Oak Ridge Today

U.S. Postal Service cuts costs, ends Saturday mail delivery in August

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WASHINGTON — The United States Postal Service announced plans today to transition to a new delivery schedule during the week of Aug. 5 that includes package delivery Monday through Saturday, and mail delivery Monday through Friday. The Postal Service expects to generate cost savings of approximately $2 billion annually, once the plan is fully implemented.

“The Postal Service is advancing an important new approach to delivery that reflects the strong growth of our package business and responds to the financial realities resulting from America’s changing mailing habits,” said Patrick R. Donahoe, postmaster general and chief executive officer. “We developed this approach by working with our customers to understand their delivery needs and by identifying creative ways to generate significant cost savings.”

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Report: Slower economic growth in 2013, followed by increase in 2014

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KNOXVILLE—The U.S. and Tennessee economies continue to dig their way out from the Great Recession, but they will be digging at a slower pace this year than last.

The debate over the nation’s debt ceiling, the looming risk of sequestration of federal spending, and the payroll tax increase contribute to the slowdown in predicted gains, according to the forecast in the 2013 Economic Report to the Governor of the State of Tennessee, released today.

The study, prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research, or CBER, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, predicts the trajectory of the state and national economies by examining many economic and fiscal factors and trends.

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Police chief tackles one of two men fleeing in vehicle, on foot

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

A police pursuit of a speeding SUV through Scarboro on Monday ended when Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. Akagi tackled one of two men who ran from the vehicle, and backup officers apprehended the second, court records said.

In affidavits filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court, Akagi said he was in an unmarked police car turning left onto Tulsa Road from Tusculum Drive at about 5:10 p.m. Monday when he heard screeching tires and saw a Ford Explorer approaching him from behind at high speed.

The chief said he quickly turned left onto Tulsa Road and pulled to the right to avoid being struck. The Explorer did not stop and swerved right onto Tulsa Road, Akagi said in the affidavits.

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Roane Chamber announces summer youth leadership program

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Roane County Youth Leadership Academy

The Roane Chamber’s 2012 Youth Leadership Academy graduates are pictured above. Back row, from left to right, Keaton Shillings, Benjamin Bruner, Ethan Barnett, Aaron Woody, Andrew Layne, Josh Lively, Ryan Hamby; and front row, from left to right, Academy Instructor Sarah Hooper, Victoria Cox, Kaylee Burton, Skye Irish, Holly Aslinger, and Katy Cundiff. (Submitted photo)

KINGSTON—The Roane County Chamber of Commerce is looking for rising high school juniors to participate in this summer’s Roane County Youth Leadership Academy.

Students from the five Roane County high schools and home school are invited to submit their application to attend the academy, which is scheduled for the week of June 3-7. The week-long academy is held at Roane State Community College.

“The Chamber recognizes that our area’s youth hold the key to our future, and the program has been structured to encourage our youth to become leaders in our community,” said Kathy Parks, chair of the Chamber’s Leadership Committee.

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TVA sales flat in first quarter 2013, revenues consistent with prior year

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KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority reported Tuesday that electricity sales were relatively flat in the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, total revenues were consistent with the prior year, and net income was down.

“TVA’s total operating revenues remain on plan,” new President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Johnson said. “We continue to drive performance and process improvements in order to provide cleaner and low-cost energy to our customers.”

Higher off-system sales as a result of excess generation and closer-to-normal temperatures for the period, compared with even warmer weather a year ago, contributed to a slight 0.2 percent increase in total electricity sales, TVA said in its quarterly filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2012.

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UPF project director featured at Anderson County Chamber luncheon

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John Eschenberg

John Eschenberg

John Eschenberg, federal project director for the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, will be the featured speaker at the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce’s annual business luncheon this month.

Eschenberg will provide information on the UPF project and its impact on the East Tennessee economy and the nation’s nuclear security, a press release said. The UPF could cost between $4.2 and $6.5 billion.

The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center in Clinton.

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‘Bridging the Gap’ conference invites business community to ORNL

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Bridging the Gap

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will host its annual “Bridging the Gap” conference March 5-6. (Image courtesy of ORNL)

Several of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s most promising applied research and development capabilities will be in the spotlight March 5-6 as dozens of entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists gather at the lab’s third annual “Bridging the Gap” conference.

“This is a great opportunity for the region’s business community to receive capability briefings from some of the lab’s most dynamic researchers and to explore commercialization and collaboration opportunities,” said Tom Rogers, ORNL’s director of Industrial Partnerships and Economic Development.

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Tech 20/20 announces new board officers, members

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Tech 20/20 recently elected new officers and members to its board of directors.

David Bradshaw, president of CapitalMark Bank and Trust, is the 2013 board chair of the Board. Bradshaw succeeds Fred Tompkins, the director of Oak Ridge Operations for the University of Tennessee.

Tom Rogers, director of Industrial and Economic Development Partnerships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is the chair-elect for 2014.

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UT named a ‘Best Value’ public college by Princeton Review

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KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, consistently delivers an affordable, high quality education and offers plenty of opportunities to engage its students, according to the Princeton Review’s 2013 Best Value survey.

UT was ranked today among the top 75 public colleges and universities in the Princeton Review’s “Best Value Colleges for 2013” edition. The ranking compares 30 data points of public and private schools that include cost, financial aid, and other student and academic metrics. The top colleges and universities were selected from more than 650 institutions.

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Governor announces resignation of Children’s Services commissioner

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Governor appoints Commissioner Jim Henry as interim

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today announced that Department of Children’s Services Commissioner Kate O’Day has resigned from her post.

“Kate has informed me that she felt the time was right to step down,” Haslam said. “She was concerned that she had become more of a focus than the children the department serves.

I appreciate Kate’s service to this administration and to our state. She has done a lot of good work in identifying longstanding problems that have hampered the department, and we will build on those efforts as we move forward.”

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Small business conference on how to benefit from $6.5 billion UPF

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A conference at the end of February will give small businesses a chance to learn how to benefit from the planned $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The 2013 Construction Opportunities Conference is scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the New Hope Center at Y-12. It’s offered by the Tennessee Small Business Development Center and partners.

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Ferri retires, UCOR organization changing

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Mark Ferri

Mark Ferri

Jeff Bradford

Jeff Bradford

Mark Ferri, who has led the safe, successful deactivation and demolition work at K-25 since UCOR arrived in Oak Ridge in August 2011, has announced that he will retire from the company at the end of February and will accept a CH2M Hill corporate opportunity in the United Kingdom.

Ferri was part of UCOR’s original, handpicked leadership team. His selection proved a wise one, as progress under his leadership has been stellar. Workers have demolished more than two million square feet of the old gaseous diffusion facility, and more than 15,000 loads of waste have been shipped under the “pack as you go” philosophy that he and his counterpart, Waste Management Manager Jeff Bradford, installed as part of the UCOR way of doing business.

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