Oak Ridge Today

DOE inspector finds no evidence of cheating, but questions testimony

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Federal investigators found no evidence that WSI Oak Ridge tried to cheat on a test at the Y-12 National Security Comple this summer, but they also questioned the credibility of contractors who testified that there was no intent to cheat.

A copy of the test was found in a WSI Oak Ridge patrol vehicle on Aug. 29, one day before it was scheduled to be given to security guards. It was part of an inspection by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Health, Safety and Security that followed the July 28 security breach at Y-12.

In a special report this month, U.S. Department of Energy Inspector General Gregory H. Friedman said the test, as well as answers to test questions, had been distributed to many WSI Oak Ridge employees, including captains, lieutenants, and security police officers, “the very people whose knowledge was to have been evaluated.” At best, Friedman said, the transmission, review, and distribution of the test demonstrated a lack of due care and negligence.

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Andersonville Fire Department to become subscription-based

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The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department says it will switch to a subscription-based operation beginning Jan. 1 due to a lack of funds, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

Fire Chief Jeff Bagwell says that a financial analysis of the department showed that if it did not change its operating plan, it would have to close down within three years, the radio station said.

The AVFD serves about 9,000 residents in a 68-square-mile area that also includes almost 60 businesses, four schools, several marinas, and an industrial park, WYSH said.

Memberships will be voluntary, and the subscription cost will be based upon the size of the home or business at a rate of eight cents per square foot. Officials estimate that the annual subscriptions will range from $150 to $200 but will be tax-deductible.

Currently, a very small percentage of homes and an even smaller percentage of businesses contribute to the department, WYSH said. After March 1, 2013, the department will begin charging non-subscribers for responding to the scene of a fire or an emergency medical call.

WYSH said Bagwell is scheduled to be a guest on the radio station’s “Ask Your Neighbor” show in a couple of weeks, and they plan to discuss the issue with him.

Andersonville is an unincorporated community in northeast Anderson County.

This story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.

Register by Thursday for UT Arboretum Society annual dinner

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Andy Pulte

Andy Pulte

Reservations are due by Thursday for an annual dinner and auction with the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

The Nov. 13 dinner will feature keynote speaker Andy Pulte, radio host on WNOX and University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences gardening expert, a press release said.

The dinner and silent auction start at 6 p.m. Nov. 13 at The Elks Club, 684 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. The public is invited, and the cost is $25 per person, the press release said.

The release said Pulte is one of the hosts of “The Garden Guy” with Sue Hamilton on WNOX’s “Garden Talk,” a weekly radio show on from 8 a.m. to 9 .m. Saturdays.

His topic for the UT Arboretum Society dinner and auction is “Backgrounds and Borders Design Theory and New Plants for Everyone.”

“Paying attention to the specific emotions plant colors evoke is important,” Pulte said in the release. “Colors can be beautiful in peaceful, happy, relaxing, invigorating and even sad ways. The colors you ultimately choose for a garden should reflect the mood you want to express.”

He will also discuss using a set of newer or unusual plants you should consider adding to your landscape this year.

The press release said Pulte grew up in the nursery industry in Grand Island, Neb. He received his bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree from the University of Tennessee in the area of public horticulture.

He has worked at the National Arbor Day Foundation in the education department and the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb. He contributes to several gardening publications, speaks regularly to diverse groups, and travels extensively to feed his passion for people and plants, the press release said.

The Nov. 13 dinner and auction will begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour (cash bar) and silent auction followed by a buffet dinner at 7 p.m., then a brief business meeting and Pulte’s presentation. Silent actions items include fine crafts, gifts certificates, art, wine and accessories, hard tools, and more, the release said.

For more information on the Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, call (865) 482-9096 or send an e-mail to patrow@comcast.net. Cash or checks only will be accepted at the door.

To learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org.

Literacy Fair for young children at Clinton Library on Saturday

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The Clinton Public Library will have its first Early Literacy Fair for children on Saturday.

The fair is for children from infants to age 5 and their caregivers, a press release said.

“Don’t miss this chance to explore your role as your child’s first teacher and to find out about many valuable resources for your child’s future,” the release said.

It said literacy begins at birth, and studies show that a child who enters kindergarten with certain pre-reading skills has a better chance for success throughout the rest of his school years.

Saturday’s Early Literacy Fair starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

Here is more information from the press release:

  • Explore and develop the skills your children need for kindergarten and before they read their first words. Use our interactive activity stations to talk, sing, read, write, and play with your children; and enjoy early literacy activities that involve letters, art, music, and books.
  • Meet professionals from the community who can talk to you about early literacy and other topics.
  • Find out how to know if your children are ready for kindergarten and how to better prepare them.

The Early Literacy Fair is a free, drop-in event. No registration is required, and visitors can stop by any time between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For more information, call the library at (865) 457-0519 or visit www.clintonpubliclibrary.org.

Sheriff’s Department offers Halloween safety tips

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Today is Halloween, and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department has recommended safety tips for families and drivers, particularly for trick or treating tonight.

The goal is to make Halloween more enjoyable and safer, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said.

Here are the tips:

  • Face paint is preferable to masks for children’s costumes. Trick or treaters should wear reflective clothing, carry a bright orange bag, and also carry a flashlight or glowstick to make it easier for passing cars to spot them. Always walk on the left side of the road facing traffic. Parents and children alike should watch for cars at all times.
  • An adult should always accompany young children. A parent or older child should stay close all times and never let children walk by themselves. Wait in the driveway or by the door until they return.
  • Older children should travel in pairs or in groups at all times while trick or treating. Parents should know the route their children are following. Children should always walk together to the front door of each house and never run across the road. Dark, unlighted houses should be avoided.
  • Children should save all their candy until they get home. Parents should closely inspect all candy. Throw away all unwrapped candy or any suspicious looking goodies.
  • Motorists should use extra caution Halloween night. When driving, slow down and be aware. Trick or treaters may dart into the road. Please drive at safe speeds and leave distance from the vehicle ahead of you. They may have to stop suddenly.

Sheriff’s deputies will be actively patrolling neighborhoods throughout the county during Halloween evening, a press release said.

Oak Ridge Today announces commenting policy

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Since we began operating about seven months ago, readers have regularly recommended that we require those who comment on Oak Ridge Today to use their real names.

In the beginning, this wasn’t much of an issue. Most people who commented on our site used their real, full names. And our readers said they appreciated that.

But recently, it seems that an increasing number of readers, maybe even most, have commented using pseudonyms.

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Y-12 guard transition complete

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WSI Oak Ridge has provided security guard services at the Y-12 National Security Complex for years, but that work has come to an end, three months after an unprecedented security breach.

B&W Y-12, the company that manages and operates Y-12, announced on Monday that it had taken over the security guard force and hired 560 WSI Oak Ridge employees.

On Tuesday, WSI Oak Ridge said the transition was complete.

WSI Oak Ridge said it has provided para-military protective force services to Y-12 for more than a decade and at U.S. Department of Energy sites across the nation for more than 50 years. It continues to provide protective force services for local DOE sites at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, East Tennessee Technology Park, and the Federal Office Building Complex.

“I appreciate the hard work and dedication demonstrated by all our employees,” WSI Oak Ridge General Manager Steve Hafner said. “I am happy that so many employees successfully transitioned to B&W Y-12 and proud to report that every WSI Oak Ridge employee has a position.”

The security force transition from WSI Oak Ridge to B&W Y-12 started Oct. 1 and lasted about a month.

B&W Y-12 announced in September that it would terminate its contract with WSI Oak Ridge. The National Nuclear Security Administration had recommended the move. B&W Y-12 manages and operates Y-12 for the NNSA.

WSI became a subcontractor to B&W Y-12 after the July 28 security breach. Before then, it had operated under a separate contract with the NNSA.

The contracting change was one of several changes made after three anti-nuclear weapons activists, including an 82-year-old nun, sneaked into Y-12 before dawn on July 28, cut through three fences with bolt cutters, and vandalized a building where bomb-grade uranium is stored.

Birdwell Catering celebrates opening

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Birdwell Catering Ribbon Cutting

Local officials, business leaders, and supporters celebrate the opening of Birdwell Catering on Midway Lane with a ribbon-cutting Thursday.

Local officials, business leaders, and supporters celebrated the opening of Birdwell Catering on Midway Lane with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

Executive chef Robert Birdwell said the business replaces Manny’s Catering, which was in business for about 10 years.

Birdwell and general manager Jim Bouchard used to work for Manny, but Manny retired and Birdwell bought out the business in June.

Birdwell said the new company does a lot of work for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, but also caters for weddings, reunions, and sporting events. They try to customize their menus for each client, serving a range of food from continental breakfasts to box lunches to fine dining.

“We’re very flexible,” Robert Birdwell said.

“The customer is very important to us,” said his wife, Jackie Birdwell.

Although it’s not a restaurant, the family-owned business does have take-out lunches.

More information is available on Birdwell Catering’s Facebook page.

Woman taken to hospital after van rolls over on SR 95

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Highway 95 Rollover Accident

An Oak Ridge woman was taken to the hospital after the van she was driving hit the ditch on Highway 95 on Monday morning and rolled over. (Photo by Tom Scott)

An Oak Ridge woman was taken to the hospital Monday morning after the minivan she was driving hit the ditch on State Route 95 and rolled over, an accident report said.

Lisa Marie Lewis, 47, was not ejected from the 2004 Ford minivan during the 10:30 a.m. accident, but she had possible injuries, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

Lewis, who had been driving northbound on SR 95 near Melton Hill Dam, was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center, the report said.

Three choirs, Ridge City Ramblers perform at Sunday music festival

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Ridge City Ramblers

The Ridge City Ramblers and three local church choirs will perform Sunday in the Reach Out Music Festival at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.

A music festival on Sunday features three church choirs and local bluegrass and Americana group Ridge City Ramblers.

It’s the 7th annual Reach Out Music Festival, and it’s presented by Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.

The three church choirs scheduled to perform are Grace Lutheran, led by Paula Smith; First Presbyterian, under the direction of Anna Thomas; and Kern Memorial United Methodist, led by Kevin Miller.

The free festival starts at 3 p.m. Sunday at Grace Lutheran, which is located at 131 West Gettysburg Ave.

A press release said Ridge City Ramblers have been “picking together” since 2010.

Overflow parking for Sunday’s festival is available at Woodland Elementary School behind Grace Lutheran Church. Parking lot attendants will be on hand to give directions, the release said.

The church has invited parents to bring their families, including young children.

“A nursery and attendant is ready to assist if the small children need care,” the release said.

It said a freewill offering will be taken for those who wish to contribute to the sustainability of the festival, and “finger food and fellowship” will be available after the event.

For more information, call Grace Lutheran Church at (865) 483-3787.

Safe with cash stolen from Billy’s Time Out Deli

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A safe that reportedly had $3,100 in cash and coins was stolen from Billy’s Time Out Deli this weekend, an Oak Ridge Police Department report said.

Few other details about the alleged burglary were available. The safe was believed to have been taken from Billy’s between about 8 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the report said.

Billy’s is a popular diner at 202 S. Illinois Ave.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

B&W Y-12 takes over guard force, hires 560 WSI workers

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Note: This story was updated at 11:07 p.m.

After a four-week transition, B&W Y-12 has taken over the security guard force at the Y-12 National Security Complex and hired 560 WSI Oak Ridge employees.

The transition ends three months after an unprecedented security breach at Y-12 and one month after B&W Y-12 announced it would terminate its contract with WSI Oak Ridge. That company, also known as Wackenhut and G4S Government Solutions, had provided security guards at the nuclear weapons complex for about a dozen years.

“The transition from WSI Oak Ridge to B&W Y-12 has gone very smoothly, and we welcome these new employees to the company,” said retired Brig. Gen. Rod Johnson, deputy general manager for security. “We’ve already seen improvements in security performance following previously announced contracting changes, and we believe we’ll see additional successes with the protective force fully integrated into B&W Y-12.”

B&W Y-12 announced it would end the WSI Oak Ridge contract after a Sept. 28 recommendation from the National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Y-12 manages and operates Y-12 for the NNSA.

The transition from WSI to B&W Y-12 began Oct. 1. B&W had said it would offer employment to active Y-12 security police officers and other active union WSI Oak Ridge employees at Y-12 and the Central Training Facility in Oak Ridge.

B&W Y-12 had also said it would evaluate non-union WSI Oak Ridge employees who supervise and support Y-12 guards.

WSI became a subcontractor to B&W Y-12 after the July 28 security breach. Before that highly publicized intrusion, WSI had operated under a separate contract with the NNSA.

The contracting change was among many made after three anti-nuclear weapons activists, including an 82-year-old nun, sneaked into Y-12 before dawn on July 28, cut through three fences with bolt cutters, and vandalized a building where bomb-grade uranium is stored. The breach also led to federal investigations and critical reports, congressional hearings, staff re-assignments and suspensions, and at least one firing.

B&W Y-12 said it has made many improvements in security in the past three months, significantly reducing false and nuisance alarms, successfully completing two intensive force-on-force exercises to test protective force readiness, and installing new security cameras.