Oak Ridge Today

School security ramped up in Anderson County, Clinton

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Information from WYSH Radio

In the wake of last week’s deadly school shootings in Connecticut, many people in the area have wondered what is being done to keep their children safe at school.

WYSH asked Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough how often officers conduct walk-throughs at the city’s three elementary schools. Scarbrough said every school in the city, including the three county schools within the city limits, are visited by officers two to three times per day in unscheduled, random, drop-in visits.

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said there are eight full-time school resource officers, or SROs, who rotate between the county’s 17 schools. That number includes SROs who are assigned to just one school, namely the two county high schools.

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Y-12 protesters say fence hole remains after break-in, officials say it’s repaired

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Hole in Y-12 Perimeter Fence

The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance says three protesters crossed into the Y-12 National Security Complex through this hole the trio cut in a perimeter fence before dawn on July 28, and OREPA alleges that the hole had not been repaired as of Monday. (Submitted photo)

More than four months after three protesters broke into the Y-12 National Security Complex, a hole that the trio cut in a perimeter fence still hasn’t been repaired, an Oak Ridge group said Wednesday.

In a statement, the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, which has supported the Y-12 protesters, said two OREPA members went to the nuclear weapons plant on Monday and, after 15 minutes of walking, found the spot where the protesters had cut through an outer fence. It was open from the ground up to a spot about four feet high—a hole large enough for a person to squeeze through, the group said.

But in a statement Thursday afternoon, federal officials said the fence has been repaired.

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One-of-a-kind waste incinerator in ‘safe shutdown’ at ETTP

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Filling the Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator

Workers fill the sumps at the Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator with grout, as part of the work to close it. (Submitted photo)

A one-of-a-kind waste incinerator, which began operations at the East Tennessee Technology Park more than 20 years ago, has been safely shut down.

When the Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator, or TSCAI, began operations in 1990, the intent was to run it for five years to prove the technology worked. It was the only incinerator in the nation permitted to burn certain hazardous and radioactive wastes.

Operations ceased in December 2009, after a safe and successful run that saw the facility burn 35 million pounds of liquids and solids from DOE sites across the United States—even some from Hawaii.

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Reader pics: Clinton Christmas Parade

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Clinton Christmas Parade First Place

A float by Second Baptist Church featuring a large sleigh and reindeer won first place in the Dec. 1 Christmas parade in Clinton. (Photos courtesy of Janet Hawkins)

A float by Second Baptist Church featuring a large sleigh and reindeer won first place in the Dec. 1 Christmas parade in Clinton.

Ridgedale Baptist Church placed second with a float featuring a large ark.

Anderson County Emergency Medical Services finished third.

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Methodist Medical Center announces 2012 MMCer of the Year

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Bobby Abshire Thumbs Up

After receiving the MMCer of the Year Award, Bobby Abshire gives his co-workers a thumbs-up for their hard work, too. Also pictured are Mike Belbeck, Methodist’s president and chief administrative officer, and Connie Martin, vice president and chief support officer.

Bobby Abshire, an attendant and member of the “lift team” in the Transport department at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the 2012 MMCer of the Year.

Hospital employees cast their votes for MMCer of the Year among the candidates who received MMCer of the Month during the year, and Abshire, who was named MMCer of the Month in November, received the greatest number of votes to earn this special distinction.

Upon receiving the award for MMCer of the Year, Abshire, who was in a Transport department staff meeting at the time, looked to his co-workers with a thumbs-up and gave them credit for their hard work and support.

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Emory Valley Early Learning Center starting infant care services on Jan. 2

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The Emory Valley Early Learning Center recently announced that it is starting infant care services on Jan. 2.

The new service is in response to a need for the service in Anderson County and Oak Ridge, a press release said. It said the Emory Valley Early Learning Center is Anderson County’s only nationally accredited child care program.

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With ‘fiscal cliff’ looming, ORNL says it’s as well-prepared as it can be

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As President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner continue their high-stakes negotiations over tax revenues and spending cuts, officials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory say they have prepared as best they can for automatic spending cuts that could go into effect in January.

“We have been preparing for increased budget pressures for several years now and have taken a number of steps to reduce our costs, including workforce restructuring, benefits changes, reduction in energy consumption, and other operational costs,” ORNL Director Thom Mason said in a statement Monday. “Since we don’t know exactly how any cuts would be allocated by the various governments agencies that fund ORNL, we can’t really say with certainty what the impacts would be, other than to say we are as well-prepared for uncertainty as we can be.”

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Picture: Christmas lights in Oliver Springs

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Oliver Springs Christmas Lights

One of two homes heavily decorated with Christmas lights and lawn ornaments on Browder Circle in Oliver Springs.

OLIVER SPRINGS—A steady stream of cars drove down Browder Circle in Oliver Springs after the Christmas parade on Saturday night, admiring two homes heavily decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments.

Here is one picture. We’ll add more later.

In the meantime, feel free to share any photos you might have of well-decorated homes that catch your attention.

Two more finalists withdraw from superintendent search

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Two more finalists for Oak Ridge Schools superintendent have withdrawn, and the search will have to be re-opened, an official said Wednesday.

One candidate, Roger Collins, toured Oak Ridge this past Friday. The other, Dan Lawson, was scheduled to be here Thursday, but that visit has been canceled.

On Wednesday, Oak Ridge Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer said Collins and Lawson have decided they want to stay where they are. Collins has been superintendent of Nelson County Public Schools in Lovingston, Va., for 10 years. Lawson, superintendent of Tullahoma City Schools in Tullahoma, Tenn., has been with his district 16 years.

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Connecticut massacre focuses attention on school security in Tennessee

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The school shootings in Newtown, Conn., on Friday have focused attention on school security in Tennessee, led to pledges to increase the police presence at some schools, and bolstered calls for more school resource officers across the state.

It has also revived an intense debate about gun control in the United States.

The shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last week killed 20 children, six adults, the gunman, and his mother. On Tuesday, the National Rifle Association said it was prepared to “offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again” and would have a major news conference on Friday.

In Tennessee, a few legislators have proposed requiring school resource officers in all schools, training at least one staff member to use firearms, or allowing teachers to carry handguns into schools not patrolled by armed police officers. But it’s not yet clear how much support—or funding—those proposals will have.

In Oak Ridge, Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer said education officials will continue to advocate for more school resource officers, or SROs. But local officials said adding SROs could depend upon funding.

In Anderson County, Mayor Terry Frank sent out information on Tuesday on the positive measures taken this week by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department after last week’s shooting, including four walk-throughs at Dutch Valley Elementary School on Monday.

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Oak Ridge athletic facility request forms now available

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Request forms are now available for those interested in using Oak Ridge athletic facilities between March 1 and July 31.

The forms are available through the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department at the Civic Center front desk or online at www.orrecparks.org.

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‘Meet and greet’ canceled with second superintendent candidate

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The “meet and greet” that had been scheduled with a second school superintendent candidate on Thursday has been canceled, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday.

The session had been scheduled for lunchtime Thursday with Dan Lawson. He is superintendent of Tullahoma City Schools in Tullahoma, Tenn.

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