At the Christmas Luncheon on December 18, the AARP Chapter #625 elected a new president. R. Billy Bates will help chart a new direction with the infusion of new ideas and a new direction for 2015, a press release said.
Tennessee legislators request support for TennCare waiver extension
Lamar Alexander
Bob Corker
Submitted
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nine members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation sent a letter this month to Marilyn Tavenner, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, requesting an extension of TennCare’s waiver approval from earlier this year.
Because Tennessee does not receive funding through the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital, or DSH, program that every other state participates in, the lawmakers are requesting continuing funds to support Tennessee hospitals that help tens of thousands of low-income patients receive medical coverage they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Just last year, these hospitals provided $950 million in charity care and $720 million in unreimbursed medical services to low-income Tennesseans.
Unlike hospitals in every other state, Tennessee hospitals are unable to offset these expenses with the help of the Medicaid DSH program. [Read more…]
Christmastide Choral Festival at Grace Covenant on January 4
The Fifth Annual Community Christmastide Choral Festival will be at the Grace Covenant Church at the Trinity Center on Robertsville Road on Sunday evening, January 4.
It’s been organized by the Rev. Rodney Parrish of Grace Covenant Church of Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited, a press release said.
“The celebration of Christmastide begins at Christmas Eve and ends 12 days later on what is traditionally called Epiphany, hence the 12 days of Christmas,” the press release said. “Many churches during this season will present choral programs of excellence. However, it is difficult for the community to be able to attend them all no matter how much they may want to. The purpose of this festival is to give the community an opportunity to close out the Christmas season with one last service of music while being able to appreciate the offerings of multiple church choirs. [Read more…]
Guest column: Glad she went on schools’ tour, encourages others to go
The microscope pictured above was in a combined class taught by art teacher Jim Dodson and science teacher John Beard at Jefferson Middle School. (Photos courtesy Mary Layton)
By Mary Layton
On Tuesday, December 16, I went on the inaugural Oak Ridge School’s Community Tour.
We met at the American Museum of Science and Energy bright and early at 8 am. We were divided into two groups. The Einstein Group was hosted by Tracey Beckendorf-Edou, and the Curie Group had as its leader Chris Marczak.
We began with a short history of Oak Ridge given by Ken Mayes. We were reminded of the important role our city played in World War II.
Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, welcomed us to the tour. He told us about the Keys to College and Career Readiness. These goals were developed by interviewing and surveying Oak Ridge students, parents, staff, and community in late 2013. The goal of the keys is to prepare students to go to college, obtain industry certification in a skill, or receive military preparation by graduation. Borchers told us that our tour would show us how they were working to obtain these goals. [Read more…]
DOE works with transuranic waste while NM facility shut down
The TRU Waste Processing Center southwest of Oak Ridge National Laboratory off State Route 95 is pictured above. (Photo courtesy TWPC/WAI)
A worker manipulates RH waste at the TRU Waste Processing Center. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board)
In February 2014, two incidents at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, in New Mexico caused the shutdown of the only facility in the U.S. that permanently disposes of transuranic waste, or TRU waste. That waste is disposed in shafts, or drifts, about a half-mile below ground in an ancient salt bed. Some of that waste has come from Oak Ridge.
After months of investigations into the cause of a truck fire and a radiological release two weeks later, the U.S. Department of Energy released a recovery plan at the end of September that outlines the steps necessary to resume limited waste operations in the first quarter of 2016.
“Key elements of the recovery plan include strengthening safety programs, regulatory compliance, decontamination of the underground, increasing ventilation, mine stability and underground habitability, and additional workforce retraining,” according to a statement on WIPP’s website. [Read more…]
Area credit unions join to launch CU Community Title Company LLC
Submitted
CU Community and Credit Union Services of East Tennessee, or CUSET, have teamed up to launch CU Community Title Company LLC, effective January 2, 2015.
The joint venture represents a groundbreaking collaboration between East Tennessee’s most successful subsidiaries of ORNL Federal Credit Union and Y-12 Federal Credit Union, both headquartered in Oak Ridge, a press release said.
“Title companies are a natural extension of the mortgage business,” said Ron Honeycutt, CUSET chairman. “Y-12 FCU and ORNL FCU are two of the area’s largest and most successful mortgage providers. Forming a title company gives us added flexibility in meeting the mortgage needs of our respective membership, while ensuring they receive the best value, convenience, and peace of mind.” [Read more…]
Former ORNL employee in inaugural engineering Hall of Fame at UT
Clockwise from upper left are William Snyder, Richard Rosenberg, Rinehart Bright, and Henry Hartsfield. (Photo courtesy UT)
Former chancellor, astronaut also honored
KNOXVILLE—In 1847, a course offering studies in mechanical philosophies and mechanics appeared in what was then East Tennessee University.
Now, almost 170 years later, the school is the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and the course has grown into the College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, or MABE, two-thirds of which would have been considered science fiction to those many years ago.
Now, the department is calling upon that legacy as it prepares to open its Hall of Fame.
The honor of being in the inaugural class belongs to a chancellor, an astronaut, an automotive pioneer, and a person who had a longtime presence in various Oak Ridge facilities. [Read more…]
Roane State: Prepare for a health care career in just one to three semesters
For those interested in behind-the-scenes health care careers, Roane State Community College has a variety of options, and spaces are available for spring semester.
Options include:
- Healthcare Documentation Specialist (Medical Transcription/Speech-Editing): Students learn to transcribe and edit speech-generated medical record reports dictated by physicians. Healthcare documentation specialists work in physician’s offices, clinics, hospitals, and medical transcription services. Classes are offered online. Opportunities to work from home are available with experience.
- Health Unit Coordinator: The health unit coordinator courses can be completed in just two semesters. Health unit coordinators typically work in a hospital’s nursing unit. Their duties include maintaining patient records, scheduling tests for patients, ordering supplies, and acting as a liaison between the patient, medical staff, patient’s family, and visitors. Classes are offered in a combination of the traditional classroom and online.
- Medical Scribe: The medical scribe series of courses can be completed in just one or two semesters. Medical scribes work alongside physicians and document patient care as it happens. All classes are online.
For more information about these options, contact Linda Marsh at (865) 481-2012 or marshls@roanestate.edu. Spring classes begin January 20.
Roane State Foundation High Tea to raise funds for student scholarships
From left, Linda Brown and Cindy Whaley work on planning the Roane State Foundation’s Upstairs/Downstairs High Tea, an event inspired by the PBS hit “Downton Abbey.” (Photo courtesy Roane State)
More tea, Lord Crawley?
If you enjoy the PBS hit “Downton Abbey,” then take a moment to experience a taste of manor life at the Roane State Community College Foundation’s Upstairs/Downstairs High Tea.
The High Tea will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, at the Whitestone Country Inn in Kingston.
Tickets are $50 for individuals and $75 for couples, and they will go on sale Monday, January 5. Table sponsorships are available. Proceeds will be used for student scholarships. [Read more…]
Lodge, Walter sworn in as TVA board members
Virginia Lodge
Ronald Walter
Virginia Lodge of Nashville and Ronald Walter of Memphis became members of the Tennessee Valley Authority board on Tuesday, taking their oaths of office in ceremonies in Memphis and Nashville. Their terms expire on May 18, 2019.
The two were nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate on December 9. One vacancy remains on the nine-member board.
“I am honored to have been nominated to this very important post by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate,” Lodge said in a press release. “I look forward to serving on the TVA board and representing the people of the Tennessee Valley.”
“I am honored the president and Senate have confidence in my abilities and look forward to serving on the board,” Walter said. “During my tenure at Memphis Light, Gas and Water, I worked with TVA and I’m looking forward to my expanded role in working with the people of the Tennessee Valley.” [Read more…]
Y-12 honors past plant manager and building’s namesake, Jack Case
Jack Case’s granddaughter Michelle Hurst points out to her mother Linda Fellers and uncle Patrick Case that the artist who created the bust of her grandfather “pretty well nailed it on the likeness.” The family loaned a number of Case’s personal articles, including the bust given to him as a birthday present by a friend’s wife who was a ceramics artist. Other Y-12 historical artifacts of Case’s were included in the Jack Case Center lobby display as a way of educating visitors and residents about the building’s namesake. (Photos courtesy CNS)
Family members of former Y-12 Plant Manager Jack Case (1967-1982) recently stopped by the Jack Case Center to check out a new display of a few of his items, some donated by them and others brought out of the Y-12 historical archives. Brothers Larry and Patrick, along with sister Linda Fellers, donated the artifacts and some valuable historic information about their father to help the keepers of Y-12’s history share the legacy of the building’s namesake.
“Most people that work at Y-12 today don’t remember my dad,” said Patrick Case, the youngest of the siblings. “If I worked in this building, I’d want to know who in the world Jack Case is. This display is not only a great tribute to him, but it’s a good way for people coming in and out of this building to quickly get a sense of why they named a building after him.” [Read more…]
Roane County Executive Woody to discuss county issues at Lunch With the League
Ron Woody
Roane County Executive Ron Woody will discuss what is happening in Roane County and why it is important to Oak Ridge residents during the first Lunch with the League on Tuesday, January 6. The program will start at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s new location at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
“A significant portion of Oak Ridge is located in Roane County, and Roane County government is planning for the future,” a press release said. “Mr. Woody will give his perspective on issues facing the Roane County and an update on the state of the county. The presentation will address education, property reappraisal, business recruitment, and development of tourism and funding of public services. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation.” [Read more…]
