than 100 disciplines.

Oak Ridge Today has also received a question from a reader about layoffs reported on the Uranium Processing Facility project, or UPF, at Y-12. [Read more…]

President’s budget: DOE cleanup funding could be up, with benefits for Oak Ridge

Posted at 2:05 pm July 6, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Jay Mullis, front center, acting manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, talks about federal site cleanup work in Oak Ridge during a visit by Energy Secretary Rick Perry, left, on Monday, May 22, 2017. Pictured between Perry and Mullis are U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, both Tennessee Republicans. (Photo by DOE)

Note: This story was last updated at 4:30 p.m.

Cleanup funding could be up for the U.S. Department of Energy under the budget request from the Trump administration for fiscal year 2018, and there could be benefits for Oak Ridge, according to budget documents.

President Donald Trump submitted his budget request to Congress on Tuesday, May 23. In that request, the DOE Office of Environmental Management, or EM, asked for $6.5 billion, the largest request in a decade. That would be $290 million above fiscal year 2016.

The funding request for Oak Ridge includes $390 million, or $78 million below fiscal year 2016, to continue deactivation and demolition of remaining facilities at East Tennessee Technology Park, continue preparing Building 2026 to support the processing of the remaining U-233 material at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and to support activities for the Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex.

It’s not clear whether that $390 million in the funding request includes part of the $225 million in funding requested for high-risk excess contaminated facilities at Y-12 and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. It’s also not clear whether the total funding for Oak Ridge cleanup programs would be up or down, compared to previous years. The DOE public affairs office in Washington, D.C., has not responded to about a dozen budget-related inquiries from Oak Ridge Today since May 23.

Among the highlights of the EM request for Oak Ridge, according to budget documents posted online by DOE and an EM press release: [Read more…]

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