Oak Ridge Today

Motive unknown for Sunday shooting at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant; suspect could be male

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Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

A Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman declined to speculate on a motive for a Sunday morning shooting at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Rhea County, but he said the suspect could be a male wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt with a hood.

Other than that, officials have little information on the suspect, who appears to have fled in a small boat, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said Monday.

“It was difficult to provide any kind of description,” he said.

The unidentified man was spotted by a nuclear security officer at about 2 a.m. Sunday. The guard was on a routine patrol in a pickup truck on the perimeter of the 1,700-acre plant. As the officer came around a curve, the truck’s headlights illuminated a person on the shore of the Tennessee River, on the eastern side of the plant and near its southern boundary. [Read more…]

Delivery truck scrapes against railroad trestle, carries away large steel beam

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Potters Truck and Elza Drive Railroad Trestle

A large steel beam rests on a Potter’s Home Center delivery truck after the top of the truck scraped against the bottom of a railroad trestle on Elza Drive on Friday morning.

A delivery truck for Potter’s Home Center scraped against the bottom of a railroad trestle on Elza Drive on Friday morning, and a large steel beam from the bridge ended up on top of the truck, authorities said.

The 1997 Ford F80 truck was driven by Dennis Randolf Neal, 44, of Jamestown. He was not injured.

An Oak Ridge Police Department report said the bridge is marked with 11’5″ signs. Neal told police he had driven through the area before. [Read more…]

Workers repairing sinkhole under Oak Ridge soccer field

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Oak Ridge High School Soccer Field Sinkhole

Workers are repairing a 13-foot sinkhole under the soccer field at Oak Ridge High School.

Workers are repairing a 13-foot sinkhole under the Oak Ridge High School soccer field.

It started as an 18-inch hole two weeks ago, said Allen Thacker, Oak Ridge Schools maintenance and operations supervisor. A section of the field “fell out,” and water was observed at the bottom.

Workers dug down about eight feet and found water running in, Thacker said. [Read more…]

Former U.S. attorney general, civil rights participant can testify at Y-12 protester hearing

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Y-12 Plowshares Protesters

Pictured above are the three anti-nuclear weapons protesters who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex on July 28. From left, they are Michael Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed.

A federal judge will allow a former U.S. attorney general and civil rights sit-in participant to testify at a Tuesday motions hearing for the three anti-nuclear weapons activists who broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex in July.

The two witnesses are former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and civil rights sit-in participant Robert Booker.

The three anti-nuclear weapons activists are accused of cutting through three fences in the high-security Protected Area at Y-12 on July 28 and splashing human blood and spray-painting messages on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, where most of the nation’s bomb-grade uranium is stored. [Read more…]

City manager to present budget tonight

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Mark Watson

Mark Watson

The city manager will present his proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 during a work session at 7 p.m. today in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.

The budget presentation had earlier been scheduled for May 6, but it has been changed due to scheduling conflicts, a city press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State official to discuss financial aid during AAUW meeting

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A Roane State Community College official will discuss financial aid for college students in a noon meeting on Monday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Tina Long is financial aid director at the college. She will discuss financial aid during a general meeting and luncheon of the AAUW, Oak Ridge Branch. [Read more…]

Earth Day festival to feature dog jumping competition, kids’ activities, recycling, exhibitors

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Dock Dogs at Earth Day Oak Ridge

Alex, a Weimaraner skilled at long distance jumping and speed retrieval, catches a football during a DockDogs competition in Oak Ridge during the 2012 Earth Day Festival.

The Sixth Annual Earth Day Festival in Oak Ridge this weekend will feature a jumping competition for dogs, a kids’ race and bicycle rodeo, and shoe collection and recycling drives.

It will also feature more than 60 exhibitors and live music. It’s scheduled from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The popular dog jumping competition debuted in Oak Ridge last year. It’s the Smoky Mountain Dock Dogs “Spare the Big Air Challenge,” and it features a 26,000-gallon swimming pool and four events: Big Air, Extreme Vertical, Speed Retrieve, and Iron Dog. It starts at 4 p.m. Friday at A.K. Bissell Park and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

‘Talk is Cheap’ on Saturday to feature ‘down-home wit,’ wisdom, laughs

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An event organized this weekend by the Clinton Rotary Club and Timely Topics will feature “down-home wit and wisdom, with lots of laughs along the way,” a press release said.

It’s called “The Talk is Cheap Tour,” and it features Jim Claborn, Bill Landry, Sam Venable, and Elizabeth Rose.

It starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ritz Theater in Clinton. General admission tickets are $15, and VIP tickets are $25. The VIP tickets include preferred seating and a reception at the Clinton Civic Center to meet the performers and friends, the press release said. [Read more…]

TVA: Suspect shoots at security officer at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, officer shoots back

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Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

An unidentified suspect fired on a security officer at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant near Spring City early Sunday morning, and the officer fired back. No one was injured, and the suspect fled. (Photo courtesy of TVA)

An unidentified suspect fired multiple rounds at a security officer on patrol at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant early Sunday morning, and at least one round hit the security officer’s vehicle, an official said.

The Tennessee Valley Authority nuclear security officer fired back, also shooting multiple rounds.

The suspect appeared to have initially been on the ground but may have fled in a boat, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said.

The shots were fired just after 2 a.m. this morning on the east side of the 1,700-acre plant, near the Tennessee River, toward the plant’s southern boundary, TVA said. The officer was several hundred yards outside the protected area where the reactor and power equipment are located. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge announces new principals at Robertsville, Preschool

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New principals will start this summer at Robertsville Middle School and the Oak Ridge Schools Preschool, officials announced Friday.

The new RMS principal is James Hundertmark, Oak Ridge school officials said in a press release. Hundertmark is now lead associate principal of Klein High School in Klein, Texas.

The new preschool principal is Melinda White. She has been interim principal at Oak Ridge Schools Preschool since May 2012. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge hires former Clinton city manager as industrial, commercial recruiter

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Steve Jones

Steve Jones

Former Clinton City Manager Steve Jones has been hired by the City of Oak Ridge to provide economic development support services, with a particular emphasis on industrial and commercial recruitment.

The term of the support services agreement is April through October 2013. Jones will be paid $3,500 per month and will report to Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson.

“Steve was extremely successful as a recruiter during his 10-year tenure as city manager of Clinton,” Watson said. “With the advent of the Uranium Processing Facility project and the upswing in industrial activity in the region, the city will benefit from having a professional business developer focusing everyday on opportunities for Oak Ridge. I look forward to having Steve representing us at the regional and state levels.” [Read more…]

United Way donations down after security breach, contractor changes

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United Way of Anderson County

Tom Hilton, 2012-2013 campaign chair, left, with outgoing United Way of Anderson County Board President Jimmy Stone, who accepted the No. 1 Company Campaign Award on behalf of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy of D. Ray Smith)

Donations to the United Way of Anderson County were down this year, and on Thursday, officials cited challenges in the federal contracting community, including the July 28 security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex and the later departure of security contractor WSI.

There was also an end to federal stimulus money, a freeze in federal budgets and salaries, and a new consolidated contract to manage Y-12 and the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which could result in the departure of B&W Y-12, said Rick Morrow, UWAC executive director.

The United Way of Anderson County had hoped to raise $1.4 million in the fiscal year that ended March 31, but volunteers and staff members fell short of that, collecting $1,277,771. [Read more…]