Oak Ridge Today

Musicians to perform as coffeehouse opens second season Friday

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Sumner Byrne

Sumner Byrne

Guitars have been tuned, harmonies rehearsed and dance steps practiced in preparation for Friday’s opening of the second season of the Coffeehouse at First Presbyterian Church. The coffeehouse was started by college students last summer as a musical venue to enjoy together while raising funds for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.

“We had no idea how much fun the coffeehouse events were going to be when we started last year,” said organizer Sumner Byrne, a college student at George Washington University. “It became clear that the young adult crowd needed a place to hang out, listen to some great music, and reconnect with friends who are normally away at school. [Read more…]

Perma-Fix awards scholarships from Roane Chamber high school career day

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The third annual Perma-Fix Career Day Scholarships have been awarded to a graduate from each of the five Roane County high schools. The students receiving the $250 scholarships applied for them during their junior year while participating in the High School Career Day, sponsored by the Roane County Chamber of Commerce.

The five graduating students receiving the Perma-Fix Scholarships this year are David “Tre” Pack, Harriman High; Patricia Howe, Midway High; Charlee Lee Roberts, Oliver Springs High, Eric Luffman, Roane-Kingston County High; and Kelsey Legg, Rockwood High. They all attended the Chamber’s 2011 Career Day. [Read more…]

TVC Summit next week includes House majority leader

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Eric Cantor

Eric Cantor

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Business, community, and political leaders and senior decision-makers will convene at the 2013 Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit next week to discuss issues that are critical to the economic engine of the Tennessee Valley, a press release said.

Hosted by Third District Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, the two-day meeting themed “Securing America’s Future” will focus on energy and environment, innovation and entrepreneurism, public and private partnerships, and advanced manufacturing, the release said.

The Summit will be held at the Y-12 National Security Complex’s New Hope Center in Oak Ridge on May 29-30. [Read more…]

Rowe named Roane Alliance office, fiscal services manager

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Brenda Rowe has been named office and fiscal services manager for The Roane Alliance.

Rowe has been working for The Roane Alliance since July of last year, after working in the public relations office at Roane State Community College in Harriman. [Read more…]

Anderson County EMS plans operational changes

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Anderson County EMS has announced a change in their system’s operations that will start June 3.

Anderson County EMS currently operates 11 ambulances during the day Monday through Friday, six of which are Advanced Life Support (ALS), Paramedic-staffed ambulances, and five are designated as Basic Life Support (BLS) convalescent trucks with dual EMT-IV crews. [Read more…]

TVA, government agencies to give recovery update on Kingston ash spill

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The Tennessee Valley Authority, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, will hold a public meeting on progress of the Kingston Ash Recovery Project and long-term monitoring plans.

The meeting will be held Thursday, May 30, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the auditorium of Roane County High School in Kingston. The auditorium is in Building B on the Spring Street side of the high school. [Read more…]

Anderson County EMS hosts luncheon today

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May 19-25 is National EMS Week and Anderson County EMS and UT LIFESTAR will host an appreciation luncheon on Wednesday, May 22, to honor Anderson County’s EMS crews and First Responders for the work they do. The luncheon starts at 11 a.m., and this event is open to everyone.

There will be a short presentation to honor the EMT-IV, Paramedic, and Officer of the Year, as well as others. [Read more…]

School board approves one-time bonus, SRO funding, hears pleas to save jobs

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Oak Ridge Board of Education Budget

Oak Ridge High School students Miranda Lands, left, Michele Lands, and Matthew Stansberry present a student petition asking the Oak Ridge Board of Education to spare physics teacher Katherine Goepfert from budget-cutting layoffs.

The teaching jobs should be saved, students and parents told the Oak Ridge Board of Education during a special budget meeting Tuesday.

One of the teachers who could lose her job, Oak Ridge High School physics teacher Katherine Goepfert, or “Ms. G.,” has motivated students who have been in danger of dropping out, they said, and 109 students have signed a petition asking for her position to be saved.

“She’s just a good teacher,” ORHS senior Miranda Lands said. “She’s ‘busting her butt’ every day for our education.”

A few parents pleaded for the board to preserve a special education teaching assistant position at Linden Elementary School. They said their children require one-on-one attention, and they are concerned the students might struggle without that help. [Read more…]

ORFD: After Y-12 refuses wet nitric acid package, FedEx driver finds leak

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FedEx Nitric Acid Spill

Workers from a commercial cleanup company place a leaking nitric acid package in a secure container along Administration Road on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by Tom Scott)

The cardboard container contained one liter of nitric acid, and the delivery had been refused at the Y-12 National Security Complex because the bottom of the package was wet, the FedEx driver told Oak Ridge firefighters.

The delivery driver checked the 11-pound package at his next stop, and he found fluid leaking out of it and immediately called 911, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said in a Tuesday afternoon statement. [Read more…]

TVA names Horizon Center site as primary data center site

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Horizon Center Data Center Site

A 28-acre site at Horizon Center has been designated by the Tennessee Valley Authority as a site that is ready to recruit data centers. (Submitted photo)

The Tennessee Valley Authority has identified a 28-acre site at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge as a potential data center site, a designation that will help Oak Ridge recruit companies, an official said.

“Having a primary data center site in Oak Ridge is a tremendous advantage and will definitely give us a competitive edge when recruiting data center prospects,” said Kim Denton, president and chief executive officer of the Oak Ridge Economic Partnership. [Read more…]

Equipment used in uranium casting falls from Y-12 furnace

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Equipment and materials used in uranium casting operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex fell several feet from a furnace in Building 9212 last month after someone accidentally bumped a control lever, a federal safety board said in a recently released report.

The lever controls the movement of what is known as the stack assembly, which includes a crucible, mold, and uranium “charge.”

The loaded stack assembly had recently been cast, and it fell several feet from the body of an induction furnace to the base of the furnace, where loading and unloading occur, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board said in a report for the week ending April 19. [Read more…]

Ernest Moniz sworn in as energy secretary

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Ernest Moniz

Ernest Moniz

Ernest Moniz was sworn in as the nation’s 13th Secretary of Energy by Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman in a Tuesday morning ceremony.

Moniz was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 97-0 vote on May 16.

The Tuesday morning ceremony for U.S. Department of Energy employees kicked off a busy first day that includes briefings on energy and national security as well as remarks to the 2013 Energy Efficiency Global Forum, a press release said. [Read more…]