Oak Ridge Today

Dead for now, Manhattan Project national park bill could be reintroduced

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K-25 Building Aerial View

Now mostly demolished, the former mile-long, U-shaped K-25 Building is pictured above. The site could be included in a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

A bill to create a Manhattan Project national park that would include Oak Ridge died in the last session of Congress, but the legislation could be revived this session.

“It will be reintroduced,” said Cindy Kelly, founder and president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. “We are very optimistic that the bill will move through the process.”

Besides Oak Ridge, the park would also include sites in Los Alamos, N.M., and Hanford, Wash.

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Seven graduate from Y-12 apprentice program

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Y-12 Apprentice Graduation Ceremony

Brett Spradlen, third adult from left, was presented his carpenter’s certificate by Y-12 Vice President and Facilities, Infrastructure and Services Director Linda Bauer, third from right. Also pictured from left are Vivian Spradlen (Brett’s mother), Alison Spradlen (wife), Hunter and Brody Spradlen (sons), Eddie Spradlen (father and Y-12 Security and Emergency Services employee), and Wayne Jobe (Y-12 journeyman carpenter). (Submitted photo)

Seven people recently graduated from the Y-12 National Security Complex Apprentice Program at a ceremony held at the site’s New Hope Center.

Each graduate spent three to four years with a journeyworker and attended between 144 and 246 hours of classroom training each year on his own time, usually in the evenings at local union halls.

This is the second graduation ceremony for the restarted apprentice program at the site. Previously, Y-12 had not graduated an apprentice for almost 30 years.

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‘Doctor Woman’ discussed at Monday AAUW talk

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May Wharton, founder of the Uplands Retirement Village in Pleasant Hill, Tenn., will be one of the subjects of a Monday talk at an American Association of University Women meeting at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

Dr. Wharton, who came to Pleasant Hill in 1917, was called “Doctor Woman.”

Monday’s talk by W. Calvin Dickinson, a retired history professor at Tennessee Tech, starts at 11:30 a.m. Dickinson will also talk about Dr. Dora Lee Wilder, the first woman to receive a medical license in Tennessee, early in the 19th century.

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Democratic Party honors volunteers Monday

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The Anderson County Democratic Party will honor and thank volunteers who worked in the campaigns of all Democratic candidates in 2012 elections with a free dinner and party at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, at the Clinton Community Center.

Volunteers throughout the county worked in campaigns ranging from President Obama’s re-election campaign to the campaigns of state and local candidates in 2012.

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Aldi could open at Woodland Town Center in September

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Aldi Site at Woodland Town Center

The property at Woodland Town Center where an Aldi grocery store could open by September near Panera Bread and Aubrey’s between South Illinois and South Purdue avenues.

The new grocery store that could open on South Illinois Avenue by September could be an Aldi, a developer said Friday.

The 15,800-square-foot store would be on 1.6 acres at Woodland Town Center, where the new Aubrey’s and relocated Panera Bread opened in October. It would be across from those two restaurants, on the other side of a new roadway called Woodland Terrace East.

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Two industry fires reported in Clinton

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ORFD Tower Truck

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded with a tower truck and personnel to a Thursday evening fire at Rexnord Link Belt Plant on J.D. Yarnell Industrial Parkway in Clinton. (Photos by Tom Scott)

Two fires were reported Thursday night and early Friday morning at businesses in Clinton.

The first fire broke out Thursday night at Rexnord, and the second one occurred early Friday at Eagle Bend Manufacturing, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton. In both fires, no injuries were reported, and they are not believed to be suspicious in nature.

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City offices close, crews treat roads, up to 1/2 inch of ice possible

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Ice on Car

Ice coats a car in Oak Ridge on Friday. The National Weather Service in Morristown said there could be a total of 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice in areas subjected to several hours of freezing rain.

Oak Ridge municipal offices were originally scheduled to open at noon today, but they will remain closed all day, a city official said.

City workers urged residents to avoid driving, or even walking outside, if possible. A sheet of ice has coated many homes, driveways, and sidewalks.

With government offices, schools, and many businesses closed or opening late, some roads appeared deserted. Oak Ridge Police Department Lt. Robin Smith said a few vehicles have slid off roads, but not much else has happened.

“It’s been very quiet, which is the way we like it,” Smith said. “It’s been good so far.”

Oak Ridge Public Works Director Gary Cinder said the city spent about 12 hours Thursday treating about 100 miles of streets. Workers used two trucks to spread a brine solution, a “super salty” liquid.

“Every road we pre-treated with brine is in really good shape,” Cinder said. “It’s wet. It’s passable.”

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County Courthouse, schools closed; DOE Oak Ridge Office opens late

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Originally scheduled to open two hours late, the Anderson County Courthouse is closed today due to the winter storm that dropped a sheet of ice on local homes, driveways, and roads Thursday night.

Schools in Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Anderson and Roane counties are closed. The Y-12 National Security Complex has restricted access to essential employees, and Oak Ridge municipal offices are scheduled to open at noon.

The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office announced that it had delayed its opening until 10 a.m. for employees of the Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office, Oak Ridge Environmental Management Site Office, Oak Ridge Nuclear Energy Site Office, and Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

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Former City Council member Pat Rush dies

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Patricia "Pat" Lewis Paynter Rush

Patricia “Pat” Lewis Paynter Rush

Former Oak Ridge City Council member Patricia “Pat” Lewis Paynter Rush died Wednesday at Methodist Medical Center after a short illness. She was 82.

Rush was elected to City Council in 1987 and served for 14 years. She was also a former board member of the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association and president of the local Altrusa International organization in 1984 and 1985. She had also been a member of many organizations and boards, and was known for her service in many civic endeavors, her obituary said.

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Oak Ridge schools closed, Anderson Courthouse opens late Friday

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Oak Ridge Schools will be closed Friday, and the Anderson County Courthouse will open two hours late due to the threat of a major winter storm with freezing rain and ice.

Anderson County officials said they would continue to monitor the weather along with local emergency officials and make changes as necessary.

Oak Ridge city offices open late, Y-12 access restricted Friday

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Winter Storm WatchOak Ridge municipal offices will open at noon Friday and access to the Y-12 National Security Complex will be restricted to essential employees due to the wintry, icy weather that is forecast to begin tonight in the southern Appalachians.

A winter storm watch is in effect through Friday evening across the region, including in Anderson and Roane counties, and the National Weather Service in Morristown said significant icing is possible across the East Tennessee Valley.

In a press release Thursday, the city of Oak Ridge said it is preparing for possible disruptions to city services, including widespread and extended power outages.

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Birthday celebration postponed for city historian Bill Wilcox

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A 90th birthday celebration that had been planned for Oak Ridge City Historian Bill Wilcox on Friday afternoon has been postponed due to the potential for bad weather.

“We will reschedule soon, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may create,” according to a statement from the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We want all of our party guests and our guest of honor to stay safe.”

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