An annual safety training event in Oak Ridge next week is designed to help Tennessee become one of the safest places to work in the country, a press release said.
It’s Safety Fest TN, and it’s scheduled from Sept. 9-13 at the New Hope Center on Scarboro Road. The purpose is to provide free training to anyone wanting to work safer at work and at home, a press release said. [Read more…]
David Duncan
Oak Ridge Associated Universities has appointed David Duncan as associate director of its scientific and technical resource integration program.
In his new role, Duncan is responsible for managing research peer review activities that coordinate the use of independent, expert reviewers to evaluate proposals and scientific and technical information for a variety of federal and state funding agencies. Additionally, he is responsible for identifying viable options for new business development and for establishing and developing business networks and partnerships. [Read more…]
Wearing his trademark bow tie, Bill Wilcox, left, is pictured at the New Hope Center earlier this year with Clifton Truman Daniel, oldest grandson of former U.S. President Harry S. Truman. (Photos by D. Ray Smith)
Bill Wilcox, a passionate advocate for preserving Oak Ridge’s history who was known for his bow ties and captivating storytelling, died Monday evening. He was 90.
Wilcox died at NHC, longtime friend Gordon Fee said. He had been moved there from Methodist Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized for almost three weeks with heart issues and shortness of breath, Fee said.
“We’ve lost a person who had more knowledge of our history than anyone else I’ve ever known,” said friend D. Ray Smith, Y-12 National Security Complex historian and newspaper columnist.
Wilcox was a chemist who started working at Y-12 during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal project to build the world’s first atomic bombs.
A winning chalk painting at the 11th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, held in October 2010 at the Oak Ridge branch campus of Roane State Community College. (Submitted photo)
Do you enjoy drawing upon your artistic skills as you sketch a face, animal, or scene? Then you might like “painting” pictures in chalk on a sidewalk.
You are invited to sign up as an artist for the 14th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival. This popular event will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 (rain day on Sunday), on the sidewalks of the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State Community College. Artists may start their chalk paintings on Friday afternoon, Oct. 4.
The art must be completed at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, so it can be judged before 6 p.m., when artist awards will be announced. If you win a first prize or the People’s Choice Award, you will receive a $50 cash award as well as recognition. [Read more…]
A USA Today travel guide recommends the view from the west entrance overlook at Norris Dam, a cliffside perch off the left side of this picture. (Photo courtesy TVA)
Norris Dam and the Museum of Appalachia were among the Top 10 attractions published by USA Today in an I-75 guide to the best stops between Detroit and Atlanta.
Reporter Ellen Creager of the Detroit Free Press drove 890 miles between Detroit and Atlanta during a four-day period and stopped at 32 places suggested by readers. The stops had to be within 2.5 miles of the freeway, which eliminated some potential places to visit such as Chattanooga. [Read more…]
Michael Whitaker
A lunchtime lecture next week will feature a discussion of a recent International Atomic Energy Agency training program that was hosted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Michael Whitaker, group leader of the ORNL International Safeguards Group in the Nuclear Security and Isotope Technology Division, will lead the presentation.
The IAEA training program was for more than 40 nuclear safeguards professionals and regulatory officials representing more than 30 nations. They spent two weeks at ORNL to expand their knowledge for conducting their vital work around the world, a press release said.
[Read more…]
An example of what the new Oak Ridge Fire Department engines could look like. (Photos courtesy ORFD)
Buying three new fire trucks at the same time could save money and make repairs and training easier, a city official said.
Firefighters would only have to train on one truck, rather than on three different versions, and mechanics would only have to learn to fix one, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley told City Council members last week. When ordering parts, mechanics could order multiple replacements and have backups available.
The City Council will consider whether to buy the new fire engines during a 7 p.m. meeting on Monday, Sept. 9. The three new fire engines would replace trucks that are 15 years old and each have about 150,000 miles on them. Those vehicles would be used as reserves. [Read more…]
The next Small Business Counts cash mobs will be in Clinton on Thursday, a “double feature” at two businesses next door to each other: Hoskins Drug Store and the Ritz Theatre.
The cash mobs, which encourage people to meet and spend money at local businesses, are being organized by ORNL Federal Credit Union. [Read more…]
A Sept. 12 meeting at the George Jones Memorial Baptist Church, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, will provide a rare look inside the church and include an overview of the history of the former Wheat community. (Photos courtesy Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association)
Next week’s meeting of a historic preservation organization will feature a rare chance to see inside the George Jones Memorial Baptist Church in west Oak Ridge, a property listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association’s monthly membership and public meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. It includes a field trip to the former Wheat community and the George Jones Memorial Baptist Church and cemetery, which is located off Blair Road, near the former K-25 site, which is now known as the Heritage Center. [Read more…]
Paul W. Sharkey
The separation of church and state will be the focus of a forum and panel discussion next week in Oak Ridge.
The forum starts at 2 p.m. Sept. 9 at Grace Covenant Church in the Trinity Center on Robertsville Road. It will be led by Paul W. Sharkey, a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion, a press release said.
Sharkey’s presentation is titled “Separation of Church and State: Protect Your Religious Freedom.” He will discuss the country’s founders and their position on the issue, the Constitution’s First Amendment, and the challenges to the amendment that have continued from colonial times to the present day, the release said. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce Education/Workforce Development Council, in partnership with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, will host a free workshop for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want a better understanding of starting a new business. The TSBDC advises and assists entrepreneurs and small business owners in our area at no cost to them.
This free seminar will be held on Friday, Sept. 27, from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce office at 245 N. Main St., Suite 200, in Clinton. It will be presented by Jutta Bangs, senior business specialist with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center. [Read more…]
Lamar Alexander
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander on Saturday said he is concerned about the possible long-term consequences of an American military attack on Syria in retaliation for the Assad’s regime suspected use of chemical weapons.
The senator, a Tennessee Republican, was responding to President Barack Obama’s announcement that he would seek congressional authorization before launching a military strike on Syria.
A press release from Alexander’s office said the senator participated in a briefing by telephone with Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper immediately after the president’s announcement. [Read more…]
