Oak Ridge Today

In split vote, Council rejects pedestrian safety projects on Turnpike

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Jackson Square Pedestrian Improvements

A pedestrian safety improvement project at Jackson Square is almost complete, but on Monday, the City Council balked at a second project to improve intersections on the nearby Oak Ridge Turnpike.

They had already authorized the spending, but on Monday, the Oak Ridge City Council balked at awarding a $365,000 construction contract that would use red light camera money for pedestrian safety projects.

The contract would have been awarded to Ronald Franks Construction Co. LLC of Savannah, Tenn. The project would have made traffic safety and pedestrian crosswalk improvements at eight Oak Ridge Turnpike intersections and three residential intersections.

The Oak Ridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan had said the intersections needed improvements, and the Council authorized the spending during a special meeting in August. [Read more…]

NNSA partners with Russia to recover ‘dirty bomb’ material

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WASHINGTON, D.C.— The National Nuclear Security Administration, in partnership with the Russian Federation, has successfully completed the removal of 14 Russian radioisotope thermoelectric generators, or RTGs, from the Northern Sea Route. These devices, which contain high-activity radioactive sources, powered navigational beacons along Russia’s northern coastline. With this removal, the U.S. Department of Energy has completed its efforts to recover RTGs along the Northern Sea Route, a press release said.

RTGs were used for many years in Russia to generate electrical power at remote locations, including lighthouses and navigational beacons. The 14 RTGs recently recovered by DOE contain more than one million curies of strontium-90, a high-activity radioisotope that could be used in a dirty bomb. [Read more…]

ORAU exceeds $100,000 in annual giving campaign for sixth consecutive year

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ORAU Annual Giving

The 2013 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign Chair Sarah Roberts, pictured far right; Co-Chair Michael Ickowitz, pictured far left; ORAU President and CEO Andy Page, pictured second from left; and keynote speaker Edwena Crowe, one of four Crowe Family members serving as the 2013 United Way of Anderson County Campaign Family, reveal ORAU’s combined giving total of $132,109.32.

For the sixth year in a row, Oak Ridge Associated Universities has broken the $100,000 mark in donations as part of the annual giving campaign for the United Way and Community Shares, a press release said.

During a concluding ceremony on Nov. 12 in the ORAU Pollard Technology Conference Center, ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Page announced the 2013 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign total donation amount—$132,109.32. As part of the total donation, ORAU gave $98,432.34 to the United Way and $33,676.98 to Community Shares. [Read more…]

B&W Y-12 helps libraries, Smokies, Leukemia Society

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B&W Y-12 at Light the Night

A B&W Y-12 team raised more than $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during an Oct. 24 Light the Night walk. (Submitted photos)

B&W Y-12 recently announced it has donated $1,250 to local libraries, raised more than $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and volunteered more than 10,000 hours of service at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here is more information on each of those efforts from Y-12 News Notes:

B&W Y-12 supports local libraries

Libraries in four local towns are benefitting from $1,250 donations from B&W Y-12. [Read more…]

Strategy to manage contaminated groundwater on DOE reservation to be discussed tonight

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A citizens’ panel will discuss a strategy document tonight that outlines possible solutions for managing contaminated groundwater on the federal reservation in Oak Ridge.

It’s the focus of a 6 p.m. meeting of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board. The strategy document was developed to address problems with contaminated groundwater on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

The meeting is in the DOE Information Center in the Office of Science and Technical Information on Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is welcome to attend. OSTI is between Science.gov Way and Melton Lake Drive. [Read more…]

Federal official to give K-25 preservation update Thursday

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K-25 Original Building

The K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant is pictured above as it was when it was operating. (Submitted photos)

A federal official will give an update on the historic preservation plans for the former K-25 Building in west Oak Ridge on Thursday.

Karen Doughty, who works in environmental management for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, will present the status update on the K-25 Historic Preservation initiative during a Thursday evening meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. The public meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road. [Read more…]

Nolan announces Republican candidacy for Tennessee House

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Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan

She lobbied the state legislature for anti-bullying legislation as a high school freshman eight years ago, and now Republican Caitlin Nolan is seeking a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Nolan would challenge incumbent John Ragan of Oak Ridge in the Republican primary in the state’s 33rd District, presuming Ragan seeks re-election to a third two-year term. The 33rd District includes Oak Ridge, Clinton, and most of Anderson County.

The Republican primary is Aug. 7, 2014. [Read more…]

Neighborhood Watch hosts Applebee’s pancake breakfast on Saturday

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Neighborhood Watch Logo

The Oak Ridge Neighborhood Watch Program will host a pancake breakfast from 8-10 a.m. Saturday at Applebee’s restaurant in Oak Ridge.

Tickets are $5 per person. Tickets for the all-you-can-eat breakfast may be purchased from Neighborhood Watch district leaders in advance and at the door the day of the event.

Proceeds from the breakfast will support the Neighborhood Watch, a program that supports groups of neighbors who organize and partner with the Oak Ridge Police Department to report suspicious activity and keep watch on neighbors’ homes. The program helps police reduce crime and keep neighborhoods safe, and it helps neighbors improve the quality of life in their communities. [Read more…]

Dollar General celebrates new store in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Dollar General

The new Dollar General store in west Oak Ridge has a grand opening on Saturday.

Dollar General will celebrate the opening of its new store in west Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The grand opening celebration at 2095 Oak Ridge Turnpike starts at 8 a.m. and includes free prizes and special deals, a press release said. The first 50 adult shoppers at the store will receive a $10 Dollar General gift card and the first 200 shoppers will receive a Dollar General tote bag, among other giveaways.

“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise, and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our Oak Ridge customers will enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.” [Read more…]

Children’s Museum Gala celebrates 1970s

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Jack Funari and John Brown

Jack Funari, also known as “Saxophone Jack,” and John Brown will perform at the Children’s Museum 40th Birthday Gala on Friday, Dec. 6. (Submitted photo)

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge will celebrate its origins in the 1970s when guests gather for the 40th Birthday Gala at the museum on Friday, Dec. 6. The theme will be “Rocketing through the 70s!” in honor of the March 11, 1973, birth of the museum and the Rocket Room play area that delights children of all ages.

Guests will hop aboard the “Soul Train,” with the museum decked out as Knoxville’s Southern Terminal, as they enjoy the folk, rock, and pop culture of the 1970s.

Saxophone Jack and Friends will entertain guests with the music from the 1970s, and guests are invited to dress as their favorite characters of that era. Jack Furnari, also known as Saxophone Jack, has been in the Knoxville and East Tennessee music scene for more than 30 years. [Read more…]

Alexander Inn groundbreaking, press conference Thursday

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Alexander Inn Ballroom Demolition

In June, workers had demolished the ballroom at the Alexander Inn, a historic, dilapidated two-story hotel that has been vacant for years and is now being converted into an assisted living facility. (File photo)

Local, state, and federal officials will join nonprofit and business executives for a formal groundbreaking and press conference on Thursday at the historic Alexander Inn, which is being converted into an assisted living center.

The press conference will start at 10 a.m. at the Guest House at the Alexander Inn Senior Living, which is at 210 E. Madison Road on the northwest side of Jackson Square. Representatives from the City of Oak Ridge, U.S. Department of Energy, Tennessee Historical Commission, East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, and Family Pride Corp. are all expected to take part.

The iconic two-story hotel had been unused for about two decades and fallen into disrepair. Family Pride Corp. has been rehabilitating the Manhattan Project-era building since May. It’s been stabilized, but the building will not be completed until mid-2014, a press release said. [Read more…]

FORNL lecture features presentation on finding unmarked graves

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Katie Corcoran

Katie Corcoran

A lecture in Oak Ridge today will feature a presentation on finding unmarked graves.

Katie Corcoran is pursuing a doctorate in anthropology at the University of Tennessee, and she is also a graduate intern in the Geographic Information Science and Technology Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Her lecture at a Friends of ORNL meeting is titled “The Remote Detection of Unmarked Graves.” The meeting starts at 11 a.m., and the lecture begins at noon at the University of Tennessee Resource Center at 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It’s open to the public. [Read more…]