Oak Ridge Today

Rotary International president to speak in Oak Ridge at March forum

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Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka

Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka of Japan will deliver the keynote address at the Rotary International District 6780 Peace Forum on March 9 in Oak Ridge.

For the first time in many years, a Rotary International president will visit Oak Ridge on Friday and Saturday, Mar. 8-9.

RI President Sakuji Tanaka of Japan will speak on “Peace through Service,” the motto for his one-year term, at the Peace Forum that the Rotary International District 6780 will hold.

Oak Ridge is the site of the only scheduled Rotary peace forum in the continental United States that the RI president will address. RI has sponsored international peace forums in Berlin and Honolulu. The RI president was present at these events and will attend the peace forum in Hiroshima, Japan.

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Woman not injured, but vehicle submerged after she slides into Clinch River

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Melton Lake Drive Submerged Car

The area where a Clinton woman appears to have slid off snowy, icy Melton Lake Drive into the Clinch River on Saturday morning.

A Clinton woman escaped injury when her car slid off snowy, icy Melton Lake Drive into the Clinch River on Saturday morning, but her 2002 Nissan Pathfinder remains underwater, possibly to be pulled out of the lake later, authorities said.

Debby Hillman, 55, of Clinton was southbound on Melton Lake Drive just after 11 a.m. Saturday when she lost control of her vehicle as she tried to slow down in a curve, shifting down into second gear, an Oak Ridge Police Department crash report said. Her Pathfinder slid across the northbound lane of Melton Lake Drive and into the river north of Emory Valley Road and Melton Lake Park.

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American Cancer Society Relay For Life kicks off with birthday bash

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On Feb. 9, the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Oak Ridge will officially get under way as event volunteers and participants gather at Lincoln’s Sports Grille for a kickoff rally to launch their fundraising efforts for the year.

The rally will feature speakers who have benefitted from the funds raised at relay and will honor cancer survivors.

This also will be an opportunity to register a team and get in the relay spirit for the overnight event to be held on Friday, June 7, at Oak Ridge High School. [Read more…]

Tennessee Valley Summit returns to Oak Ridge; energy, manufacturing on agenda

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U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann

Chuck Fleischmann

Third District Rep. Chuck Fleischmann has announced the Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit will be held the last week of May and return to the site where it started 18 years ago—Oak Ridge. The exact dates are being determined based on the schedules of several anticipated national speakers, including U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Senior decision-makers representing academia, government, and industry from Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina will convene in the New Hope Center at Oak Ridge’s Y-12 National Security Complex for the two-day meeting. Fleischmann will serve as host and be joined by of members of the TVC congressional delegation.

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Methodist Medical Center welcomes Casino Night fundraiser co-chairs

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Sandy and David Bradshaw

Sandy and David Bradshaw will lead the committee preparing for the 2013 Casino Night fundraiser for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation. (Submitted photo)

Plans are already under way for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s Casino Night fundraiser for 2013. This year’s event is themed, “An Evening in Paris” and will transport guests to the City of Lights where they can dine bistro-style in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower; browse in Les Puces (The Fleas), our auction-version of the famous French flea market, as they look for hidden treasures; and of course, there will be plenty of time to indulge in some friendly casino-style games.

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation is excited to welcome two new co-chairs: Foundation board member and president of CapitalMark Bank, David Bradshaw and his wife Sandy. The Bradshaws will lead the Casino Night committee as they begin preparations for this year’s event and reach out to community organizations and businesses for their support and sponsorship.

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Stufano named Roane State police chief

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Roane State Community College Police Chief

Roane State President Dr. Chris Whaley, right, swears in Tom Stufano as the college’s police chief. (Submitted photo)

Tom Stufano has been named chief of police for Roane State Community College.

Stufano has more than 30 years in law enforcement, emergency management, and crisis management planning. Most recently, he served for more than six years as the chief of staff/deputy federal coordinating officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Southeast region.

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Report: Heroin sold, two arrests made near Claxton Elementary

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Note: This story was last updated at 10:39 a.m. Feb. 5

Using a confidential source, authorities were able to buy heroin three times from a Powell home, and when they served a search warrant Thursday morning, they found about one ounce of the powerful drug inside the house, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department incident reports said.

The home is on Coconut Lane, about 1,000 feet from Claxton Elementary School.

The reports said the Sheriff’s Department, including Investigator Ryan T. Williams, were able to use the confidential source to make three separate purchases of heroin last week from Joe Fentress Butler, 28, of 156 Coconut Lane. Two of the purchases were for $25 worth of heroin and one was for $100, the reports said.

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B&W Y-12 historian assists in LMU display design

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Ray Smith and Pete DeBusk

B&W Y-12 historian Ray Smith, left, joins Lincoln Memorial University board of trustees chairman Pete DeBusk in front of the “Scientists Who Changed the World” exhibit in the university’s Math and Science Building. (Submitted photo)

Sharing information related to the early years of Oak Ridge is all in a day’s work for Y-12 National Security Complex historian Ray Smith.

Recently, Smith’s flair for historical detail was incorporated in a permanent display on the main campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. Located in LMU’s new Math and Science Building, the display pays tribute to nuclear energy research and the subsequent creation of what is now the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Gravel portion of Tuskegee Drive closed for repairs Wednesday-Friday

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The Oak Ridge Public Works Department plans to repair the gravel portion of Tuskegee Drive from Wednesday through Friday.

The work is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and end at 3:30 pm. Detours will be clearly marked for residents, a press release said.

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Faith and Our Medical Community, Part 1: The Hospital Chaplain

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Several times I thought I saw the silhouette of angels moving around behind Chaplain Sills as I recently interviewed him in the Methodist Medical Center chapel. Reverend Jack Sills certainly needs angelic assistance in his role as the hospital chaplain here in Oak Ridge.

Just as you would expect, Chaplain Sills is a calm, gentle man who exudes kindness and understanding. This year, he will celebrate his 25th anniversary as the only full-time hospital chaplain Oak Ridge has ever had. He calls his role a “specialized form of ministry.”

Chaplain Sills describes his ministry as “the representative presence of the hospital’s belief that God is important in the care of patients, families, and staff.” He explained this to mean that the belief in God for human beings is important. His role in practical terms comes down to being a visible presence. Chaplain Sills continued: “Being present gives opportunity to others to discuss spiritual or emotional concerns without an agenda. I consider these to be holy moments.

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More snow falls in Oak Ridge, Anderson County

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Anderson County Snowfall

Light snow continued to fall in East Tennessee on Sunday morning, and there was close to two inches on the ground in Oak Ridge and Anderson County. The picture above was taken on Oliver Springs Highway near Marlow Circle.

Light snow continued to fall in East Tennessee on Sunday morning, and there was close to two inches on the ground in Oak Ridge and Anderson County.

The temperature was above freezing and many roads were wet and slushy, but a few patches of snow remained, including on bridges.

It was the second day of snow in Oak Ridge, and the two days produced the first significant accumulation of snow in the Secret City this winter.

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‘Zoomable’ map of poplar proteins offers new view of bioenergy crop

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Poplar Proteins Molecular Map

An extensive molecular map of poplar tree proteins from Oak Ridge National Laboratory offers new insight into the plant’s biological processes. The study is featured on the cover of January’s Molecular and Cellular Proteomics. (Submitted photo)

Researchers seeking to improve production of ethanol from woody crops have a new resource in the form of an extensive molecular map of poplar tree proteins, published by a team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Populus, a fast-growing perennial tree, holds potential as a bioenergy crop due to its ability to produce large amounts of biomass on non-agricultural land. Now, a study by ORNL scientists with DOE’s BioEnergy Science Center has provided the most comprehensive look to date at poplar’s proteome, the suite of proteins produced by a plant’s cells. The study is featured on the cover of January’s Molecular and Cellular Proteomics.

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