We are testing a new theme on Oak Ridge Today. You may notice significant changes to the website as we transition from the previous theme to a new one.
We’ve been reluctant to change. Readers had told us they liked our previous theme because it made good use of white space and was easy to read and navigate.
An East Tennessee “ghost seeker” will share ghost stories and reveal evidence he has collected from paranormal investigations during a Saturday afternoon talk at the Oak Ridge Public Library.
The speaker, Stephen Brown, is a member of East Tennessee Ghost Seekers, a group founded in 2009, and he has conducted about 300 residential and public investigations since 2001, a press release said.
The press release said East Tennessee Ghost Seekers has been selected to be part of a documentary for The Travel Channel on the Morse Mill Hotel in Morse Mill, Mo., and members have investigated many famous sites.
Saturday’s free talk starts at 4 p.m. in the Public Library Auditorium.
For more information, visit the Library’s main desk, call (865) 425-3455, or send an e-mail to CircLib@cortn.org.
To learn more about East Tennessee Ghost Seekers, visit www.eattnghostseekers.com.
Two community service clubs announced last week that they are now accepting applications for literacy grants awarded each year to schools in Oak Ridge and Anderson and Roane counties.
The two clubs—Altrusa International of Oak Ridge and the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club—will award about $20,000 in grants, a press release said. The money comes from a March 2012 event that featured author Pamela Schoenewaldt.
Grant applications and award criteria may be found on the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club website or at the Oak Ridge Public Library. The money will be competitively awarded to organizations whose programs, projects, or activities foster literacy in the area, the press release said.
“Lack of literacy skills continues to be a serious problem in the lives of many of our East Tennessee neighbors and for many throughout the world,” the release said. “Non-readers and below-grade readers cannot realize their full potential in life, which in turn adversely affects our local, and national economies and society in general.”
The Altrusa and Rotary clubs co-sponsor an annual luncheon to raise money to help local organizations that work to raise literacy levels. The press release said the funds from this year’s literacy luncheon will be awarded based upon the following guidelines:
Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club Past President Brenda Thornburgh, chair of the literacy grant selection committee this year, said that projects will be funded primarily on the basis of their emphasis on programs that teach children or adults to read or that help them improve basic reading skills.
“Traditionally, the Altrusa/Rotary grant process supports the parts of programs that deal with reading materials, such as books and instruction materials, and not for staff support or the costs of developing a program,” Thornburgh said.
Altrusa Immediate Past President Janet Swift said the community has played a key role in making the Altrusa/Breakfast Rotary literacy grants possible through its support for the annual literacy luncheons.
“We have had a very strong response from area businesses and individuals in sponsorship of and attendance at this event in past years, and I would urge everyone to support the 2013 Literacy Luncheon so that we might continue making a real difference for literacy programs in our community,” Swift said.
Applications must be submitted by Nov. 9. For questions about the application process, contact Thornburgh at brendathornburgh@comcast.net or (865)742-9700.
The next Stone Soup Ministry free community meal is scheduled for Friday at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.
The menu includes homemade bean soup, cornbread, and cookies. Dine-in or take-out will be available from 5 to 6 p.m., a press release said.
The Stone Soup Ministry name is derived from the Stone Soup Fable, an old medieval tale in which a hungry stranger came upon a small village.
“Having no food, he put water and a few stones in a large pot to boil,” the press release said. “The villagers, who were suffering from a meager harvest, each contribute a bit of food, a carrot, a potato, etc. In the end, the stranger and the villagers sit down to the meal together. In modern times the story is usually told as a lesson in cooperation.”
The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike (traffic light number 11).
The Stone Soup Ministry meal is held the last Friday of every month at the same time in the Social Hall of the Church. For more information about the Oct. 26 meal, call the ORUUC office at (865) 483-6761.
Altrusa of Oak Ridge has its annual spaghetti dinner and auction on Wednesday evening at the DoubleTree Hotel.
The dinner and musical entertainment begin at 5 p.m., the silent auction lasts from 5-6:30 p.m., and the live auction starts at 6:30 p.m. The auction includes handcrafted items, holiday gifts, and services, a press release said.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 4-10, and admission is free for children three years old and younger, the press release said. Tickets can be purchased from an Altrusa member or at the door.
Wine will be available for sale, and one-half the dinner cost is tax-deductible, the release said.
Altrusa is a nonprofit community service organization.
Tennesseee Sen. Ken Yager, left, and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, center, receive an overview of the Spallation Neutron Source from Oak Ridge National Laboratory Neutron Sciences Director Kelly Beierschmitt at the SNS Thursday. (Photo by Jason Richards)
Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, who is also the Republican Senate Speaker, and Sen. Ken Yager, a Harriman Republican, visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory on Thursday afternoon.
Their agenda included discussions of ORNL’s partnerships with the state of Tennessee and tours of the Leadership Computing Facility and Spallation Neutron Source, the lab said in a brief statement Friday.
John Ragan
Perhaps illustrating the importance of the race, top state and national Republicans are showing their support for Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge resident and GOP candidate seeking re-election to the Tennessee House of Representatives.
A first-term legislator, Ragan is opposed in the Nov. 6 election by Democrat Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat who used to hold the seat but lost to Ragan in the 2010 election.
Democrats and Republicans have both said the race in Tennessee’s 33rd District, which includes much of Anderson County, is one of a half-dozen key contests in the state.
On Friday, the Tennessee House Republican Caucus announced that U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander will be in Clinton and Anderson County on Tuesday to support Ragan. Alexander will be joined by U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge; Tennessee Sen. Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican; and Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank.
“They will be meeting with Anderson County citizens and discussing plans for economic growth, the importance of fiscal responsibility, and the need to re-elect conservative state Rep. John Ragan,” a press release said.
They will meet at Hoskins Drug Store in Clinton from 2-3 p.m. Tuesday. Hoskins Drug Store is located at 111N. Main St. in Clinton.
Also this week, Republicans announced that top Tennessee officials had unanimously endorsed Ragan. The endorsements came from three top Republicans, Gov. Bill Haslam, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, and Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell.
“Having strong leaders in the state legislature is incredibly important, and I can always count on John Ragan’s consistent conservative approach to tough issues,” Haslam said. “John has a true servant’s heart, and works hard on behalf of Anderson County every day.”
Ramsey said Ragan has worked closely with senators to create a better environment for business and served as a “voice of reform” on the House Education Committee. Harwell said Ragan’s wide range of military and business experience make him a vital part of the Republican team in Nashville.
The outcome of the contest between Ragan and Hackworth could help decide whether Republicans pick up a supermajority in the Tennessee House. That would allow them to conduct legislative business without Democratic support, and they could pass legislation even if Democrats walk out of session.
In June, a Republican campaign aide said Republicans now have 64 representatives in the 99-member Tennessee House of Representatives. They would have a supermajority if they pick up three seats, giving them 67 total members, said Holt Whitt, a member of the Republican Caucus field staff in Nashville.
Early voting for the Nov. 6 election began Wednesday and ends Nov. 1.
Oak Ridge Today readers who are also local AT&T subscribers report they are able to access our website again.
We began receiving reports on Tuesday that some local readers were not able to access Oak Ridge Today. The issue appears to have been resolved on Thursday.
We’re not certain what caused it, but it appears to have been a network issue that was isolated to local AT&T customers.
We apologize for any inconvenience. We will share any new information we receive.
We encourage you to let us know if you have any problems accessing Oak Ridge Today. You are also welcome to contact us if you have other ideas about how we might improve the site.
A police academy that starts next month will give Oak Ridge residents a chance to learn about crime scene investigations, crime prevention and analysis, tactical operations, and the police canine program.
It’s called the Citizen’s Police Academy. The free 12-week academy starts Nov. 8 and ends Jan. 31. Classes are scheduled to meet Thursday evenings from 6–9 p.m.
The Oak Ridge Police Department is now accepting applications for the program, a press release said.
It said the academy will give residents a better understanding of how the ORPD is organized and how each division operates.
“Participants will observe first-hand the daily challenges facing law enforcement professionals,” the release said.
City officials said the goal is to “create and develop a growing nucleus of responsible, well-informed citizens who have the potential to improve community understanding regarding police practices and enhance service delivery.” They hope it will help build a lasting and productive partnership between the ORPD and the community.
“Graduates of the program will fulfill the critical role of providing input and information to their neighborhoods and work environment, which increases citizen involvement on issues of mutual concern,” the release said.
The Citizen’s Police Academy will include classroom and hands-on learning, the release said. Class subjects will include legal reviews, the job of a uniformed police officer, investigations, crime scene investigations, crime prevention, the canine program, tactical operations, crime analysis, and much more.
Participants will be involved in activities such as touring the communications facilities and police department, using police equipment, firing department service weapons, observing canine demonstrations, and touring both the Anderson County Detention Facility and the National Forensic Academy.
The press release said each applicant must complete an application and undergo a criminal background investigation. Applicants must also be at least 21 years of age and must work or live within Oak Ridge. The instructional course will be held at Fire Station #3 on Tuskegee Drive.
To download an application for the Citizen’s Police Academy, visit www.oakridgetn.gov or at the police department.
For more information, call Oak Ridge Police Sgt. Shannah Newman at (865) 425-3519 or e-mail her at snewman@oakridgetn.gov.
Three speakers who work with kids will discuss children and schools during a Monday meeting of the Oak Ridge branch of the American Association of University Women.
Titled “The Basic Need of Children in School,” the presentation will feature Gina Begluitti, family services coordinator at Oak Ridge Preschool; Theresa Venable, librarian, and special events coordinator at Children’s Defense Fund, Hayley Farm; and Tara Voit, certified Montessori instructor, and executive director of the Scarboro Learning Center.
The meeting will be in the Social Room of the Unitarian Universalist Church. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a $7 sandwich luncheon.
The program will begin at noon and will include a question-and-answer period, a press release said.
The three anti-nuclear weapons activists pictured above cut through fences and vandalized a high-security building at the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and now face federal charges of property destruction, property depredation, and trespassing. From left to right, the three are Michael R. Walli, Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed. (Submitted photo)
A federal judge has given attorneys three extra weeks to file motions in the government’s case against three anti-nuclear weapons activists accused of sneaking into the Y-12 National Security Complex in July and vandalizing a building where bomb-grade uranium is stored.
On Oct. 9, the attorneys asked for a one-month extension, which would have given them until Nov. 9 to file motions for Greg Boertje-Obed, Megan Rice, and Michael R. Walli. They said they hadn’t completed their investigation and needed more time to consult with the defendants.
In an order filed Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge C. Clifford Shirley Jr. gave them until Oct. 30. A motion hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 20.
“In order to remain on track for the Feb. 26, 2013, trial of this matter, this motion hearing cannot be delayed,” Shirley said. “Additional extensions of the motion deadline will not be permitted, except in the event of extraordinary circumstances.”
Shirley said attorneys had said the discovery, or information collected in the case, was minimal, and he was “somewhat surprised” to hear that more time was needed to investigate the facts.
Boertje-Obed, Rice, and Walli are accused of sneaking into Y-12 before dawn on July 28, cutting through fences with bolt cutters, evading guards, and spray-painting slogans and splashing human blood on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility.
They have been charged with property destruction, property depredation, and trespassing. The three protesters, who have pleaded not guilty, face potential penalties of up to 16 years in jail and $600,000 in fines.
Walli is represented by Christopher Scott Irwin of Knoxville and William P. Quigley of New Orleans. Rice is represented by Francis L. Lloyd Jr. of Knoxville. Boertje-Obed is representing himself, although he has the assistance of “elbow counsel,” Knoxville attorney Bobby E. Hutson Jr.
The Nov. 20 motion hearing starts at 9:30 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.
The unprecedented security breach has had a significant impact on Y-12, its contractors, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Among other things, there have been federal investigations, two congressional hearings, a temporary halt in nuclear operations, a contract termination for security guard company WSI Oak Ridge, and a firing, suspensions, retirements, and reassignments at WSI, NNSA, and B&W Y-12.
Note: This story was last updated at 10:27 p.m. Oct. 18.
Kroger Marketplace Site Plan
The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider recommending a new stoplight on North Illinois Avenue for a new Kroger shopping center.
Council will also decide whether to give developers a 90 percent, 10-year tax break to convert the historic but rundown Alexander Inn into an assisted living center.
The new stoplight for the $30 million Kroger Marketplace shopping center would be at North Illinois Avenue and Ivanhoe Road. The project will also need new entrances on Oak Ridge Turnpike and North Illinois Avenue.
Those roads are state routes, so the stoplight and entrances will have to be approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
As part of the project, City Council has been asked to give up two neighborhood roads—Iris Circle and Robin Lane—to make way for the 25-acre shopping center. Sewer, water, and electric easements will also have to abandoned. The shopping center will replace a neighborhood of about 55 homes, two hotels, a restaurant, day care center, and church northeast of the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue.
Council approved rezonings for the project in the first of two readings, or votes, earlier this month, and endorsed what is known as a planned unit development preliminary master plan.
The tax break for the Alexander Inn, officially known as a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, or PILOT, was endorsed in a 6-0 vote by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development board on Oct. 11. It would be used to help with public improvements that include a new road for cars that now drive through the three-acre site, relocation of a storm sewer under the two-story building, environmental remediation, building stabilization, and code compliance.
Even with the temporary tax break, Oak Ridge and Anderson County will continue to receive at least as much in property taxes as they do now, said Ray Evans, an economic development consultant for the city.
The project has been proposed by Family Pride Corp. of Loudon and InSite Development Corp. of Knoxville. Family Pride has said the project is not economically feasible without the tax break.
Construction of the $4.5 million, 60-unit assisted living center could take roughly a year.
A Kroger representative said home demolition at the shopping center site could begin in February. The Alexander Inn developers have said they are ready to immediately start remediation and rehabilitation work if Council approves the PILOT.
Monday’s meeting is unusual in that it’s the second regular City Council meeting this month. Council added the meeting to consider the Kroger and Alexander Inn project, as well as new city codes.
Council also changed the date of the regular November meeting. It was moved from Nov. 12 to Nov. 5. That means it will be held before the Nov. 6 election, ensuring there are seven Council members available for the meeting.
City officials weren’t sure if the results of the election would be certified by the Nov. 12 meeting, so it was possible that only four of the seven Council members would have been available for that meeting.
The Oct. 22 and Nov. 5 meetings both start at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom.
For more information, contact the Oak Ridge City Clerk’s Office at (865) 425-3411.
