Oak Ridge Today

State investigates late-night boat collision on Norris Lake

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A late night two-boat collision on Norris Lake resulted in one injury and one arrest, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said in a Sunday evening press release.

Union County Wildlife Officer Rick Roberts reported that on Saturday around midnight between Waterside Marina and Point 19, a runabout style boat carrying five passengers struck a pontoon boat carrying six passengers from behind. The collision sent two occupants of the runabout, who were not wearing life jackets, into the water. A nearby boat rescued the two ejected passengers.

A female passenger onboard the pontoon boat sustained minor head injuries and was transported to Tennova-North Knoxville Medical Center, the TWRA said. [Read more…]

B&W Y-12 donates $2,500 to Girl Scouts summer camp program

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B&W Y-12 Donates to Girl Scouts

Booth Kammann, (center, left), CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians, accepts a $2,500 donation from Nancy Johnson, B&W Y-12’s vice president of Business Services and Performance Assurance. (Submitted photo)

Booth Kammann, chief executive officer of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians, recently accepted a $2,500 donation from Nancy Johnson, B&W Y-12’s vice president of Business Services and Performance Assurance.

The money will help fund the summer program at Camp Tanasi, located near Andersonville on Norris Lake.

Joining Kammann and Johnson in the picture at left are, from left, Rebekka Range, Anna Vacaliuc, Andrea Range, and Marian Vacaliuc.

Elder Watch group, county recognize seniors

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Elder Watch Poster Contest Winners

Pictured above from left are David Vudragovich; Rhiana Prince, a runner-up in a poster contest sponsored by Elder Watch of Anderson County; Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank; Ethan Onstott, holding a proclamation from Anderson County Government; and Heather Emert, membership development director for the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce. (Submitted photo)

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Elder Watch of Anderson County recently recognized winners of a student poster contest promoting care and support for senior citizens.

Rhiana Prince, who attends school in Oak Ridge, was one of the many students who participated in the local organization’s contest. Prince recently visited the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton to be recognized by Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.

During her visit, Prince and Elder Watch of Anderson County board member David Vudragovich also received a proclamation from the county mayor on behalf of Elder Watch of Anderson County. The document proclaimed June 15, 2013, as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Anderson County. On the night of June 15, Elder Watch of Anderson County “painted” the Anderson County Courthouse in purple light to mark the importance of the day. [Read more…]

Red Tent Women’s Group to meet Saturday, July 6

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The Red Tent Women’s Group will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. All women are welcome, a press release said. Although there is no child care available, nursing mothers are welcome to attend. Teen girls are encouraged to participate as well.

This group is a place where a woman can set aside the mantles of wife, mother, or daughter, and just celebrate being a female in all the many aspects life offers. The group is non-denominational, open-minded, and works to promote honest discussions about womanhood. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line pancake breakfast on July 13

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CONTACT Care Line is hosting a pancake breakfast at Lincoln’s Sports Grille from 8-10 a.m. July 13.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased from any board member or at the door. All proceeds will benefit CONTACT’s crisis call lines, which serve a nine-county region, including Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union counties.

CONTACT has been in operation in Oak Ridge since 1973 and is celebrating its 40th year of service to the community, a press release said. [Read more…]

TVA finishes excavating spilled coal ash at Kingston plant, starts covering disposal area

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Kingston Fossil Plant Ash Spill Cleanup

Ash that spilled into the brown embayment pictured above has been removed, and workers are placing a black liner over an ash containment cell, pictured at center, preparing to close it late next year. More than 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilled in December 2008 when a storage cell used by the Kingston Fossil Plant, back left, failed.

KINGSTON—It was the largest ash spill in U.S. history. A dike failed on a storage cell on a cold December night more than four years ago, and roughly 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash surged out, covering about 300 acres of land and water near the Kingston Fossil Plant.

No one was injured, but 40 homes in the area were affected. The ash filled three embayments north of the coal-fired plant, covered Swan Pond Road, and flowed into the Emory River. Three homes became uninhabitable because of structural damage.

The work to clean up the gray sludge, which had been four to six feet deep, has been under way since the Dec. 22, 2008, spill. On Friday, officials paused to celebrate two milestones in the six-year, $1.2 billion project. [Read more…]

Roane State art students earn honors

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Roane State Student Art Awards

From left at Roane State’s annual Student Art Show are juror Kelly Hider with students Kayla Ayers-Chastain of Crossville, Josh Chastain of Crossville, Rachel Hale of Oak Ridge, Candice Debord of Rockwood, and Kari Cottrell of Crossville. (Submitted photo)

The following Roane State Community College students earned awards for their work in the college’s Student Art Show, held at the end of the spring semester.

Students and their honors were:

  • Rachel Hale of Oak Ridge, Outstanding Achievement in Art;
  • Kari Cottrell of Crossville, Anne Powers Promise Award;
  • Kayla Ayers-Chastain and Josh Chastain, both of Crossville, James Nathan Greene Memorial Scholarship; [Read more…]

It’s ‘Christmas in July’ for United Way of Anderson County

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United Way of Anderson County will kick off their annual campaign with a “Christmas in July” event at the DoubleTree Oak Ridge from 6-10 p.m. July 13. The evening will include a cocktail hour, silent auction, buffet dinner, ugly Christmas sweater contest, an evening of entertainment emceed by Kim Hansard of Star 102.1 FM, and a live auction.

The event is chaired by Katy Jett of Enrichment Federal Credit Union and De Wayne Kirchner of The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum. [Read more…]

Sen. Alexander, others introduce bipartisan nuclear waste legislation

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

Four U.S. senators, including Lamar Alexander, introduced a bipartisan, comprehensive plan this week that they said would safeguard and permanently dispose of tens of thousands of tons of dangerous radioactive nuclear waste currently accumulating at sites dispersed across the country.

A press release said the proposal, the Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2013, would establish a new nuclear waste administration and create a consent-based process for siting nuclear waste facilities. It would also enable the federal government to “address its commitment to managing commercial nuclear waste, limiting the costly liability the government bears for its failure to dispose of commercial spent fuel.

“The integrated storage and repository system established by this legislation will expand opportunities for nuclear power to supply low-carbon energy, and will provide long-term protection of public health and safety for both commercial and defense high-level waste,” the release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department announces two new hires

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department held a ceremony on June 11 to welcome two new members.

The event was held at Fire Station No. 3, and firefighter trainees Courtney McCarter and Joe Brackins were sworn in as the two newest members of the fire department. Both firefighters began their service for the department on April 22 and have already completed multiple training sessions, a press release said. [Read more…]

RSI awards eight $1,000 college scholarships

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RSI Scholarship Winners

RSI executives and scholarship recipients are pictured above. In the front row from left are Rick Ferguson, RSI vice president, and Kaitlyn Byrd, Stephanie Hanahan, Bethany Allen, and Jedidiah Long. In the back row are Peter Caswell, RSI vice president, and Joseph “Grant” Barbour, Jalen Carter, and Staci Ferguson, RSI president. Not pictured are Christiana Goode and Tyler Moore. (Submitted photo)

Restoration Services Inc., or RSI, and its voluntary Employee Outreach Committee have joined efforts to offer eight $1,000 college scholarships to “help students achieve their greatest potential through higher education,” a press release said.

The company announced this week that six scholarships were awarded to graduating high school students who will be attending college in the upcoming fall 2013 semester. The remaining two scholarships were awarded to children of RSI employees who are upcoming sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently enrolled in an accredited college for the 2013 fall semester. Scholarship recipients were selected from submitted applications that included academic accomplishments, community involvement and leadership roles, and an essay on current environmental threats. [Read more…]

Free community meal at ORUUC this evening

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Homemade chicken and rice salad, granola bars, and watermelon will be served for the Stone Soup Ministry meal this evening. Anyone in the community is invited to this free meal from 5 to 6 p.m.

The Stone Soup Ministry meal is held the last Friday of every month, at the same time, in the Social Hall of the church. Food is provided by the ORUUC congregation along with financial support from several members of the community. [Read more…]