During a severe thunderstorm on Monday evening, the Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to a call of a woman who had possibly been struck by lightning.
The woman reported she was standing by a window at a Vanderbilt Drive home at about 7:19 p.m. Monday when she saw a bright flash of light and then had a funny feeling in her chest, ORFD Chief Darryl Kerley said Tuesday. [Read more…]
Since three protesters broke in last summer, security cameras and sensors have been repaired and replaced. There are more security patrols at the Y-12 National Security Complex and more staff in the Central Alarm Station. And officials and workers are trying to reduce the false and nuisance alarm rate.
Those are among the improvements highlighted in a Y-12 security update published in May. It said Y-12 quickly began making changes after the July 28 security breach, when three anti-nuclear weapons activists broke into the plant before dawn, cut through three fences in the high-security Protected Area, and splashed human blood, spray-painted slogans, and hammered on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where most of the nation’s bomb-grade uranium is stored.
“Y-12 has carefully examined the circumstances that led to the event, developed actions to fix the problems that were discovered, and is applying the lessons learned to our security posture and operations,” the security update said. “These actions included adding key leadership personnel, restoring to service critical security elements, and refining alarm system components to enhance reliability.” [Read more…]
Security police officers stand guard during an August 2012 peace protest at the main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex at Bear Creek and Scarboro roads.
Four guards have been suspended at the Y-12 National Security Complex after a woman who did not have permission to be at the nuclear weapons plant drove through the main entrance on Thursday morning and was stopped a short time later, a federal spokesman said Monday.
The woman, who said she was looking for a new, low-cost apartment complex, followed morning commuters through the east gate at Bear Creek and Scarboro roads and drove unhindered through the plant before she was stopped by security officers at the west gate, according to an Oak Ridge Police Department report. Brenda L. Haptonstall, 62, told ORPD Officer Roy J. Heinz that she thought there must have been a crash at Y-12 because there were “nice officers waving her through with illuminated flashlight cones,” the report said. [Read more…]
Liyuan Liang
The Friends of ORNL will hold its monthly luncheon lecture meeting on Tuesday, June 11.
This month, Liyuan Liang and members of her team will discuss “ORNL Mercury Research Program and the Story of Methylation Gene Discovery.” This meeting is open to the public.
Liang, who heads the U.S. Department of Energy-funded mercury research program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University at Boston, and a master’s and doctorate from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in environmental engineering sciences. [Read more…]
The community is invited to attend the third annual Nurturing and Safe World Child Advocacy Seminar on Tuesday. The seminar will be held at the Roane State Community College City Room on the Oak Ridge campus.
Robert May, of ORPD Chaplains; Annette Beebe, of Anderson County Task Force on Domestic Violence; David Kitts, of Knox Police Family Crimes Unit; Margaret Durgin, of the Child Advocacy Center; and others will speak on the issue of domestic violence as it relates to the children who are affected by this challenging problem. [Read more…]
Student Hunter Stombaugh loads a material sample into the Saphir 550.3, a laboratory instrument used to grind and polish samples before placing them in an electron microscope for analysis. (Submitted photos)
Fifteen high school students and one college freshman recently got up close and personal with lab equipment worth nearly a half-million dollars at the ASM International Materials Camp. During the weeklong camp, students performed failure analyses on prosthetic implants including a hip prosthesis, pelvic clamps, a tibial nail, and tibial component. An area surgeon provided the sterilized implants, along with X-rays showing the implants before they were removed from patients.
The ASM Materials Camp is organized and sponsored by Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tech 20/20, and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Steve Dekanich, an engineer in B&W Y-12’s Quality Assurance, is the camp co-chairman. [Read more…]
Scott Curran
Ron Graves
Three Oak Ridge National Laboratory staff members—Scott Curran, Ron Graves, and Janet Hopson—were recognized following a U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office, or VTO, annual merit review.
Curran was recognized with a 2013 VTO Research and Development Award for “his leadership in transitioning reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion from a single cylinder to a multi-cylinder engine using bio-renewable fuels.” [Read more…]
The University of Tennessee Medical Center could not provide information on the condition of an eight-year-old boy hit by a car on Wednesday afternoon in Oak Ridge—or even confirm whether the child was at the hospital.
An Oak Ridge Police Department report said the boy was hit by a 1998 Toyota Camry in the parking lot of British Woods Apartments at about 4:35 p.m. Wednesday. The four-door sedan was driven by Zhenfeng Han, 33, who lives at the apartment complex on Briarcliff Avenue. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks will be hosting “Drug Awareness Day” at the Oak Ridge Municipal Pool this Saturday, June 8. This event is a partnership with Anderson County Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, the City of Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Drug awareness demonstrations will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. inside the pool area. A few of the planned activities include the TWRA jet ski simulator and fatal vision goggle demonstrations. “Elroy the Elk” the national mascot for the Elks Drug Awareness Program will be in attendance to remind kids that hugs are better than drugs. Hundreds of prizes will be given away to those participating in a drug awareness activity. Some of the prizes include T-shirts, coloring books, Frisbees, and free passes to the pool that can be used anytime during the summer. [Read more…]
Security police officers stand guard during an August 2012 peace protest at the east gate and main entrance to the Y-12 National Security Complex at Bear Creek and Scarboro roads.
Police officers at the Y-12 National Security Complex failed to follow established procedures when they allowed an Oak Ridge woman who did not have permission to be at the nuclear weapons plant to drive through the main entrance at Scarboro Road on Thursday morning, federal officials said.
Brenda L. Haptonstall, 62, told Oak Ridge police she was looking for a new, low-cost apartment complex and followed morning commuters through the east gate at the Y-12 National Security Complex at about 6:10 a.m. Thursday.
An Oak Ridge Police Department report said Haptonstall drove unhindered through the plant before she was stopped by security officers at the west gate. Haptonstall told ORPD Officer Roy J. Heinz that she thought there must have been a crash at Y-12 because there were “nice officers waving her through with illuminated flashlight cones,” the report said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will pay tribute to local businesses at the “Dinner on the Lawn” event held at the majestic Brownworth Manor at 710 Eagle Bend Road in Clinton today.
The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. with a social hour on the patio, live music in the gazebo, and a fun silent auction. “Dinner on the Lawn” will be served at 7:30 p.m. followed by the Chamber’s “Tribute to Business” award ceremony. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
Some postal customers in Oak Ridge have recently received letters from the U.S. Postal Service telling them that they need to install curbside mailboxes as part of the ongoing effort to help the federal agency stop hemorrhaging money.
The letters are being sent to postal customers who still use house boxes to receive their mail. The letter states that the request is being made because “letter carriers can service more mailboxes in their vehicles than they can by walking door-to-door.” The letter states that customers have 10 days from receiving it to switch to the curbside mailbox before “mail received at the box will be returned to sender” as if no mail receptacle existed. [Read more…]
