A greenway area at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, has been designated as a certified wildlife habitat site by the National Wildlife Federation.
The 26-acre area is part of the Heritage Center Greenway, which includes trails, ponds, and close-by rivers, a press release said. The greenway provides public access to meadow and wildlife habitat areas that allow viewing of more than 200 species of birds and water fowl, including nesting pairs of bald eagles and osprey. [Read more…]
A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of Price Florist on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish the building within 60 days.
A city board on Thursday ordered the owner of the former Price Florist building on Oak Ridge Turnpike to demolish it within 60 days.
The Oak Ridge Board of Building and Housing Code Appeals had considered whether to issue a demolition or repair order for the once-thriving store at three other meetings this year, but members had given property owner Patricia Warren of Crossville several extensions to allow her time to come back with a sales contract, repair plan, or demolition permit. On Thursday, they said she had run out of time.
“I think we’ve bent over backwards to accommodate you and your property,” board member Philip Nipper said before the 6-0 vote in favor of demolition. [Read more…]
NNSA Production Office employees deliver food to the Second Harvest facility in Maryville that serves a multi-county area of East Tennessee. Shown from left to right are Jim Goss, Julieanne Rendon, Donna Riggs, Rebekah Nwangwa, Ken Rhyne, James Piatek, Mark Sundie, and Steven Wyatt. (Photo courtesy NPO)
Employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration Production Office, or NPO, have donated 17,348 pounds of food as part of the annual U.S. Department of Energy’s “Feds Feed Families” campaign. The campaign, which ended on Sept. 6, surpassed the goal of 17,000 pounds.
“I am extremely proud and moved by the generosity of NPO employees,” said Steve Erhart, NNSA Production Office manager. “Each year, the Feds Feed Families food drive reminds us there are people in our own communities who go to bed hungry. Serving our country starts at home, and that is what this effort is all about.” [Read more…]
Karla McKanders
University of Tennessee College of Law professor Karla McKanders will discuss immigration law on Constitution Day on Tuesday at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Campus.
The lecture will be held from 1–2:30 p.m. in the City Room. The event is free, and the public is invited.
McKanders’ research focuses on civil rights, immigration and asylum law, and policy. She has explored the constitutionality of recent state and local laws targeting immigrants and the legal connections between past discriminatory laws and current anti-immigrant legislation. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department is now accepting race applications for 2014. Organizations that wish to host 5Ks, triathlons, marathons, walks, or fun runs next year are strongly encouraged to contact the department to inquire about available dates and courses.
The popularity and frequency of races is increasing. For this reason, the City of Oak Ridge has developed guidelines to permit safe racing on the city’s streets and highways. [Read more…]
This image displays Don Quixote’s orbit. (Image courtesy University of Tennessee)
KNOXVILLE—Some things are not always what they seem—even in space. For 30 years, scientists believed a large near-Earth object was an asteroid. Now, an international team including Joshua Emery, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, has discovered it is actually a comet.
Called 3552 Don Quixote, the body is the third largest near-Earth object—mostly rocky bodies, or asteroids, that orbit the sun in the vicinity of Earth. About 5 percent of near-Earth objects are thought to be “dead” comets that have shed all the water and carbon dioxide in the form of ice that give them their coma—a cloud surrounding the comet nucleus—and tail. [Read more…]
Tennessee officials had little to say on Wednesday about the potential loss of state education funding that Oak Ridge school officials have said could cost the school system $1.87 million per month—and lead to a temporary school shutdown on Oct. 1.
“We are starting to have meetings with various people regarding this situation, but at this point, we don’t have anything to report,” said Kelli Gauthier, communications director for the Tennessee Department of Education. [Read more…]
Madeline Rogero
Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will discuss the Democratic Party in East Tennessee during a Sept. 23 meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club.
Rogero is guest speaker at the meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room. A meet-and-greet will take place from 5:30-6 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m., followed by Rogero’s comments, a press release said. [Read more…]
Mark Ziegler
The Y-12 Federal Credit Union board of directors has named a new president and chief executive officer.
Mark Ziegler, the new CEO, will replace Tom Hilton, who will retire later this year, a press release said.
“Tom Hilton joined Y-12 Federal Credit Union more than 20 years ago as president/CEO and has led Y-12 FCU to achieve goals that we never imagined when he came on board,” board chairman Don Norris said. “We sincerely appreciate his leadership and dedication over the past 20-plus years and wish him the best in his retirement. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Mall economic development area is pictured above. The map shows a contiguous area that could be affected economically by the proposed development, which only includes the former 60-acre mall property, according to a city consultant. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
A city board this month will consider a financing arrangement that could be worth up to $10 million and allow a North Carolina company to use new property tax revenues generated at a redeveloped Oak Ridge Mall to be used for site development, possibly including for roads, stoplights, and demolition work.
Many of the details aren’t available yet, including the precise amount of the proposed tax increment financing, or TIF, agreement and the length of time it could be in effect. The details will be discussed at a Sept. 26 meeting of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, when members will consider an economic impact plan, city consultant Ray Evans said.
The economic development area could include about 90 acres. It would include the 60-acre mall and could include an apartment complex and museum, movie theater and pizza shop, real estate firm and hotel, and several busy stores on Oak Ridge Turnpike—properties that could benefit from the TIF, Evans said.
Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, left, and City Manager Mark Watson have had a series of meetings concerning the school system’s failure to pass a state maintenance of effort test, and a possible resolution of a $250,000 shortfall to avoid a potential loss in state funding of up to $1.87 million per month.
Schools want city to cover $250,000 shortfall, could require 2.5-cent tax increase
It’s a high-stakes battle between the city and the schools, with a potential loss of up to $1.87 million per month in state funding—and a possible shutdown of the school system on Oct. 1.
School officials said the Oak Ridge system has failed a state maintenance of effort test that requires local funding to remain at least the same from year to year. After some budget adjustments, there is a $250,000 shortfall, school officials said, and they want the city to cover it. It’s the equivalent of a 2.5-cent property tax rate increase.
“Unfortunately, we’re just in the position to ask the city to help us,” Oak Ridge Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Thursday. “They’re going to have to find that $250,000.” [Read more…]
Lamar Alexander
Bob Corker
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann this week said they oppose the use of military force or a limited strike in Syria in retaliation for the government’s suspected use of chemical weapons in the country’s civil war.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bob Corker said he was skeptical about an offer to have Syria turn over its chemical weapons in order to avoid an attack.
President Barack Obama has asked Congress to authorize a limited military strike. [Read more…]
