Oak Ridge Today

Albert Turner, a former Clinton Council member, police officer, dies at 68

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Albert Oscar Turner

Albert Oscar Turner

Albert Turner, a former Clinton City Councilman and longtime member of the Clinton Police Department, died at his home on Sunday. He was 68.

Turner served two terms on the Clinton City Council, and he served as a Clinton police officer for 26 years.

His family will receive friends next Wednesday, September 9, from noon to 2 p.m. at Jones Mortuary in Clinton. His funeral service will follow in the chapel of Jones Mortuary with Rev. Bill Caldwell officiating. His interment will follow his services at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church Cemetery in Clinton.

Jones Mortuary in Clinton is in charge of all arrangements. Condolences can be made to the family at www.jonesmortuaryllc.com.

Read the full obituary here.

Two UT College of Engineering groups finalists for R&D 100 List

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By University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee College of Engineering recently got some good news, as R&D Magazine named two research groups to its list of finalists for the R&D 100.

The joint UT-Y12 Lithium Indium Diselenide Thermal Neutron Imager (LTNI) project includes Assistant Professor Eric Lukosi and Y-12 Joint Assistant Professor Ashley Stowe, both of nuclear engineering, while the joint UT-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Universal Grid Monitoring and Analyzing System (UGMAS) includes Governor’s Chair Yilu Liu, Research Assistant Professor Yong Liu, and Lingwei Zhan of electrical engineering and computer science.

A panel of judges and editors selected groups for inclusion as nominees based on the magazine’s determination of the most technologically significant products introduced in the past year. [Read more…]

Expanded Safety Fest 2015 set for September

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Safety Fest TN

Submitted

Safer workplaces result in safer communities. Why? Because workers who learn safe practices on the job take them home and into their communities. In Oak Ridge, once a year, an event is held to ensure safer communities by offering free safety classes to anyone who registers.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership, partnering with numerous businesses and organizations will host Safety Fest TN, a week of safety classes, live demonstrations, a Safety Expo, and a community safety forum—all free of charge.  The event is scheduled for September 14-18 with classes at six locations in Oak Ridge and Knoxville.

“This year’s Safety Fest TN is popping at the seams with classes, demonstrations, seminars, a Safety Expo, and a community brunch that celebrates safety,” said Jenny Freeman, chair of the ORBSP planning committee, which is responsible for organizing the event. “We’ve got something for everyone.”

One of the main events is a community safety forum with Joe Estey, a national safety specialist, who brings innovative solutions to potential safety challenges facing some of the country’s highest hazard and complex industries. [Read more…]

DOE event marks beginning of landmark ecosystem experiment

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Carbon Dioxide Test Chambers

By controlling the temperature and the amount of carbon dioxide in the test chambers, scientists hope to learn how microbial communities, moss populations, various higher plant types, and some insect groups respond. (Photo by ORNL)

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.—Scientists are getting a glimpse of the future with a U.S. Department of Energy large-scale experiment designed to answer questions about how carbon-rich peatlands will respond to projected warming of the climate and increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

SPRUCE, which stands for Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change, was launched Wednesday, August 26, at the experiment site about 25 miles north of Grand Rapids. Among those attending the ceremony were Gary Geernaert and Daniel Stover of DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research; Thomas Schmidt, assistant director for research, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station; and Martin Keller, associate laboratory director of Energy and Environmental Sciences at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

The site consists of about seven acres of raised bog in the peatlands of the Chippewa National Forest. The natural spruce bog in northern Minnesota contains more than 10,000 years of carbon accumulated from peatlands and answers to questions related to the predicted warming of ecosystems. [Read more…]

Cartoonist Charlie Daniel to talk Sept. 3 at Roane State

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Charlie Daniel

Charlie Daniel, editorial cartoonist at Knoxville newspapers for 57 years, will speak Thursday, September 3, at 3 p.m. in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building of Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge campus, off Briarcliff Avenue and Laboratory Road.

His talk will open the second RSCC-Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning intergenerational lecture series and ORICL fall kickoff (where catalogs on the upcoming ORICL fall term will be available). Refreshments will be offered after the lecture.

A native of Richmond, Va., Daniel grew up in Weldon, N.C. He attended Weldon public schools and Fork Union Military Academy before serving as a private in the U.S. Marine Corps. [Read more…]

Powell man arrested after SunTrust bank robbery, FBI says

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A Powell man was arrested after an armed bank robbery was reported at the SunTrust Bank at 6632 Clinton Highway in Knoxville on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

The robbery was reported at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

Michael James Ward, 43, of Powell, was arrested in Knox County without incident through the joint efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, composed of the FBI, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the KPD Violent Crimes Unit.  KCSO patrol officers also assisted with the arrest, a press release said. [Read more…]

Man walking across America treks through Oak Ridge

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Ryan Ray Walk Across America Oak Ridge Sign

Ryan Ray, left, is walking across America from Los Angeles to New York, and he passed through Oak Ridge on Monday. Pictured above with Ryan on Monday morning on North Illinois Avenue are Hazel Carroll, Jana Walker, and Carla Brooks, all of Wartburg. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:21 p.m.

He’s walked more than 2,300 miles and posed for thousands of selfies with people he’s met along the way. On Monday, he passed through Oak Ridge, trekking from Oliver Springs to Powell.

Ryan Ray is walking across America from Los Angeles to New York City. It’s a 3,050-mile journey that will include a stop at the White House and is expected to end in Times Square on October 10.

Ray said he is following his passions: speaking, traveling, and writing.

“Follow your dreams,” he said during a 90-minute walk from a welcome sign at the north end of Oak Ridge on North Illinois Avenue to the intersection of South Illinois Avenue and Lafayette Drive on the south side of town. “Nothing is impossible.” [Read more…]

Alexander to visit Oak Ridge, Knoxville, Johnson City this week

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander will visit Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Johnson City this week. The senator’s stops on Thursday include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Manufacturing Demonstration Facility on Cherahala Boulevard in Knoxville and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The visits start at the Johnson City on Wednesday, where Alexander will deliver remarks at the Upper East Tennessee Chamber Luncheon and will be presented with the Spirit of Enterprise Award, which recognizes members of Congress who consistently cast votes that help businesses create jobs, a press release said.

Also Wednesday, the senator will visit Rocky Fork to commemorate the completion of efforts to protect the largest unprotected tract of land in the Southern Appalachians, the press release said. The Conservation Fund, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will host the event to celebrate the final transfer of land for inclusion into the Cherokee National Forest. [Read more…]

New Zumba Gold Session starts Sept. 1 at Oak Ridge Senior Center

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A new fall session of Zumba Gold begins September 1 at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

“Come celebrate the start of this new session with an Aloha Luau!” a press release said. “Try the first class for free and get a good cardio workout while dancing to great Latin music. Learn to tango, salsa, mambo, and cha-cha-cha along with some hip hop and oldies mixed in as well.”

Participants who are 50 or older can bring a guest that is under 50. Classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. Classes are $4 each after your first one for free.

“Come join the fun and dance!” the press release said. [Read more…]

3M presents Supplies4Nonprofit Organizations

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3M Supplies for Nonprofit Organizations

Pictured from left to right above are Mike Swisher, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; Annie Cachiero and Cande Seay, Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties; Anderson County Chamber President Rick Meredith presenting awards; Charlotte Bowers, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County; Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center; David Erb, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; and Terry Allen, Anderson County Rescue Squad. (Submitted photo)

 

Nonprofit organizations serving Anderson County have received a grant from the Annual 3M Supplies4Nonprofit Organizations product donation program, or S4NPO, in partnership with Good360.

The photo above was taken at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Community Services Coffee in August. Pictured from left to right are Mike Swisher, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; Annie Cachiero and Cande Seay, Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties; Anderson County Chamber President Rick Meredith presenting awards; Charlotte Bowers, Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County; Janet Wood, Emory Valley Center; David Erb, Boys and Girls Club of Tennessee Valley; and Terry Allen, Anderson County Rescue Squad.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ORPD Records to close early Sept. 11 for Massengill retirement ceremony

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Oak Ridge Police Department Logo

The Oak Ridge Police Department Records Bureau will close early on Friday, September 11, so the staff can attend a retirement ceremony for Deputy Chief Alan Massengill.

The Records Bureau will close at 2:45 p.m. September 11. The office will reopen on Monday, September 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ORAU seeks applicants for the 2016 Extreme Classroom Makeover

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Building MC-100 is pictured above.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities is accepting applications for its $25,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover competition.

Now in its eighth year, the competition provides the latest educational technologies to update one teacher’s classroom, a press release said. Interested teachers must file their intent to apply no later than October 14.

The contest is open to public school math and science teachers who teach grades from third to 10th and are located within a 50-mile radius of Oak Ridge. Entrants must have the written consent of their principals and, if chosen, be willing to have their 2016-2017 classroom experience highlighted on the Internet and in various media outlets. Teachers, students, and even parents whose children are benefiting from this initiative will be invited to blog about this year-long experience on the Extreme Classroom website. [Read more…]