Oak Ridge Today

TVA names Oak Ridge a Green Power Switch leader of the year

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

TVA honors Green Power Switch leaders for renewable energy commitments

The Tennessee Valley Authority is recognizing local power companies and regional businesses that are driving the success of TVA’s Green Power Switch renewable energy program, a press release said. Oak Ridge is among the cities that have been honored.

TVA presented its annual Green Power Switch Leadership Awards to leading power companies in 14 categories at an event in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, May 6.

“Green Power Switch is about consumers stepping forward to support the generation of cleaner energy in the Tennessee Valley,” said Patty West, TVA director of Renewable Energy Solutions. “This program is successful because of the efforts of TVA’s local power company partners, and people and businesses who commit to supporting renewable energy generated in the valley. We are proud to honor those who continue to make our Green Power Switch program a success.” [Read more…]

City budget meeting schedule altered after tax due date changed

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City of Oak Ridge Seal

Oak Ridge has changed the due date and delinquency dates for property taxes, and the city’s budget meeting schedule has also been adjusted “to coincide with the tax due date changes,” a press release said.

The Oak Ridge City Council changed the due date for taxes to July 1 and the delinquency date to Aug. 31 during a March 24 meeting “so as to better benefit the city and the taxpayers,” the press release said.

“Typically, the city schedules consideration of the appropriations ordinance by the City Council in May; however, this year, the appropriations ordinance will be considered in June, thus reducing the number of meetings in May to just one regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council,” the release said. This meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, May 12, in the Municipal Building Courtroom. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge receives $3 million state wastewater loan

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City of Oak Ridge Seal

Tennessee awards more than $8.2 million in low-interest water, wastewater construction loans

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau on Tuesday announced that one community and one utility district have been approved to receive more than $8.2 million in low-interest loans for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements.

Oak Ridge received a $3 million state wastewater loan.

“It’s great to see local governments using this important program to help address critical drinking water and wastewater needs,” Haslam said in a press release. “Making these infrastructure improvements will benefit the health of these communities and economic growth.” [Read more…]

FORNL has third talk on international thermonuclear project on Tuesday

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Graeme Murdoch

Graeme Murdoch

Friends of Oak Ridge National Laboratory will have its third talk on the U.S. ITER project on Tuesday. ITER is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, and it will be constructed at Cadarache, France, and is expected to be completed within 10 years.

The Friends of ORNL lecture starts at noon Tuesday at the University of Tennessee Resource Center. It will feature Graeme Murdoch, who will discuss U.S. ITER non-nuclear systems.

“The United States has joined with China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, and Russia to construct and operate ITER, a full-scale, 500 megawatt experimental fusion device,” a press release said. “U.S. Contributions to ITER include hardware (with supporting research and development and design), personnel (U.S. engineers and scientists) to the ITER site in Cadarache, and cash contributions to the ITER organization. US-supplied hardware includes magnets, blankets, diagnostics, tritium processing, ion cyclotron and electron cyclotron heating and current drive systems, pellet fueling, and more conventional systems such as cooling water and electrical power systems.”

ITER is a large-scale project that presents many engineering challenges, the press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State graduation set for May 9-10

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman.

Roane State Community College will hold commencement ceremonies on May 9-10.

Both events, to be held in the gym on the Roane County campus in Harriman, will be equal in presentation.

  • Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. (Eastern) for recipients of the Associate of Applied Science degree (A.A.S) in nursing, recipients of A.A.S. degrees in allied health sciences, and for recipients of certificates in allied health sciences.
  • Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m. (Eastern) for recipients of Associate of Arts degrees and Associate of Science degrees, recipients of the Associate of Science in Teaching, and for recipients of A.A.S. degrees or certificates in all other fields.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, former U.S Senator from Kansas and wife of Tennessee statesman Howard Baker Jr., will be the speaker for the Friday ceremony. Jim Henry, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, will speak at the Saturday event. [Read more…]

Roane Chamber has human resources legal seminar on May 13

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Submitted

The Roane Chamber of Commerce is providing a special half-day seminar, “Stay out of court: Human Resource Legal Matters Update,” on Tuesday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Roane State Community College.

This is the third year the chamber has teamed with the attorneys at the Wimberly-Lawson law firm to provide this critical human resource learning opportunity for Roane County area businesses.

The seminar will include lunch and provide 4.0 Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) credits to qualified attendees towards PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification. The seminar will also earn Continuing Education Units (CEU) from Roane State Community College. CEUs are important to many individuals to keep their membership or certification current within their profession. Additionally, for someone wanting to earn a degree or certificate, a review of their CEU’s can be evaluated by Roane State Community College to determine if the CEU’s meet the criteria for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA). [Read more…]

Inspired by her son, Neergaard runs for state House

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Misty Neergaard

Misty Neergaard

Inspired by her son’s efforts to shed light on the effects of bullying, Oak Ridge resident Misty Neergaard is running for the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Neergaard is unopposed in the state Democratic primary in District 33, which includes most of Anderson County, on Aug. 7. She will take on the winner of the Republican primary, which pits Rep. John Ragan, the incumbent, against newcomer Caitlin Nolan.

In a press release, Neergaard said her focus is on the need for Anderson County voters to have a voice in the Tennessee House.

“All too often Tennessee and its citizens are portrayed in a negative public light, Neergaard said in the release. “I know the people in Anderson County are kind and hard-working. They deserve a government who cares about them instead of scoring political points. Our family has been through some tough times, and the people of East Tennessee have been wonderfully supportive. It is time I give back.”

The release said Neergaard has been a dedicated mother and housewife for 18 years. Last summer, her son Marcel Neergaard created an online petition to help bring the effects of school bullying to light, the release said. [Read more…]

Local agencies prepare for Anderson County Emergency Preparedness Fair

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American Red Cross Logo

The Anderson County Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held Saturday, May 10, at the Clinton Community Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. This is an event for the entire family, and admission is free, a press release said.

Hosted by the City of Clinton, the Anderson County Emergency Preparedness Fair is presented by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, American Red Cross, The Clinton Baptist Association, and sponsored by Bechtel, ORAU, ORNL Federal Credit Union, and the Anderson County Mayor’s Office.  The objective is to bring together government and civic organizations, emergency management personnel, and volunteers to give families, businesses, and communities the opportunity to better prepare for all types of disasters and emergencies, the press release said. The fair will help attendees develop their family disaster plan, receive preparedness tips, and learn more about preparedness in the community. [Read more…]

2014 Election: Anderson County primary voting totals

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Anderson County Election Commission

Here are the unofficial election results for the contested races in the Democratic and Republican primaries in Anderson County on Tuesday. The results include all 27 precincts, early voting, and absentee ballots.

Anderson County mayor—Republican primary

  • Terry Frank—3,896 (53 percent)
  • Zach Bates—3,406 (47 percent)

Anderson County chancellor—Republican primary

  • Nichole “Nicki” Cantrell—3,895 (54 percent)
  • Michael S. Farley—2,979 (41 percent)
  • Phil Harber—368 (5 percent) [Read more…]

Anderson County elects first female chancellor

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Anderson County Republican Party Candidates

Nicki Cantrell, second from right, who is running unopposed in the Aug. 7 general election after winning the Republican primary on Tuesday, will become Anderson County’s first female chancellor. Also pictured at right is Michael Farley, one of her two Republican opponents. The three GOP candidates for Juvenile Court judge are also pictured. From left they are Vickie Bannach, Lauren Biloski, and Brian Hunt, the winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary.

 

Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m. May 7.

Primary Winners: Frank, Cantrell, Hunt, Lay, Clement

One is Anderson County’s first female mayor. The other will become the county’s first female chancellor.

The two candidates—Terry Frank and Nicki Cantrell—beat their opponents by significant margins in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Both said their victories were based in large part on running positive campaigns.

Cantrell’s victory over Clinton attorney and City Judge Michael Farley, who had the support of many other lawyers, appeared to be the big upset of the night in what had been the most heated race, with the two candidates clashing over their courtroom experience and trading accusations of false claims and “mudslinging.”

Zach Bates

Zach Bates

Both were running to replace the current chancellor, William Lantrip, who is retiring at the end of June after 25 years on the bench. The chancellor hears cases in Chancery Court ranging from divorces and adoptions to lawsuits and contract disputes, but can also sometimes hear Criminal Court cases, sit as the Circuit Court judge, and hear Juvenile Court appeals.

“Nobody believed we could do this,” Cantrell’s husband Dail Cantrell said Tuesday night. “We refused to run a negative campaign and got the support of the people.”

Nicki Cantrell won by about 900 votes, collecting 3,895 votes to Farley’s 2,979, according to unofficial results with all 27 precincts reporting. That’s roughly a 54 percent to 41 percent margin.

A third candidate, Republican Phil Harber, who did not appear to campaign as hard as either Farley or Cantrell, received 368 votes. [Read more…]

Election Commission experiencing technical difficulties with voting totals on website

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

The Anderson County Election Commission is experiencing technical difficulties with the voting totals that would ordinarily be displaying on its website.

Voting closed at 8 p.m. today in the Democratic and Republican primaries. Some voting totals were initially displaying on the website, although the early voting results were not. However, no results were displaying at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The Election Commission said it is working to resolve the issue and hopes to have results posted soon.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Pancake Breakfast on May 17 supports Neighborhood Watch

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Neighborhood Watch Pancake Breakfast

Nick and Pat Imperato are pictured above at a previous Neighborhood Watch pancake breakfast at Applebee’s. (Submitted photo)

Join your neighbors at a Community Pancake Breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, May 17, hosted by the Oak Ridge Police Department Community Resource Office and the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program.

The breakfast will be held at Applebee’s, 1213 Oak Ridge Turnpike, and tickets are $5. Tickets are available at the door and in advance from Neighborhood Watch district leaders and block captains.

The breakfast offers residents an opportunity to meet Officer Brandan Sharp, the Oak Ridge Police Department’s community resource officer, who serves as a liaison to the Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program, and to learn more about the city’s Neighborhood Watch crime prevention program. Block captains, district leaders, and police officers will serve breakfast at the event. [Read more…]